Desarrollo y prueba de un modelo para enseñar pronunciación inglesa a partir de estudios controlados en aulas en la isla de Tenerife

Abstract

Abstract Despite the command of English being fundamental in the sustainable development of Tenerife and despite the great human potential of the island, the level of English there ranks among the lowest in Spain and, consequently, worldwide. The teaching of pronunciation based on evidence from empirical studies can contribute tremendously to an improvement in the quality of language teaching. The following study develops a model for teaching English pronunciation through observation of students learning English as a second language, with Castellano as their first language, on the island of Tenerife. English-speaking people from different places in the world worked voluntarily in the evaluation of the productions recorded in the classroom. Part of the model includes a tool developed in this study to simplify, identify, monitor and correct unwanted pronunciation patterns, following the principle of intelligibility. This model is tested by means of a controlled study which determines the effect of teaching on the capacity to perceive segments and prosody, and on the quality of pronunciation, taking into account measurable variables (comprehensibility, degree of accent, fluency, perceived intelligibility and intelligibility), their degree of correlation and real classroom conditions. The results confirm the relative independence of the elements of pronunciation and show a significant improvement in the capacity to perceive (around 125 % compared to the average value before instruction, in a range from 60 % to 350 %) and in the quality of pronunciation (around 40 % compared to the average value before instruction, in a range from 20 % to 80 %) due to the teaching of pronunciation using the proposed model for six months, two hours a week. The values of comprehensibility (+ 26 %), degree of accent (+ 90 %), fluency (+ 46 %), perceived intelligibility (+ 34 %) and intelligibility (+ 25 %) also improved due to the teaching of pronunciation. Additionally, in order to complete this study, it was necessary to develop different instruments which proved to be useful when measuring, monitoring and improving the perception of segmentals and suprasegmentals, and the different elements which compose pronunciation. One of the outstanding tools is the profile of common pronunciation errors which includes the concept of functional load and the principle of intelligibility. Likewise, it was necessary to measure the difference between the perception of the learners and the real values of pronunciation elements (as assigned by English speakers with similar backgrounds). The results show in what measure the difference between perceived and real values changes for each element of pronunciation with the instruction of pronunciation using the proposed method, due to the improvement in the capacity to perceive segmentals and suprasegmentals. This study aims to serve as a guide and antecedent not only for people interested in investigation within the field of pronunciation teaching in the classroom, but also for those who have the important responsibility of teaching languages to learners with Castellano as their first language anywhere in the world. This thesis has been written using gender-inclusive language and avoiding any kind of discrimination.