So, maybe I waited to take linguistics until the tail end of my undergrad program because I heard what the professor was like. I heard through the grapevine this particular professor, who made sure everyone knew he was from Madrid, calculated down to a 1/4 of a point. I didn't need this in my life; I was busy living the dream as a twenty-something. Well, the time came and Dr. F-G was serious about his phonemes and love for Krashen. As much as I hated the workload, I was learning a TON. And yes, there were several 1/4 points I missed, but overall I feel comfortable sharing THIS with you, knowing you'll have some questions Google might not be able to answer. I am not a professor of linguistics, but I think this is an especially important component of second language acquisition. When our students are working through pronunciation, which takes more time for some than for others, it is important to be patient. It is also important to be supportive.
For a long time I gave my dad a real hard time because it's always been a challenge for him to pronounce the word millionaire (even with 35 years stateside), but I realize now maybe I was being a jerk all those years. All he wanted to talk about was what he would do when he won the lottery (pay for my college education, take care of his family, etc.), and I shut him down before the conversation even really started with what I considered to be more important - his pronunciation. I'm just ranting right now, I know, but I would hate for any of this to be happening in your classrooms (or mine!). I imagine a kid who is trying to share a thought or idea, and another kid cuts him/her off for subbing a "D" for a "TH," like dat one is my favorite character. Being sensitive to how challenging it is not only to learn another language, but to also pronounce it flawlessly, is something we need to be aware of, myself included. Sorry, Dad!
For a long time I gave my dad a real hard time because it's always been a challenge for him to pronounce the word millionaire (even with 35 years stateside), but I realize now maybe I was being a jerk all those years. All he wanted to talk about was what he would do when he won the lottery (pay for my college education, take care of his family, etc.), and I shut him down before the conversation even really started with what I considered to be more important - his pronunciation. I'm just ranting right now, I know, but I would hate for any of this to be happening in your classrooms (or mine!). I imagine a kid who is trying to share a thought or idea, and another kid cuts him/her off for subbing a "D" for a "TH," like dat one is my favorite character. Being sensitive to how challenging it is not only to learn another language, but to also pronounce it flawlessly, is something we need to be aware of, myself included. Sorry, Dad!