April, 2006 Vol.55 No.1
English pronunciation is just a part of learning the language. But it is important because, for example, incorrect pronunciation can cause misunderstanding.
So, what is ‘correct pronunciation’? Should ‘correct pronunciation’ be taught by ‘native speakers? Does colloquially pronounced English help students learning the language???
Mayuka: I started pronunciation training classes for the Japanese English teachers in Japan more than five years ago.
Robert: Yeah, I remember that.
M: Well, then you remember that I began it as a kind of “secret project”. I didn’t think there was much demand at that time beyond the teachers who had asked me to help them. I also didn’t think that the average English teacher would be happy to have their pronunciation commented on.
R: Yeah, I can see that.
M: But, for some reason, about a year ago I “went public” saying that I was giving pronunciation classes. By that time, I had been teaching for over five years, and had a good program in place including methods and content. I found that there was even more demand than I had imagined. I also found that the teachers were even more conscious and anxious about their pronunciation than I thought they would be.
R: Yup, I can believe it. As for the teachers being conscious and anxious about their pronunciation, ever since I first came to Japan I have encountered Japanese English teachers who ask me: “Can you understand my pronunciation?” In one case, as a Japanese teacher of English and I were driving to school together ( he was driving at the time), since he was soooo worried about getting the words out right and pronounced correctly we almost drove into a river because he focused on his English and not on driving.
M: Wow, so you were almost killed by English.
R: Yup. At that time I learned an important lesson, don’t talk with a Japanese person in English when they are driving unless you are really “dead sure” that they can handle it.
M: You must be sure they can handle living English.
R: Honey, we need to rename this Japanese English expression “living English” better and get rid of it. First, to my knowledge the expression itself is not English. It is a direct translation of “ikiteiru eigo” which is weird for most speakers of English to hear as English is alive, well, and growing. So of course it is living…
M: Well, I think it is mainly a distinction that some academics use to draw the line between English being studied as an academic subject, which encapsulates middle and old English, and modern English which of course includes conversational English.
R: Yeah, I see what you mean, and don’t forget about its use in advertising here in Japan! So, let’s change the expression from “living English” to just “English”. Another way to naturally express what we want to say is: “I was having a conversation in English with Mr. X the other day and we were talking about….” like for “Mr. Driver” that I just told you about.
M: Yea, well honey, you seem to have driven us off the road of pronunciation….
R: Yeah, sorry…. Anyway, I agree with you about the need for Japanese English teachers to improve their pronunciation. But, I think we disagree on the point about how “native” teachers and students should try to achieve, right?
M: I'm not talking about “native” pronunciation, I believe in communicative pronunciation.
R: Hold on! Last time we had an argument, I mean, discussion, I mean talk … about pronunciation, you were so “strict” about how perfect and clear Japanese English teacher’s pronunciation should be. What happened?
M: Nothing changed. There are different needs between learners and teachers.
R: Ok. For you, what are they?
What is the difference between the pronunciation for the learners and the teachers?
M: For learners, basically, anything is fine as long as it is communicative.
But for teachers, it should be accurate and clear because students when they use English they can go downhill to unclear but communicative English; however, it is difficult to go uphill. When teachers teach the students pronunciation, the students might get 80% of the lesson, but after a short time passes only 50% remains. This is based on my own observation of teaching, anyway. If the teacher can only supply 50% then the students might get 40% and after a short time, what is left?
R: Yeah, I have read about retention rates in learning and see what you mean. In the learning pyramid from National Training Laboratories in Bethel, Maine USA their findings - which are the same as others that I have read - state that: through a lecture type class students remember 5%; through reading most people remember 10%; through hearing 20%; from seeing 30%; from a demonstration where they can both see and hear about the subject 50%; in discussion groups 70%; if we have a hands on approach where students practice by doing or experience it personally 80%; and by students teaching others the teacher-student learns 95%. This last statistic has been the main focus of group and pair work and creating an environment where peer teaching can take place. The problem in this case being that a good role model from the teacher is necessary for the students before they can begin to help each other.
解説
* living English
「生きている英語」の直訳ですが、英語が母語の人とっては奇妙にひびく和製英語です。まるで英語という言語そのものが‘生き物’としてうごめいている感じがするらしいです。ん～、それはちょっとしたホラーですねえ。これは、英語には’living English’という表現が存在しないため、この場合のlivingが「生きる」という意味の動詞の現在分詞形の形容詞的用法として捉えられてしまうためです。同じlivingでもliving roomというときには「生きている部屋」にはなりません。この場合には動名詞を名詞の前に置くことによって後ろの名詞を形容しているからですね。’a sleeping baby’と’a sleeping bag’の違いと照らし合わせて考えていただくとわかりやすいかと思います。
* encapsulates
en（内側に）-capsule（被膜で分離された一つの単位）-ate（その状態にする）という組み合わせで、つまり「封じ込める」といった意味になるわけです。
* native pronunciation vs. communicative pronunciation
「ネイティブスピーカーの発音」という場合、どんな発音をさしているのでしょう？そもそも「ネイティブスピーカー」の定義は？英語を生活言語としている国はたくさんあります。また同じ国の中でも、地域によってその英語の発音に差異があります。このように考えると、「ネイティブスピーカーの発音」という観点ではなく、「英語でコミュニケーションするときに、そのコミュニケーションを成り立たせる発音」という捉え方こそが必要ではないでしょうか。
* argument / discussion / talk
どれも「お互いの意見を言い合う」という部分では同じ状況を表す単語です。argumentだと「激しく意見を戦わせる」という上に「相手を論破する」感じがついてきます。それに対してdiscussionだと若干激しさは軽減されるものの、依然として「ぶつかり合い」のニュアンスがあります。それに対してtalkはリラックスした状態での語り合いのイメージです。ここでRobertが思わず何度か言葉を選んで言い直しているのは、argumentという言葉を使ってしまうことが着火剤となって激しい戦いに踏み込む可能性が大であるという状況と、それを避けようとした彼の微妙な心情が現れているわけです。
* National Training Laboratories in Bethel
ここで触れている’Learning Pyramid’について詳細をお知りになりたい方には、下記のサイトをチェックされることをお勧めします。
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm：基本的な概念がわかりやすく説明されています。
http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/journal/vol3/beej-3-5.htm：さらに詳しく、かつ、情報量も多いです。
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