Instruction of English Stress Patterns

ISBN-13: 9783639159547 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 100 str.

Janelle Fischler

Opis

Many English language learners who have attainedadvanced English proficiency levels are still havingdifficulty in communicating, due to lowintelligibility. Word and sentence stress arecomponents that contribute greatly tointelligibility. This study was designed to explorethe effectiveness of teaching English word andsentence stress patterns through the recitation ofrap music and related activities. Six secondaryEnglish language learners from various primarylanguage backgrounds voluntarily participated in afour-week intensive summer pronunciation course. Appropriate allocation of word and sentence stresswas measured in speech samples obtained before andafter completion of the course. The results of thisstudy indicate improvement in stress placement by theend of the four weeks. The students also reportedsubstantial gains in their confidence levels whencommunicating with others. The study includesspecific methodology that may be useful and easilyincorporated into programs with pre-set curricula andassessments.

O autorze

Janelle L. Fischler, MAESL: Studied Speech and Language Pathology
at the University of Minnesota. Studied English as a Second
Language at Hamline University. ESL Teacher at Minnesota
Independent School District 622. Adjunct staff at University of
St. Thomas Graduate School of Education, Minnesota.