Presented as part of the ANU Language Teaching Forum

After a period of neglect, the explicit –integrated– teaching of pronunciation is enjoying a revival. Initially championed by researchers in TESOL, the importance of this component (alongside core grammar, lexicon, pragmatics, reading, writing, social customs, etc.) is steadily finding its way back into the pedagogy of other languages, including Spanish.

This talk is an invitation to reflect upon the need for adequate teaching and learning of pronunciation at different levels (and thus with different goals) in order to improve our students’ competency in the goal language. It revolves around the nature of ‘pronunciation’, expected content, setting goals and models in the classroom, a review of activities and the use of technology, student attitudes and awareness, etc. While the main focus is on Spanish, the talk aims to provide ‘food for thought’ for colleagues teaching any language.

Dr Manuel Delicado Cantero is a Lecturer of Spanish in the School of Language Studies. He earned his PhD in Spanish (Hispanic Linguistics) at The Ohio State University (USA) in 2009. In his native Spain, he obtained a licenciatura (B.A.) in Hispanic Philology (Spanish language and literature) and a Diploma de Estudios Avanzados (equivalent to M.A.) with concentration in Spanish language at the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Ciudad Real campus). He attended the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset in Madrid, where he studied formal syntax.

The Language Teaching Forum aims to provide a discussion platform for language teachers and researchers across ANU colleges. Its main objective is to enhance the exchange of research and new approaches in language education. The forum is open to interested people from outside the university such as school teachers and teachers from community schools.

The LTF is held on the first Wednesday of each month, 4.15-5.15pm followed by drinks and nibbles.

The forum is jointly coordinated by:

• Dr Gabriele Schmidt, School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, CASS
• Dr Duck-Young Lee, School of Culture, History & Language, CAP
• Ms France Meyer, Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies, CASS