Pronunciation lessons in foreign language in intercultural context: inteligibility, comunicability and linguistic variation

Abstract

This study is a reflection on teaching practices of English in the context of International Language, and is based upon ways on how to work oral comprehension. From the premise of the overvaluation of written comprehension and the neglecting of speech in the classes of English as a Foreign language (EFL), this text makes references to authors such as Jenkins (2000) and Pagotto (2004), who discuss the relationship among speech varieties and pronunciation as elements of identity in a close mention that the speech contexts are important so to understand speech diversity in the classroom of foreign languages. Based on this premise, the teaching of pronunciation and oral comprehension was dealt with according to the conceptions of intelligibility and communicability which value the communicative function of speech and the interaction among speakers whose goal is to mediate agreements and conflicts. Thus, this article discusses some questions related to the teaching of pronunciation and oral comprehension in English language classes, and defines principles which guide practices for the teaching of pronunciation in intercultural contexts. Furthermore, phonetics and phonological themes which can be taken into account for studies and research in the pronunciation area, were proposed. The principles mentioned here can be applied to the teaching of any foreign language, even though aspects of the English language were prioritized.