Breaking a students "monotone"

[Shinsegae]

Hi guys.

Sometime in November there will be an English contest that some of my students will be participating in.  I'm taking it on myself to try and get them to brush up on their speaking skills for the oral part. I've been teaching in Korea for a while, so most of their speaking "problems" can be easily dealt with by drawing on my past experiences.  However, I have one student who is at a really high level but speaks in a monotone, which isn't something I've had to correct before.

My question is this: How can I get him to speak with a more natural intonation?  I'm sure some of you will be thinking just "listen and repeat" but this is a 15/16 year old who has been doing that for years, and it doesn't seem to have worked (also, I doubt my own intonation is a great example to follow). Does anyone have any alternate ideas to "listen and repeat"? 

Thanks for your time,


 :D

[girlpilot89]

Maybe try english pop songs or tell him to say a sentence in korean then in english and to use the same expression for both. It was just a random thought, I hope that helps.  :D

[pyoon8709]

There's a wonderful Seinfeld episode that speaks volumes about inflection.
It's "The Alternate Side" (03x11). In it, Kramer gets a line in a Woody Allen movie. Throughout the episode, he and the other cast members say the line, 'These pretzels are making me thirsty' in various ways to express irritation and frustration. All of them emphasize different words and say them in varying speeds and tones.
Here's the link for a YouTube clip with all the different variations.
This might be a good introduction to your student.

[O]

Hi,

Have you heard that old chestnut sentence...

"He didn't try to kick that dog".
When you emphasise different words in the sentence, the sentence takes on a diferent meaning e.g.

He didn't try to kick that dog - suggests someone else tried to.
He didn't try to kick that dog - suggests he didn't kick the dog.
He didn't try to kicj that dog - suggests he kicked it by accident.
He didn't try to kick that dog - suggests he tried to do something else to the dog.
He didn't try to kick that dog - suggests he tried to kick another dog.
He didn't try to kick that dog - suggests he tried to kick something else.

I am trying to find an intonation lesson on here with this in it, I think if the students get the concept, it is an awesome way of showing how English is different to Korean.

Your student is just speaking as the Korean language is spoken, so as you say it has become a habit.

You could even just do some vocal exercises speaking sentences up and down in tone at the beginning of class. (Even if they dont make sense, the importance is to just to get the hang of it). e.g. start the sentence in a low tone getting higher and then vice versa.

[Paul]

Your student is just speaking as the Korean language is spoken, so as you say it has become a habit.

You could even just do some vocal exercises speaking sentences up and down in tone at the beginning of class. (Even if they dont make sense, the importance is to just to get the hang of it). e.g. start the sentence in a low tone getting higher and then vice versa.

This is one area where the rural students have a distinct advantage. Most should have a mild understanding of tones (well, pitch accent) but may not know what they are called even in Korean. The central government has tried vehemently to stamp out pitch accents in Korean, but have only really succeeded in Seoul. If you are provincial, try asking around for a local example to compare to.