Post 102: Teaching Pronunciation: The Acquisition Method

Post 102: Teaching Pronunciation: The Acquisition Method

When I taught French Online, my students used Rosetta Stone to learn French. Rosetta Stone uses am AC method called  called Dynamic Immersion Method.  Rosetta Stone teaches students language without the use of a grammar book, without memorization of grammar rules, without the use of phonetics, instead, Rosetta Stone lets students gradually develop communicative competence through the use of pictures which show objects, ideas and actions that convey meaning. Students learn grammar through seeing grammar patterns linked to pictures and real life situations. Rosetta Stone Language Program seeks to replicate how children learn language naturally through exposure to the target language. If you are learning French, you learn the language in French without any English translation just like how a small child acquires his/her first language.

Rosetta Stone also teaches pronunciation in the same Natural Method Approach where students learn pronunciation by listening to a native speaker of French speak French and introduce the various words and ideas in French. The program is interactive so students are shown the pictures and then later have to match the picture with the correct French word. Students speak into a microphone which measures just how close to native like proficiency the student is saying the French words. As a result, students get comprehensible input in the target language by watching the pictures, matching pictures to words, ideas and grammar patterns and listening to a native speaker of French pronounce French in Parisian standard French. 
 
 Here is how Rosetta Stone describes its teaching method:

"The Rosetta Stone program is designed to teach you a new language the way you learned your first language: by directly associating words—written and spoken—with objects, actions and ideas that convey meaning. The Rosetta Stone uses pictures to establish the meaning of words and phrases so that there is no translation. Grammar, syntax, and vocabulary are taught through real-life examples. You know what a word means because you have associated it with the meaning directly (communicated through pictures) rather than with the same word in your own language. You do not need to depend on translation, lengthy explanations of grammar, or memorization drills. This encourages the development of inherent language skills that equip you to communicate in context." (Rosetta Stone website)

The Rosetta Stone uses Dynamic Immersion, a method that simulates a real-life immersion experience and relies on your active participation. All Lessons are taught in the target language, quickly developing your ability to understand the spoken and written language. Tasks and activities keep you involved in the learning process. Speaking and Writing Exercises help you develop correct pronunciation and spelling. Different Modes allow you to re-create the pacing of real life conversation. Grammar is taught through usage and patterns throughout the majority of the program; it is taught explicitly in Level 3, in the target language as Narrative Lessons. Throughout the program, new information is presented systematically so that words or grammatical forms are easily identified and understood." (Rosetta Stone website)