Presentation on the phonemic chart and using it for English language teaching. For a voiced over presentation (free!) go to www.elt-training.com

1. elt-training.com
Teacher training webinars
Jo Gakonga
jo.gakonga@elt-training.com
For a free voiced over presentation of this, go to
www.elt-training.com

2. The Phonemic Chart

3. What is it?
IPA – The International Phonetic Alphabet

4. Phonemic or phonetic?
Phonetics - the study of speech sounds
Phoneme: basic sound unit of speech

5. Standard British English chart
Why aren’t my sounds on this?

6. So, why learn this?

7. Advantages
• Captures the intangible
• A clear record
• Useful for correction
• Helps with dictionary use - learner
independence
• Shows effect of connected speech clearly

8. Disadvantages
• You need to learn it
• They need to learn it (which nationalities do
know it?)
• Can be a heavy load - esp non- Roman
alphabet

9. How is it divided?
Consonants
Vowels
Dipthongs

10. Consonants
Voiced/ unvoiced sounds

11. Vowels

12. Vowels
Front Back

13. Vowels
closed
open

14. Dipthongs

15. Important!
/ / show that it’s the phonemic
alphabet
/bit/ bit

16. Should we teach it?

17. Schwa
If nothing else, teach and use…

18. A common problem…
/ə/ /ʌ/ or ?
cup /kʌp/ but cover /kʌvə/

19. Any vowel can be sounded as schwa
important
material

20. Any vowel can be sounded as schwa
paper
ferocious

21. Any vowel can be sounded as schwa
tangible
giraffe

22. Any vowel can be sounded as schwa
introduce
phonetics (but not phoneme..)

23. Any vowel can be sounded as schwa
picture
neighbour

24. In fact, most unstressed vowels sound
like…
Homer Simpson = Oo Oo

25. In fact, most unstressed vowels sound
like…
NB –this is often true but not always..
Depression oOo enough oO
/i/ /i/

26. Schwa in connected speech
Where are you going?
/weərəjəgəʊɪŋ/
What do you do?
/wɒdəjədu:/

27. Learning the chart
Websites for writing it
• http://www.phonemicchart.com/
• or you can use your keyboard
Websites for learning it.
• http://cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/
• http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/activities/phonemic-chart
• http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/pronunciation/phone
mic-chart-and-app/interactive-phonemic-chart/

28. Using the chart judiciously
Showing that pronunciation isn’t as hard as it
looks!
thorough
/θərə/

29. Using the chart judiciously
cough
/kɒf/
/ɒf/

30. Using the chart judiciously
Highlighting unexpected sounds
image
/ɪʤ/
/ɪ/

31. Using the chart judiciously
leisure
/ʒə/
/ʒ/

32. Using the chart judiciously
Or missing ones..
knife
/naɪf/
knife

33. Activities for learners
Correct the teacher
1 2
pack back
poor bore
row (/rəʊ/) row (/raʊ/)
Ask a student to say one of the words and you point to it. If you point
to the wrong word (i.e. the student wanted to say one word but said
the other) the student tells you, the teacher, ‘No’ and then tries again.

34. Activities for learners
Saying it right
On the board write up a series of short phrases using phonemic script and ask
your students to say them and work out exactly what is being said. i.e.
/ˌtentəˌtu (ten to two), /knaɪˌhelpˌju(Can I help you?), /ˌ
:/ :/ neksˌpli:z /
(Next please!) or /ˌ ɪzðeərenɪƟɪnˌtu wi:t/ (Is there anything to eat?). This
:ˌ
kind of activity is both fun and informative.
from Adrian Tennent on Onestop –
http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/pronunciation/pronunciation-matters/pronunciation-
matters-sound-reasons-for-teaching-pronunciation/155507.article

36. Any other ideas or questions
Do put them on the forum 