The article deals with the importance of the serious
consideration of the application of the system of corrective
techniques in the teacher-learning process of English as a
foreign language. It focus its attention on the treatment of
vowels as one of the most difficult of the contents to be taught
of accuracy in pronunciation inside the classroom and offers
examples of how to apply this technique.
El artículo trata sobre la importancia que tiene
tomar en consideración la utilización del sistema de
corrección fonética en el proceso de
enseñanza–aprendizaje del inglés como idioma
extranjero. Este centra su atención en las vocales como uno de los
contenidos a enseñar dentro de la exactitud en la
pronunciación en el marco del aula, también ofrece
ejemplos que indican cómo aplicar estos
contenidos.
El proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje del
inglés como idioma extranjero se hace complejo por la gran
variedad de elementos a tener en cuenta durante la etapa de
preparación de la clase y la impartición de la
misma. El profesor debe dominar el sistema fonológico,
lexical y gramatical de la lengua en
cuestión, el sistema de corrección fonética,
los objetivos del
programa y las
características del grupo, entre
otros.
La enseñanza de la exactitud en la
pronunciación es de vital importancia para lograr un
proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje exitoso. Si tenemos en
cuenta el logro de un nivel de exactitud adecuado en la
pronunciación de las de las vocales tenemos que expresar
que se puede hacer difícil porque los estudiantes no
pueden percibir la articulación de las vocales con la
misma exactitud que las consonantes al no haber
obstrucción del aire al salir de
la cavidad bucal, que la correspondencia sonido-grafía es mucho más inexacta
que en el caso de las consonantes y que la cantidad de vocales en
inglés excede la del español lo
que provoca un proceso de transferencia negativa.
La aplicación del sistema de corrección
fonética en las vocales implica el
conocimiento por parte del profesor de la tendencia hacia el
posible error del estudiante. El docente debe conocer la
clasificación de la vocal a lograr y la que produjo el
estudiante erróneamente para hacer una comparación
que permita establecer diferencias. Ejemplo, la /i/ y la /I/ se
diferencian en cuanto a:
- Lip rounding.
- Depth.
- Tenseness.
- Duration.
Una vez establecida las diferencias, el profesor debe
proponerse el o los objetivos a lograr para que los estudiantes
logren una pronunciación adecuada del fonema en
cuestión. Después de realizado este proceso, el
profesor debe escoger las técnicas
correctivas apropiadas.
Por ejemplo:
/I/:
Classification:
Short, lax, lips loosely spread, oral, just above the
half-close position, high, front.
Possible Problems:
In the articulation of this sound, the students tend to
produce /i/.
Objectives:
1-To obtain a more relaxed, shorter sound.
Corrective Techniques
Minimal pairs.
Beat | Bit |
Cheap | Chip |
Sheep | Ship |
Correction through intonation and
rhythm.
Place the sound at the end of fragments with rising-
falling intonation and fast rhythm and between nasals.
Ex :Wait a minute
2- To obtain a more opened and centralized
sound:
Corrective Technique
Combinatory Phonetics Place the sound between a
bilabial plosive and a velar plosive consonant.
Ex: Big, pig.
/i/
Classification:
Oral, front, high, tense, long vowel with spread lips,
slightly below and behind the close position.
Possible Problems and Corrective
Techniques:
This sound does not offer difficulties to the
Spanish-speaking learners although English /i/ is less
extreme.
/U/
Classification:
Oral, back, high, lax, short, lips rounded, above the
half-close position.
Possible Problems and Corrective
Techniques:
The students produce the /u/ sound we have in
Spanish.
Objectives:
To produce the sound with less lip rounding (no
protrusion)
Corrective Technique
Articulatory method. The teacher should demonstrate how
to produce the rounding of the lips without the
protrusion.
To produce a shorter, laxer sound.
Corrective Technique
Correction through intonation and rhythm. Place the
sound at the end of fragments with rising falling intonation and
fast rhythm.
Ex: The house is full.
Minimal pairs.
Fool full This room is full of
fools.
Luke look Look , Luke is
coming.
Shaded pronunciation towards /I/
/u/
Classification:
Oral, back, high, tense, long, below the close position,
lips rounded and protruded.
Possible Problems and Corrective
Techniques:
This sound does not offer problems to Spanish
speakers.
/ a / (Schwa) and /a / (unstressed schwa with –r-
coloring)
Classification:
Oral, central, mid, lax, short vowels, between half-
close and half-open position, the lips are in neutral
position.
Possible Problems and Corrective
Techniques:
They have no lip rounding and are very short. They occur
very frequently in English and correct obscuration of the
syllable or word where
they are produced should be achieved. Sometimes it is difficult
for some students to produce the r- coloring.
Objectives:
To achieve obscuration
Corrective Techniques
Combinatory Phonetics: Place the sound in unstressed
syllables in polysyllabic words.
Correction through Intonation and rhythm: Pronounce it
with rapid rhythm at the end of fragments with rising-falling
intonation (In English unstressing a syllable is as important as
stressing the accented ones).
To obtain the right pronunciation of the r-
coloring
Corrective Technique
Articulatory method: Curl the tongue tip up and
backwards so that the tip points at the hard palate. The teacher
should make the student conscious of the position of the
tongue.
/ a / (Stressed schwa with r- coloring)
Classification:
Oral, central, mid, tense, long vowel, between
half-close and half-open position, the lips are neutrally
spread.
Possible Problems and Corrective
Techniques:
The students change the vowel for a similar Spanish
one.
Objective:
To achieve the right articulation of the
lips.
Corrective Technique:
Articulatory Method: The teacher should exaggerate the
right articulation of the lips asking the students to spread the
lips
Achieve the right articulation of the r-
coloring.
Corrective Technique
Articulatory Method: He should also explain the
articulation of the r- coloring where the tip of the tongue must
be curled up and back. It can be explained as follows: Start with
/a/; curl the tongue tip up and backwards, so that the tip is
pointing inwards. Hold it there; prolong the sound. The student
should be made conscious of the position of the tongue. Then the
students should be asked to pronounce the sound without starting
from /a/.
/E/
Classification:
Oral, front, mid, between half-close and half-open, lax,
short, lips are loosely spread.
Possible Problems
The articulation of this English vowel sound /E/
approximates to that of the Spanish /e/. The major difference is
that the English variant is more relaxed. It doesn’t
require intensive drilling. It is laxer than the one we have in
Spanish.
/æ/:
Classification:
Oral, front, low, tense, long, below the half-open
position, the lips are in a smile position or extremely
spread.
Possible Problems:
Spanish speaking students may produce /a/ or
/E/.
When the students produce /a/
Objective:
To produce a tenser, longer sound.
Corrective techniques
Correction through intonation and rhythm: Place the
sound at the end of fragments or sentences with rising intonation
lengthening the duration of the sound. Example:
Is that my dad?
Using minimal pairs
Lack lock
Cat cot
Hat hot
Correction through laxness and tenseness. (Verbo- tonal
system):
The teacher should make the students repeat words placed
at the beginning of the sentence, or in any other accented
position which will favor its tense aspect. Ex:
That is my dad.
I’ve told you several times that that is my
book
To make the sound more centralized.
Corrective Technique
Combinatory phonetics: Place the sound between
bilabial and velar consonants. Example: bag, pack.
3. To produce a closer sound:
CorrectiveTechniques:
Combinatory phonetics: Placing the sound between
alveolar consonants. Example: Sally, sad, Italian
Shaded pronunciation towards /E/
Articulatory Method: The teacher should demonstrate the
right degree of openness of the jaw. It might be by contrasting
it with /a/
When the students produce /E/
Objectives:
1. To make the sound longer and tenser
Corrective Techniques:
Shaded pronunciation towards /a/
Correction through Intonation and Rhythm: Place the
sound at the end of fragments using rising intonation and
prolonging the sound. Ex:
Is that my bag?
Correction through tenseness and laxness: The teacher
should place the sound in any accented position, which will favor
the lax aspect of the sound.
Shaded pronunciation towards /a/.
To produce a more open sound.
Corrective Techniques
Articulatory method: In this case it should be used to
explain that they have to lower the jaw to produce a more open
sound..
Combinatory phonetics. The teacher should place it after
a bilabial sound. Example, Is this a bat?
To achieve the right position of the lips.
Corrective Technique
Articulatory Method:The teacher should ask the students
to achieve a smiling position or articulate the lips in a
extremely spread articulation.
/Λ/
Classification:
Oral, voiced, back, low, lax, short, the jaw is between
the half-open and open position, the lips are neutrally
open
Possible problems:
The students produce a broken /o/, which is long, tense
and has lip rounding.
Objectives:
1. To produce a shorter and laxer sound.
Corrective Techniques.
Combinatory phonetics. Place the sound between nasals.
Ex, number, nun, mum.
Correction through intonation and rhythm: Placing the
sound at the end of a fragment with rising -falling intonation,
rapid rhythm and between nasals. Ex, Where is Mum?
Correction through tenseness and laxness: Place the
sound in unaccented position.
To produce the sound without lip rounding.
Corrective Techniques:
Combinatory phonetics: The teacher should place the
sound after velar consonants exaggerating the sound towards /a/.
Ex: Give me a cup.
Articulatory Method: The teacher should explain to the
students that they should not round the lips since they should be
neutrally open.
/‹ /:
Classification:
Oral, back, voiced, low, tense, long, lips rounded,
below the half-open region.
Possible problems:
The students produce a closer / o /
Objective
The teacher should emphasize its degree of jaw
openness.
Corrective Techniques:
Combinatory phonetics. The sound should be placed after
a bilabial plosive. Ex,
Paul bought it.
Articulatory method. By exaggerating the articulation of
the jaw showing a wider degree of openness.
/a/
Classification:
Oral, voiced, back, low, long, tense, lips neutrally
open, above the close position. There is considerable separation
of the jaws.
Possible problems.
The students pronounce a too fronted version or produce
[o], which is retracted.
Objective:
Produce the sound with the right depth
(back).
Corrective Techniques:
Articulatory Method: The teacher should make the
students pronounce /a/ with the jaws very much open.
Combinatory phonetics: The teacher should place the
sound after a velar sound to favor its back articulation. Ex, I
like that car.
La exactitud es un fin a lograr en el proceso de
enseñanza-aprendizaje de las lenguas extranjeras. Cada
profesor de idiomas debe prepararse conscientemente durante su
preparación para la clase, pero también para
enfrentar cualquier situación que se presente durante la
misma. Es esencial que se incluya en el diagnóstico una valoración de los
alumnos para de esta forma realizar un trabajo individualizado,
lo que le permitirá al docente prever el problema, ahorrar
tiempo y
aumentar la eficacia de la
aplicación del sistema de corrección
fonética.
Los problemas en
la pronunciación pueden afectar el proceso de comunicación que el alumno debe llevar a
cabo como parte del proceso de aprendizaje, pero también
hace más lento el aprendizaje de
otros aspectos que debe dominar ya que se limitará a hacer
intervenciones con seguridad por
temor a ser escuchado por el resto de sus compañeros, que
tendrán que hacer un esfuerzo adicional para
comprender.
La utilización del sistema de corrección
fonética prepara a los estudiantes desde el punto de vista
profesional ya que una vez graduados tendrán en sus manos
una herramienta de trabajo que los hará profesionales de
mayor valor.
No en vano Steven H. Mc. Donough manifestó que no
ver un error es imposible, tolerarlo es improductivo, su
predicción y diagnóstico es
indispensable.
Gimbson A.C. An Introduction to the Pronunciation of
English. La Habana, Ministerio de Educación
Superior. 294 pp..
Mc. Donough, Steven H. Sychology in Foreign Language.
Edición Revolucionaria 164 pp..
Sotto, Faustino et. al [1982] Lectures on English
Fonetics and Phonology. Ministerio de Educación. 197
pp..
Tench, Paul. [1989] Pronunciation Skills.
Fundación de la Imprenta Nacional de Cuba. 181
pp..
Lic. Ana Josefa Roque Del Toro. Profesora Asistente ISP
José de la Luz y Caballero,
Holguín, Cuba.
Guillermo A. Ronda Pupo