Increasingly, Chinese students are pursuing their studies abroad in English-speaking countries, such as the USA, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Despite the fact that they have studied English as a compulsory subject for a number of years and have passed multiple English proficiency tests, many still find it is difficult to communicate well in…

Physical aspects of listening skills are described, including speech rate, syllable tone, word-word separation vs. joining, listening for "focus," word clues per message, and intonation. (LB)

A study of the order of acquisition and fossilization of several French forms by anglophone students focused on the intonative aspect of interlanguage and the transfer of learning from one language to another. (MSE)

Discusses the use of imagination as a tool to improve students' musicianship. Suggests that imagery can be used to teach intonation, tone color, sight-reading, and expression. Describes active listening in which the students must use musical memory and participate in musical expression to produce a certain sound that may be difficult to describe.…

Considers some ways in which choral directors can help choristers improve intonation. Suggests music exercises for vertical and horizontal intonation and unified vowel formation. Also discusses physical factors, including tension, poor posture, and poor breath management, that influence how well a chorus stays in tune. Outlines relaxation and…

Students need teacher guidance to have ample practice in understanding and using the concept of intonation and its inherent parts: (1) stress (placing emphasis); (2) pitch (higher or lower sound); and (3) juncture (pauses). To communicate effectively, students need to utilize stress, pitch, and juncture appropriately in oral and written discourse.…

Provides a set of priorities and learning activities for a short-term English as a second language pronunciation course. These include: stress/unstress, major sentence stress, intonation, and linking and pausing. (CB)

The development, testing, and classroom use of an instructional module for teaching French intonation patterns to beginning students are described. The module begins with the "accent tonique," the simplest of French intonation patterns, which the student must learn to detect and imitate in progressively more difficult combinations before going on…

Provides an inventory of traditional techniques used in the teaching of pronunciation of English as a second language. Most of the techniques are production-oriented, for their purpose is to improve production of spoken English. (CB)

A classroom approach using music to enhance the enjoyment of literature in the French language class is discussed. Two short stories by Guy de Maupassant were tape-recorded by a professional actor, with background music added. Students listened to the tapes and completed a written exercise in which they answered vocabulary, comprehension, and…

This document is a copy of a talk regularly given to new volunteers of English in Action, a community-based organization that provides conversation practice to non-native English speakers. The volunteer tutors typically have no formal English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) training. This packet is designed to help these volunteers be effective ESL…

A discussion of intonation instruction in second-language teaching looks at the role, objectives, and scope of such instruction; the tools teachers need to accomplish it (background in theory, practical guidelines, a method, appropriate research, and equipment); and the need for and possible design of related software. (MSE)

Four French language instructional activities are described, including an exercise in use of the subjunctive mode, based on an advertisement; a simulation for use in business French; an examination of intonation and meaning in conversation; and an exercise in forming questions. (MSE)

A classroom activity for teaching vocational English as a Second Language to adults and focusing on development of listening comprehension is described. The exercise is based on the principles for development of workplace skills offered by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), and addresses specific competencies…

A method for highlighting aspects of oral communication for French second-language learners is described. Students are videotaped mimicking a one-minute passage in French, which is recorded over the video. The dubbed student performance illustrates the role of body language, rhythm, intonation, and other factors in speech. (MSE)