A Brief Comparison of the Current Approaches in Teaching Pronunciation

Abstract

Though pronunciation has an important place in English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning, it is evident that EFL teachers experience some problems in pronunciation classes. Thus, this study aims to review some studies on teaching pronunciation to present essential information and solutions to the problems encountered in pronunciation classes. As a result of the study, it was concluded that despite the problems, pronunciation is a priority in language teaching and instructions, whereas age is a considerable factor in pronunciation instruction. It was also concluded that techniques, materials, and approaches used to teach pronunciation have significant influences on learners’ achievement. Accordingly, it is recommended that teachers should be trained to be good models for learners. For this purpose, teachers should use appropriate strategies in pronunciation to teach more effectively by the means of recent technological developments. In addition, as the lack of knowledge on appropriate strategies in pronunciation classrooms is a remarkable problem, teachers should raise their awareness of modern strategies and apply them in their classrooms. Last, teachers should examine the current and recent approaches on pronunciation and try to integrate the most suitable ones to their classes.

Keywords: English as foreign language learning; pronunciation; learners; current approaches