Students

APPL8015 – Phonology and Teaching Pronunciation

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Hanna Torsh
Agnes Bodis
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MAppLingTESOL or MTransInterMAppLingTESOL or MAppLing
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

For English language teachers, it is essential to have thorough knowledge of how the English sound system works. This is because phonology affects various areas of our language use: our speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. This unit aims to provide you with the foundational practical and theoretical background in phonology and pronunciation to be able to help language learners with their speaking and writing skills. You will learn about the production, combination and representation of sounds in English language. The unit places emphasis on practical applications of preparing language teaching activities that will help them develop and produce more comprehensible spoken and written language for communication.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: explain how individual sounds of the English language are produced
  • ULO2: identify and describe the prosodic features (for example, stress, rhythm and intonation) of the English language
  • ULO3: explain how individual sounds are represented using the English alphabet and other representation systems
  • ULO4: analyse spoken and written English language to demonstrate how individual sounds change when they are combined with other sounds
  • ULO5: analyse English language learners' spoken and written language performance and develop appropriate language learning activities to address learning needs

General Assessment Information

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.

Students will be awarded a final grade which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128 and 129).

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

Late Submissions

On occasion, you may be in a situation when you aren’t able to submit an assessment on time. Please notify the Unit Convenor if this happens.

Unless an extension has been approved, a 5 mark deduction (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day an assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern. 

 For example:

Number of days (hours) late

Total Possible Marks

Deduction

Raw mark

Final mark

1 day (1-24 hours)

100

5

75

70

2 days (24-48 hours)

100

10

75

65

3 days (48-72 hours)

100

15

75

60

7 days (144-168 hours)

100

35

75

40

>7 days (>168 hours)

100

-

75

0

 

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Segmental analysis 30% No 05/04/2026 Individual Yes Open
Suprasegmental analysis 35% No 10/05/2026 Individual Yes Open
Application to the classroom 35% No 31/05/2026 Individual No Observed

Segmental analysis

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 05/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

In this task you will undertake a short transcription of an audio file provided by the lecturers using phonemic transcription. You will identify a series of phonemes which are relevant for a selected group of learners. You will also explain how those sounds are produced and why that is challenging for their selected group. You  will write a report using appropriate academic style and referencing conventions.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • explain how individual sounds of the English language are produced
  • explain how individual sounds are represented using the English alphabet and other representation systems
  • analyse spoken and written English language to demonstrate how individual sounds change when they are combined with other sounds

Suprasegmental analysis

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 10/05/2026
Weighting: 35%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

In this task you will undertake a short transcription of an audio file provided by the lecturers using phonemic transcription. You will identify two suprasegmental (prosodic) features which are relevant to a selected group of learners and describe how these features are produced. You will explain the differences between English prosody and that of the other languages spoken by the learners which make these areas relevant to them. You will write a report using appropriate academic style and referencing conventions.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • identify and describe the prosodic features (for example, stress, rhythm and intonation) of the English language
  • analyse spoken and written English language to demonstrate how individual sounds change when they are combined with other sounds
  • analyse English language learners' spoken and written language performance and develop appropriate language learning activities to address learning needs

Application to the classroom

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 31/05/2026
Weighting: 35%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

In this task you will produce a presentation to be given as a professional development session at a language school. The topic of the presentation is classroom application of a pronunciation feature covered in the course. You will identify a learning activity from a course curriculum and describe how to incorporate pronunciation into the activity including developing specific teaching resources.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • explain how individual sounds of the English language are produced
  • identify and describe the prosodic features (for example, stress, rhythm and intonation) of the English language
  • explain how individual sounds are represented using the English alphabet and other representation systems
  • analyse spoken and written English language to demonstrate how individual sounds change when they are combined with other sounds
  • analyse English language learners' spoken and written language performance and develop appropriate language learning activities to address learning needs

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

As a student enrolled in this unit, you will engage in a range of online/face-to-face (depending on enrolment type) learning activities, including readings, online modules, videos and seminars. Details can be found on the iLearn site for this unit.

This unit uses a range of reading material which is available from the library. The two key textbooks are:

  • Kelly, Gerald, How to Teach Pronunciation (Longman, 2000) (available in print only)
  • Walker, R. & G. Archer (2024). Teaching English Pronunciation for a Global World. Oxford University Press.

Other required readings can be found through the Leganto link on the unit iLearn page.

Technology Used

Active participation in the learning activities throughout the unit will require students to have access to a tablet, laptop or similar device. Students who do not own their own laptop computer may borrow one from the university library.

Unit Schedule

Week

Topic

Core Readings

Assessment

1

An introduction to pronunciation teaching

Kelly chapter. 1 & 2; Walker & Archer Part 1 12-19

 

2

Segmentals: Consonants

Kelly chapter. 4; Walker & Archer Part 3 chapter 5

 

3

Consonants: Challenging areas for learners

Yates & Zielinski chapter. 2; Walker & Archer Part 3 chapter 6

 

4

Segmentals: Vowels

Kelly chapter.3; Hancock, 2023, Part C

 

5

Vowels: Challenging areas for learners

Celce-Murcia chapter 7; Walker & Archer Part 9

 

6

Suprasegmentals: Word stress

Kelly chapter. 5; Walker & Archer Part 7

AT1: Segmental Analysis

7

Suprasegmentals: Sentence stress/prominence

Yates & Zielinski Part 3; Burri & Baker, 2016

 

8

Stress: Challenges for learners

Yates & Zielinski Part 4; Zielinski, 2015

 

9

Native speaker models: Connected speech and intonation

Kelly chapters 6 & 7

AT2: Suprasegmental analysis

10

Graphophonic awareness

Kelly chapter 8, Dickerson 2015

 

11

Graphophonic awareness 2

Westwood 2008

 

12

Student presentations

 

AT4: Application to the classroom

13

Student presentations

   

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS

Macquarie University recognises that artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, is rapidly reshaping education and the modern workplace. As AI becomes increasingly accessible, the University and your teaching staff are committed to preparing you to use these tools effectively, ethically, and with strong professional judgment. Rather than restricting technology, the emphasis is on helping you understand when and how AI can be used to enhance productivity, support learning, and reflect real-world professional practice. Across your degree, we will support you to develop the critical thinking, adaptability, and values-based decision-making skills required to navigate evolving AI tools responsibly, including acknowledging their use appropriately.  You should always appropriately acknowledge when you have used AI tools within assessment tasks, including which AI tools you have used and how you have used them.

To provide clarity, Macquarie University uses a simple, two-tiered approach to AI in assessment:

 AI Open assessments allow you to fully incorporate AI, reflecting authentic tasks where AI would normally be used in professional settings.

Observed with AI Optional assessments involve tasks where you either demonstrate essential knowledge without technology or show how you apply AI under supervision.

Across both categories, the goal is to ensure you build foundational knowledge, exercise sound judgment, and engage with AI in ways that uphold ethical, cultural, and university values.

Inclusion and diversity

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.

Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses.

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.


Unit information based on version 2026.04 of the Handbook