Pragmatics and Prosody in English Language Teaching: 15 2012th Edition

From the reviews:

“This book is mainly about prosody, its relationship with pragmatics, and the implications of this relationship for English language teaching, learning, and use. There is much in it that I recommend the book. … This book also draws out pedagogical implications relevant to teaching English and offers a platform for comparing native and non-native speech performance in the ELT context. … On the whole, this book offers a good example of critical scholarly engagement balanced with practical pedagogical recommendations.” (Christine C. M. Goh, ELT Journal, Vol. 68 (2), April, 2014)

This volume explores the elusive subject of English prosody―the stress, rhythm and intonation of the language―, and its relevance for English language teaching. Its sharp focus will be especially welcomed by teachers of English to non-native speakers, but also by scholars and researchers interested in Applied Linguistics. The book examines key issues in the development of prosody and delves into the role of intonation in the construction of meaning. The contributions tackle difficult areas of intonation for language learners, providing a theoretical analysis of each stumbling block as well as a practical explanation for teachers and teacher trainers. The numerous issues dealt with in the book include stress and rhythm; tone units and information structure; intonation and pragmatic meaning; tonicity and markedness, etc… The authors have deployed speech analysis software to illustrate their examples as well as to encourage readers to carry out their own computerized prosodic analyses.

“Romero-Trillo’s volume makes a powerful argument for the inclusion of phonology and pragmatics in discussions regarding language acquisition, showing the inherent influence of prosody on the (mis)communication of meaning. A ‘must-read’ for any TESOL or second language acquisition program.” Laura Sicola, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania