In this episode, I begin to explore issues of pronunciation in English, with a particular focus (you'll see why that word is important later!) on the needs of Slovak learners. The programme will be of interest to learners and teachers alike who want to explore how different sounds are made and why some are more challenging to get right than others.
This will be the first in a series of podcasts on the topic and I am grateful to Matej and Tomáš for agreeing to be interviewed to give authentic voice to the difficulties learners face with some pronunciation in English.
In the programme, I explore the difficulty of silent letters for learners who read every letter sound in their first language. I question whether 'first language interference' exists, or whether we are more correct to say that learners use sounds differently in different languages.
I make the point that I am learning, too, both to speak Slovak, but also to improve my teaching strategies so that I am more attuned to the difficulties Slovak learners face, given their prior linguistic experiences.
I go into some technical detail about the difference between voiced and voiceless consonants, an awareness of which is important in sound production in answer to the question, 'Am I saying this word correctly?'.
I also explore the strange case of the three ways to pronounce '-ed' endings in English words, something that English native speakers often do not realise is going on in their 'own' first language. I hope you enjoy the podcast and come back for further episodes.
Comments and suggestions for further topics can be addressed by email to: johnscottlawton@hotmail.co.uk
