Pronunciation

The teacher's own pronunciation will set the standard for the class; unconsciously the students will imitate what they hear. The teacher's speech should be clear and moderately-paced. A rich, pleasing voice, of course, will make listening all the more attractive.

The foreign sound should be described in simple nontechnical language and compared with its nearest English equivalent. The use of phonetic transcription--which is of great value in French--is recommended. Also, careful instructions as to the physical production of the sound are helpful, especially where there is no English equivalent (i.e., French u, oe, eu and the nasals; German 〓, 〓, 〓 and ch; Spanish j). Constant correction is necessary, for faulty habits once formed are difficult to break.

Foreign sounds acquire meaning and are recognized automatically only through frequent use. Only those sound combinations are spontaneously comprehended which have been learned thoroughly.

Sound and meaning, and meaning and sound must be identified so frequently that recognition becomes automatic.

With reference to the use of phonetic transcriptions, it must also be taken into account that to acquire facility in their use requires learning a code or shorthand in addition to the foreign language. Economy seems to dictate that the teacher be familiar with the symbols and that the pupils need only be able to recognize them. Acquaintance with their sound equivalents will enable pupils to look up the pronunciation of doubtful words by themselves.

Besides listening to and imitating the teacher's voice, the pupils should be given opportunity, whenever this is possible, to listen to native speakers on the platform, to phonograph records, and to radio broadcasts. With the extension of foreign language programs on radio and television, a splendid opportunity is presented to the student for listening to new and interesting material every day. Choral Reading. A unique and rather recent method for the improvement of pronunciation and oral expression is choral reading. Contrary to accepted opinion, it has been found that pupils are sometimes more careful in group participation than in individual work. The consciousness that the success of the whole depends upon the excellence of the contribution of each calls for the best in many pupils. Working as a group also overcomes the inherent timidity of many pupils, who are embarrassed when called upon to use the foreign language orally.

After some use of choral reading, a marked improvement will be noted in articulation. Greater precision and distinctness are secured, which carry over into the speech of the individual. Furthermore, through choral speaking the pupil has impressed on him the beat, the rhythm, and the pattern of the foreign language. The individual pupil is frequently hesitant about imitating the teacher's inflections. In the group, however, even the most timid will imitate with a certain amount of pleasure.

In French, choral reading has been found particularly effective. For beginners children's songs are recommended, since they are full of sound combinations, alliterations, and assonances. For advanced students selections can be found in the fables of La Fontaine, which are excellent because they combine dialogue with narration. For instance, in the fable of the wolf and the lamb the class is divided into three groups, the high voices representing the lamb, the low voices the wolf, and the average voices the narrative passages. Also,

individual pupils of special ability can be trained to interpret the two roles.

Ballads, too, lend themselves nicely to group treatment. Especially recommended are Paul Fort's Ballades Fran〓aises and adaptations of the ballad form, as in Alphonse Daudet's Lettres de Mon Moulin. Lyric poetry, such as that of Victor Hugo, de Lisle, and Verlaine, is also suitable.

When learning choral reading, the class is divided into three groups, according to voice quality: light, medium, and heavy. After reading and discussing the selection, the class takes up the pronunciation. Difficult words and difficult combinations are analyzed and repeated slowly. After the technical difficulties have been overcome, the poem as a whole is taken up. The interpretation is planned, the intonation and the rhythm are indicated. After the class has practiced as a whole, the parts are assigned to the several groups and to individuals.

Choral reading has been

found an effective aid in teaching oral French and improving pronunciation. It is heartily recommended to the teachers of other foreign languages.