The Sound of Clarity: An Introduction to Phonetics

This book challenges the traditional 'native-speaker' model of English pronunciation, advocating instead for a research-backed approach centered on English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). The text serves as a comprehensive manual for educators, moving from the physical mechanics of articulatory phonetics to complex suprasegmental features like word stress and nuclear intonation. By introducing the 'Lingua Franca Core, ' the author provides a strategic framework for prioritizing instructional time on features that truly impact international intelligibility-such as stress placement and consonant clusters-rather than chasing the unreachable goal of accent reduction. Each chapter blends scientific theory with immediate classroom applications, such as the 'tissue test' for aspiration and 'schwa hunts' for rhythm. Ultimately, the book empowers teachers and learners alike to treat English as a global resource where clarity is the gold standard and a speaker's natural accent is a feature of their identity, not a flaw to be corrected. It is an essential guide for the modern, globalized landscape of English language teaching.

Pagina's: 234, Paperback, Independently published