In this episode of the Language on the Move podcast, Dr Hanna Torsh talks to Lindsay McMahon, founder of the All Ears English Podcast, about pronunciation teaching for global English.
What does it mean to speak well? And what does it mean to teach others to speak English well? What does good English sound like for you?
These are questions which teachers of English, as a first, second or foreign language and everything in-between, need to grapple with.
In the interview, I talk to Lindsay about her approach to English language teaching, connection not perfection, and how this translates to a focus on pronunciation which is suited for the needs of her students. This means using authentic interactions as much as possible, and working to change minds about the value of ‘native’ accents if most of your interactions are actually using English in global contexts with other multilingual speakers rather than in inner-circle countries with first language speakers. Finally, we touch briefly on what the surge in speech technologies means for teaching and learning pronunciation.
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Suggestions for further reading
Burns, A., & Seidlhofer, B. (2020). Speaking and pronunciation. In M. P. H. Rodgers & N. Schmitt (Eds.), An Introduction to Applied Linguistics (3rd ed., pp. 240–258). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429424465-14
Canagarajah, A. S. (2012). Teacher Development in a Global Profession: An Autoethnography. TESOL Quarterly, 46(2), 258–279. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.18
Jenkins, J. (2000). The Phonology of English as an International Language. Oxford University Press.
Jenkins, J. (2002). A Sociolinguistically Based, Empirically Researched Pronunciation Syllabus for English as an International Language. Applied Linguistics, 23(1), 83-103.
Jenkins, J. (2004). Research in teaching pronunciation and intonation. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 109-125.
Jenkins, J. (2015). World Englishes : a resource book for students (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Low, E.-L. (2015). Current issues in EIL pronunciation teaching. In Pronunciation for English As an International Language (1st ed., pp. 128–149). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315814131-10
Marlina, R. (2025). Evaluating the International and Intercultural Orientation of an ELT Textbook in Cambodia through the Lens of Global Englishes Language Teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 59(1), 344–358. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3330
Rose, H., & Galloway, N. (2019). Global Englishes for language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Yates, L., & Zielinski, B. (2009). Give it a go: Teaching pronunciation to adults. Adult Migrant English Program AMEP Research Centre, Macquarie University.
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