1st Edition
By Andrew Sewell
This book explores the topics of English accents and pronunciation. It highlights their connections with several important issues in the study of English in the world, including intelligibility, identity, and globalization. The unifying strand is provided by English pronunciation models: what do these models consist of, and why? The focus on pronunciation teaching is combined with sociolinguistic perspectives on global English, and the wider question asked by the book is: what does it mean to teach English pronunciation in a globalized world? The book takes Hong Kong – ‘Asia’s World City’ – as a case study of how global and local influences interact, and of how decisions about teaching need to reflect this interaction. It critically examines existing approaches to global English, such as World Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca, and considers their contributions as well as their limitations in the Hong Kong context. A data-based approach with quantitative and qualitative data anchors the discussion and assists in the development of criteria for the contents of pronunciation models.
English Pronunciation Models in a Globalized World: Accent, Acceptability and Hong Kong English discusses, among other issues:
Global English: A socio-linguistic toolkit
Accents and Communication: Intelligibility in global English
Teaching English Pronunciation: The models debate
Somewhere Between: Accent and pronunciation in Hong Kong
Researchers and practitioners of English studies and applied linguistics will find this book an insightful resource.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Soundings in global English
2. Global English: A sociolinguistic toolkit
3. Accent and Pronunciation
4. Accents and Communication: Intelligibility in global English
5. Teaching English Pronunciation: The models debate
6. English in Hong Kong: The sociolinguistic soundscape
7. Somewhere Between: Accent and pronunciation in Hong Kong
8. Conclusions: Teaching English pronunciation in a globalized world
ISBN 9781138017474
Published April 18, 2016 by Routledge
208 Pages 3 B/W Illustrations
Author
Andrew Sewell is Assistant Professor at the Department of English at Lingnan University in Hong Kong.