A pedagogical framework for integrated instruction of English prosody

To tackle the challenge of teaching/learning English prosody, we propose a comprehensive pedagogical framework that breaks down the elusive and complex phenomenon of prosody into three principles. The foundation of this framework lies in solid basic phonetic concepts, including syllable structure, three stress levels, and nucleus placement principles. These principles make it more accessible for both teachers and learners.

Transcript

1. A pedagogical framework
   for integrated instruction
   of English prosody
   Kazuhito YAMATO (Kansai University)
   Takamichi ISODA (Ryukoku University)
   1
   IATEFL PronSIG online conference
   October 14th, 2023
   

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2. Outline
   Purpose
   Introduce our approach to teaching prosody and
   its theoretical underpinning, and illustrate some
   suggested activities.
   Outline
   1. Introduction and background
   2. Three principles approach
   3. Suggested activities
   2
   This study is supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 22K00761.
   

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3. 1. Introduction and background
   3
   

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4. 1. Introduction and background
   • Needs for prosody teaching
   • Teachers feel less con
   fi
   dent and
   not enough training (Shibata et
   al., 2008; Murphy, 2018)
   4
   

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5. 1. Introduction and background
   •Needs for prosody teaching
   •Japanese EFL learners have
   problems with prosodic features
   (Nanjo, 2010; Saito & Ueda, 2011; Saito, 2017;
   Matsusaka, 1986):
   -sentence stress
   -intonation
   -nucleus placement
   5
   

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6. 1. Introduction and background
   •Issues to be addressed
   -Teachers: hard to teach, not
   sure on what to teach
   -Learners: complex
   descriptions, too much to
   remember
   6
   

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7. 1. Introduction and background
   A famous example of a model for
   teaching prosody
   •Prosody pyramid (Gilbert, 2008)
   •presupposes understanding syllables →
   for high-level learners?
   7
   

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8. 1. Introduction and background
   •what should we do?
   -Need an even more user-friendly
   pedagogical framework (for both teachers
   and students), which encompasses separate
   elements (syllable, stress and rhythm, and
   intonation) as an interrelated system
   -Need to develop teaching techniques or
   activities coherent with its framework
   •Proposal:
   -“Three Principles” Approach!!
   8
   

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9. 2. “Three Principles” approach
   9
   

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10. 2. “Three Principles” approach
    -Minimum essentials of prosody
    -As a guide for teachers to develop
    activities utilizing a textbook in hand
    -As a checklist for students
    10
    “Three Principles” approach
    1.Strike a beat where there is a vowel.
    2.When there are more than one beat,
    differentiate strong and weak beats.
    3.When there are more than one strong beat,
    make one of them more salient than the others.
    

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11. 2. “Three Principles” approach
    •Principle 1 …
    -covers “syllable structure”
    ‣Beats or syllables can be counted by
    “humming”
    -prevents unnecessary “vowel insertion”
    11
    “Three Principles” approach
    1.Strike a beat where there is a vowel.
    strike ɹɹ ετϥΠΫ
    /straɪk/ su to ra i ku
    

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12. 2. “Three Principles” approach
    12
    “Three Principles” approach
    2.When there are more than one beat, differentiate strong and
    weak beats.
    • Principle 2 …
    •illustrates word stress/phrasal stress
    •shows reduced vowels
    bananaɹɹ ό φ φ
    /bənænə/ ba na na
    

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13. 2. “Three Principles” approach
    •Principle 2 …
    • illustrates strong beats tend to be content
    words and weak beats to be function words
    •leads to “rhythm in English” (stressed beats
    are repeated with regular intervals)
    13
    “Three Principles” approach
    2. When there are more than one beat, differentiate strong and
    weak beats.
    Cats eat ɹ
    fi
    sh.
    The cats eat ɹ the
    fi
    sh.
    The cats are eating the
    fi
    sh.
    The cats will have eaten the
    fi
    sh.
    

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14. 2. “Three Principles” approach
    14
    “Three Principles” approach
    3.When there are more than one strong beat, make one of
    them more salient than the others.
    •Principle 3 …
    •illustrates “primary stress” in words and
    “Nucleus placement principle” in sentences
    •Nucleus placed elsewhere re
    fl
    ects speaker’s
    intention
    universityɹI go to school by bus.
    A: Where do you go by bus?
    B: I go to school by bus.
    

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15. 2. “Three Principles” approach
    15
    •What can we do with this framework?
    -Analyse texts/passages with this framework
    -Integrate prosody instruction into classes (cf. Celce-Murcia et
    al.(2010)’s communicative framework)
    ɹɹɹˣ
    -Develop activities based on a textbook in hand
    “Three Principles” approach
    1. Strike a beat where there is a vowel.
    2. When there are more than one beat,
    differentiate strong and weak beats.
    3. When there are more than one strong beat,
    make one of them more salient than the others.
    

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16. 16
    3. Suggested activities
    

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17. 3. Suggested activities
    1.Humming
    -sensitizing learners about elements of prosody:
    syllable, stress and rhythm, and intonation
    -combined with teaching new words, reading
    aloud, and many other types of activities.
    -avoiding vowel insertion
    17
    unusual enjoy piano pressing
    teeth skull words allowed
    “Three Principles” approach
    1. Strike a beat where there is a vowel.
    

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18. 3. Suggested activities
    6.Grouping (odd-one-out etc.)
    -Group them in syllable number
    -Group them in stress pattern (strong-weak/
    weak-strong)
    -Select one with the teacher hums/reads
    aloud
    18
    Edison found unusual way enjoy
    piano music pressing teeth
    wood skull words allowed
    “Three Principles” approach
    2. When there are more than one beat, differentiate strong and
    weak beats.
    

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19. 3. Suggested activities
    7.Content words only
    -Listen to T’s reading aloud and guess the content
    -Draw slash(/) where a sentence ends and a thought
    group ends by paying attention to intonation
    19
    Thomas Edison found unusual way enjoy
    piano music
    no known photograph Edison biting piano / known
    bite phonographs pianos help experience music
    hearing worsened / daughter once remembered guest
    cried sight Edison biting piano someone played
    “Three Principles” approach
    2.When there are more than one beat, differentiate strong and
    weak beats.
    

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20. 3. Suggested activities
    16.Q&A
    -The nucleus is placed in accordance with questions
    -If the nucleus is misplaced, Ts would repeat the question or
    give explicit feedback.
    20
    Q: What does the piano have above the keyboard?
    A: The piano has groups of small marks above the keyboard.
    Q: Does the piano have groups of small marks on the keyboard?
    A: The piano has groups of small marks above the keyboard.
    Q: Where does the piano have groups of small marks?
    A: The piano has groups of small marks above the keyboard.
    “Three Principles” approach
    3. When there are more than one strong beat, make one of
    them more salient than the others.
    

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21. 3. Suggested activities
    20.Correcting mistakes
    -Work in pairs. B will read out the passage.
    -A will point out the wrong parts and correct them with
    particular emphasis on the nucleus.
    21
    A [Correct ver.]
    Thomas Edison may have found an unusual way to enjoy piano music. Pressing
    his teeth into the wood of phonographs and pianos helped Edison experience the
    music in his skull. Or in his own words, it allowed him to “hear through my teeth.”
    B [Wrong ver.]
    Thomas Edison may have found a common way to enjoy piano music. Pressing
    his nail into the wood of phonographs and pianos helped Edison experience the
    music in his hand. Or in his own words, it allowed him to “hear through my
    teeth.”
    “Three Principles” approach
    3. When there are more than one strong beat, make one of
    them more salient than the others.
    

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22. Takeaway messages
    22
    •This framework…
    •provides three accessible rules for Ts and Ss!
    •Interrelates syllable, stress, rhythm, and intonation!
    •Enables teachers to seamlessly integrate prosody
    instruction into their classes and to devise customised
    activities using any chosen textbooks!
    “Three Principles” approach
    1.Strike a beat where there is a vowel.
    2.When there are more than one beat,
    differentiate strong and weak beats.
    3.When there are more than one strong beat,
    make one of them more salient than the others.
    

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23. Takeaway messages
    23
    •The list of suggested activities are available from
    the link below!
    https://bit.ly/3LWwZ6b
    Kazuhito YAMATO (Kansai University) kyamato@kansai-u.ac.jp
    Takamichi ISODA (Ryukoku University) isoda@psy.ryukoku.ac.jp
    “Three Principles” approach
    1.Strike a beat where there is a vowel.
    2.When there are more than one beat,
    differentiate strong and weak beats.
    3.When there are more than one strong beat,
    make one of them more salient than the others.
    

    View Slide

24. A pedagogical framework for integrated
    instruction of English prosody
    [contact]
    Kazuhito YAMATO (Kansai University)
    kyamato@kansai-u.ac.jp
    Takamichi ISODA (Ryukoku University)
    isoda@psy.ryukoku.ac.jp
    24
    IATEFL PronSIG online conference
    October 14th, 2023
    This study is supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 22K00761.
    

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25. View Slide