AD+Thesis

Our initial thesis statement is:

Although teaching intonation has its own difficulties, teachers should approach it as extensively as learners’ goals require and using various techniques, since the ef f ectiveness of communication depends, on a large scale , on the appropriate intonation.

TOPIC SENTENCES:

__** Why: **__ As Dorothy Chun (1988) states, although some linguists and teachers have neglected intonation, this feature of the language is fundamental to language communication and it is a powerful tool for negotiating meaning, managing interaction and achieving discourse coherence.

Studying intonation is important and it makes the process of learning another language less frust r ating for the students mainly in relation to oral communication.

Teachers should have a thorough knowledge of the English sound system in order to effectively address the oral skill needs of their students.I

__** How: **__ Topic Sentence 1: In order to present common intonation patterns to students, teachers must establish their own set of pedagogical priorities according to learner’s needs, and then develop activities for listening discrimination followed by tasks that involve controlled, guided and communicative practice, as highlighted by Celce-Murcia (1986).

Topic Sentence 2: A very useful technique to teach stress, intonation and timing is by reading or reciting texts aloud, which can consist of passages or scripts that allow students to practice or memorize before reading them aloud.

Topic Sentence 3: Another strategy to encourage students to enhance their intonation patterns is to make recordings of their own production, which can elicit motivation as the students see their progress in this area.

Topic Sentence 4: There are some new directions in the teaching of pronunciation, and one of them is the use of authentic material that can include children’s rhyme, advertisement slogans, and comic strips, which may give the teacher the opportunity to approximate the learner's reality to the learning in classroom.

Topic Sentence 5: Among the new directions in the teaching of pronunciation we also find the use of multisensory modes, namely visual and auditory reinforcement, tactile reinforcement, and kinesthetic reinforcement, all of which creating significant opportunities to decrease students inhibition and reluctance when practicing the target-language. __** When: **__ Since intonation takes an important part (can we say: 'takes an important role') on communication, educators may teach this English feature not only in pronunciation classes, but also in reading, listening and grammar classes.

As intonation interferes on the meaning of what is said, it may be taught on the first levels of the English learning.