Teaching the intangible: Experimental efforts in teaching English prosody to high-level learners

Dr. Sarah Grech, University of Malta

The interplay between local variation, international standards, and also international intelligibility in English language acquisition and learning always demands a delicate balance. This workshop considers the nature of this tension, and the perspectives that different approaches and methodologies in Second Language Acquisition, World Englishes, and different teaching/learning contexts can bring to the discussion. The practical application of this workshop will encourage participants to tap into their meta-linguistic awareness through classroom tasks, and personal contributions. This awareness will be drawn on to practise a versatility in both local and global sound patterns of English that will allow speakers to become more sensitive to different contexts which may require a range of varieties and/or registers. The practical application and exercises will be underpinned by a critical consideration of some approaches to globalised English captured in such terms as English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) or English as an International Language (EIL). By the end of this workshop, participants will have sampled some tasks designed to focus on aspects of English prosody relating to phrasing and chunking, rhythm and stress, and intonation; participants will also be able to evaluate some of the issues related to notions of intelligibility in a globalised language. 

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