Pronunciation: the Cinderella of English language teaching in Spain

Abstract

More often than not, pronunciation has played a Cinderella role in the world of foreign/second language teaching. This is surprising given the fact that it has an impact on the intelligibility (if the message is understood or not), comprehensibility (the perceived difficulty in understanding the message), fluency, accent and the self-image projected by the learner. It is also present, although from other angles, in the different skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. This lack of interest and attention is quite remarkable in English second/foreign language teaching in Spain. As a consequence, we find a high percentage of students whose pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired after so many years of regulated education. While it is true that the factors (biological, interlinguistic, psychological) that are responsible for "foreign accent" are not easy to tackle, it is also true that we can design and apply specific remedial treatments to try to reduce it and improve pronunciation. In order to do so, it is advisable to awaken the students' phonological awareness, to focus on those English sounds that may present major problems and contrast them with the Spanish ones, without ignoring the prosodic aspects.