Tanya

^:D January 16, 2011 14:47

i'm sorry for my behaviour.

i'm sorry if i upset u.

sorry!!!!
Bill the English Teacher January 2, 2011 22:18

I just discovered that the technical site will show the different letters (sounds) that fall into different pronunciation groups. If you click on the letter it shows more information about the sound and even shows a video of a speaker making the sounds. This would be quite helpful,
Bill the English Teacher January 2, 2011 21:56

Tanya,

This site is a bit technical, but it does define some of the words we use when speaking of the mechanics of pronunciation. It gives the names of the sounds we make, where they are made in the mouth, and there is a diagram of the parts that we use to make speech. This may help your student see the areas that are used in speech. Some of the explanations are a bit technical, however.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html
Bill the English Teacher January 2, 2011 21:29

Tanya,

Here is one site that is fairly thorough about the mechanics of English pronunciation. One has to get used to some technical terms such as alveolar palatal surface and things like that. Your student would obviously need feedback from you on whether the sounds he makes are correct or not since he cannot hear feedback well. He would need to feel his sounds as opposed to hearing his sounds. Voiced and voiceless sounds can be felt by him putting his hand on his larynx or "voice box" in his throat to feel that difference. He would need to get a feel for when he is blocking air and then releasing it in an explosive manner. He could try to physically make the sounds as they are described on the site and your feedback would let him know when he physically is doing it well so he can memorize the feel of what he is doing. I hope this helps. It is the kind of information I had to learn to correct my students' pronunciation.

Sometimes I have had to practice making sounds like my students and then making the sound correctly. I try to feel the difference so I can tell them how to hold their tongue, block air, let it explode, or let it flow freely. For example CH in English (as in church) often is made by teeth clenched together, the tongue blocks the air, the pressure builds up and we release it in an explosion of air. But in the word machine the CH is like an SH. We clench the teeth together, but the tongue is flattened and allow air to flow freely. Practicing these mechanics separately over and over at first may help him to improve his pronunciation.

http://www.eslport.com/2008/10/us-english-pronunciation-introductio...

I have one document that deals with vowels only. I find vowels more difficult to teach. There are actually diagrams of the mouth. Will send separately.
Bill the English Teacher January 2, 2011 15:56

I will see if I can find some information on the mechanics of English. :)
Bill the English Teacher January 1, 2011 17:53

Tanya,

You are so good to work with this man. My heart goes out to him in his endeavor to learn English. I wish I could help you but teaching the deaf is such a specialized skill that needs special training. I am sure it can be frustrating to try to teach him. These people can feel so isolated from the hearing world. The greatest challenge is that they do not hear themselves the same way we do and that is how we learn to self-correct our pronunciation. I have even had normal hearing people who just don't really pay attention to how they sound to themselves. They never seem to be able to correct their pronunciation. I specialize in pronunciation in my skills as a teacher, but it is always based on the students hearing how I pronounce. I do also teach the mechanics of pronunciation as in how far to open the mouth, the shape of the lips for different sounds, blocking the air and then letting the sound explode, letting the air flow freely, touching the teeth with ones tongue, etc. But how one teaches a hearing-impaired person to do that is a challenge. I wish I could be more helpful. I wonder if there are sites on the Internet that deal with teaching speech to the hearing-impaired. I know you mentioned one that is limited. Good luck my friend. You are a person with a good heart.

Also I hope you enjoy the warmth of Florida. Also I have had a very pleasant writing relationship with a man called Vladimir in Ukraine for a year now. He is amazing in how he has learned to write English with a little help from me. He is so dedicated. And he has become more like a friend to me. He has taught me much about Ukraine and some of the challenges it is going through. Take care,.
Lyudmila Mitsura December 31, 2010 7:03
Bill the English Teacher December 30, 2010 20:26

Tanya,

Thanks for much for the New Year greeting. How are you doing my old friend? I am not as activie in English club these days. So busy in other areas. I do wish you a wonderful new year in all that you do.

Bill
nida December 30, 2010 19:31

More New Year Cards at GoodLightscraps

http://www.goodlightscraps.com/content/new-year-cards/new-year-card-7.swf
Amjad Ali December 30, 2010 16:12

Dear Tanya,

How are you?

I hope that you will be hale and hearty.

I wish you and your family a happy new year.May the new year bring for you and your family more happiness, health,peace and prosperity.

Amjad Ali