MKJO - Practical English Phonetics 2300-KJO-PEP

The Practical English Phonetics seminar is a practically-oriented phonetics class aimed at improving pronunciation and overall fluency and intelligibility of spoken English. The focus is on Received Pronunciation (RP), but the course also considers phonetic variation within British English. Learners will develop skills through listening, phonetic transcription, repeating and recording their own speech, analysing recordings, working with texts and communicative tasks.
The course emphasises the practical use of phonetic features such as weak and strong forms, sentence stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns, all of which are essential for achieving natural and intelligible speech. Through targeted exercises, listening practice, and guided production, students will enhance their ability to perceive and produce these features accurately, leading to more confident and effective communication in English.

This course covers the following content:
- Review of IPA and British English sound system, silent letters
- Word and sentence stress
- Rhythm and intonation patterns
- Weak and strong forms
- Linking and elision
- Connected speech, assimilation, intrusion
- Training listening for reduced forms and connected speech
- Pronunciation in fast and slow speech

Type of course

foreign languages
elective courses

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

The course is designed to further develop students’ pronunciation skills, focusing on British English. Building upon the foundational knowledge of phonetics, this course emphasises other practical features of phonetics, including weak and strong forms, stress, rhythm and intonation. The course is designed for students with a basic knowledge of English phonetics (e.g. knowledge of IPA, division of speech sounds, basic phonetic terms). An English language proficiency of at least B2 is required. Participants should be ready to actively participate in oral exercises and individual work with audio material.

Course coordinators

Paulina Marchlik

Learning outcomes

In terms of knowledge / the student knows and understands:

- Knows both basic and advanced concepts related to practical English phonetics, with particular focus on British English (RP) (K_W12, K_W13)
- Understands the distinction between strong and weak forms and their function in spoken discourse (K_W12, K_W13)
- Knows the principles of word stress, sentence stress, rhythm and intonation in British English (K_W12, K_W13)
- Understands the role of prosody (intonation, tempo, pauses) in expressing meaning, emotion, and communicative intent (K_W12, K_W13)

In terms of skills / the student is able to:

- Accurately articulate English sounds in the Received Pronunciation standard (K_U03)
- Identify and appropriately use weak and strong forms in spoken communication (K_U03)
- Apply correct sentence stress and speech rhythm depending on the communicative context (K_U03)
- Use suitable intonation patterns in various types of utterances (questions, commands, statements, etc.) (K_U03)
- Analyse and self-correct pronunciation using recordings and feedback (K_U12, K_U13, K_U14)

In terms of social competences / the student is ready to:

- Demonstrates willingness to systematically improve their pronunciation and overall oral communicative clarity (K_K01)
- Accepts constructive criticism and provides phonetic feedback in a respectful and supportive manner (K_K01, K_K02)
- Works effectively in a group, actively participating in phonetic exercises and supporting peers in developing their language skills (K_K01, K_K02)

Assessment criteria

The assessment is based on:
1) attendance,
2) preparation for classes and doing homework (exercises, assignments),
3) active participation in classes,
4) oral test at the end of the course.

Practical placement

Bibliography

Brown, A. (2021). Activities and Exercises for Teaching English Pronunciation-Routledge.
Hancock, M. (2013). English Pronunciation in Use: Intermediate / Advanced. Cambridge University Press.
Roach, P. (2009). English Phonetics and Phonology (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Supplementary literature: - Selected according to the topics discussed

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 2300-KJO-PEP in USOSweb