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1 learners efforts to communicate meaningfully are sometimes more
important than perfect pronunciation, 2
pronunciation practice between students and teacher is essential, 3
activities that provide opportunities for learners to communicate meaningfully with each other are more interesting, enjoyable, and
memorable, 4
feedback on learner progress encourage learners to improve their pronunciation, and
5 control of changes in pronunciation is on the learner themselves.
It is better if there is self-monitoring skills of the students so that every time they realize that they are wrong they are able to correct themselves. In the
Internet TESL Journal a student wrote: ….. I am quite clear it is a long way to improve my English speaking.
What is important is that I have learned the ways to improve my pronunciation and realized my weakness, then I can practice and apply the
rules to me in the future.
2.2.4 Textbook
Textbooks are for both students and teachers. To meet their needs, the textbook must not just the sources of English language and communication skill content
demanded by the curriculum, but it is also important that it should be attractively displayed. Sauver in Kelly, 1976:261 suggests ‘give your pupils the book at
home to read as a preparation for your teaching’. A textbook has many functions in order to contribute the teaching learning
process. Greeny and Petty in Susanti, 2007:23 mentioned some functions of textbooks:
1 express some views of lessons and demonstrate its application in the
teaching materials, 2
present various source of learning which is suitable with the students needs and interest,
3 provide the source in the expressional skills of communication,
4 present together with the supplementary books,
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5 provide an evaluation and remedial teaching program which is suitable
and useful for both teacher and students, 6
present exercises and practical tasks.
2.2.5 Portion of Pronunciation in the Textbook
In comparison with the material source on teaching meaning and grammar, little has been written about teaching pronunciation. In contrast, in India, in the
millennium before Christ, Sanskrit grammarians had developed a sophisticated system of phonology that provided some of the encouragement for the European
school of phonetics which flourished during the late nineteenth century. In modern languages, pronunciation was regarded as something important.
Natural Methodists Kelly, 1976:261 state that ‘reliance on the book during the first stages of language learning prevented the formation of sound linguistic
reflexes and good pronunciation habits’. It is suggested to include all the four language skills in a textbook.
Generally, most of the students’ textbooks do not serve pronunciation in the same proportion as the other three skills. ‘Textbooks are made up of three major
elements; content and explanation, examples, and exercises or tasks’ Celce- Murcia, 2001:417.
Let’s Talk is actually facilitated with pronunciation in phonetic transcription. There is a part in the book that serves how words are pronounced
correctly, but it is only limited to certain words. Moreover, it is just pages for practice which are not supplied with enough exercises for the students to master
those words. Unfortunately, with lack of awareness, pronunciation practices discontinue as soon as the teacher starts to discuss another materials.
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2.3 Theoretical Framework
