2017/09/09 Summer Workshop

Keynote Lecture 1: Goals and models in pronunciation instruction for Japanese EFL learners in the era of English as an international language

by Dr. Yasushi Sekiya

This presentation explored the issue of how pronunciation should be treated in the Japanese EFL context in the era of English as an International Language (EIL). In recent years, the idea of EIL has been increasingly influential in Japan, and some scholars reject the dichotomy of native and non-native speakers of English and even disfavor the native speaker competence as the target norm, especially in the area of pronunciation teaching. Faced with such a situation, Japanese EFL teachers are often in a dilemma when deciding whether or not to teach pronunciation and how they should approach it. By reviewing literature relevant to L2 pronunciation in EIL, and also referring to his own study (Sekiya 2015) on Japanese students’ perception and attitudes toward English pronunciation, Dr. Sekiya argued it necessary to make a clear distinction between the “model” for students’ pronunciation learning and the “goal” for their learning by taking individual students’ own objectives for future English use into consideration. In the context of EIL, foremost, Japanese EFL teachers need to focus on pronunciation features which contribute to the Japanese students’ “comfortable intelligibility” in communicating both with native speakers and non-native speakers of English. At the same time, students need to develop their ability to understand and communicate with English speakers with diverse accents from all the three circles of English speakers as delineated by Kachru (1997). Lastly, with this aim in mind, Sekiya demonstrated the use of the web-based English materials containing dialogues in different varieties of English developed jointly by Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and Kanda University of International Studies for the purpose of acclimating students to different pronunciation varieties of English.

Keynote Lecture 2: What EFL teachers in Japan should know about pronunciation instruction - Towards informed practice

by Dr. Yasushi Sekiya

Dr. Sekiya observed that pronunciation is not dealt with in any systematic or principled way currently in the English classroom or curriculum in Japan. One of the possible reasons for this is that teachers are not confident about how to instruct pronunciation effectively. In this presentation, he delineated the essentials of pronunciation teaching in the Japanese EFL context. First, he examined some important factors affecting second language (L2) learners’ pronunciation learning such as age, students’ first language, motivation, amount of L2 exposure and interaction, and identity based on some research findings. Second, he discussed the recent paradigm shift in instructional goal from the nativeness principle to the intelligibility principle in the era of English as an international language (EIL) or English as a lingua franca (ELF). Then, he proposed what specific pronunciation features should be prioritized in instruction to help Japanese learners of English to improve their intelligibility in their English pronunciation. Lastly, he demonstrated some useful techniques, activities, and materials to achieve the goal of “comfortable intelligibility” for students’ effective oral communication in English.

Presentation 1: What lies behind the differences of phonetic behaviors of the Japanese and the English Languages?

by Hideto D. Harashima, Maebashi Institute of Technology

This presentation was a musical look into some factors causing differences in phonetic behaviors of English and Japanese, and discussed how they could hinder the phonetic acquisition of English by Japanese learners. The first factor considered was the quality of vowels. The characteristics of English such as aspiration, diphthongs, tense/lax, and lip-rounding are especially difficult for Japanese speakers to acquire. However, having proper knowledge of these unfamiliar characteristics will help them overcome their difficulties. The second aspect Harashima touched on was rhythm. English has traditionally adhered to Iambic Law, which prefers that longer sounds appear in the latter part of a phrase, and this long-tail trait can also be found in the syntactic structure of the language. Acquiring this peculiar rhythm of English is what Japanese speakers need. Conversely, English speakers may struggle acquiring the mora-timed rhythm of Japanese. Morae create a flatter and less dynamic sounding rhythm. Lastly, the presenter looked at the rhythm differences from a musical perspective. He argued how music is affected by language rhythms, and that we can acquire a language rhythm by singing songs in that language. Song included in the presentation ranged from Mozart to Michael Jackson.

Presentation 2: Za Katakana English (and why it won’t go away)

by Antonija Cavcic, Asia University

Katakana English is unquestionably both liked and loathed and is one of the most commonly debated subjects in ESL discourse in Japan. In regards to English pronunciation, the prevalence and practice of Katakana English pronunciation is usually held in a negative light or is criticized for impeding students’ learning. While criticism of this nature tends to come from “native speakers,” English instructors or learners concerned about the “accuracy” or “authenticity” of their pronunciation, there are also advocates for its use and a distinct market for it in the Japanese publishing industry. Although simply responding to market demands, the publishing industry has arguably played a significant role in perpetuating and encouraging the use of Katakana English. This presentation explored this problem by first tracing the use of Katakana English in a Meiji Period school textbook. This was then compared and contrasted with several recent publications. Essentially, this presentation demonstrated how the English language publishing industry in Japan has played a major role in perpetuating pronunciation problems amongst Japanese ESL learners.

Presentation 3: Apps4efl: Engaging online tools for practicing pronunciation and listening (and everything else!)

by Daniel Hooper, English Language Institute at Kanda University of International Studies

This short hands-on workshop introduced a range of web-based learning tools that can all be found at Apps4efl (www.apps4efl.com), a fantastic free-to-use learning resource created by Paul Raine. The workshop primarily focused on some apps that were specifically created to develop English learners' pronunciation and listening skills both inside and outside of the classroom. The main apps that participants tried featured minimal pairs listening quizzes, video quizzes, and computer-analyzed productive pronunciation practice. Participants left the workshop with a handful of new tools that they can add to their repertoire and be ready for use straight after summer vacation!

Presentation 4: Engage Your Students with Pronunciation Activities

by Yoshimi Ochiai, Gunma Prefectural Oizumi High School

Pronunciation activities can be fun! This presentation featured pronunciation activities used during the presenter’s MA Internship in Centro Espiral Mana, Costa Rica. The students were beginners, ranging from pre-teen to adults. Suitable minimal pairs were chosen for pronunciation practice for Spanish speakers. The lively and engaging pronunciation activities include fly swatter, finding the object, and quiet running race. In the last activity, students were paired up, each pair having a runner and a speaker. The speaker whispers a word to the runner. The runner listens carefully and races to a desk with minimal pair cards. The runner picks a card with the sound. If the card is correct, the team earns a point. This presentation was delivered in a workshop style, with active participation from the audience. There was also an open-discussion for teachers to share their approaches for beginners.