Evaluating the Communicativeness of Pronunciation Activities within the ELT Textbook At The Crossroads

Abstract

The present research paper seeks to inquire into one of the skills related to the productive aspect of oral communication, namely pronunciation. The aim is to assess the communicative value allotted to pronunciation in the prescribed textbook, to weight its status in at the Crossroads and the extent to which it is used to foster communication, and to examine the methodology underlying the handling of pronunciation and its user-friendliness. An evaluation grid is designed based on the reviewed literature of communication criteria, the competences synthesised in communicative language ability, the three aspects of context, integration and interaction that make up the representative language, and the constituting elements of pronunciation. The evaluation also addresses the degree of interaction and integration of the teaching of pronunciation with other skills and aspects of language learning. The results show that communication is of minimal concern. Instead, a prescriptive and almost textbook-centred approach predominates. Learners are learning more about the features of the pronunciation of the English language than really learning pronunciation.