NC 318: ESL: American English Pronunciation I

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2021
Credits: 0
Total Contact Hours: 72
Lecture Hours : 72
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 144
Strongly Recommended: NC 305: ESL Multiskills - Beginning 1 and/or demonstrate a low beginning level of English fluency.
Transferable to CSU: No
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Non-Credit Course

Catalog Course Description

ESL: American English Pronunciation I introduces English language learners to the basic sounds of American English. Students will learn how to recognize, produce, and differentiate between the various sounds of American English. They will also strengthen oral communication and reading skills. Special attention will be directed towards the correction of vocal techniques when pronouncing difficult sounds in letters, words, and sentences. Open entry/exit. 72 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Use standardized phonetic alphabet (such as IPA), as needed, to represent and recognize common sounds in American English.
  • Discriminate between minimal pairs in sound, meaning, and spelling.
  • Recognize and reproduce sounds linguistically dissimilar to students' native language.
  • Demonstrate improved listening comprehension skills.
  • Read texts and perform dialogues for fluency, aural comprehension, and pronunciation in topics/contexts relevant to beginning level such as locational directions, introductions, farewells, basic physical descriptions, exchanging personal information, buying goods, and ordering food.
  • Participate in interpersonal oral communication appropriate to the beginning level such as greetings, farewells, and introductions.
  • Record dictation of words, short phrases, and grammatically simple sentences.
  • Produce basic American English vowels and consonants in isolation, in words, phrases, and simple sentences including long and short vowel sounds, voiced and unvoiced consonants, basic consonant groups, and final sounds.
  • Demonstrate ability to use vocal techniques and vocal devices correctly, including long and short vowel sounds, stops, liquids, nasals, and aspiration.
  • Make use of basic word stress in isolation and in context, including identifying syllable number, stressed vs. unstressed syllables, and vowel sounds related to stressed/unstressed syllables.
  • Produce and demonstrate recognition of basic American English sentence stress and intonation patterns, including word and thought grouping, emphasis of content words, de-emphasis of structural words (basic introduction), and rising/falling intonation.
  • Demonstrate use and recognition of sociolinguistic implications of basic stress and intonation patterns, such as expressing various question types, uncertainty, surprise, and disagreement.
  • Use basic linking/blending and reduction between words in isolation and in sentences, including combinations of stop, continuing, and vowel sounds.
  • Discriminate between and demonstrate understanding of sound and grammar relationships, including present tense third person, past tense endings, present continuous tense endings, and future tense auxiliaries.
  • Identify sound and spelling correspondence and patterns in speaking, reading, listening, and writing such as the one vowel rule, the two vowel rule, and discriminating closely related pronunciations.

Major Course Content

  1. Introduce standard phonetic alphabet (such as IPA) in description and production as needed.
  2. Produce basic American English vowels and consonants in isolation, in words, phrases, and simple sentences.
    1. Demonstrate ability to use vocal techniques and devices correctly according to various sounds (e.g. pursed lips for /ou/ sound in “hope”).
      1. Use appropriate visual and physical aids to demonstrate vocal techniques and devices (e.g., rubber band stretching for short vs. long vowel sounds, individual mirrors for checking mouth and tongue positions).
      2. Consonants - stop sounds, liquids, nasals
      3. Vowels - long, short, irregular, schwa
    2. Demonstrate proper mouth and tongue correlation for basic American English sounds.
      1. Vowels - long, short, irregular and schwa
      2. Common problem areas such as:
        1. /iy/ vs. /I/ (e.g. “eat” vs. “it”)
        2. /æ/ vs. /ε/ (e.g. “bag” vs. “bed”)
        3. /a/ vs. /∂/ (e.g. “cop” vs. “cup”)
      3. Consonants
      4. Common problem areas such as:
        1. /∫/ (“sh”) vs. /t∫/ (“ch”) (e.g., “ship” vs. “chip”)
        2. /m/ vs. /n/ vs. /η/ (e.g., “mouth” vs. “nose” vs. “sing”)
        3. /b/ vs. /p/ vs. /v/ vs. /f/ vs. /w/ (e.g., “bet” vs. “pet” vs. “vet” vs. “fit” vs. “wet”)
        4. /r/ vs. /l/ (e.g., “right” vs. “light”)
        5. /dZ/ vs. /y/ vs. /t∫/ (e.g., “jet” vs. “yet” vs. “chair”)
        6. /d/ vs. /t/ (e.g., “wet” vs. “wed”)
        7. /t/ vs. /th/ (e.g., “toe” vs. “though”)
      5. Voiced and unvoiced sounds such as:
        1. /th/ (e.g., “three” vs. “this”)
        2. /s/ vs. /z/ (e.g., “sun” vs “zoo”)
        3. /∫/ vs. /Z/ (e.g., “shoe” vs. “television”)
      6. Consonant clusters with /r/ and /l/ (e.g., “pr,” “bl,” “thr,” “cl,” “gr,” “sl”)
      7. Aspiration in consonants
      8. Final sounds
        1. Consonants, especially /r/, /l/, /d/, /t/, /s/, /z/ and /n/
      9. Vowels
    3. Compare sounds dissimilar and similar to native languages.
    4. Discriminate between minimal pairs.
  3. Make use of basic stress and intonation patterns.
    1. Word stress
      1. Stressed vs. unstressed syllables
      2. Longer “peak” vowel in stressed syllables
      3. Basic introduction to secondary stress in compound words (e.g., “homework”)
      4. Final weak syllables
    2. Sentence stress and rhythm
      1. Basic introduction to appropriate stress of content words and reduced stress and form in structural and grammatical units
        1. Reduction of very common grammatical words (e.g., “and”, “or,” “can”)
        2. Basic introduction to de-emphasizing structure words such as pronouns, prepositions, articles, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs and “to be” verbs
    3. Basic introduction to intonation across phrases and sentences
      1. Rising intonation
        1. In yes/no questions
        2. To list in succession
        3. To show uncertainty or a need for confirmation
      2. Falling intonation
        1. In “wh-" questions
        2. To show certainty
      3. Word/thought grouping
        1. Group content words with connected prepositions, articles, and pronouns (e.g., article + noun, verb + pronoun/noun, preposition + noun)
      4. Basic introduction to emphasis for meaning/intention 
  4. Basic introduction to awareness of socio-linguistic factors that affect pronunciation (e.g., surprise, disagreement intonation)
  5. Use linking/blending and reduction between words in isolation and in sentences.
    1. Basic introduction to inking/blending common final and beginning sounds
      1. Continuing sound + vowel sound (e.g., “Her apron”, “opens at”)
      2. Continuing sound + continuing sound (e.g., “Peter never”, “Chris saw”)
      3. Stop sound + vowel sound (e.g. “old apple”, “world is”)
      4. Vowel sound + vowel sound (e.g., “do it,” “fly a lot”)
      5. Geminates - same sound + same sound (e.g., “Dave’s store”, “Allen never”)
    2. Reduced forms (e.g. “Want to” and “wanna,” “going to” and “gonna”)
      1. Common basic contractions (e.g. “I’m,” “You’re,” “He’ll”)
  6. Introduction to morphophonemics (sound-grammar/sound-spelling correspondence)
    1. Basic introduction to “ed” endings (past tense, adjectives, nouns) 
      1. Extra syllable with /d/ or /t/ endings
      2. /d/ sound with voiced sounds
      3. /t/ sound with unvoiced sounds
      4. Aurally and orally distinguish between past and present tense verbs through ending sound.
    2. “s” ending (plurals, possessives, nouns, contractions, etc.)
      1. /s/ sound after unvoiced sounds
      2. /z/ sound after voiced sounds
      3. Extra syllable /Iz/ sound after /s/ and /z/ endings
    3. “l” endings (future tense with “will” contractions)
      1. Aurally and orally distinguish between future and present tense verbs through ending sounds
    4. “ing” endings
      1. Aurally and orally distinguish between present continuous tense and other verb tenses through ending sound.
    5. Difference in meaning of closely related sounds in words (i.e., “sit" vs. "seat”, “sheep" vs. "ship”, “can” vs. “can’t”)
    6. Two vowel rule (in short words and single syllables) – “alphabet” sound of first vowel; second vowel silent
      1. “ea” (tea, wheat)
      2. “ai” (rain, train, paid)
      3. “ie” (pie, tie, fries, cries)
      4. “oa” (boat, soap, coat)
      5. “ue,” “ui” (cue, blue, suit, fruit)
      6. “e” endings
    7. One vowel rule (in short words and single syllables) – “relative” sound of vowel (not “alphabet”) (e.g., “a” in “cat,” “hat,” “apple,” “thanks”)
    8. Discriminate between sounds in words presented orally, aurally, and visually, including spelling variation and minimal pairs.
  7. Read selections or dialogues for fluency practice, aural comprehension, and pronunciation in context.
    1. Topics and contexts relevant to beginning level - e.g., numbers, locational directions, introductions, farewells, basic physical descriptions, exchanging personal information, buying goods, ordering food, discussing weather, giving instructions, etc.
  8. Demonstrate improved listening comprehension skills.

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Dictation exercises, spelling exercises of minimal pairs, relating aural pronunciations to grammar relationships, short dialogue and text creation to demonstrate understanding of pronunciation devices

Examples of Outside Assignments

Oral minimal pair practice, oral reading of short sentences and simple paragraphs, preparation for in-class dialogue reading, correct vocal technique and placement (mouth, tongue, throat, lips) practice, memorization of common pronunciation rules and patterns, dictation and spelling correspondences practice, annotations for pronunciation on written texts, answering listening comprehension questions

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture