Oral Language Analysis Project

I. Overview: The purpose of this project is to apply your knowledge of phonology to analyze emergent bilingual learners’ oral language samples for English language development. You will analyze an oral sample from an English language learner for (a) clarity of ideas and overall intelligibility, (b) intonation, rhythm, and word stress, (c) consonant articulation and vowel articulation, and (d) similarities and differences between English and the learner’s language. You will use relevant linguistic terminology (that you have learned from course readings, in class, and from your own research) to explain what you notice, and include attention to both strengths and areas of language that require further development (i.e., comment on both what the student does correctly and aspects that the student is still developing).

II. Content: You will complete a table with discussion and examples of the accomplishments and challenges of an individual’s oral language. The information that you include should be complete, accurate, and well-written. The table consists of the following areas for both accomplishments and challenges: Intonation, Rhythm, Word stress, Consonant Articulation, and Vowel Articulation. The second section consists of describing the similarities and differences between English and the learner’s language and discussing implications for teaching.

III. Tasks:
1. Read the Avery & Ehrlich (1996) article, Common Pronunciation Problems.
2. Listen to the oral language sample multiple times and pay attention to different aspects of the students’ phonology each time.
3. Write out word-for-word what is said by the student in your video clip. If your video clip is longer than 2 minutes, write out only the first 2 minutes of the video.
4. Fill out the table (below) for accomplishments and challenges. Be sure to attend to aspects of oral language that are specific to the language background of the individual. Based on Avery and Ehrlich (1996) article, make general statements about common English pronunciation accomplishments of your student in their oral language sample. Be sure to cover all areas. Then, focus on the similarities and differences between English and the language of your speaker. Talk about why this knowledge is important for educators and the implications for teaching students with this native language.

IV. Formatting: The table should be completed using Times New Roman font, size 12.

V. Points: This assignment is worth 30 points, or 30% of your grade. The rubric for this assignment is below.