The importance of language awareness in the phonology component of a teacher training programme

Abstract

In this article I set out to discuss the need for a systematic approach to phonology in language teacher training. I begin by outlining the deficiencies inherent in the current ‘atomistic’ approach to phonology in EFL and suggest that a ‘holistic’ approach to this area in both teaching and teacher training will enable both learners and teacher trainers to develop a more accurate understanding of the sound systems of the English language and how they interrelate with each other. I argue that when we look at the psycholinguistic processes that determine the sounds we utter we should be concerned with top‐down processing, from speaker meaning to suprasegmental considerations and finally seg‐mental considerations; and that a teaching approach to phonology needs to reflect this sequence of processes. I suggest a procedure for using this approach in teacher training and provide a sample exercise by way of illustration of the approach. Throughout the article I argue the need for teacher trainers to develop a coherent understanding of, and ability to analyse the English language sound system. This ability I see as a useful application of language awareness in English language teacher education.