More bad habits that spoil the development of good English speaking skills
In the first part of this article post, we started a discussion about seven bad habits that ruin the development of good English or other foreign language speaking skills. In this second part we will continue with some additional aspects to take into account when teaching and learning to speak English or another foreign language.
4. Resting the face, chin or head against the hand, fingers or palm
By all means, students should avoid resting their head against their arm, fingers, palm or hand when speaking. This prevents correct enunciation in several ways that can be easily avoided. Make sure that you and your foreign language students sit or stand up straight during speaking practice sessions with your hands and arms away from your head or face.
5. Having a bad posture in general
When speaking, neither you nor your foreign language students should slouch, slump, or slouch in any way. This restricts the chest cavity, overcompresses the diaphragm, and dampens respiration and tone production.
6. Elision, difficulty pronouncing or, in general, poor enunciation of spoken sounds
If the practice of ‘cutting’ or removing word endings is common in your native language (L1) or that of EFL learners, special attention should be paid to avoid this habit being carried over into English or other speech. Foreign language. One technique that is very helpful with this is the “mirror technique.” Briefly, foreign language students use a mirror to see themselves speaking and pronouncing the target foreign language.
7. Not correcting “problem sounds” when speaking
When someone is learning English as a foreign language, they tend to get stuck on a series of problematic sounds in English. These “problem sounds” tend to be quite specific to the native language (L1) of the learner. Since these problem sounds are predictable, for the most part, in a particular L1 language group, the teacher of English as a foreign language must be careful in teaching their correct formation and pronunciation. Native Spanish speakers, for example, will need to work on the correct formation and pronunciation of letters and sounds such as: sh, ch, x, g, w, p, b, v and “th”, among others.
Promote the development of skills to speak English or a foreign language
One final point for now when it comes to developing good speaking skills is the use of dentures and dental appliances. If your students have them, they can remove them, if possible, during English class to help with better pronunciation, if applicable. Alternatively, impediments caused by dental or other prosthetics must be taken into account by the EFL teacher and EFL student when practicing speaking and pronunciation in English or other foreign languages. Be sure to consult with a qualified dentist or orthodontist as well to better understand the interrelated relationship between dental mechanics and speech production.