Why the notebook is built this way
Every choice in this notebook rests on published work, checked one by one. The tags show how solid each source is for our students: Solid evidence Prudence Official text Practical resource
Being understood matters more than accent
- Solid evidence Munro, M. J., and Derwing, T. M. (1995). Foreign accent, comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second language learners. Language Learning, 45(1), 73 to 97. The authors conclude that a strong foreign accent does not necessarily reduce the comprehensibility or intelligibility of second language speech. This is why each unit is tagged by priority, and why every accent is welcome. ERIC record · DOI
- Prudence Jenkins, J. (2000). The Phonology of English as an International Language. Oxford University Press. Jenkins proposes a Lingua Franca Core of pronunciation features that matter most when non-native speakers talk to each other: most consonants, consonant clusters, the contrast between long and short vowels, and the main stress in a word group. She leaves out the th sounds, weak forms and word stress. The core is based on interactions between non-native speakers and remains debated, especially about word stress; we use it to set priorities, not to exclude anything. University of Southampton record · Jenkins on TeachingEnglish (British Council)
Teaching pronunciation works, when it is targeted
- Solid evidence Saito, K., and Plonsky, L. (2019). Effects of second language pronunciation teaching revisited: A proposed measurement framework and meta-analysis. Language Learning, 69(3), 652 to 708. An analysis of 77 studies published between 1982 and 2017: instruction is most effective when it targets specific sounds or stress and intonation features in careful, controlled production; its effect is less clear when speech is judged globally, especially in spontaneous speaking. Hence each workshop ends with students using the sound in their own sentence and in a speaking activity. UCL Discovery · DOI
- Prudence Thomson, R. I., and Derwing, T. M. (2015). The effectiveness of L2 pronunciation instruction: A narrative review. Applied Linguistics, 36(3), 326 to 344. A review of 75 studies: results are mixed but often positive; reading aloud was the most common test and very few studies measured spontaneous speech. Gains seen in reading aloud may not all carry over to conversation. ERIC record · DOI
Talk helps learning
- Prudence Education Endowment Foundation, Teaching and Learning Toolkit: Oral language interventions (review updated May 2025). The EEF rates the impact as high (about six months of additional progress) for a very low cost, with high evidence security, and notes that interaction, scaffolding and modelling by the adult are key. Prudence: most studies concern younger children and literacy in their first language, not English as a foreign language in upper secondary. EEF page
Official texts
- Official text France Éducation international, Le guide d’accueil de l’assistant de langue pour l’établissement scolaire, 2024 to 2025 edition: twelve hours a week with students; the assistant may work alone only with small groups, ideally in a room near the teacher's; does not mark or assess students alone; speaks with the accent of their country or region. Guide on eduscol
- Official text Modern languages curriculum for the vocational track (Bulletin officiel spécial n° 5, 11 April 2019): B1+ at the end of the vocational baccalaureate for the first foreign language. eduscol page
- Official text English curriculum for the general and technological lycée (arrêté du 5 mai 2025, Bulletin officiel n° 22, 29 May 2025, in force in 1re and Tle from September 2026): for the first foreign language, B1+ at the end of 2de and 1re and B2 at the end of Tle; for the second, A2+ in 2de, then B1 in 1re and Tle. Curriculum (PDF)
Practical resources for you
- Practical resource BBC Learning English, Pronunciation: Tim's Pronunciation Workshop (schwa, linking, weak forms, the glottal stop and more) and The Sounds of English video series. BBC Learning English
- Practical resource Cambridge Dictionary: every entry gives British and American pronunciations in IPA, with audio. Useful to compare varieties with students. Cambridge Dictionary
No quotation in this notebook is invented: the sources are summarised in our own words.