Meghan CP #2

Date/Time: September 7, 10:00 AM

Location: Hecht House Student Lounge

Topic discussed: Intonation in English vs Korean

We talked about the difficulties some students (specifically those whose first language is Korean) have in learning English intonation and the importance intonation has in the meanings of English words. Yun Jung told me that the Korean language doesn't have much intonation in their individual words, only using intonation to change the whole sentence (like a rise at the end for a question) rather than each word. Intonation in English is very important, however, as emphasis must be placed on the correct syllables or the words sound unnatural and even difficult to understand. We also talked about the tendency of some English words to be pronounced differently to how they're taught in class. Specifically, we discussed how the word "interest" is taught to be pronounced "int-er-est", which it's often pronounced as "int-rest". I think it's important for teachers to try to remember these colloquial differences and teach them to their students so they find it easier to understand native English speakers.