Table 5 Guidelines for pronunciation teaching and learning from 2018 to present
Syllabus/curriculum standards | Guidelines for pronunciation teaching and learning |
|---|---|
2018 English Curriculum Standards for Full-Time Compulsory Education and General Senior High Schools (2017 Edition) | Role of pronunciation: Pronunciation knowledge is one of the five aspects of language knowledge that lay the foundation for the development of the ability in using language Requirements for pronunciation abilities: (1) the combination of the 2003 and 2012 curriculum standards; (2) one added requirement: with the help of phonetic knowledge, to effectively and accurately understand the attitudes, intentions, and emotions of other speakers and express opinions, intentions, attitudes and emotions Teaching contents: (1) Assuming students have learned the items as listed in the 2012 curriculum standards and some basics about phonetic transcriptions; (2) emphasizing the meaning-expressing functions of such suprasegmental features as intonation, stress, tone, rhythm, and pausing Suggested teaching/learning activities: Same as the 2001 and 2003 standards (emphasizing the importance of imitation), with the addition of debating Named pedagogy: The activity-based approach to English learning (still embracing the CLT approach and the audiolingual method) Pronunciation goal: No specification Target interlocutors: No specification, but with not just NESs intended, as shown by part of the descriptions about the purpose of learning English, to use English, “a lingua franca widely used in today’s world”, to learn advanced science and technology from foreign countries, spread Chinese culture, and enhance mutual understanding and exchange between China and other countries |
2022 English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education (2022 Edition) | Role of pronunciation: Same as the 2012 and 2001 standards Requirements for pronunciation abilities: Same as the 2012 and 2001 standards Teaching contents: Same as the 2012 standards, except for (1) the removal of assimilation and syllabic consonants, (2) the return of “phonetic transcriptions” Target interlocutors: No specification, but with not just NESs intended, as shown by part of the descriptions about the purpose of learning English, to use English, “a language widely used in the economic, political, scientific, technological and cultural activities of today’s world”, as an important tool for international communication and exchange and cooperation” Pronunciation goal: No specification, but assuming a “normative” pronunciation model of some English speaking countries The other two aspects are the same as the 2018 curriculum |