Abstract
Teachers of English might be tempted to pose a question structured on the one that Hamlet asked himself in his great monologue: “Pronunciation: to teach or not to teach…”. At first glance, the question may seem a trivial one, but the problem it tackles is undeniably worth attention and scrutiny. The teachers who would start pondering about such an issue must be aware of the relevance and importance of pronunciation instruction.
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- 1.
The distinction between errors and mistakes was explained by Corder (1967) and later Ellis (1994). An error results from lack of knowledge. It, therefore, stands for lack of competence. A mistake, on the other hand, is a ‘performance phenomenon’ and appears when learners do not succeed in performing their competence. Thus mistakes are typical features of native speech. For the purposes of this publication, however, both the terms will be used interchangeably.
- 2.
Scovel (1969) used the term to illustrate and support the view that adults are incapable of acquiring satisfactory, let alone native-like, second-language pronunciation.
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Murphy and Baker (2015) enlist and discuss the Reform Movement innovations (p. 41).
- 4.
Krashen (1981) distinguished between language acquisition (of the mother tongue) and language learning (of a foreign one). According to Krashen, language acquisition does not require memorising any rules or doing tedious exercises since it happens as a result of constant exposure to language. Learning, on the other hand, is a conscious process relying on systematic training, and, what is of great importance in Krashen’s approach, it may lead to language acquisition. Krashen’s interpretation, albeit very influential and relevant, is frequently referred to as clarification of both the concepts which are tightly related to each other, and therefore, often used interchangeably in the field literature. This terminological simplification is very commonly applied by researchers as pronunciation acquisition may also specify the degree of pronunciation attainment and not only the final outcome of the process as such. Following the general tendency, this publication will also use the terms interchangeably.
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The ownership debate was initiated by Widdowson (1994).
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For more, see Szpyra-Kozłowska (2015, p. 75).
- 7.
Differences in using English in ENL, ESL, EFL, and ELF contexts are presented by Walker and Zoghbor (2015, p. 435).
- 8.
For details seePronunciation inEFLInstruction. A Research-Based Approach by Szpyra-Kozłowska (2015).
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Jarosz, A. (2019). The Place of Pronunciation Instruction in the Teaching of English. In: English Pronunciation in L2 Instruction. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13892-9_1
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