My final tutoring session with Stephen was about speaking
skills. We focused both on pronunciation and correct word usage. We spent the
first part of the tutoring session going over minimal pairs using sounds like
b/v, y/j, and short vs. long I (“this” vs. “these”). Stephen can hear the
difference between these sounds when clearly pronounced or can figure out the
word being used from context but cannot distinguish minimal pairs easily. We
spent a little bit of time going over the phonetic mechanics of the
pronunciation of these sounds, which seemed to help him pronounce them better.
We spent the second part of the session in casual conversation about life in
Guadalajara, where Stephen has just moved and where I studied a few years ago,
with me occasionally pointing out errors in his pronunciation and grammar.
Stephen is aware of the rules of grammar and correct pronunciation, but
sometimes skips over them while trying to get his ideas across quickly.
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