Understanding Pronunciation Variations Facing ESL Students

Abstract

Today’s teachers encounter a big challenge, that of students from diverse backgrounds bringing language diversity to classrooms. Rather, teaching is no longer simple, but obligates teachers to meet the needs of diverse students in diverse classrooms where differentiated instruction is required. Specifically, variations in pronunciation cause diverse students’ difficulties and problems in cross-cultural communication. It is imperative that teachers know about those students’ pronunciation variations beyond the border of the standardized English in order to help them move forward in English language learning. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explore pronunciation variations facing English as a second language (ESL) students. With a focus on five groups of ESL students’ major problems in English articulation, this article provides teachers with brief information pertaining to diverse population’s pronunciation variations commonly seen as they strive to teach their ESL students how to articulate English words and refine the instruction.