Why pronunciation practice regimens fail

Clip art: Clker

Clip art: Clker

Stress . . . according to a 2010 study by Bale at the University of Pennsylvania on the long-lasting effects of dieting . . . on rats. Biochemically, the changes affected by just a 25% decrease in calorie intake for a limited period made the mice substantially more susceptible to stress--which then drove them to overeat long after the course of the diet was over. Being on a diet while working on pronunciation would appear to be a double whammy! The effect of stress on general health and performance--and pronunciation--is well established. What is different about this study is that it makes more explicit the role of chronic stress, in this case created by a diet, in disrupting integration of behavioral change, in this case, weight loss. In other words, the impact of relatively short-term stress on any aspect of the learner's experience generalizes to all functioning--and may be exceedingly difficult to moderate. (The researchers' recommendation is to at least consider, for example, drugs to manage the stress created by diets to up the chances of success.) This is an interesting argument, one that was central to much of the thinking behind language teaching methodologies in the 1970s and 80s: Deal with stress decisively before beginning a lesson, manage it carefully throughout and train learners in stress management systems for use the other 23 hours a day. Often the rationale for a technique was not obviously related to language objectives--it didn't need to be. Affective concerns were key to learning and performance. The shift to communication, content and task in language teaching that followed has backgrounded or at least deemphasized the place of explicit affective procedures. Rats! Turns out, we were on the right track. (And, of course, so were Lessac and many others.) Simple. To make sure homework gets done consistently: Train the body first--to experience the felt sense of sound--which should help it manage stress in other aspects of its life and recent experience as well . . . or stick with donuts. 

Pronunciation change anxiety? Check your analogy!

Clip art: Clker

As explored in an earlier blogpost, golf may be one of the best analogies for the process of pronunciation learning, especially the relationship between skill development and "competence" on the course under pressure. There is a mind-boggling array of techniques and mental tricks to keep the golfer in the game, "mindful," as noted in another recent post. In studying why professional athletes "choke," exploring the effect of, for example, paying too much attention to mechanics momentarily--and how they manage not to, researchers were surprised to find a common strategy: analogies. Who'd of thought . . .

Here is one they suggest: "For example, a golfer who grips the club too tight when she's nervous might benefit from an instruction like 'Imagine you have an open tube of toothpaste between your hands and the contents must not be pushed out.' This would both address the problem and get her attention away from how well she's doing."

Wow! I never thought of that. We clearly need some good haptic analogies like that one. Do you have any? Well . . . how about: Imagine you have an open tube of grey poupon in your hand and the contents must be pushed out gently on your stressed syllables as you talk to your boss, telling him that he is a real jerk and you quit! See if you can squeeze or "sandwich" that one in sometime!