Graduate School of Humanities

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LIN500B7（言語学 / Linguistics 500）
English Pronunciation II

髙橋　豊美

Class code etc
Faculty/Graduate school Graduate School of Humanities
Attached documents
Year 2022
Class code X1107
Previous Class code
Previous Class title
Term 秋学期授業/Fall
Day/Period 月6/Mon.6
Class Type
Campus 市ヶ谷
Classroom name 各学部・研究科等の時間割等で確認
Grade
Credit(s) 2
Notes
Class taught by instructors with practical experience
Category 国際日本学インスティテュート(修士課程)-関連科目

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Outline (in English)

[Course outline]
The goal of this course is to acquire practical knowledge and skills of English pronunciation through studying the features of spoken English as well as practicing its models.

This course aims to study an effective and efficient method of improving oral/aural communication skills by well understanding the English sound system prior to practical exercises.

This course discusses prosodic aspects of English pronunciation. Its topics include the location and interpretation of stress in different domains (word/phrase/sentence), the components of intonational phrase and their pitch patterns, the location of nuclear accents and their focusing function, and the types and usage/meaning of tunes. These topics are first theoretically explained and then this knowledge is put into practice by describing and analysing recorded materials and by practicing pronunciation exercises.

This course should enable students to observe and improve their own pronunciation skills. For those who aspire to be English teachers, this course should provide background knowledge useful for preparing effective materials to teach pronunciation/listening skills as well as teaching tips and techniques.

[Learning Objectives]
Students are expected to understand the prosodic features and to be able to apply that knowledge to their performance. The specific objectives are as follows:
(A) to describe the theory of English syllable structure and prominence, stress system, and the inventory of intonational contours and their functions,
(B) to dictate spoken words and phrases in phonemic transcription including prosodic features,
(C) to read out given phonemic transcriptions with appropriate pronunciation, rhythm and intonation,
(D) and to provide a transcription of a model pronunciation including relevant rhythmic stress and intonation for a given passage.

[Learning activities outside of classroom]
Students should spare sufficient time for the following activities before/after each class (roughly four hours or more per week):
- Look over handouts provided beforehand in preparation, and go through them more carefully after class to check their understanding. [Objective (A)]
- Go over pronunciation/dictation exercises practised in class, checking their focus, and try to improve skills in question. [Objective (B)(C)]
- Complete assignments in which students are required to demonstrate their knowledge of segmental features and skills of applying that knowledge to practice through the production of model pronunciation. Students are advised to work on the assignments all by themselves first, and then to make corrections in red referring to handouts and dictionaries; this way they should learn where they tend to make mistakes. Submitted assignments are returned with marks and comments and are also discussed in class in order to help students enhance their knowledge and skills. [Objective (D)]

[Grading Criteria /Policy]
The course final grade will be calculated according to the following components and weights: in-class activities (35%), assignments (35%), and the course-final exam (30%).
- In-class activities are mostly related to skill-oriented Objectives (B) and (C). Pronunciation/dictation skills are sometimes hard to acquire through just four-month practices, depending on whether one is a quick learner or not, so this course attach importance to the effort students make in in-class activities that, if continued, will in due course help improve their skills. Students are advised to engage in in-class activities without worrying about making mistakes, not to hesitate making questions and/or comments.
- Assignments are related to Objectives (A) and (D). Students are expected to demonstrate not only the knowledge they have learnt through this course but also the ability to make use of that knowledge when planning model pronunciation.
- The exam comprises components corresponding to each Objective, and is intended to evaluate the overall learning outcomes of the course.

Default language used in class

日本語・英語併用 / Japanese & English