ve subscribed to lots of podcasts so finding a suitable one isn’t too difficult and then I just mail them a link.
Overall, the exercises raise awareness for getting
past the “decoding gap”, which requires “letting go
of the careful speech model”. While Cauldwell uses
sample recordings throughout the book to raise
awareness for the specific sound shapes, with careful
listening/analysing and preparing/performing tasks,
Part 4 goes the extra step of explaining how to work
with the material.
digital editor to record and study the wave shape of
sounds, and Audio Notetaker to listen to, analyse and
edit the chunks of a given audio file.
The activities focus on what Cauldwell calls
savouring and handling short stretches of speech.
Such activities generally involve drafting a transcript
of the various versions of one and the same phrase.
Transcription follows the standard procedure: Put
each prominence surrounded by double lines to
signify the small break, note down stressed syllables
in capital letters, additionally underline the main
stress syllable, and add arrows to show rising and
falling pitch. For example:
Additional tips:!
18.1! Stepping stones (18.01-4)
This pair work activity includes four model recordings
using the phrase “It’s the second biggest city in my
country, I think.”
1. First, students or the teacher create a greenhouse
version with every word spoken very clearly.
2. Then they create a slightly messy ‘garden’ version
with stress dictated by the speaker’s personal
intended meaning.
3. After that pairs speak in unison to contrast the two
different versions (performing before the class)
4. Finally, students are presented a very messy
‘jungle’ version with filler words (perhaps from the
teacher, or from an authentic recording)
Overall, Phonology for Listening represents an
original, practical approach to understanding and
teaching an essential language skill that is clearly in
need of improvement.
Richard Cauldwell’s recorded workshop “Jungle
Listening” is available online here
Richard Cauldwell’s iPad app Hot Listening, Cool
Speech, available on UK iTunes, won the digital
innovations award at the ELTons 2013.
Anne Hodgson
Based in Berlin, she has been teaching business and
academic English since 1998. She gives language
and intercultural skills training to corporate clients
and works as a translator. Anne gives and organises
talks for BESIG and ELTABB (events coordinator
2012-13). She’s been a writer for Spotlight and
recently authored Basis for Business C1 for
Cornelsen. http://www.annehodgson.de
Other activities include:
Practicing clusters of frequent forms
Close listening following transcripts
Soft focus listening to catch mondegreens – i.e.
“occasionally” can sound like “ok jolly” (p. 285)
Formulating questions to include an answer that the
learner would give based on mistakes in decoding
the sound stream
Taking phrases from squeezed to clear and back
Impromptu dictations stopping recordings to have
students write down the la