ENHANCING PRONUNCIATION IN THE MODERN ESL CLASSROOM: EQUIPPING STUDENTS FOR EFFECTIVE FUTURE COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Earlier researches have revealed that in most ESL classrooms, utterances are often wrongly produced by speakers and, in turn misinterpreted by listeners due to improper pronunciation of speech segments and/or incorrect application of prosodic features. As a result, the purposes of discussions are often defeated and learners graduate from various institutions still influenced by their L1 pronunciations when speaking the English language. Hence, this review paper, whose aim is to offer suggestions for better management of students’ production of English speech sounds, discusses pronunciation, discourse and context in general, classroom communication, the treatment of difficult and confusing speech sounds, as well as the importance of the suprasegmentals in relation to classroom interactions. In conclusion, the paper stresses that giving adequate explanation of difficult speech segments and prosodic features- through illustrations and regular student practice during instruction- makes verbal exchanges easily comprehensible, melodious and more convincing.