Some ways of teaching intonation and stress (supra-segmental pronunciation) using Carolyn Graham's Jazz chants and other methods.

1. Teaching supra-segmental
pronunciation using jazz chants
(and other methods)
Michael Carroll, Momoyama Gakuin University, Osaka
carroll@andrew.ac.jp
To see the slides, google
<Teaching supra-segmental slideshare>
or

2. Abstract
• Being able to use supra-segmental pronunciation (stress and
intonation) is essential for both understanding and being understood
in English, and is the most important aspect of pronunciation. This
workshop will give a brief introduction to this aspect of
pronunciation, and will show how it can be taught in effective and
enjoyable way using the Jazz Chants method pioneered by Carolyn
Graham.

3. The plan for this
workshop
1. a short lecture
2. some activities in between
3. the rationale (why the activities
work)

4. 1. A short talk about …

6. 2. some activities
• counting words and syllables
• trying out jazz chants
• acting out a short drama

8. 3. the rationale (how this might
help students’ pronunciation)
(Spoiler:
1. they learn through their ears not their eyes
2. getting the rhythm makes getting the
meaning easier)

11. sounds (words)
+
grammar (the way we put the
words/sounds together)
Language =

12. Sounds

15. What are
supra-segmentals?

16. the basic building blocks
of sound
individual sounds
(consonants and vowels)
'c' ; 'a' ; 't'
(diphthongs too?)
‘ai’ ; ‘ow’
syllables?
‘cat’ ; ‘in-for-ma-tion’
segmentals

17. beyond individual
sounds
(also called ‘prosody’)
intonation and stress
Why?↗︎
Because I SAID ↘︎ so.
**********************************
CONference
particiPAtion
Supra-segmentals

18. How many words in this
sentence?
• It's not the first time I've been travelling in
Vietnam, but I'm still a bit unsure of my way
around

20. •It's not the first time I've been travelling in
Vietnam but I'm still a bit unsure of my way
around
Did they hear the contractions?
It's .............. I've .................. I'm ……..
It not the first time

21. •It's not the first time I've been travelling in
Vietnam but I'm still a bit unsure of my way
around
Did they hear the 'grammatical words’?
It's not first time

22. •It's not the first time I've been travelling in
Vietnam but I'm still a bit unsure of my way
around
Did they hear unfamiliar 'supplementary' phrases
I'm [a bit] unsure [not sure]

23. 20 - 23
It's not the first time 5~6 I've been travelling in
Vietnam10~12 but I'm still a bit 15~18 unsure of my
way around 20~23
(23 if we count contractions as two words)

24. 20 - 23
It's not the first time 5~6 I've been travelling in
Vietnam10~12 but I'm still a bit 15~18 unsure of my
way around 20~23
(23 if we count contractions as two words)
It not first time I travelling Vietnam
but I not sure how get around (14)

25. How many syllables?
It's not the first time I've been travelling in Vietnam
but I'm still a bit unsure of my way around
– 25 syllables

26. How many STRESSED
syllables?
It's not the first time I've been travelling in Vietnam but I'm still
a bit unsure of my way around
25 syllables
Not ..... first time ..... TRAVelling VIETnam .....
still ....(un)sure .....way ..... (a)round
9 stresses

27. This is good news and bad
news
• Good news - listening
• If you ONLY HEAR THE 9 (or 10) KEYWORDS you can
understand completely
• Bad news - speaking
• If you use TOO MANY stresses you MAY NOT BE
understood
• If you use NOT ENOUGH you MAY NOT BE understood
• If you put the stresses IN THE WRONG PLACE you will not
be understood

28. How to teach intonation and
stress?
• We can't learn it from books; we need to
practice speaking
• Textbook dialogues are not realistic, and often
not interesting
• If students read dialogues aloud they usually
fail to consider intonation and stress

29. We learn pronunciation
through our ears, not our
eyes

30. Sally speaks Spanish

31. Sally speaks Spanish, but not very well.
When she tries to speak Spanish, you really
can’t tell
what language she’s speaking, or trying to
speak.
The first time I heard her, I thought it was
Greek!

32. SAlly speaks SPAnish, but NOT very WELL.
When she TRIES to speak SPAnish, you
REAlly can’t TELL
what LANguage she’s SPEAking, or TRYing
to SPEAK.
The FIRST time I HEARD her, I THOUGHT it
was GREEK!

33. SAlly speaks SPAnish, but NOT very WELL.
When she TRIES t’ speak SPAnish, y' REAlly can’t
TELL
what LANguage she’s SPEAking, or TRYing
to SPEAK.
The FIRST time I HEARD her, I THOUGHT it
was GREEK!

34. Give students the text through
their ears, not their eyes

35. An activity based on the books Star Taxi and
Popstars,
Published by Dreamworks, Kyoto
by Ian Franklyn and Theo Steckler
Another way to focus on supra-
segmental pronunciation

36. What I hope you'll remember
about this workshop
Don't let reading get in the way of speaking
(Have students get the text through their ears not
their eyes)
Have students listen and copy the sounds
Understanding the rhythm makes understanding
the meaning easier
Follow up with grammar explanations - supra-
segmental pronunciation and grammar go together