[MUSIC] Hello everyone, I am Articulate and this is Clarification. Both of us have been getting, well, some much needed time to get some much needed counseling. The resort was wonderful. And we return to you much improved. The producers have decided to give us one last chance to co-host and I just want to thank them for their amazing support during this difficult time. As part of our recovery process, our therapist, I mean friend told us it would be useful to help each other. So Clara will attempt to help me out if I, well, slip up and I will help her out as well. Our friend told us I tend to cut people off, assuming things about people unfairly. And insult others without knowing it. Yikes! Well Clara she learned that she is. What was that again? >> Cold, controlling and unable to show natural emotion. I will try to do better. Wow, this set is different. It's so warm and inviting. I will have to get used to it. Can you even learn in an environment like this? >> Well, let's find out in today's show. >> What makes pronunciation hard? >> We have three entirely new guests that we want to welcome on today's show. Remember Arch, remember, don't make any dumb remarks about the way our guest speakers look or speak. >> Thanks for the reminder, Clara, buddy. So who do we have? A world traveler who has visited over 30 countries, this guest has, holy cow, look at the size of that guy! I mean [LAUGH] it's nice to meet you. I see you enjoy cooking, concerts, and movies. Hate to get stuck in the theater behind that guy. [LAUGH] Ow. Sorry Nial, that was uncalled for. Nial, is that right? >> Yes, that's right, and no need to apologize. >> Thank you for that. Old habits die hard. And I hear our next panelist is your lovely wife? The youngest of six sisters. She comes from the far away land of Ireland with magical features like leprechauns- >> [COUGH] >> I have nothing to do with what we are talking about. Now, how do I pronounce your name? Unak! Like, Uunaak. >> Owna. It's Owna, like own a car. >> That's lovely and may I say that your accent is lovely as well. Wait, can I say that? Okay, good, yes I can. That was nerve-wracking. Claire, why don't you introduce our final guest? >> Most certainly. Ms Kristin Lane is an English language expert. The daughter of a Navy captain, and has spent most of her life on the shores of Florida and California. She has two children. Ugh! I mean, two children. How delightful. I love children. >> I love them too! >> Are you chewing gum?! Gum is absolutely not permitted in my. I mean no problem but please put it away during the show. >> Sure. You don't mind if I just put it under the desk? >> No, no. That's perfectly fine. >> All right now, back to our show. The format has changed so that we can balance the show between quiz show questions and interactive discussion. We have reduced the amount of material to four tiles on our game board. And contrary to previous shows, all of the guest panelists have studied material ahead of time and are experts in the field. In fact, even our audience will see that we will be discussing information we have previously covered. Apparently this is a common practice called recycling. Reviewing material to help people out and get them ready to know the answers. Quite the concept don't you think, Clara? >> Yes, this is quite unusual, but we are assured that this new style of introducing old information and applying it to new context is pedagogically superior. And the context we'll be talking about, as you may have guessed, is the context of pronunciation. To reiterate, we will discuss some of the very same features that have been discussed in earlier modules, and apply it to the pronunciation context. [NOISE] Let's go ahead and begin our discussion by having the guest panelist choose? Wait, is that right? Yes. The guest panelist choose the topic. Owna! >> I'll choose paralingustic elements. >> Question one. How are paralinguistic elements and pronunciation related? >> That is an excellent question, Clara. Well, to be honest, features such as intonation, stress and even pronunciation itself, have sometimes been labeled as paralinguistic features. If you remember, paralinguistic features refers to elements of an considered outside that of normal linguistic elements. In other words, this means that some teachers and linguists don't really see intonation, stress, and even pronunciation as essential elements of language. The pedagogical implications of this are simple. Lots of times pronunciation, stress, and attonation simply aren't taught in classrooms at all. >> Excellent answer, I must concede. Let's move to our next question. Owna, would you like to choose one more time? >> Sure. Let's discuss regionalisms and apply it to the pronunciation context. >> I could listen to that accent all day. >> [SOUND] >> Yes, [LAUGH] sorry, regionalisms, yes. Hey, perfect timing. Let's talk about regional accents. Is there an acceptable accent or preferred accent that should be taught in the classroom? Is our goal as language teachers to remove accent from the first language entirely? I've heard a courses called Accent Reduction Courses. Good idea or bad idea? What do you think Nial? >> Wow, well, that is a lot to think about. While culturally there are certain ascents that people prefer and there's no doubt that I prefer the beautiful accent of my lovely wife. The social construct of a prestige accent, an accent that you prefer over another, is something that language teachers want to avoid. There are many varieties of English, so you simply don't want to push one accent over another. And the fact that there are so many accents demonstrates how language can and does change from community to community. >> Excellent response, Nial, thank you. You control the board. >> All right, let's talk about reductions. >> This one is for Kristen, one of the most difficult features of pronunciation is the fact that the way we spell things often doesn't match with how we say them. When considering pronunciation, what are the ways in which language is reduced? >> Okay, thanks for the question Clara. I guess one of the first thing teachers need to introduce is the concept of connected speech. The way people speak is actually different from the way it is written. And there are a lot of reasons for that. First of all, people tend to run certain sounds together. Especially certain phrases. I've got to becomes I gotta. You want to becomes you want to. In spoken English, you'll hear a lot of examples of sounds that, because they are next to each other, blend with each other. >> Yes, when D and Y are together, they often form a juh. And you for example becomes anjou. >> And don't forget that some sounds get left out entirely, the g's sure gets left out of american accents when they say something, anything and nothing. These words often are reduced to somethin' anythin' and nothin'. >> That's something I've never thought about! All right, on to our last question! Let's discuss language ego and how that might influence pronunciation. Owna. >> Well, if you remember Art, language ego refers to the identity that someone has in reference to a language. In essence, part of me and part of you are tied up in the language we speak. And the way in which we speak it. You would never ask me to speak in a different accent, would you? >> Certainly not, I love it. I can say that, right? I can say that, yes, I love it. >> And so even though I'm living in the United States, and you might think there's a lot of pressure for me to conform to an American accent, my accent is part of my heritage, part of my personality, and ultimately part of my identity. >> So, what does that have to do with second language learners? >> Just this. Pronunciation, while important, is at least to some degree intrinsically tied to who someone is. While it might be important to teach your learners different varieties of English and different sounds, you don't need to get them to lose their accent completely. The goal shouldn't be speaking like someone else, rather the goal should be whether or not the accent interferes with intelligibility. If people can understand you, your accents fine. >> I like what Amy Tan says about second language learner accents. She says that accents are a badge of honor and I completely believe that. Only those who have studied a second language know just how hard it is. And when I hear an accent I think of all the effort and work my learners put into speaking a different language, and I think learners should be proud of their accents. >> It's just so beautiful. Wait, Clara, are you crying? >> [SOUND] That's all the time we have. [SOUND] See you next time on- >> What makes pronunciation hard? [MUSIC]
