英語發音
English Pronunciation for Chinese Speakers
Tainan, Taiwan台灣 台南市
Overview
From neurolinguistics, we know that when listening to human language, the brain first processes phonemes. After processing these basic sounds, the brain recognizes words, then grammar, then meaning. Difficulty with recognizing and producing the phonemes of a language, will lead to problem at all other language levels. Often leaving learners unsure of how to improve. There is a general understanding that one’s accent and intonation will improve over time. However, the majority of adult learners stagnate after just a few months. Improvement requires direct practice.
Because we never study our first language, native speakers are typically unaware of how they produce sounds. When a novel phoneme is heard, we rely on a similar sound in our native language. Using the phonemes of one’s native language to produce the sounds of the second language results in an accent. The overlap often determines how easily an accent will be understood by a native speaker. As a basic measure of understandability, try speaking to Google translate in English, which uses a phonemic approach to language recognition. How well are you understood?
There is a specific region of the brain, Wernicke’s area, the processes phonemes. Learning a new sound requires a measurable neurological change. Like learning any musical instrument, improvement depends on properly practicing the sounds on a regular basis. Practice will be the focus of these workshops.
Workshops
Phonemes are best represented by the International Phonetic Language or IPA, a standard develop by linguists and used by dictionaries such as the Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries. When you look up a word, the symbols demarcated by the slashes, / /, are IPA. These symbols represent sounds as well as the position of the tongue, mouth, and lips. For example, look up the word ‘ox.’ It contains 2 letters but 3 phonemes /ɑːks/.
While we will focus on English pronunciation, IPA is a standard for all human language. The approach can be used to enhance the learning of any second language. Once you understand the fundamentals of phonemes, switching accents, for example, between an American and British English, is fairly easy.
About a third of each class will provide a background on the science of language so we understand the reasons behind what we are doing. This workshops are especially useful for language teachers.
The workshop will have 4-5 sessions each lasting about 2 hours. After the workshop, the class can be extended with English conversation.
Class Level
The principles and methods of this class can be taught to complete beginners. It is far easy to learn proper pronunciation as a beginner. However, because I will explaining underlying concepts in English, you should have good conversational skills. In class, you can help each other understand understand concepts by speaking to each other in Chinese.
This approach is for adult learners. The current workshops are tailored for those who speak Mandarin as a first language.
Cost
The only cost is the rental fee for the room, copying costs, and perhaps a taxi fee for me if it is raining hard. The room fee depends on the place the organizers choose.
Date and Time
to be decided
Assistants
I need one or more native Chinese speakers to organize the class. You need to find a suitable location, contact other students, print materials, etc.
About Me
Internationally published novelist with a degree in performance art and a master’s in neuroscience.