Linda Grant (2001)

Well Said: Pronunciation for Clear Communication.

Second edition. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. 

Reviewed by Karen Schwelle 

Like the first edition, this pronunciation textbook is intended for people who already speak with an advanced level of fluency. It emphasizes discourse-level topics such as phrase stress, rhythm, and intonation and includes word-level topics such as word stress and word endings. More than fifty pages of appendices survey the English vowels and consonants and provide exercises for selected sounds that many students find particularly difficult. In addition, the appendices include a section called "Strategies for Independent Learning," a four-page list of suggestions for students regarding their own role in changing their pronunciation even after the semester is over. The textbook is accompanied by audio cassettes and CDs.  

Each chapter of Well Said follows a sequence beginning with at least one listening activity to help students learn to hear the feature they will be focusing on. The lesson then progresses to basic repetition exercises and other closely guided activities, some of which are designed for pairs or small groups. Finally, each chapter also includes at least one communicative activity such as an info-gap and at least one "Extend Your Skills" task such as a role play, small-group discussion, or interview activity. The sound-level sections in the appendices follow this same sequence, but are much shorter. 

Overall, the textbook provides a very comprehensive and solid foundation for students seeking to make their spoken English more like that of North American native speakers. The one feature of the book that strikes me as a weakness may strike others as a strength: the manner in which rules are presented. Typically, students are asked to listen to a set of words or phrases and must then answer a specific question which leads them to the rule. However, the rule itself is printed directly below the list of words or phrases, so for sharp-eyed students this discovery process is not really the discovery that it could be. On the other hand, this way of presenting rules could also be considered advantageous in that the rules are easy to find when students use the book for independent study or review. 

The main strengths of this edition are the number and variety of communicative activities as well as a systematic approach toward encouraging out-of-class practice. Not only are communicative activities a staple of every chapter; they also feature situations that students are bound to encounter in academic and professional settings as well as in daily life. Examples include explaining a graph, scheduling an appointment, and announcing schedule changes. Classroom activities like these emphasize the non-classroom application of the features students are working on. 

Out-of-class practice is encouraged through regularly appearing sections called "Prime Time Practice" and "Beyond the Pronunciation Classroom," which provide numerous short activities (and potential homework assignments) that students can use to enhance their new pronunciation skills. For example, in an exercise focusing on rhythm, students are asked to watch a few minutes of TV with the sound off, observing gestures and body movements; then, with the sound back on, they try to identify movements that correspond to stressed words. Again, these activities can help students connect what they are learning in class with the speech that they hear around them. 

Many pronunciation teachers find that the most challenging aspect of teaching pronunciation is pushing students beyond the repetition stage and getting them to apply their skills in communicative settings. While building a solid foundation in guided practice activities, Well Said provides ample support for teachers who want to offer their students more practice in communicative situations and increase students' responsibility for their learning outside the classroom.  

Karen Schwelle is an instructor of English as a Second Language at Washington University in St. Louis. She teaches pronunciation, academic reading and writing, and English for business communication. She may be contacted at karen_schwelle@aismail.wustl.edu

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