Helping students lose the "uh"?
Originally from London, I teach EFL to adults in Italy.
I get a lot of students whose English presents something like this:
"Lastuh weekenduh I wentuh shoppinguh to buy a newuh shirtuh"
I hope that describes the problem...they are separating the words rather than linking and adding an empty vowel sound at the end of words which end in a consonant. I suppose you could describe it as one of the features mother tongue speakers recognise as a stereotypical English pronunciation of Italians.
My usual technique is to highlight the fact to the student by recording them and then playing their voice back to them. I'm never quite sure if this is just a wee bit too traumatic for them but I can't think of a better alternative. Then I illustrate "joined up speech" and the numerous ways words link together. Then I point out that in fast speech these links between words tend to happen as a logical consequence of speaking faster. Then we do extensive practise which usual entails me getting them to rehearse and read a short text faster and faster...and sure enough the problem disappears! So far, so good.
The real problem I'm having is there appears to be no transfer between doing these types of exercises and the student's unconscious speech; as soon as they finish doing the exercise the problem returns, in most cases it's as if they've never done the exercise. I have to say that I don't think I've ever had much success with this technique but I have no other ideas.
It's evident that this is a well-recognised issue with (feature of?) Italian learners' English (I'm guessing other nationalities, too) but I've never seen any mention of it in any of the resources I've used.
I have a personal ongoing debate about whether or not I should even classify this as a "problem", bearing in mind it's not impeding meaning particularly, but I think in many students I see it's a such strong detracting feature of their spoken English that I consider it to be an issue of "quality" because it's getting in the way of their intended message (but much less so than the accent of the guy I used to live with from Glasgow...couldn't understand a word!) So there you go...perhaps I should just let it go.
Any thoughts? Ideas?
Top answer
Kean Lastuh weekenduh I wentuh shoppinguh to buy a newuh shirtuh Indeed. You have to read quite a few paragraphs of Italian before you find a word that doesn't end in a vowel, so this is far from surprising. Kean no transfer between doing these types of exercises and the student's unconscious speech You have to keep drumming it into them that the purpose of the exercise is to learn and apply certain principles in their own spontaneous speech, and that they have to focus on this when speaking.
- Kean Lastuh weekenduh I wentuh shoppinguh to buy a newuh shirtuh Indeed.
- You have to read quite a few paragraphs of Italian before you find a word that doesn't end in a vowel, so this is far from surprising.
- Kean no transfer between doing these types of exercises and the student's unconscious speech You have to keep drumming it into them that the purpose of the exercise is to learn and apply certain principles in their own spontaneous speech, and that they have to focus on this when speaking.
- Kean I don't think I've ever had much success with this technique In that case you probably haven't cracked any heads.
- Yet.
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KeanLastuh weekenduh I wentuh shoppinguh to buy a newuh shirtuh
Indeed. You have to read quite a few paragraphs of Italian before you find a word that doesn't end in a vowel, so this is far from surprising.
Keanno transfer between doing these types of exercises and the student's unconscious speech
You have to keep
0I use the loud reading technique to tackle this problem. This always gave me quicker and positive results. Give your students a paragraph four or five sentences long to read aloud. Make corrections when they make 'uh', ' duh', and, most often, 'tid' sound.
I know its a tiresome technique, but trust me, on their forth or fifth reading you'll see a visible difference. When they stop making
0Oh yes, that is a speech pattern that immediately marks them as Italians!
In some areas where there is an Italian diaspora, it can be a mark for discrimination and ridicule by the native English speakers.
A heavy Italian accent can also cause some hilarious side-effects;
0
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