Abstract- Despite having gone through six or seven years of English education, most Japanese college students (particularly freshmen) lack an understanding of how sounds are linked during speech. This, along with the conditioning problem of learning English words using katakana (for instance learning gooddo for good), affects their ability to follow a normal conversation in English. In this talk, I will explain my experience in teaching different sound links, in addition to classroom activities aimed at correcting the use of katakana pronunciation so as to encourage sound links and therefore allow students to improve their listening ability and fluency in speaking.
Bio- Dr. Lazaro M. Echenique-Diaz is originally from Cuba, but has been living in Japan since 1998. His backgrounds are in science (Conservation Genetics and Evolutionary Biology), environmental sciences (protected areas), and education (environmental education and English education). Lazaro is a Special Part-time Teacher at Yamagata University. His research interests are on the phonetics of sound links, and the acoustic properties of animal and human vocalizations. His hobbies are outdoor activities, reading, and drawing.
Free for regular members, ￥1000 for non-members. FREE for Students!!!
