The Internet TESL Journal

Helping Japanese Students Overcome Common Pronunciation Problems Caused by Katakana English

Michael Kistler and Joseph Sandkamp
md_kistler [at] hotmail.com & joesandkamp {at} gmail.com
Asia University (Tokyo, Japan)

Introduction/Rationale

The following five-step lesson is intended for Japanese students studying English as a foreign language (EFL). The activity is an attempt to raise students' consciousness regarding Katakana English being used in their English classes and how it differs from the Standard English that they are learning; it is also intended to improve students pronunciation of English, particularly the recognition and production of syllables and sounds that are distinctive from English to Japanese.

Katakana English refers to spoken English -- which may or may not include loanwords -- that applies the phonological sounds of Katakana, which is the phonetic system in the Japanese language that is generally used for writing words borrowed from other languages. Although the lexicon of borrowed words in Japanese draws from a number of languages, English accounts for the majority of them. Since each kana represents a specific sound or combination of sounds, the pronunciation of each sound often differs from that of the original English word.

Procedure

Step 1: Word Comparison

Students read the word written in Katakana and write the corresponding word in English, following the example in the first line. Upon completion, the teacher may check the students' answers as a whole group.

コーヒー	coffee
レモン
サラダ
ストロベリー
ホテル
ハンバーガー
テニス
ラブレター
アスクリム
マクドナルド
トンネル
アース
マウス
フリー
トラック

Step 2: Problem Identification

The teacher introduces three common reasons for pronunciation difficulties using examples that are easy for students to understand. Note that these three examples correspond to numbers two, three and four from the list in step 1.

The teacher explains to students the idea of how certain sounds differ from English to Japanese as well as the absence of certain sounds from one language to the other.

Example A

English to Japanese	Difference	Reason for difference
lemon-remon	l sound changes to r sound	l sound doesn't exist in Japanese

Example B

English to Japanese	Difference	Reason for difference
salad-sarada (sa/lad -- sa/ra/da)	additional syllable	Japanese adds a vowel at the end of words

Example C

English to Japanese	Difference	Reason for difference
strawberry-sutoroberi	additional vowels	Japanese doesn't have two consonants together

Step 3: Pair Pronunciation Practice

Students practice word pairs from step one that highlight clearly the differences in pronunciation from Standard English to Katakana English. Students do pair pronunciation practice in which one student reads a word from column A and his or her partner reads the corresponding word from column B; afterward, the students switch roles.

A B

lemon	remon
salad	sarada
strawberry	sutoroberi
hotel	hoteru
hamburger	hambaagaa
tennis	tenisu
love letter	rabu retaa
ice cream	aisu kuriimu
macDonald's	makudonarudo
tunnel	tonneru
earth	a-su
mouth	mausu
free	furii
truck	torakku

Step 4: Syllable Identification

Working in pairs, have students count the number of syllables in each word, comparing the differences in word length from English to Japanese.

English syllables Japanese syllables

coffee	2	ko-hi	2
lemon		remon
salad		sarada
strawberry		sutoroberi
hotel		hoteru
hamburger		hambaagaa
tennis		tenisu
love letter		rabu retaa
ice cream		aisu kuriimu
McDonald's		makudonarudo
tunnel		tonneru
earth		a-su
mouth		mausu
free		furii
truck		torakku

Step 5: Sentence Dictation

Students do sentence dictation in order to compare larger chunks of speech as opposed to the single words in the previous steps.

Student A reads each of the following sentences first in Katakana and then in English. Student B listens and writes the sentences that he or she hears.

Student A (Reads):

Student B (Listens and writes):

Conclusion

Given the fact that the majority of EFL students in Japan will continue to use Katakana as a frame of reference for pronunciation, it is important for English language professionals in Japan to acknowledge this unique aspect and seriously consider incorporating this type of awareness-building activity into their curriculum. It is especially valuable given that most students have had either limited or no exposure to this topic and are largely unaware of the particulars of their own pronunciation. Additionally, native instructors are in a position to offer insight into certain nuances of pronunciation that wouldn't likely be otherwise addressed.

Having used this activity in Freshman English classes at Asia University, the results were positive across several groups of students. Overall, the students were receptive to the lesson concept and participated enthusiastically throughout. It was evident that the majority of students had never closely considered this aspect of pronunciation, least of all in relation to their first language. As they had never had the opportunity to try this type of activity, most of the students were surprised at the profound differences between Standard English and Katakana English and came away from the activity with a better appreciation for potential communication difficulties. The activity can easily be modified to suit individual instructor or student needs and can also be tailored to fit a variety of English language curriculums. Not only do the students have an opportunity to practice and improve their pronunciation, but they also gain insight into their native language as well as the language they are studying.

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The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XIV, No. 1, January 2008
http://iteslj.org/

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http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Kistler-Katakana.html