Overcoming the pronunciation barrier. The aptitude for phonetic mimicry and German ESL students' linguistic awareness

Term Paper (Advanced seminar) , 2020 , 39 Pages , Grade: 1.3

Learning materials - English

This paper firstly compares and contrasts the phonetic and phonological systems of English and German and then goes on to describe some frequently occurring problems concerning pronunciation and non-native accents of German ESL students. Some of the factors leading to the problems that will be scrutinized are interference of German, learners’ attitudes and insufficient knowledge of phonetics and phonology systems of the English language, among others.

Moreover, the concept of what is commonly referred to as the aptitude for (phonetic) mimicry will be illuminated and discussed from different viewpoints, taking into account the origin of the term and its applicability to linguistics, particularly within the fields of phonetics and phonology.

One of the objectives of this paper will thus be to determine possible factors affecting learners’ pronunciation competence and to examine to what extent formal instruction in phonetics and phonology can alleviate certain pronunciation difficulties. To that end, a small-scale study was designed and conducted at the University of Cologne with first- and second-year English students, five of whom had not yet taken the Practical Phonetics & Phonology (PPP) course that forms an obligatory part of the English Studies Bachelor’s Degree Program and five who had taken it during the previous semester and had passed the end-of-module exam.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.1. The English and German Phonetic and Phonological Systems Compared
1.2. Common Errors and Potential Misunderstandings

2. THE APTITUDE FOR PHONETIC MIMICRY
2.1. Mimicry as an Interdisciplinary Phenomenon
2.2. Innate or Acquired? A Decades-Long Debate

3. EMPIRICAL RESEARCH AND TEACHING APPROACHES
3.1. Participants and Design of the Small-Scale Study
3.2. Evaluation of the Results
3.3. Teaching Pronunciation: Shifts in Educational Trends

4. CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

APPENDIX

Exercises Used in the Study

Questionnaire

• College: University of Cologne
• Grade: 1.3
• Author: Anna Lynn Dolman (Author)
• Publication Year: 2020
• Pages: 39
• Catalog Number: V593683
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346216113
• ISBN (Book): 9783346216120
• Language: English
• Tags: german, overcoming