Teaching pronunciation in the Norwegian classroom

by Torun Sørbøen

Can it be difficult to teach Norwegian students pronunciation of English?
When learning a new language, pronunciation of sounds and words in the target language can be difficult. Norwegian learners of English might have a difficulty with distinguishing between the sounds /s/ and /z/, for example, or /w/ and /v/ and since the distinction between these sounds do not change meaning in the Norwegian language.



Would I teach the students a specific version of English pronunciation, such as standard American or RP (Received Pronunciation, the standard form) British?
In Norway, your dialect or accent is often seen as a big part of your personality. Many Norwegians might feel like they are taking on another identity if they try to speak in another dialect.

In my experience, many English teachers in Norwegian classrooms use RP as their standard both in writing and in speaking. Many teachers might choose the British English as a standard because of its accessibility, meaning that many of the available classroom sets are more lenient towards a British English, both concerning grammar in text books, as well as a dominant use of British pronunciation on CD’s available for use alongside the textbooks.

When working with oral skills in English, one of the biggest challenges might be to make the students comfortable with speaking English in front of their classmates or teacher. In my opinion, it is more important to achieve this than insisting that the pupils use a specific pronunciation method. I would perhaps focus more on making sure that they communicate clearly and pronounce the words in a comprehensible way. Many may be influenced by American culture, and as a result have a preference towards an American accent. The American accent might be closer to their Norwegian accents as well, when it comes to some things like the pronunciation of /r/. If a student were more comfortable with using RP than an American accent, I would encourage that student to speak the way with which that they are most comfortable.


In conclusion, I think I might choose RP as a pronunciation method in the classroom, because I have always used the British spelling as my standard in writing. Furthermore, I will find it easier to combine this with the resources that most Norwegian schools have. I would, however, encourage pupils to play with the different accents, and speak in an accent that they are comfortable with. Rather than focusing on how ”native” they sound, I would focus on working differentiating between the phonemes of the language, focusing on those that are known to be difficult for Norwegian students (or minority languages among the pupils).