English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in ESP contexts. Students’ attitudes towards non-native speech and analysis of teaching materials

This paper focuses on non-native accents in ESP classrooms. In particular it looks at native and non-native speakers of English accents used in the audio material accompanying six ESP textbooks. In a second study, a group of undergraduate ESP students of Law and Tourism were asked to assess some of the non-native speakers accents found in these materials, focussing on aspects such as fluency, pronunciation, intelligibility and foreign accent. More specifically, they were asked to rate the following non-native accents of speakers in English: French, German, Polish, Chinese and Spanish. Results from the first part of the study show that native speaker models continue to be present in ESP textbooks to a far higher degree than non-native ones. In the second part, the non-native accents that students rated most positively were those of German and Polish speakers, and those seen in the most negative terms were French and Spanish. In general, the Law students tended to value native accents more than non-native ones, whereas students of Tourism broadly accept both native and non-native accents.The research described in this paper was funded by the Autonomous Government of Galicia (Grants numbers CN2012/81, GPC2015/004) and by the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Industry (Grant number FFI2015-64057-P)

Szpyra-Kozlowska, Jolanta. 2015. Pronunciation in EFL Instruction. A Research-Based Approach. Multilingual Matters. 264 pages

This review was funded by the Autonomous Government of Galicia (Grants number GPC2015/004) and by the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Industry (Grants number FFI2014-51873-REDT, FFI2015-64057-P)

Book review

Obra ressenyada: Dolors MASATS and Luci NUSSBAUM (eds.), Enseñanza y Aprendizaje de Lenguas Extranjeras en Educación Secundaria y Obligatoria. Síntesis, 2016. ISBN: 9788490774199 (paperback), 9788490779590 (e-book)

Contributions of new technologies to the teaching of English pronunciation

One of the most significant changes in language classrooms over recent decades has been the introduction of ICTs. Despite a broad range of previous research in the field, little work has been done to date on assessing the benefits of teaching pronunciation through ICTs, something surprising in view of the large number of existing programs and other materials specifically designed to improve learners’ pronunciation. This paper is intended to contribute to the field in that it will provide an overview of the materials currently available for teaching pronunciation through the use of ICTs, as well as an empirical preliminary study on ESP students’ first contact with using ICTs for learning pronunciation. Results indicate that these students enjoyed using these technological tools andwould like to use them again to practise their pronunciation

Phonetic Notation in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning: Potential Advantages and Learners’ Views

This paper focuses on the use of phonetic notation in foreign language teaching and learning. The aim of the paper is twofold: first, we review some of the potential advantages that the use of phonetic notation seems to have in language teaching and learning; and secondly, the paper reports on learner views obtained with a questionnaire anonymously filled in by EFL (English as a foreign language) learners in tertiary education who followed an English course where an extensive use of phonetic symbols was made for pronunciation work in Finland, France and Spain. The results suggest that learners were relatively familiar with phonetic notation prior to their course although there were differences between countries. Phonetic notation was perceived positively by a majority of learners, particularly in terms of its perceived potential for raising awareness of the target language’s pronunciation features and its potential to visually represent sounds. Learners’ answers were also mostly positive regarding the potential of phonetic notation for autonomous learning, as well as the perceived ease and usefulness of phonetic notation

The Teaching and Learning of English Pronunciation in Spain. An Analysis and Appraisal of Students’ and Teachers’ Views and Teaching Materials

It is a fact that Spanish people tend to have problems with English pronunciation. These difficulties are mainly due to the many differences in the phonological systems of these two languages; moreover, in my MA dissertation, defended in 2011 at the University of Santiago de Compostela, I concluded that even Spanish students with a high level of English continue having certain problems with pronunciation, even after having been in contact with this language for over 15 years. These results served as a starting-point for the current doctoral dissertation. Thus, the main objective of this dissertation is therefore to identify the attention currently paid to pronunciation in EFL classes and teaching materials used in Spain at different levels of proficiency, more particularly, secondary, post-secondary, university and language centres. To fulfill the aim mentioned above, I carried out two experimental studies. The first of them is based on a description and analysis of the opinions of both students and teachers regarding the importance they believe is currently given to pronunciation in their EFL classes and textbooks. Hence, I designed different questionnaires with a straightforward format, mainly of questions on a Likert scale or multiple choice items. Such questionnaires were answered by a total of 1,170 students and 254 teachers. Moreover, I interviewed 50 students so as to provide further background to certain aspects dealt with in the questionnaires. In the second study, I analysed in detail the role of pronunciation in 30 textbooks and workbooks commonly used in EFL classes at the proficiency levels previously mentioned. I took into consideration questions such as the presence of pronunciation in isolated sections or integrated within other skills, the number and type of activities present or the inclusion of theoretical tips or pieces of advice to help Spanish students in their learning process. Generally speaking, the results obtained indicate that English pronunciation continues to be an undervalued language area in Spain and neither students nor teachers are completely satisfied with the attention paid to it in their EFL classes. Furthermore, pronunciation is disregarded in EFL textbooks addressed to Spanish students, especially if we compare it to the attention paid to grammar, vocabulary and reading: there are not many activities, most of these tasks follow a repetitive and traditional format of listen and repeat or they are based on discriminating between sounds or suprasegmental patterns in words or sentences, pronunciation tends to appear isolated from the rest of skills, there are hardly any tips or theoretical explanations to help students learn English pronunciation and these teaching materials emphasize the practicing of perceptive skills rather than productive ones. For all of these reasons, I believe that the inferior situation pronunciation has in EFL classes, according to teachers and students, as well as the little attention paid to this in textbooks are two strong reasons that may explain why Spanish students who have been in contact with English for many years still have serious difficulties with English pronunciation. Due to all the negative results obtained in the two experimental studies conducted, at the end of my dissertation I include a remedial programme that contains a number of tasks designed so as to help Spanish students overcome their problems with English pronunciation. These activities are commonly considered motivating and engaging in language classes: songs, games, tongue twisters or the use of new technologies; moreover, these tasks integrate pronunciation within other language areas and emphasize both perceptive and productive oral skills

Book review

Obra ressenyada: Dolors MASATS and Luci NUSSBAUM (eds.), Enseñanza y Aprendizaje de Lenguas Extranjeras en Educación Secundaria y Obligatoria. Síntesis, 2016. ISBN: 9788490774199 (paperback), 9788490779590 (e-book)

Spanish studentsʼ reflections on the importance of written and spoken skills in their EFL classes at High School and at University

Nowadays, thanks to the introduction of modern approaches to language teaching with an emphasis on communication and a focus on the learner, teachers are expected to help students develop their competences in both receptive and productive skills. However, few studies have been carried out in Spain to verify whether students feel they have enough chances to write and speak in the foreign language classroom. This paper aims at describing and comparing the attention that is paid to the main skills and language areas at pre-university and university levels. A number of students were asked to answer some questions on the importance that, in their experience is given to each language area in their EFL classes, assessment system and teaching materials. The results indicate that spoken skills as well as cultural aspects continue to be clearly undervalued in our country, causing Spanish students to be less competent in oral skills than in written ones. Hoy en día, gracias a la introducción de técnicas modernas para la enseñanza de idiomas que ponen un énfasis en la comunicación y en el aprendiz, se espera que los profesores ayuden a sus alumnos a desarrollar tanto sus competencias receptivas como productivas. Sin embargo, pocos estudios se han realizado en España para verificar si los estudiantes creen que tienen suficientes oportunidades para escribir y comunicarse oralmente dentro del aula. Este estudio tiene como objetivo principal describir y comparar la atención que se le presta a las diferentes destrezas a nivel universitario y en niveles educativos inferiores. Se les pidió a un número de estudiantes que contestasen a unas preguntas acerca de la importancia que se le da según su experiencia a cada área de la lengua en sus clases de ILE, sistema de evaluación y materiales didácticos. Los resultados indican que las destrezas orales y los aspectos culturales, continúan siendo infravaloradas en nuestro país