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Phonetic games in English lessons
This article discusses all kinds of classes for mastering phonetics for English learners (preschoolers, schoolchildren, students and adults) in the classroom and at home.
Features of English phonetics
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies the methods of formation and change of sounds in speech, their acoustic properties, as well as the structure of the language (syllables, sound combinations, patterns of combining sounds in a speech chain).
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There are significant differences in English and Russian phonetics, which will be discussed later.
Transcription rules
Transcription | |||
Consonants | Pronunciation | Vowel sounds | Pronunciation |
[b] | [b] | Singles | |
[d] [f] [ʒ] [ʤ] [g] [h] [k] [l] [m] [n] [p] [s] | [e] noisy [f] [g] soft [j] soft [G] [x] - like exhalation [to] noisy [l] soft [m] [n] [n] noisy [With] | [ʌ] [ɑː] [ɪ] [i:] [ɒ] [ɔ:] [u] [u:] [e] [з:] [æ] [ə] | [a] brief [a] long [and] brief [and] long [o] brief [o] long [y] short [y] long [e] brief [yo] long [a-uh] brief [a-e] long |
[t] | [t] noisy | diphthongs | |
[v] [z] [tʃ] [j] [ʃ] [ɵ] [ð] [ƞ] [w] | [in] [h] [h] [th] [w] soft [c] interdental [h] interdental [n] nasal [ў] | [əu] [au] [ei] [oi] [ai] [eə] | [oў] [аў] [hey] [oh] [ah] [ea] |
Explanations for the table:
- [d], [l], [s], [z], [tʃ], [dʒ], [t], [d], [n] are alveolar sounds, i.e. we pronounce them, touching the alveoli with the tip of the tongue.
- [p], [t], [k] - are pronounced with a breath, as if the air "stumbles" when exhaling.
- Interdental [ð], [θ] , labial [w] nasal [ŋ], [r] - [ɜ:] and [ɔ:] - these are sounds that do not exist in Russian at all!
Examples: thick [θik] ; - fat, wait [weit] - wait; sing [siŋ] - sing; river ['rivər] - river; early ['ɜ:rli] - early, door [dɔ:] - saw.
- Diphthongs are double sounds that are indivisible; they are a bit similar to the Russian "oh, hey, ay", but they are pronounced more smoothly. The first part of the sound is pronounced firmly, and the second seems to “slide” towards [i], [ə] or [u].
Examples: [ei] - day, [ai] - fire, [ɔi] - boy, [iə] - tears, [eə] - prepare, [uə] - fuel, [au] - now, [əu] - boat, [ou] - soul.
- There are no soft consonants in English - that is, all consonants are pronounced firmly, even if they are followed by a soft vowel.
For example: sister [ˈsɪstə] we would rather pronounce it as “syiste” than the Russian soft “siste”. - Tense and lingering articulations - this means that some sounds are pronounced tensely and briefly, while others are drawn out. These include: [i] - [i:], [u] - [u:], [ʌ] -[ɒ:].
The meaning of the spoken word sometimes depends on the choice of a particular sound. Examples: live [liv] - live, and leave - [li: v] - leave; cut [kʌt] - cut, and cart [ka:t] - cart. - Most consonant sounds are pronounced with flat, widely stretched lips, and the tongue is pressed - from this they come out completely different than in Russian.
Intonation
In English, intonation plays an important role. It includes four aspects: tone and tempo of speech, logical pauses and stress.
The intonation can be ascending or descending.
Descending we apply:
- On affirmation: I like?walking.
- In the special question: ?Where are you?
- When pronouncing a command or order: ?Go and?help him.
- In an exclamatory sentence: How?interesting!
- In the second part of the alternative question: Is it?Ann or?Kate?
- In a tag question, when you know the answer but specify the information: You haven't bought any bread,?have you?
Downstream is used:
- On assertion: I like ↘ walking.
- In the special question: ↘ Where are you?
- When pronouncing a command or order: ↘ Go and ↗ help him.
- In an exclamatory sentence: How ↘ interesting!
- In the second part of the alternative question: Is it ↗ Ann or ↘ Kate?
- In a tag question, when you know the answer but specify the information: You haven't bought any bread, ↘ have you?
Particular attention should be paid to logical stress, how we highlight the most important words in a sentence by meaning.
For example:
- I went to the shop to buy green apples (not red).
- I went to the shop to buy green apples (not pears).
Types of phonetic games
Games for mastering English phonetics are a great way to train the perception of foreign sounds and speech in general. Suitable for preschoolers, elementary school students, students and adults who are just starting to learn the language.
We have selected the most interesting and effective of them.
Phonetic games for preschoolers
It is very difficult for preschoolers to do exercises, so phonetics tasks for them should be as entertaining as possible.
- “Find the sound” The
teacher distributes cards with pictures or just written words. Each student must find the ones that start with the same sound and put them together. - "Right-left"
May be in the definition of "long or short", "broad or narrow" vowel sounds. The teacher says different words. If one sound from the given ones is pronounced, they raise their right hand, if they hear another, they raise their left. - “Identify the sound”
Words are written on the cards. The teacher tells you what sound to look for. The task of the children is to find words with this sound as quickly as possible and read them out. The winner is the one who does it the fastest and most correctly. Repeat until the cards run out. - “Pick up a rhyme”
The participants are given pictures. They need to find words that can rhyme. For example: dog-frog, doll-ball, mouse-house, song-strong, etc. Whoever is faster, he won.
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Phonetic games in elementary school
Game-based tasks are also the most effective for developing speaking skills in elementary school students. Suitable for mastering and memorizing vocabulary, as well as the rules of English pronunciation.
- “Choose a transcription”
Students are given cards with words. The task of the children is to raise the cards in the appropriate transcription. Or vice versa. The guys have cards with transcription, which they raise when the teacher shows this or that word. - “Come up with a rhyme” The
teacher calls the word, the children call the rhyme along the chain. Whoever fails is out. You can also offer to come up with a poem from the words proposed by the teacher. - "Define the intonation"
The class is divided into 2 groups. Suggestions are written on the board. Participants should take turns going to the board and placing logical stresses. The team that completes the task with the fewest mistakes wins. - “Combine the right one”
This exercise is not only about knowledge of transcriptions, but also about vocabulary (it is possible on a specific topic). Children are given cards where words, transcription and translation are confused. The one who completes it the fastest wins. Next is a check.
Games for high school students and adults
Phonetic games in English are also relevant for students who have been studying this foreign language for a long time. However, now they will already have a slightly different focus.
First, consider the material on which they can be built.
Tongue Twisters
Tongue twisters train fast speech well and help memorize foreign sounds.
Variations:
- Lungs: Can you can a can as a canner can can a can? Give papa a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.
- Medium-hard: She sells seashells by the seashore. Frivolously fanciful Fannie fried fresh fish furiously.
- Difficult: Which witch switched the Swiss wristwatches? She saw Sharif's shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure those were Sharif's shoes she saw?
Poems
Reading poems is aimed at developing speaking skills.
Examples:
- Sound [æ]
- The fat black cat ran after the black rat,
- But the fat black rat ran away from the fat black cat.
- Sounds [t], [w]
- Twinkle, twinkle, little star
- How I wonder what you are.
- Up above the world so high Like a diamond in the sky.
- Sound [p]
- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.
- A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked.
- If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper,
- Where's the peck of pickled pepper Peter piper picked.
Games and tasks
- "Who is faster"
A poem is given. The task of students is to read not only quickly, but also to correctly maintain the specific tempo, rhythm, intonation, logical pauses and stresses that are inherent in English phonetics. The winner is the one who copes with the task most accurately and without errors. - “Fill in the gaps”
The teacher listens to a short poem / counting / tongue twister / excerpt from the song several times. Difficult and unknown words are written on the board. The task of the participants is to remember and fill in the gaps in the cards that they will be given. - "Remember the text"
Task by type of listening *. Students read a text that they listen to several times. Then play it back from memory. It is better if students initially write down what happened, and then read it out. This task is good for memory training.
* Listening is a test for the perception of foreign speech by ear; is one of the ways to test the acquired knowledge. It can be performed both in the form of tasks and in the form of retelling, oral (with support) or written.
Modern phonetic games in the classroom and at home
These activities are great for students of all ages. The main thing is to have a sufficient vocabulary.
Songs and ditties
Songs in English will definitely appeal to younger students. This is a great way to practice pronunciation of sounds while playing.
- For the smallest songs, it would be good to back them up with visual accompaniment.
- For primary and secondary school students, songs on various lexical topics are suitable. For example, on the topic "Clothes" song "Put on your shoes".
- For high school students and students, songs are already not so much entertaining as the most educational in nature. Students parse song lyrics to identify grammatical errors, replenish vocabulary and practice pronunciation without an accent.
All songs are selected by agreement of the teacher. They can be modern and popular.
Song games:
- “Restore order”
The students are given sentences from the song. After listening to it, you need to restore the text in the correct order. The winner is the one who completes the task the fastest. - "Sing it fast"
Students are asked to play the song, speeding up with each repetition; rap is perfect for these purposes. Whoever does it better earns a point. - "Fill in the Gap"
The task is to fill in the gaps in the text of a popular English song. Whoever does it the fastest and most correctly wins. - “Read lips”
The task helps a lot in practicing the articulation of sounds; you need to read a line from a famous song on the lips of the artist (the clip turns on) or a classmate. Who guesses, earns a point and thinks of the next song.
Example:
Listen to the song and fill in the missing words.
Cartoons in English
Cartoons are a great way not only to have fun, but also to work out your pronunciation!
There are three options for learning on cartoons:
- Viewing short passages in class. Help the teacher to understand what they hear. Next, the game tasks are performed.
- Watching the series at home with subsequent analysis in the class and completing assignments. It can be either a full-length cartoon or an animated series that children will watch once a week or a month.
- Viewing in the class with the subsequent execution of test tasks. That is, it can be used as an alternative to listening.
Game activities:
- “Fill in the gaps” - a game of speed (performed by analogy with songs);
- "Retell" - the one who most fully tells the content of the series is awarded a point;
According to the same principle, it is possible to perform not a game, but a test task (like listening).
- "Role play" - participants act out scenes from the series they have watched. Both prepared "performances" and "impromptu" are possible right at the lessons. The second version of this creative activity helps to work out phonetics, vocabulary, and grammar. Good for high school students and students.
Movies and series in English
The same principle of learning and mastering phonetics and vocabulary is based on watching films and TV shows in English. Suitable for high school students, students and adults with a prepared level of language proficiency.
Game activities are similar to those after watching cartoons.
The more you listen to the original lyrics, the better you understand the speakers. Therefore, it is important to take watching movies and series in English quite seriously.
Finally
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English phonetics classes can and should be interesting and entertaining. We also invite all teachers to take TEFL/TESOL courses, which have a separate module on the correct teaching of English sound pronunciation. The entire course is designed for advanced training, and the certificate of the same name gives significant preferences in further employment in international companies.