Teaching Loud-Reading Skill in Nigerian Schools
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2012
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
College of the Humanities, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin
Abstract
In Nigerian schools, loud-reading is a popular and integrated skill of teaching English as a non-native language. Consciously or unconsciously, the efforts of teachers are garnered towards pulling resources available for teaching silent reading together in the task of teaching loud-reading. This paper, however, seeks to emphasise certain aspects of speaking skill which would ensure the overall effectiveness of teaching loud-reading. Relevant pedagogical strategies like minimal pairing, practice and repetition, situational drills and communicative approaches are explored for teaching pronunciation and making the necessary repairs in the target language, most especially from the standpOint of their contributory role to loud-reading. Loud-reading is different from silent reading with regards to form and function. Hence, the intention of this paper is to present salient factors which are responsible for gross mispronunciation of English words by Nigerians especially as induced by the exegesis of the first linguistic heritage. This paper, thus, argues that when these issues and the varying challenges they pose are brought under introspection by the teachers in the task of teaching loud-reading, the learners would not only understand the content of written prose as envisaged but also be able to pronounce English words in their, at least, almost 'received' forms.
Description
Keywords
loud-reading, skill, minimal pairing, practice