Oral expression

MODULE 4

ORAL TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

Pronunciation

• Try to pronounce these pairs of words. Do you notice any differences?

Visit the following website if you want to learn more about English pronunciation.

English pronunciation
http://www.faceweb.okanagan.bc.ca/pron/ it includes video clips explaining the differences between similar phonemes.
You can also trythis website http://international.ouc.bc.ca/pronunciation/ . Once there, click on Launch English Library. There you’ll find the sounds of American English (it includes short video clips and pronunciation samples to differentiate phonemes).

• How would you pronounce the simple past of the following regular verbs?

American English pronunciation (Word Final -ED basic pattern)http://eleaston.com/aap/c/ed-pattern.html

• American, British, Canadian or Australian English?

The website below offers samples of different varieties of English.
http://www.alt-usage-english.org/audio_archive.shtml

This online textbook contains a very thorough review of the main aspects of English pronunciation. It also includes self-correcting tasks.http://www.stir.ac.uk/departments/humansciences/celt/staff/higdox/stephen/phono/phonolg.htm

(Adapted from: Barahona & Arnó, 2001. 123-125)

Web resources: Speak English!

a) Using English in different situations
The resources below will provide you with useful expressions that will help you speak confidently in a variety of situations:

On the telephone
Asking for / givingdirections in English
Giving opinions
Making predictions
Making and responding to offers...
... and many more!

English@home: Speak better English
http://www.english-at-home.com/index2.php and click on “SPEAKING” FROM THE MENU ON THE RIGHT

b) Communicating in academic and professional contexts
At this addressyou will also find materials that will help you communicate effectively in professional and academic contexts (giving presentations, taking part in meetings, telephoning, etc.)
http://www.english-at-home.com/index2.php and click on “REAL LIFE” FROM THE MENU ON THE RIGHT

Through this interactive maze you can take part in a virtual meeting.http://www.celt.stir.ac.uk/staff/higdox/vallance/Diss/try2.htm

Click on the picture to enter the maze: [pic]

c) Conversational English
This electronic book (Learning Oral English OnIine) includes examples of conversations which exemplify some of the functions dealt with in previous resources. Together with each conversation you will find two sections on "New Words and Expressions" and "Drills". We also suggest that you listento the conversations and pay attention to pronunciation and intonation patterns.

Learning Oral English Online
http://www.rong-chang.com/book/index.html

d) Oral Presentations: for more information, visit the following websites:
Click on “Real Life English” at http://www.english-at-home.com/ and then on Presentations 1, 2 to learn more about giving an oral presentation.http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Skills/pack/pres.html
http://www.etsu.edu/scitech/langskil/oral.htm
http://www.calss.utoronto.ca/pamphlets/oral.htm
http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/learning/oralpres.html
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/writecenter/web/presentation.html
http://slc.otago.ac.nz/studyskills/ch5sect0.asp
http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/skills/oral.htm

DESIGNING TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS
[pic]
||What is an ORAL PRESENTATION? |
| |To deliver an oral presentation is to communicate technical information orally in a variety of |
|Oral Presentations |situations like: |
|...