PRONOUNCING TERMINOLOGY (AND OTHER WORDS)

What do you do if you want to use a particular word with students and you are not sure that you are able to pronounce the word correctly?

• You could always try checking how the word is pronounced with the help of an online dictionary which incorporates audio files. One of the best of these is this one:
• Merriam Webster online dictionary (with audio)
  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary.htm

There are also some field-specific audio dictionaries or glossaries, such as those mentioned below:

o English-Finnish Medical Dictionary (with audio): produced by the Language Centre, University of Oulu
http://webcgi.oulu.fi/kielikeskus/o/medic/

o Pronunciation of ecological terms (with audio): A resource produced by the Helsinki University Language Centre - TTE Support Project
http://kielikeskus.helsinki.fi/bbe/

• You can also ensure that you can pronounce any tricky words by checking the phonetic representation and stress pattern in a dictionary (a book or an online version). There is a certain amount of variation in the way words are phonetically represented, and so it’s worth starting with the dictionary you normally use and taking a look at its pronunciation key. Most dictionaries have these (usually close to the beginning in a book, or behind a click in an online version). One example of an online dictionary of this type is the following:
• Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary http://dictionary.cambridge.org/
• and its pronunciation key can be found at http://dictionary.cambridge.org/help/phonetics.htm

Think of three terms that you have difficulties in pronouncing RIGHT NOW
and check them in one of the sources mentioned above!

• Of course, it’s impossible to predict in advance what words will be needed in a lesson. So, teachers will most certainly need to use words even if they aren’t sure how to pronounce them. In this kind of situation, it often helps to write the word down on the board or OHP as you say it, so that your students see the written form of the word too. In this way, the written word will be a back-up for the spoken word.
• Another strategy is to make use of the language expertise of your students. You could write the word down and ask
• Can someone tell me how to pronounce this?
• I’m not sure how to say this in English. Can you help me?

By becoming involved in this way, the students may find the lesson content more memorable than it might have been otherwise.

Suzy McAnsh, Language Centre, University of Oulu