ELF11 conference… coming soon!

In two weeks from today, 4 July 2018, the 11th annual conference of English as a Lingua Franca will take place in London, UK.

We’re very excited to announce that the conference schedule is now live! And perhaps even more excited about Day 1, because for the first time ever, the conference will launch with a day devoted entirely to the pedagogy of ELF.

We’ll also start and finish Day 1 with an innovative “plenary panel”, in which 5 different speakers will share their insights and their reflections on the day, as well as commenting on possible directions for the future. Each speaker will represent a different perspective on teaching and learning English for lingua franca communication. In alphabetical order by speaker, these are:

• Lewis Lansford: ELT materials writing
• Laura Patsko: teacher training
• Gonzalo Pérez: teacher education
• Inmaculada Pineda: materials and course design
• Robin Walker: pronunciation and listening skills

ELF11 Day 1 Pedagogy Plenary Panel speakers

You have until Wednesday 27 June 2018 to register to attend the conference. What a fantastic opportunity to cross the bridge between research and practice – in a city which is “widely recognised as the most multilingual city in the world” (Graddol, 2006:28) and with some of the world’s foremost researchers and practitioners in the field of ELF pedagogy.

We’re looking forward to it very much and hope to see you there!

Reference

Graddol, D. (2006). English Next: Why global English may mean the end of ‘English as a Foreign Language’. Published online by the British Council.

Our new pronunciation book!

We are VERY excited to say that our new book, How To Write Pronunciation Activities, is now available on Smashwords, iBooks, and Amazon [affiliate link]. Find out more here.

Some of the things we cover in this book:

• the challenges of writing pronunciation materials
• how to support teachers in using pronunciation materials
• dealing with diversity: ELF and different accents of English
• pronunciation for listening vs. pronunciation for speaking
• how to integrate pronunciation activities with other skills areas
• how to design a syllabus for different levels
• how to stage pronunciation activities
• how to write rubrics
• using the phonemic chart
• beyond the student’s book: designing homework and supplementary materials
• useful resources for further reading and resources

The book is very practical, with examples and explanations of all key points, plus exercises to guide the reader in his/her development as a writer of pronunciation materials.

Thank you to everyone at ELT Teacher 2 Writer for making this happen. We are thrilled to be part of their fantastic work.

 

 

What we did in 2017, and what’s coming in 2018…

Happy 2018!

You may have noticed that 2017 was a very busy year for us, with various side projects that meant less time for blogging! Here are just a couple of highlights…

ELFpron’s other projects in 2017

My English Voice was an ELTons Awards finalist

My English Voice, the website Katy created to provide opportunities for learners to find their own voice in English, focusing on effective communication in international contexts, was shortlisted as a finalist in the category ‘Innovation in Learner Resources‘ at the 2017 British Council ELTons Awards.

Two co-authored chapters were published

Two books containing chapters co-authored by Laura were published in the second half of 2017:

• Dewey, M. & L. Patsko (2017). ELF and Teacher Education [Chapter 35]. In Jenkins, J., Baker, W., & Dewey, M. (Eds.). Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca. Routledge.
• Patsko, L. & R. Walker (2017). Teaching the pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca. In Murphy, J. (Ed.) Teaching the Pronunciation of English: Focus on Whole Courses. University of Michigan Press.

So what’s coming in 2018?

• To kick off the new year: if you attended the International House Academic Managers & Trainers (IHAMT) conference in January 2018, you may have seen Laura’s plenary talk about creating an ELF-aware school. If you missed it, don’t worry… there might be another version (live or written) in 2018. Watch this space!

• In the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more about creating an ELF-aware classroom, we hope you’re enrolled on Katy’s iTDi course this month… This online teacher development course lasts 4 weeks, and starts tomorrow!

• A few short weeks after Katy’s iTDi course, this year’s IATEFL conference will feature two presentations by Laura: a workshop in the MaWSIG Pre-Conference event (9 April 2018) that looks at creating pronunciation materials for effective international communication; and a talk in the main conference (12 April 2018), co-presented with Ben Goldstein and focusing on the use of ‘near-peers’ as role models for L2 learners.

• For some time now, we’ve been working away on a new ebook which is due to be published in 2018 by ELT Teacher 2 Writer: How to Write Pronunciation Activities. We’ll post again when it’s out!

• And finally, Laura is on the organising committee for the 11th annual conference of English as a Lingua Franca, which will be hosted by King’s College London in London, UK on 4-7 July 2018. The first day is dedicated specifically to teachers, looking at what teachers do in their classrooms to apply ELF research findings to their practice.

We’re very much looking forward to these and other potential projects this year. And we hope to cross paths with ELFpron readers at some of the events!

ELF11 Conference call for papers

A few months ago, we announced that Laura Patsko would be on the ELF11 organizing committee. And the conference website is now live!

ELF11 will take place at King’s College London, UK, from 4-7 July 2018. And for the first time ever, the very first day of the conference will be dedicated and devoted to teachers. The theme of the day will be: ELF in the classroom: What teachers do in response to ELF.

Here’s some more information from the conference website:

The aim of this day is to bring together ELF researchers with practitioners. Day 1 sessions will enable teachers and trainers to present their experiences of applying ELF research findings to their classroom practice, and researchers to understand better how the implications of their work are being developed in practical application.

We encourage anyone with recent experience of applying ELF research to classroom practice to submit a proposal for Day 1.

All proposals for Day 1 of ELF11 should focus specifically on ELF in practice and relate directly to language learning and/or teaching. Day 1 is intended primarily for practitioners to present their work. If you are a researcher with a focus on pedagogy, please submit to the main conference event.

Interested in taking part? Click here to read the guidelines and submit your proposal.

We hope to see you there!

ELF10 report: ELF, multilingualism, and non-hegemonic accents of English

This is one of a series of short guest posts written by researchers who presented their work at the 10th annual ELF conference in June 2017.

The following post was contributed by Juliana Souza da Silva and summarises her ELF10 presentation with Sávio Siqueira. You can read a short biography of Juliana at the end of this post. And click here to read more about the work Juliana and Sávio do within the ELF Brasil research team.

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ELF, multilingualism, and non-hegemonic accents of English

Once we understand that Bilingual English Speakers (henceforth BESs[1]) represent 80% of the total number of English users (Crystal 2003), we can estimate that most of ELF interactions are BES-BES, which, with at least 2 interlocutors, are going to feature a minimum of 3 languages: one first language of each speaker and, then, English. Although languages are theoretically named and delimited for political and didactic reasons (Irvine and Gal 2000), the actual relationship among them is fluid and in constant change. Such hybridity, inherent to human languages, has been unprecedentedly increased by the use of the internet, through which international linguistic encounters have become faster, cheaper and, consequently, exponentially more common.

Considering the fact ELF conversations must include at least one BES, it becomes clear that ELF itself is intrinsically multilingual (Jenkins 2015). It does not mean that ELF interactions always happen smoothly, without any prejudice or conflicts. Languages are social acts. Therefore, human communication of any kind tends to reveal how we relate to ourselves and to others, and those relationships may be just as harmonious as they can be conflictive. And nothing has the power to trigger prejudice like a marked[2] accent.

That is why, to illustrate some of the complexity that characterize ELF-related multilingual issues, we revisited part of the data in Souza da Silva’s (2016) MA thesis, which was an international attitude study on Brazilian accents of English. Here I will only pinpoint the discussion topics developed in the article, where the detailed analysis of the data can be found, in order to explore the influence multilingualism may have on someone’s attitude towards non-hegemonic accents of English. We analyzed from two opposite perspectives how someone’s multilingual background (familiarity with other languages or accents) may affect intelligibility for the interlocutors.

At first, it is common sense that the longer one has contact with an accent the better they are expected to understand it. However, this equation involves more than the ability to fine tune the listener’s ears to a set of sound patterns. It involves real people and their representation of themselves and their perception of others. Therefore, it is personal. And taking those variables into consideration makes the scenario of multilingual interactions much more complex than one might have imagined.

In order to reflect on linguistic competence in the opinion of the non-specialist (though not exclusively) one needs to remember that the ‘how’, the ‘where’, and the ‘through whom’ someone first got in contact with a certain variety/dialect has an important role in the shaping of his or her perception of its mastery. For instance, if he/she learned English at home and uses it to accomplish daily tasks, there is a considerable chance linguistic competence is more closely related to intelligibility. Nevertheless, if someone learned another language for “life” and English at school as a second or foreign language, there is also a significant chance their view of competence is linked to the idea of matching the Standard variety they had as the target during their learning process.

Willingness to understand a speaker whose accent is different from the regional or prestige one(s) will strongly depend on the kind of relationship the speakers have with each other, and that encompasses the group of people to whom they are socially linked. Thus, accents can be socially advantageous or disadvantageous, which is usually measured by how similar they are to the prestige ones. Studies about the relation between intelligibility and attitude towards language variation have shown that those two factors may simultaneously affect each other.

Similarly, though, lower intelligibility might generate a more negative attitude. As pointed out by Jenkins (2000: 14), “intelligibility is not necessarily reciprocal and may be the result rather than the cause of negative social-psychological attitudes which have, themselves, reduced the receiver’s motivation to make an effort to understand”. Niedzielski’s (1999) analysis shows that when the geographical origin of the speaker was provided, the listeners changed their answer about how well they could understand the prompts. The knowledge of those expectations themselves is an important step towards addressing language discrimination and educating the general public, teachers and linguists included (Jenkins 2007).

First and foremost, we need to contemplate the possibility of such familiarity with an accent not be a friendly case. Although meaning is negotiated online (Hua 2015), it does not usually happen without some degree of bias. Since for negotiation to take place there must be willingness of both interlocutors, its process depends heavily on the friendliness attached to the image of the group represented through that accent. That means familiarity with accents comes in handy if the interpretative party (the listener) of the interaction has a positive attitude towards that accent, but it might also work in the opposite direction.

Although we have focused our reflections on the implications of familiarity to intelligibility, willingness to accommodate to others is not vulnerable only to social harmony between the groups represented. Alternatively, one may become communicatively cooperative simply because there is a task to be fulfilled (for his/her own benefit) that depends on the success of that linguistic interaction, as it is presented by Cogo (2016) when discussing Business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF).

Those variables are the reason why studying attitudes towards language variation is a valid methodology to tackle ideologies that feed prejudice against minorities guised as linguistic prejudice (Garret 2010). Although not all communication hindrance is rooted in negative attitudes, that aspect plays an important role in the composition of language based interactions. Those investigations are also especially relevant to ELF (English as a Lingua Franca) studies as they reveal how expectations translate into evaluation of speakers, which might jeopardize comprehension.

[1] BESs stands for Bilingual English speakers and MESs for Monolingual English Speakers. Those terms were proposed by Jenkins (2000) to avoid the derogatory and inaccurate options Native Speakers and Non-Native Speakers.

[2] A marked accent is one that differs from the one the listener is used to, usually linked to a more prestigious variety of the language.

References

Cogo, A. (2015) ‘They all take the risk and make the effort’: Intercultural Accommodation and Multilingualism in a BELF Community of Practice. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 4 (1): 365-383.

Crystal, D. (2003) English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Garret, P. (2010) Attitude to Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hua, Z. (2015) Negotiation as the way of engagement in intercultural and lingua franca communication: frames of reference and interculturality. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca. 4 (1): 63-90.

Irvine, J. T. and Gal, S. (2000) Language Ideology and Linguistic Differentiation. In: P.V. Kroskity. (Ed.) Regimes of Language: ideologies, politics, and identities. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press: 35-84.

Jenkins, J. (2000) The Phonology of English as an International Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jenkins, J. (2007) English as a Lingua Franca: attitude and identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jenkins, J. (2015) Repositioning English and multilingualism in English as a Lingua Franca. Englishes in Practice, 2 (3): 49-85.

Niedzielski, N. A. (1999) The effect of social information on the perception of sociolinguistic variables. Journal of Social Psychology (Special Edition), 18(1):62-85.

Souza da Silva, J. (2016) Brazilian accents of English: an international attitude study. MA Thesis. Salvador: Bahia Federal University.

About the author: Juliana Souza da Silva

Juliana Souza da Silva holds a Master’s degree from the Language and Culture Post-Graduation Programme at Bahia Federal University (UFBA). She also did her B.A. in English teaching at the same university. In her undergraduate and MA years, she conducted research on international attitudes towards Brazilian accents of English and their intelligibility, as well as possible ideological and pedagogical implications related to subject. As of July 2017, she is about to start her PhD studies on strategies for intelligibility used by Brazilian speakers of English in multilingual interactions under the supervision of Alessia Cogo at Goldsmiths University of London.

ELF10 report: The 21st century language learner: Attitudes, stereotypes and implications for ELT materials

This is one of a series of short guest posts written by researchers who presented their work at the 10th annual ELF conference in June 2017.

The following post was contributed by Natasha Tsantila. You can read a short biography of Natasha and her work below.

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The 21st century language learner: Attitudes, stereotypes and implications for ELT materials

The global spread and diversified use of English in the contemporary world of international communication can certainly be seen “as a phenomenon of changing and changed times, language processes and language use” (Vettorel, 2015, p.1), where people, in their attempt to communicate effectively, have trespassed the traditionally conceived lingua-national and geographical borders.

These changing tendencies are closely linked with the ELT world and, although well-debated in the past (e.i., Prodromou, 2006; Swan, 2012), call for further and well-informed reconsideration of ESOLers’ hitherto pedagogical practices so that learners’ global and pragmatic needs can be addressed effectively and realistically, focusing, mainly, on what is “relevant for their[learners’] individual requirements” (Widdowson, 2003). Within this scope, relevant ongoing research is being carried out in Greek EFL and EMI contexts (i.e., Georgountzou & Tsantila, 2016; Tsantila et al, 2016).

This ELF10 presentation reported partial findings of two longer studies that have been conducted so far and makes recommendations on the development of meaningful and authentic ELT materials. Both studies used Likert type scale questionnaires and open ended questions. In the first study, EFL users’ preferences towards native and non-native accents and the associations these users make with accent-related stereotypes about speakers’ educational and intellectual background were explored. In the second study, EFL users’ degree of comprehensibility towards NNE varieties as well as their views on the potential inclusion of NNE varieties in class material were investigated.

Findings indicated that the Greek EFL users still associate accent with higher education, knowledge, intelligence, and competence. However, recognizing that unfamiliarity with NNE accents will create problems of comprehensibility and effective interactions, they, thus, report that such a familiarization is crucially important as it will facilitate their comprehension towards unfamiliar accents and ultimately enhance their interactions in the global setting. So, they indicated open-mindedness to their subsequent exposure to NNE accents pinpointing the need for mutual comprehensibility, intercultural awareness, successful employability, etc.

These findings, contrary to: a) our initial hypothesis that the Greek English language students are reluctant to be exposed to NNE accents, b) the negative stereotypical associations they still make about users’ accented speech, c) the existing ELT materials (Vettorel & Lopriore, 2013) and d) teachers’ beliefs and practices in Greece (Sifakis & Fay, 2011; Sifakis & Sougari, 2005, 2011), indicate that Greek EFL learners, and prospective English language users, have started acknowledging the necessity as well as the benefits they will have from their exposure to NNE varieties.

Consequently, it is argued that “pedagogical decisions about language should not follow on automatically from language descriptions” (Jenkins, 2009, p. 202) and ELT practitioners’ planning and practices should be rethought and repositioned (Fay, Lytra, & Ntavaliagkou, 2010) in order to cater for the learners’ “realistic” needs (Seidlhofer, 2003) and, thus, better prepare them for the multicultural challenges of the 21st century. In this respect, we propose that:

1. English language learners’ awareness of the new Global English (GE) reality be raised through the adaptation and/or design of appropriate classroom activities, some of which were cited in this presentation,
2. ELF-related criteria be established and subsequently applied in the evaluation and development of new materials and/or activities, such as listening activities, and
3. pedagogical practices stemming from the ELT and ELF research (i.e., Lopriore & Vettorel, 2015; Kohn, 2016) be followed.

This way learners and prospective users of English may significantly: a) “develop specific comprehension skills, for coping with unfamiliar pronunciation and unclear meanings” (Kohn, 2015), b) eventually build their confidence in interacting effectively in various diversified and multicultural contexts, and finally c) get acquainted with other NNE cultures, ultimately, enhancing their ability to comprehend various diversified and multicultural texts and contexts.

Therefore, all considered, it is important that ESOLers familiarize themselves with the global character of English, develop their own understanding of the ways this new reality can be integrated in classroom context and seriously explore, the “design, implementation and evaluation of instructional activities [and materials] that reflect and localise” (Sifakis and Bayyurt p.7) this reality.

References

Fay, R., Lytra, V & Ntavaliagkou, M. (2010) Multicultural awareness through English: A potential contribution of TESOL in Greek schools. Intercultural Education, 21(6), 581-595.

Georgountzou, A. and Tsantila, A. (2016). kju:kʌmb∂(r)/or /kukumber/? Preferences and attitudes towards standard accents in the Greek ELF context. In Tsantila, N. Mandalios, J., & Ilkos M.(Eds) ELF: Pedagogical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Athens: DEREE-The American College of Greece.

Jenkins, J. (2009). English as a lingua franca: Interpretations and attitudes. World Englishes 28(2), 200-207.

Kohn, K. (2015). A pedagogical space for ELF in the English classroom. In Y. Bayyurt & S. Akcan (Eds.), Current perspectives on pedagogy for English as a Lingua Franca, (51–68). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Kohn, K. (2016). Teaching towards ELF competence in the English classroom. In N. Tsantila, J. Mandalios and M. Ilkos (Eds.), ELF: Pedagogical and interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 25-32). Athens: Deree – The American College of Greece.

Lopriore, L and Vettorel, P. (2015). Promoting awareness of Englishes and ELF in the English language classroom. In H. Bowles and A. Cogo (Eds), International perspectives on English as a Lingua Franca: Pedagogical insights (pp. 13-34). Basingtoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Prodromou, L. (2006). Defining the ‘successful bilingual speaker’ of English. In R. Rubdy & M. Saraceni (Eds.), English in the World. London: Continuum, 51–70.

Seidlhofer, B. (2003). A concept of international English and related issues: From ‘Real English’ to ‘Realistic English’? In Council of Europe. Language Policy Division. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.

Sifakis, N.C. and Bayyurt, Y. (2017) ELF-aware teacher education and development. In J. Jenkins, W. Baker and M. Dewey (eds.) The Routledge Handbook on English as a Lingua Franca. London: Routledge.

Sifakis, N. and Fay, R. (2011). Integrating an ELF pedagogy in a changing world: The
case of Greek state schooling. In A. Archibald, A. Cogo & J. Jenkins (Eds.). Latest trends in ELF Research (pp. 285-297). Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=14&sid=ce658791-3456-49a7-a8e8-fd22cfd8b4d4%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=nlebk&AN=531965

Sifakis, N.and Sougari, A.M. (2011) Between a Rock and a Hard Place: An Investigation of EFL teachers’ beliefs on what Keeps them from integrating Global English in their classrooms. In C. Gagliardi, & A. Maley (Eds.); EIL, ELF, Global English: Teaching and Learning Issues. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang, (pp. 301-320).

Sifakis, N. C., & Sougari, A. (2005). Pronunciation Issues and EIL Pedagogy in the Periphery: A Survey of Greek State School Teachers’ Beliefs. TESOL Quarterly, 39(3), 467- 488.

Swan, M. (2012). ELF and EFL: Are they really different? Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 1(2), pp. 379-389. Retrieved 13 Jul. 2017, from doi:10.1515/jelf-2012-0025

Tsantila, N, Ganetsou, E, & Ilkos M.(2016) “Student Attitudes towards Accented English: The American College of Greece Context” In L. Lopriore & E. Grazzi (eds) Intercultural Communication: new perspectives from ELF. Rome: Roma TrE-Press, (pp. 321-344).

Vettorel, P. (2015). New frontiers in teaching and learning English Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Vettorel, P. & Lopriore L. (2013). Is there ELF in ELT coursebooks? Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 3 (4). 483-504.

Widdowson, H. (2003). Defining issues in English language teaching, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

About the author: Natasha Tsantila

Natasha Tsantila has been working at Deree- the American College of Greece, since 1989, where she has taught and designed courses in academic writing and Linguistics. She has worked as English language Programme coordinator and teacher trainer in language centers in Greece. Her professional interests include language and identity, teacher education, language and pedagogy, teaching English as an International language. She has presented in international conferences, IAWE, ELF and TESOL and has published on ELF and attitudes as well as on EFL and identity. She has been currently working on her PhD on ELF and ELT materials.

 

ELF10 report: Towards the implementation of ELF-oriented pronunciation teaching in Japan

This is one of a series of short guest posts written by researchers who presented their work at the 10th annual ELF conference in June 2017.

The following post was contributed by Yoko Uchida and Junko Sugimoto. You can read a short biography of Yoko and Junko and their work at the end of this post.

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Towards the implementation of ELF-oriented pronunciation teaching in Japan

The acquisition of appropriate pronunciation in English instruction often poses a significant challenge for non-native English teachers. Although the prevalent use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) is widely recognized, and its application to pedagogy is encouraged by many researchers (Jenkins, 2000; Seidlhofer, 2011), its significance does not seem to be sufficiently acknowledged in classrooms and among non-native teachers (Jenkins 2007; Timmis, 2002).

This seems to be the case also in Japan. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 100 junior high school teachers in Tokyo, and found that most believed teachers’ pronunciation should not have traces of a Japanese accent, and that teachers should instead acquire native-speaker accents (Uchida & Sugimoto, 2016). A follow-up study asking the same questions to 16 Japanese college students enrolled in a teacher-training program also obtained a similar result—the majority of the preservice teachers aimed to have native-speaker (mostly American) pronunciation.

This prompted us, as phoneticians and phonetics instructors of the teacher-training curriculum at the university level, to further investigate the underlying reasons behind Japanese teachers’ preference for native-speaker English. Why do they pursue such an unrealistic goal when merely acquiring intelligible pronunciation is acceptable (Celce-Murcia et al., 2010)? What makes them hesitant to set a more attainable goal? What should be included in our phonetics class to enable the preservice teachers to acquire a better perspective of ELF-oriented pedagogy?

To find answers to these questions, we had the same preservice teachers read two texts that introduce the concept of ELF, and then asked them to answer an open-ended essay question: What kind of pronunciation should English teachers aim at? The responses were qualitatively analyzed after classifying them into five categories: teacher’s roles, native-speaker accents, Japanese-accented English, attainability, and intelligibility.

Many responses associated teacher’s roles with positive attributes such as “good” and “correct.” Also, as a role model for students, many respondents believe teachers should set a “higher goal” for themselves and conduct classes with “native-like” pronunciation. Native-speaker accents were described with positive adjectives such as “correct,” “perfect,” “authentic,” and “intelligible.” In contrast, negative labels such as “bad habits,” “difficult to understand,” and “not acceptable,” were assigned to Japanese-accented English. No one mentioned the association of the Japanese accent with their identity (c.f. Sung, 2016). With regard to attainability, the Japanese accent was considered “more realistic and attainable” compared to native-speaker accents that are “more desirable but less attainable.” The importance of intelligibility was acknowledged overall, but there was no mention of what intelligible pronunciation is or what the threshold level is.

The results revealed a few misconceptions held by the preservice teachers, one of which was the persistent belief that teachers should sound like native speakers. For example, they believed that teachers should speak with better pronunciation than students to serve as a role model, but did not realize that better pronunciation did not necessarily equate to native-like pronunciation. In our opinion, however, to become good role models to their students, they do not need to speak with a native accent, but need to be able to communicate efficiently with native and non-native speakers alike using appropriate communication strategies. Many respondents also did not seem to fully understand that there is more NNS-NNS communication today than NS-NNS communication.

Another misconception is the belief that native accents are always correct and more intelligible. One reason behind this misconception is that teachers have exposure to limited varieties and types of English accents in Japanese classrooms. Many assistant language teachers (ALTs) are from the Inner Circle countries and enunciate clearly in the class. In addition, textbook audio materials use mostly North American accents spoken slowly and clearly (Sugimoto & Uchida, 2016). As Japan is mostly a monolingual society, neither teachers nor students have sufficient exposure to different varieties and types of English, which can be heavily accented (whether it be a native or non-native variety), spoken at a fast rate, or pronounced unclearly (depending on the contexts of language use).

As for the comment that the Japanese accent is not intelligible, unfortunately, there are studies that report negative attitudes toward the Japanese accent (e.g. Jenkins, 2007); therefore, it appears the respondents’ claim holds true to some extent. However, when it comes to determining what part of the Japanese accent affects intelligibility, previous studies have not provided convincing data, and further investigation is required.

Responses by the preservice teachers appear to stem from the fundamental fact that Japanese speakers of English lack sufficient interaction with diverse English users and have never had their English challenged in terms of intelligibility. For instance, the respondents’ misconception that native-speaker varieties are more intelligible can be rectified if they listen to a wider variety of native-speaker accents and to intelligible non-native pronunciation, which can serve as good models (Murphy, 2014).

Japanese speakers of English need to experience communication breakdowns many times through communication with both native and non-native speakers, and need to face situations in which they need to accommodate their speech. In our opinion, this would be indispensable for them to truly understand what intelligible pronunciation is. As phoneticians and teacher-training instructors, our job includes helping our students correctly understand the current use of ELF and incorporating and introducing various resources available (e.g., Internet chat services, international television broadcasting), which will help them experience using ELF both inside and outside classrooms (c.f. Matsuda, 2003).

In short, the notion of ELF can be introduced through teaching, but intensive hands-on experience is essential to acquire a complete understanding of it.

References

Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., Goodwin, J. M. (with Griner, B.) (2010). Teaching Pronunciation: A Course Book and Reference Guide. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Jenkins, J. (2000). The Phonology of English as an International Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Matsuda, A. (2003). Incorporating world Englishes in teaching English as an international language. TESOL Quarterly, 37, 719-729.

Murphy, J. (2014). Intelligible, comprehensible, non-native models in ESL/EFL pronunciation teaching. System 42, 258–269.

Seidlhofer, B. (2011). Understanding English as a Lingua Franca. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Sugimoto, J., & Uchida, Y. (2016). A variety of English accents used in teaching materials targeting Japanese learners. Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Applied Phonetics, 43-47.

Sung, C.C.M. (2016). Does accent matter? Investigating the relationship between accent and identity in English as a lingua franca communication. System, 60, 55-65.

Timmis, I. (2002). Native-speaker norms and international English: A classroom view. ELT Journal, 56, 240-249.

Uchida, Y., & Sugimoto, J. (2016). A survey of Japanese English teachers’ attitudes towards pronunciation teaching and knowledge on phonetics: Confidence and teaching. Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Applied Phonetics, 38-42.

About the authors: Yoko Uchida and Junko Sugimoto

Yoko UCHIDA studied at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and obtained her PhD in Humanities in 2001. She is currently a professor at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. Her research interests include, but are not limited to, the perception of English sounds by Japanese speakers, intelligibility, and Maritime English. One of her current topics is the pursuit of intelligibility levels expected of different groups of native Japanese speakers who use English in different contexts and for different purposes.

Junko SUGIMOTO is currently a lecturer at the University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo. She has an MA in Phonetics from University College London. Her research interests include the acquisition of rhythm and intonation by Japanese learners of English, teaching pronunciation, and intelligibility. She is currently focusing on how to effectively teach selected segmentals and suprasegmentals that affect intelligibility to Japanese learners of English.

New publication on ELF and teacher education

A new volume on ELF has just been published: The Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca (Routledge, 2017). Chapter 35, “ELF and Teacher Education” is co-authored by ELFpron’s own Laura Patsko and Martin Dewey of King’s College London.

This chapter doesn’t focus on pronunciation, but it does highlight and discuss a number of key developments in the fields of teacher education and ELF. It also presents a case study of how ELF was integrated into an internationally popular pre-service TESOL training course at a language school in central London (UK).

Click here to download a manuscript version of this chapter* – and please do comment below if you’ve read it and want to share your thoughts!

 

*This means that the text in this document is what was accepted for publication. It is not formatted exactly how it appears in the book – so page references, for example, will be different in the final publication.

Event announcement: IATEFL PronSIG/GISIG event

Next month (14 October 2017), Laura will be giving a workshop at the joint IATEFL Pronunciation SIG/Global Issues SIG event in London, UK, about developing learners’ ability to understand different accents of English.

Here are the full details:

How to help learners understand the world’s accents

The use of English as an international lingua franca means learners need to understand a wide variety of accents, both native and non-native. How can teachers prepare them for such diversity? In this practical workshop we’ll demo a 5-step lesson plan, informed by the latest research into ELF and pronunciation.

Click here to register to attend. Online booking closes on 1 October 2017.

Hope to see you there!

 

Event announcement: IATEFL webinar

This Saturday (9 September 2017), Laura will be giving a free 1-hour webinar for IATEFL about teaching pronunciation for English as a Lingua Franca. Click here to register to attend.

In the webinar, we’ll explore how ELF differs from EFL, what features of pronunciation are high and low priority for international intelligibility, and what classroom tasks and techniques we might use to help our students develop their pronunciation and listening skills in a world with such a diverse range of English accents. All the advice and information will be based on the latest research into ELF and pronunciation teaching.

Here’s the abstract:

What do learners of English need to sound like? Who do they speak to? Who needs to understand them? Who do they need to understand? In 2017, the answer to all these questions is probably not “native English speakers”. Linguists estimate that non-native speakers of English now outnumber its native speakers by at least 3 to 1 (Crystal, 2008), and approximately 80% of interaction in English worldwide takes place with no native speakers present (Beneke, 1991). What does this mean for our classrooms? This webinar will consider new pronunciation priorities and challenges for learners and teachers of English, including practical tips and activities.

The webinar will take place at 15:00 BST (British Summer Time). Click here to check the time in your location.

Hope to see you there!