Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Primary and Pre-school Education

Organization

TÓK Department of Foreign Language and Literature

Code

ERA36E

Title

Phonetics and Pronunciation Development

Usual semester

Spring

Published semester

2025/26/2

ECTS

4

Language

en

Description

The course provides an introduction to the sound system of the English language and the basic principles of phonetics. It familiarizes students with the articulatory and acoustic characteristics of English speech sounds, including vowels and consonants, and introduces the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for phonetic transcription. Special attention is given to the suprasegmental features of English pronunciation, such as stress, rhythm, and intonation, as well as to connected speech phenomena including linking, assimilation, and elision. The course also highlights the main differences between the English and Hungarian sound systems in order to help students better understand typical pronunciation difficulties. Through theoretical explanations and practical exercises, students develop their listening discrimination and pronunciation skills, and gain a deeper awareness of the phonetic structure of English.

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to provide knowledge and skills for the students necessary to use correct English pronunciation and intonation. Students shall also learn techniques to improve the pronunciation of pre-school children.

Course content

During the course the student learns to recognize English sounds and phonemes and can use English phonetic symbols, recognizes the written forms of individual phonemes, and also has a high-level overview of sound connection, the English word and sentence stress system, intonation, its components, role, sentence types and intonation patterns. During the course, the student learns about the accent and intonation rules of the English language, the differences between their mother tongue and the sounds of the English language, and they are prepared to prevent and correct pronunciation errors. Furthermore, the aim of the course is for the student to get to know the correct word and sentence stress, as well as the rhythm. The trainees develop proficiency in the application of their new knowledge and prepare for the practical development of correct English pronunciation for children of preschool age.

Assessment method

Practice mark (five-point evaluation)

Bibliography

Compulsory literature: Bowler, B. & Cunningham, S. (2005). New Headway Pronunciation Course, Upper-Intermediate. Oxford University Press. Hewings, M. (2011).  English Pronunciation in Use Intermediate. Cambridge University Press. Hewings, M. (2004). Pronunciation Practice Activities. Cambridge University Press.

Recommended bibliography

Recommended literature: Hancock, M. (2020). Mark Hancock’s 50 Tips for Teaching Pronunciation. Cambridge University Press. Jones, D. (2011). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Ladefoged, P. (2000). Vowels and Consonants, Blackwell Publishers. Underhill, A. (2017). Sound Foundations. Macmillan Education. Nixon, C. & Tomlinson, M. (2005). Primary Pronunciation Box. Cambridge University Press.

Programmes of the course