Kaoutar Salhi

ESL 4
Chapter Three

Second language acquisition and English Language Learners use many complex
skills and strategies to decipher unknown words and expand their oral, listening, and
vocal vocabulary. The strategies that students uses are not conducted in isolation.
Rather, the strategies that English Language Learners uses occur simultaneously and
involve a complex transaction of multiple processes. In the first section of Chapter
Three, the author provides a brief description of the system of transcription used in the
textbook providing a foundational platform for further inquiry. The introduction
describes the system as based on the Akmajian and Demers system and provides an
accurate description of this resource. However, the chapter also provides some additional
aspects of language acquisition that the reader must consider and shortcomings of the
system.
First, English Phonology is diverse and reflects geographical and cultural
dialectical differences. For example, consider the regional differences between students
who are learning the English Language in Arkansas versus in Boston. An effective
educator must remain aware of these differences. Regional differences can effect vowel
pronunciation of key high frequency words and even oral verbal rates of speed and
intonation.
Secondly, it is imperative that educators have an understanding that students do
not need to understand the entire phonetic system of the English language to achieve

reading, speaking, and writing fluency. Non-verbal cues are essential to understanding
and are a significant aspect of language interpretation of English Language Learners.
Non-verbal cues include recognizing the ability of students to notice missing information
using inferring skills and strategies. Also, students need to synthesis the entire process to
make meaning of speech. While not stated in the text, a reader of Chapter Three could
easily make a text-to-self connection if they ever studied a foreign language course or
traveled to a foreign country.
Furthermore, the chapter three describes some different activities and strategies
that teachers can use to demonstrate the effects of tone and how it affects the meaning of
speech. For example, the author suggests that teachers use group activities of a story.
This example suggests that teachers use less technical skills. Conversely, the author
provides examples of technical skills available to teachers such as the use of such as the
usage of phonetic sound boxes to demonstrate principles.
Overall, it is imperative that teachers use multiple strategies to teach students the
skills of understanding English Phonology. Decipher the phonetic system of a language
is a complex task. This requires students to do a vast array of complex tasks using many
technical skills and also more subtle skills such as understanding facial features.