WORD PROMINENCE
generally refers collectively to variations inpitch, loudness, and the length of the vowelof a word within a sentence.

THE SITUATION….
Classes of 30 x 1st year Regional Policy majors
Compulsory course called ‘Communicative
English’ -prescribed rubric and syllabus
Varying levels of motivation
2 x 2-minute presentations per semester

INITIAL READING…
While I can exercise a fairly conscious
choice over my selection of words, mychoice of word prominence seems muchless conscious. It’s as if it comes fromdeeper within me, from another part of mybrain which is less open to my conscious
intervention.
- Underhill, A

A HAPPY COINCIDENCE…

BRAZIL’S (1997)
REASONING…

1) Grammatical function2) Attitudinal function3) Accentual function

1. Grammatical Function

Nouns, main verbs, adjectives
and adverbs are prominent
Draw a line under them…..

2. Attitudinal Function

It can express emotion or attitude.
Where do you want to make an
impact?
Draw two lines under thosewords…..

3. Accentual Function

Word prominence can change themeaning or nuance.
Draw two lines under them, too….

An example…

I didn’t say he stole the money
I didn’t say he stole the money
I didn’t say he stole the money
I didn’t say he stole the money
I didn’t say he stole the money
I didn’t say he stole the money
I didn’t say he stole the money

LET’S HAVE A GO!

Last night, I cooked myself the mostamazing ribs in the oven. I cooked them
low and slow for over 3 hours before
enjoying them with some coleslaw which
was admittedly store-bought. I’m trying tocut down on carbs, but I’m not convincedthat meal helped with any weight loss.

LET’S HAVE A GO!

WRITE ABOUT THIS MORNING’S
BREAKFAST OR LAST NIGHT’S DINNER
ANNOTATE THE TEXTREAD IT ALOUDSTUDENT FEEDBACK
Mostly Positive
Students seemed unaware of how to use
word prominence
Students began to annotate their scripts
without prompting from the teacher
Students can be creative with it

DISCUSSION…

1) How could the annotation system ofunderlining be improved?
2) How could the student’s
development in this area be gauged?
3) Do you implement any activities inyour classroom that consciously focus
on the way students speak?

AN OPINION…
Intonation is ignored by the majority of theTESOL profession- David Crystal

REFERENCES
Brazil, D. 1997. The Communicative Value of Intonation in English Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Crystal, D. 1969. Prosodic Systems and Intonation in English Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Dörnyei, Z. 1998. Motivation in second and foreign language learning. Language Teaching, 31, p 117-135
Jenkins, J. 2000. The Phonology of English as an International Language Oxford: Oxford University Press
Jones, R. 2002. “Beyond ‘Listen and Repeat’: Pronunciation Teaching Materials and Theories of SecondLanguage Acquisition” in Methodology in Language Teaching, eds Richards, J. & Renandya, W.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press p 178-188
Kohmoto, S. 1969. New English Phonology Tokyo: Nan’un Do
Kuiper, K & Allan, W.S. 2010. An Introduction to English Language: Word, Sound and Sentence Third
Edition London: Palgrave MacMillan
Roach, P. 2009. English Phonetics and Phonology Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Underhill, A. 2005. Sound Foundations 2nd Edition. Oxford: Macmillan.