When your natural pronounciation gives the wrong sound

[cloa513]

If your textbook, that you have to follow as a teacher (assistant language teacher), lists saw (a sample word as having /ɔ:/ sound and also sore which sounds like four but my natural pronounciation for these words is exactly the same sore and sore what do you do to ensure you say them with the "correct" sounds? There many similar examples. Thanks in advance

 

[Rover_KE]

If I understand you correctly, cloa, you pronounce saw like sore.

I can only suggest that you need to modify your speech to eliminate the intrusive r, at least as far as your teaching responsibilities go. What you do in your private life is between you and your maker.

Practise saying 'law and order' without it sounding like 'Laura Norder'.

You owe it to your pupils to demonstrate the correct pronunciation.

Rover

 

[Raymott]

If your textbook, that you have to follow as a teacher (assistant language teacher), lists saw (a sample word as having /ɔ:/ sound and also sore which sounds like four but my natural pronounciation for these words is exactly the same sore and sore what do you do to ensure you say them with the "correct" sounds? There many similar examples. Thanks in advance

I also don't quite understand your question.
"saw, sore, four, fore" all rhyme to me, and perhaps for most non-rhotic speakers. They are all /sɔ:/ or /fɔ:/
'saw' and 'sore' are pronounced identically.
Are you saying that your textbook tells you to pronounce them differently?

 

[cloa513]

Yes different sounds- Its probably some American pronounciation as I am in Japan.

 

[Tdol]

I also don't quite understand your question.
"saw, sore, four, fore" all rhyme to me, and perhaps for most non-rhotic speakers. They are all /sɔ:/ or /fɔ:/
'saw' and 'sore' are pronounced identically.
Are you saying that your textbook tells you to pronounce them differently?

The same for me- non-rhotic Brit. ;-)

 

[Raymott]

Yes different sounds- Its probably some American pronounciation as I am in Japan.

It must be difficult teaching an American accent if you've only ever heard one on TV. Perhaps, if you intend teaching there long, you should consider adopting some form of American, especially if your workbooks give you the pronunciation - learn with your students?
Good luck with your choice!

 

[rx-f]

If I were you, I wouldn't try to fake an accent.

If American English were a requirement, they'd only hire Americans. Even then, there are inevitably pronunciation differences across such a large country. And most speakers of English are not American anyway. The upshot is that you should, IMO, teach pronunciation the way you naturally say things, and additionally make students aware of geographical differences now and then.

The reasons for teaching pronunciation are to help students in their listening and to make them more comprehensible when speaking. Focus on those two things, rather than on a particular accent, and you'll do fine.

Perhaps, if the point needs driving home any further, you could ask your JTEs to consider what it would be like for them to attempt to give lessons in Kagoshima-ben. (Assuming you're in some other part of Japan.)