Paul S. Gruber - Pronunciation Workshop - Speaking English with an American Accent [2005]

Workshop Description

What's the first sound in unicorn ? In apple ? [Hint — they aren't vowels!] How many syllables are there in feel or file? Do you think that flour and flower sound alike? How about cot and caught? Writer and rider? Dr. Robin Barr, AU's Linguist-in-Residence, will show you how to detect invisible consonants and missing vowels, and help you become more aware of the way you actually speak, as opposed to what you think you're saying. Brush up on your phonetic transcription and features, and learn how to use phonetics as a tool for sharpening your ears and teaching your students more accurately.

Then hang on tight as Dr. Barr takes you on a journey beyond vowels and consonants — into syllables, rhythm, intonation, stress, linking, and even — the Brain! Learn the suprasegmental tricks with rubber bands, kazoos, and songs that you can use to help your students become more comprehensible, even if they still have trouble distinguishing ship and sheep, or rake and lake. The workshop features entertaining, low-cost activities that you can use right away in your next class.

A light breakfast and coffee will be served beginning at 8:30 a.m. Registration also includes lunch, kazoo, rubber band, lollipop, and all the phonemes you can swallow!
Featured Workshop Leader

Dr. Robin Barr, American University's Linguist in Residence

Dr. Barr holds a BA in linguistics from Yale University and an MA and a PhD in Linguistics from Harvard with concentrations in both Indo-European and psycholinguistics. Her research on morphology involves the relationship between language learning and language change, and she is always happy to hear of new irregular verbs or refinements for wug-tests. Dr. Barr has taught in the AU TESOL program since 1996. She is also an avid amateur oboist.