Specialist Pronunciation Modules

Pronunciation problems can seriously impact a speaker’s performance, effectiveness and confidence. Even if a speaker’s other language skills are very strong, if their pronunciation remains weak, it can create a major language barrier, which means it is impossible for them to function successfully at the level they should.

Some pronunciation problems are common to all learners of a particular language, e.g. ‘th’ in English* causes a headache for most non-native learners. Other problems, however, arise only for speakers of certain languages, e.g. speakers of Chinese and Japanese often find it difficult to differentiate between the ‘l’ and ‘r’ sounds. Yet other pronunciation problems are specific to individuals, where they perhaps learned the incorrect pronunciation many years ago, and now need to re-learn the correct version.

In all of these cases, it is possible to tackle the difficulties by taking one of our specialist pronunciation modules. After an initial diagnostic assessment to identify pronunciation difficulties, a personalised programme is devised with the aim of achieving certain targets. A variety of strategies are employed, including:

• listening to MP3 recordings of the student’s speech
• listening to other audio recordings to develop auditory perception skills
• learning about phonetics (how speech sounds are produced by the vocal organs)
• graded listening and speaking exercises to practise the target pronunciation
• individual MP3 recordings of words/phrases which include the target pronunciation, and pertain specifically to the student’s field of expertise

The methodology used in our specialist pronunciation programmes is unique to Lancaster Languages and every pronunciation module is different, customised to meet the requirements of the particular student, and to be of maximum benefit and relevance to their circumstances.

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