Eager Education

031211 -  IMPROVING TAMIL PRONUNCIATION

Introduction:

The learning scenario varies from time to time.  So the Teacher has to update herself with the Contemporary Learning Environment and the Teaching Methodology.  The teacher, while teaching, faces different types of problems on each and every day.  The primary students of Polatchiamman Municipal Middle School, Arakkonam face many problems in the spoken language.  Each problem is unique.  So the teacher has to look into each and every issue and apply her mind to solve each one individually.

Focus:

Tamil being the classical language has its own Pronunciation, Writing Styles, Reading Fashion, Grammar etc., It is a traditional language originated in the Dravidian Culture.  Knowing the value of our classical language, the teacher emphasizes her children to pronounce each and every word with proper stress and intonation.  So she has taken this task for research purpose.

Objectives:

·        To overcome shyness

·        To enhance Self confidence

·        To make aware of Tamil

·        Pronunciation

·        To enlighten the importance of Tamil Language

   Problem Span:

The students lack in self-confidence, so they feel shy while speaking Tamil with proper stress and intonation.  The students are not aware of pronunciation skills.  The parents do not know the importance of Tamil.  Participation of students in Scholastic Activities is less. The students are not given proper training in pronunciation.

School	:	Polatchiamman Municipal Middle School
Block	:	Arakkonam
District	:	Vellore
Location	:	Vellore District, Tamil Nadu
Sample	:	Primary Students

Problem Identification:

The Teacher identified the problem by observing the students while talking among themselves and with others.  She observed that the students use colloquial words which are partially unparliamentarily and they utter the words with improper pronunciation stress and intonation. She found the students talking in good language with Teachers.   It implies that the students are aware of good language as well as bad language.

Reasons for the Problem:

The students studying in Polatchiamman Municipal Middle School Arakkonam hail from the nearby regions in which leather factories are located.  They come from economically poor backward areas.  The people of that location are not aware of the importance of Tamil.  They speak the language with improper area based slangs.  All these factors influence the students away from proper pronunciation and intonation.

Troubles faced by the Teacher:

·        Absenteeism	·        The students are not in a position to identify right pronunciation from the wrong one.
·        Forgetting the lessons within a short period	·        High Shyness.
·        The students drown themselves in their own area of thinking.	·        Less Parental care
·        The students are not in a position to understand questions.	·        Poor health conditions.
·        Improper Character Behaviour.	·        Poor Educational awareness.
·        Adamantness.	·        Household work burden.
·        Values of language practices not known.	·        Unaware of the importance of language.
	·        Avoiding Language Practices.

 Solutions for the Problems:

The Teacher envisages the problem from the view point of the students, parents and the teachers.  She found each individual is facing the problems in different manner. So the common solution could not be derived to solve this problem.

Factor 01:

Some students use local area based slang with improper sounds.

For this problem, the teacher has written correct words pronounced them in the classroom and made the students follow her.  She used to repeat the same thing with different areas to solve this type of problems.  She succeeded.

Factor 02:

Some students made mistakes in using the number of persons. 

They used plural in the place of singular verbs and Vice Verse While solving this problem, the teacher first introduced singular and plural followed by   corresponding verbs. Then she started teaching the verbs, singular and plural numbers. She achieved.

Factor 03:

The students made mistakes in pronouncing the homophonic words.

The homophones usually have two different words varying from each other slightly while pronouncing.  So, the teacher introduces different letters, their sounds and their origin.  Thus the Teacher imparted correct pronunciation among the students.  The students are able to distinguish homophones.

Factor 04:

The students made mistakes in gender differentiation they use adjectives of males for female and vice versa.

The teacher pointed out this problem and made them  understand the difference between male and female gender and their corresponding adjectives.  This made the teacher to rectify the errors arose due to gender concepts.

Factor 05:                                               

The students made mistakes while using the person they were not in a position to distinguish among the first person, second person and third person. 

The teacher clearly explained the first person, second person and third person with suitable examples, so that they could understand these concepts. 

Factor 06:

The students are not aware of tenses. 

Mostly they use past tense in the place of future tense.  The teacher explained present tense, past tense and future tense.  So that they could be in a position to understand the concepts of tenses and reciprocate the same while speaking.