Tools to cope with 'real-life' communication

Question

Language teachers, could you tell us about some ways in which you are providing "learners with the tools to cope with 'real-life' communication ..."?

Background to my question.

From a review of the book Exploring Spoken English:

"This book brings authenticity of spoken text to the fore, making us realise how important it is to provide the learners with the tools to cope with 'real-life' communication ... "

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exploring-Spoken-English-Book-only/dp/0521568609

Kooyeen · Accepted Answer

AnonymousLanguage teachers, could you tell us about some ways in which you are providing "learners with the tools to cope with 'real-life' communication ..."?

Here in my country, they don't. And I heard it's so in most other countries too (except in North Europe).

Anonymous"This book brings authenticity of spoken text to the fore, making us realise how important it is to provide the learners with the tools to cope with 'real-life' communication ... "

It sounded like an interesting book, but after checking it out, it seems to me there's nothing really special about it. If there's nothing about phonetics and phonology in there, it's completely useless when talking about "real-life" communication. Speech is made up of sounds and phonemes, and if you don't start with those things you won't even have the basics of "real" spoken English.

Where are the books that teach spoken English? I'm a go there? What a ya doin? Ah'll see ya domorrow. Where are those basic things? I'll tell you where: some are in accent reduction courses, but why have accent reduction courses when we could teach those things as the basics of spoken English in normal courses? The thing is, guess what? Accent reduction courses end up being the spoken prescriptive equivalent of prescriptive written English. I have to say the one I read (American Accent Training) was very good, but none of those courses are "perfect" of course. I don't think there is an accent reduction course for British English where they teach you about glottal stops. That would be a be'er course, wouldn't it?

Anonymous · Answer

<It sounded like an interesting book, but after checking it out, it seems to me there's nothing really special about it.>

It was not intended to be used alone. The writers merely suggested it could be one tool among the tools in the teacher's toolbag.

Anonymous · Answer

<Where are the books that teach spoken English? I'm a go there? What a ya doin? Ah'll see ya domorrow.>
They're on there way:

English Pronunciation in Use Intermediate

Hancock

Intermediate

http://www.cambridge.org/elt/elt_projectpage.asp?id=2500225

Kooyeen · Answer

Anonymous<Where are the books that teach spoken English? I'm a go there? What a ya doin? Ah'll see ya domorrow.>
They're on there way:

English Pronunciation in Use Intermediate

I doubt that's really comprehensive. I think I once took a look at that book, out of curiosity (I have always been interested in the American accents, but now I am starting to get interested in British accents too). I just got the advanced version of that book, if I have time I'll take a look inside, I'm curious, but I doubt it's as comprehensive as I would like it to be. What I would like is something that describes the phonetic structures and features of the most common dialects (or of some dialects), but relatively simply, not something at academic level. Like a kind of accent reduction course where many more features and common dialects are considered. So, from my point of view, a course on British English that does not deal with glottal stops instead of T's is... leaving out a very important part, and can't be called complete.

Anyway, this might be off-topic. Let's go back to hear how teachers teach everyday English.

Anonymous · Answer

<I doubt that's really comprehensive. >

Need it be? Are you looking for one book that is the be and end all of language teaching? Would you like a book that also involves gesture, etc?

Kooyeen · Answer

AnonymousNeed it be? Are you looking for one book that is the be and end all of language teaching? Would you like a book that also involves gesture, etc?

Nah, I was wrong. I realized what I would like would be far too complicated and confusing. Maybe I would just like accent reduction courses to be more comprehensive and precise. I have noticed they always skip something I think is important, but I know I am just picky.
Anyway, I took a look at "English Pronunciation in Use (Advanced)" and I have to say it's pretty good. The intermediate version lacked too many features I think, but the advanced one seems really good. Of course I found some "imprecise" things, "confusing" comments, etc., and that probably what I was talking about earlier, but all in all, it's good. And they mention glottal stops! LOL.

To answer the original question, I think teachers might want that kind of materials... English Pronunciation in Use (UK), American Accent Training (USA), and stuff like that. Maybe you wouldn't need anything else (any other books, I mean), because in English Pronunciation in Use they already mention a lot of "spoken grammar" features for example (Elision, leaving out the verb to be, contraction of do and does, etc.).

That's all.

Tools to cope with 'real-life' communication

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English Pronunciation in Use Intermediate

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