BESIG: Pronunciation for Business English: accent, intelligibility and communicative efficiency

Join IATEFL Business English SIG and Robin Walker for this webinar.

With English now a truly global language, the aim of pronunciation teaching is shifting from mastering a native–speaker accent to developing international intelligibility. This is nowhere more true than in Business English, where conversations usually develop in the absence of native speakers. But how do we help learners become internationally intelligible? And how can they deal with the multiple accents they will encounter in the global world of business? This webinar will answer these and other key questions about teaching English pronunciation today. The talk will begin by re-affirming international intelligibility as the principal goal of pronunciation teaching today. It will then explore:

• which elements of English pronunciation contribute most to intelligibility, which least, and how the key elements can be taught.
• how learners can be helped to deal with the multiple native and non-native speaker accents that they will encounter when using English for business communication.
• the role digital technologies can play in assisting learners achieve their pronunciation goals.
• how teachers can assess learners' progress and levels of competence in pronunciation

Robin has been in ELT since 1981 as a teacher, educator, materials writer, and consultant. He regularly collaborates with Oxford University Press, Trinity College London, and regional education authorities in Spain. He has published numerous articles on pronunciation, and is author of the Pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca (OUP 2010). Robin was a committee member of the IATEFL Pronunciation Special Interest Group, and is a member of the Oxford University Press Expert Panel for Pronunciation Teaching. 

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