Using Phonemic Awareness to Teach Pronunciation

The basic Korean consonants 

Learning English as a foreign language for new Korean learners doesn't have to be a daunting task. Research shows that connecting pre-existing knowledge to new lessons is very effective. 

Here I will give you some history of the technique and then some examples of lessons you can use in your classroom.

First, assess your students' phonemic awareness in their native language. In my case, students are Korean and many of the consonant sounds are similar. 

Students with high phonemic awareness are more likely to become fluent readers, and experience benefits in multiple other areas as well, such as writing and speaking. A South Korean researcher named Yusun Kang has done several studies on the effects of phonological awareness on Korean EFL students. The most common problems come from the consonant sounds not represented in Korean. 

Korean consonants and English consonants are relatively similar, and so those corresponding sounds usually are not a source of  difficulty for our little students. They are able to use their pre-existing phonemic awareness to learn the new letters. The trouble arises when students are faced with consonant sounds that have no Korean counterpart. 

Most commonly, students here have a problem differentiating between /f/ and /p/ sounds, because in their home language they are interchangeable. As I wrote in one of my graduate school papers, 

"Many Korean students have difficulty pronouncing the /f/ sound. In their native language, Hangul, many of the Romanized words featuring an /f/ sound are changed to either /p/ or /h/. For example: Photo becomes 포토 or ‘poto’ and the soda name Fanta becomes 환타 or ‘Hwanta’. "

This can cause students mounds of confusion, and we EFL teachers know it's best to tackle confusion head on with useful and resourceful strategies! The following are actual things I've done in class to incorporate phonological awareness into beginner EFL classes. I teach kindergarten, but this is a general guideline and can be adapted for students of all ages. 

Strategy 1: Use YouTube! 

There are so many resources available on YouTube, but some of the best ones for beginner learners are featured on Turtle Diary's page. The videos are geared towards children, but the letter pronunciation videos are not too childish for older students or adults to use. It shows the letter, gives several examples and then shows how to pronounce the letter. This is one of the most useful elements of the video. Pictorial references are great for learners of all ages, and it also helps to link vocabulary knowledge - a great 1+1 effect! 

The lips are pressed together and slightly pursed, as to make the /p/ sound. The p on panda is red, to draw attention to the beginning letter and the picture gives students the opportunity to connect the word they hear with their existing knowledge of pandas. 

Strategy 2: Use Hands-On, Fun Activities 

Practicing pronunciation is probably one of the most boring aspects of teaching language, for both students and teachers. In order to create some fun and excitement in the class there are several activities you can do, including chants, clapping or stand-up, sit down games, and hundreds of other options. One of the methods I like to use is the mirror method.

With this method, students can look at their mouths and see if their pronunciation matches the modeled pronunciation. To model, you can use a paper chart (like the one pictured above), teacher modeling, a video or a combination of methods. The choices are endless and you can tailor it to  your students' needs. For example, adults might like a written explanation followed by a teacher demo, while a kindergarten aged student might be more engaged by a video. 

Both of these methods will strengthen both native language and second language phonemic awareness, which will in turn aid students in the development of their English skills. 

Leave a comment below if you have any preferred methods of teaching pronunciation to EFL or ESL students, or if you have any feedback!