New York

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New York
Teaching the Vietnamese Sound System at the
Foreign Service Institute

• Ha Nguyen
• 7/16/2009

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• Vi?t Nam muôn nam
• Long live Vietnam
• V?t mu?n n?m
• Ducks want to lie down.

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Objectives of the Vietnamese Sound System

• How to teach the Vietnamese Sound System
  effectively?
• How to create a fun class environment to inspire
  learning?

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Background Discussion

• The Vietnamese language exists in a system
  including vowels, consonants, tones.
• The Vietnamese language is formed from 4 units
  phonemes (b, t, v), morphemes (qu?c nu?c, gia
  nhà), words (yêu, tôi, nu?c, qu?c gia), sentences
  (tôi yêu nu?c) (Dan luan ngon ngu hoc - Nguyen
  Thien Giap, 2007)
• Teaching Vietnamese should progress from phonemes
  through sentences right at the beginning of the
  training. Teaching the Sound System should
  therefore include letters, vowels, consonants and
  tones in a meaningful context. After learning a
  certain sound of Vietnamese, teach students to
  remember the sound in a word or sentence not as a
  stand alone sound.

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Background Discussion

• Use of images, pictures, sounds, games, etc via
  the Smart Board or Power Point is important to
  make the classes more fun and address a variety
  of learning styles.

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Piloted program of the FSI Vietnamese Sound
System

• The Vietnamese Sound System Curriculum at FSI is
  comprised of 25 parts.
• Each part introduces vowels, consonants, and
  tones.
• Part 2 b, d, m, n i, ê, e thanh ngang,
  thanh huy?n

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Piloted Steps in Class

• Presentation
• Step 1 Look at each image, listen to its sound
• Step 2 Look at each image, listen to its sound
  repeat
• Step 3 Look at each image, its definition
  read it aloud

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Piloted Steps in Class

• Activities
• We have different types of activities for each
  lesson
• Step 4
• Objectives RECOGNITION of letters and tones via
  audio and PRODUCTION
• Tasks Put a check mark next to the picture
  corresponding to the word that you hear
• Pronounce the words as closely as the
  teachers pronunciation as you can.
• Step 5
• Objectives DISCRIMINATION of letters, tones,
  short phrases and PRODUCTION
• Tasks Listen to your teacher and check the
  words you hear on the list provided.
• Produce your favorite words to your partner.
• Step 6
• Objectives COMMUNICATION using words students
  have learned.
• Tasks Put words together to make meaningful
  phrases or sentences or mini-conversation or
  story.
• Optional activity EXPLANATION OF GRAMMAR OR
  VOCABULARY if needed

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Results and Challenges

• Results
• Students have given great feedback on the quality
  of materials designed and teaching methodology.
• Students from classes piloting the new sound
  system curriculum
• Enjoy sound system classes more.
• Are clearer about the correct pronunciation
  they should be targeting.
• Note greater consistency between sound system
  instruction in their US and Vietnam programs.
• Show evidence of better pronunciation than those
  students from other non-piloted classes. 
  (Further study is needed to draw firm conclusions
  about the difference.)

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Results and Challenges

• Challenges
• Mastering teaching technology in order to teach
  the Sound System effectively.
• Try new teaching methodology to innovate lesson
  plans and challenging students, changing habits.
  
• If our piloted program is effective and fun, we
  will try to overcome all difficulties.

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New York
Questions

• Thank you very much!

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Piloted program of the FSI Vietnamese Sound
System

• The Vietnamese Sound System at FSI comprises of
  25 parts
• Part 1 Introduction to the Viet Sound System
• Part 2 b, d, m, n i, ê, e thanh ngang,
  thanh huy?n
• Part 3 c/k/q, ng/ngh, nh u, ô, o thanh
  s?c, thanh n?ng
• Part 4 h, kh, g/gh u, o, a thanh h?i,
  thanh ngã
• Part 5 Getting ready for the textbook
• Part 6 ph, v, l, r ia, ua, ua thanh huy?n,
  thanh h?i, thanh n?ng
• Part 7 t, th, ch, tr/w/ (u,o) thanh ngang,
  thanh ngã, thanh s?c
• Part 8 x, d/gi, s /i/ (i, y) tone
  combination
• Part 9 a, â final consonants m, n, nh, ng
  tone combination
• Part 10 iê, uo, uô final consonants p, t, ch,
  c tone combination
• Part 11 Double vowels
• Part 12 Triple vowels
• Part 13 Tone combination

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Piloted program of the FSI Vietnamese Sound
System

• The Vietnamese Sound System at FSI comprises of
  25 parts
• Part 14 Vowels with final consonants
• Part 15 Sound System Diagnostic Test 1 Phase
  1 2 Feedback
• Part 16 Consonants T, Ð T, TH 2-Tone
  sequences
• Part 17 Consonants G, C 3-Tone sequences
• Part 18 Consonants N, NH, NG 4-Tone
  sequences
• Part 19 5 -Tone sequences
• Part 20 Tone combination pausing Common
  Problematic sounds
• Part 21 Dialects
• Part 22 Sound System Diagnostic Test 2 Phase 3
  4 Feedback
• Part 23 Musical language song, karaoke
• Part 24 Riddle and folk poetry
• Part 25 Pronunciation Contest Jeopardy Game