A teacher shares a step-by-step approach to practicing the /ʒ/ sound in words like “casual” and “usually.” The method includes checking isolated words, shifting from voiceless /ʃ/ to its voiced counterpart, exaggerated articulation, and slowing down speech. For B2+ students, spelled pronunciation is used instead of IPA symbols.
Learning language: English
Key takeaways2
Moving from /s/ to /z/ helps build voicing awareness before tackling the /ʃ/–/ʒ/ pair.
In words like “casual,” the challenge increases due to linking /ʒ/ with the following /w/ and final /l/.
The author identifies four obstacles preventing learners of Chinese from bypassing translation: insufficient knowledge, slow word retrieval, lack of meaning-focused practice, and low tolerance for ambiguity. Research shows even bilinguals activate both languages, so the goal is removing the native language as a mandatory step. Recommended strategies include word-guessing games, information gaps, and time-pressured tasks.
Learning language: Chinese
Key takeaways2
A study of Chinese learners in Taiwan (Chu et al., 2015) found that higher ambiguity tolerance predicted greater proficiency and less reliance on the first language.
Flashcards help establish basic form-meaning links, but most automatic processing should occur through listening, reading, and real communication.
This study examined the effects of explicit suprasegmental and connected speech instruction combined with communicative tasks of varying complexity in three intact first-year EFL classes in Costa Rica. Pretest and posttest spontaneous speech samples were evaluated by 36 L1-English listeners. Both task groups improved in intelligibility, the simple-task group improved in comprehensibility, and no significant changes in accentedness occurred in any group.
A study grounded in Complex Dynamic Systems Theory examined group dynamics during an eight-week VR-mediated telecollaborative project involving 64 Taiwanese and 13 New Zealand university students. Analysis of reflective accounts, portfolios, and meeting videos showed that linguistic proficiency and anxiety shaped initial participation, yet groups with similar profiles developed markedly different trajectories. Pedagogical strategies are proposed for more equitable online L2 environments.
Key takeaways2
Interactional trajectories emerged through dynamic interplay among task involvement, moral duty, status, leadership, and intermember relations.
Task and social dimensions co-evolved over time, generating feedback loops that either facilitated or constrained group functioning.