“And then,” my professor paused dramatically, “the Muslims were playing in the streets! Everywhere! They were playing in the streets all over the country!”
Everyone paused their notetaking in confusion. Did they miss something? Why were the Muslims playing right after the tragedy? Well, they weren’t, and I was left trying to whisper to my classmates that the word was “praying”. Yeah, big difference, right?
I don’t remember what kind of class it was, but I remember the professor and that he was Korean. I remember that pretty much the entire class used my notes because I was the only one who could make out what the professor was saying. His accent was strong, and I usually had a bit of a headache by the end of every class.
I can only imagine what it was like for my classmates, who hadn’t been exposed to years of Korean pronunciation like I had. I shudder to think what people would have said about him if those Rate My Professor type websites had existed back then.
He didn’t want to be misunderstood. Neither do your students. He wanted to convey what he intended to say accurately. So do your students.
But how can you help them with their pronunciation? Especially the students who are confusing the /r/ and /l/ sounds?
Four Ways Not to Treat Your Students Like Parrots
Simply saying a word over and over and having your students try to repeat it over and over isn’t going to do anything but cause frustration. For one thing, they might not even hear a difference between what you say and what they say. If their language doesn’t have the same sound, it can be challenging to reproduce the sound they need for good English communication.
Strategy #1: Identify language conflicts
Find out how their first or dominant language affects their R/L pronunciation.
The Korean letter ㄹ is for a sound that sits between the English R and L sounds. Depending on its placement in a word, it can sound more like an R or more like an L. ㄹ between two vowels sounds like the English R, so students might say “Herro, my name is…” When ㄹ comes at the beginning of a word, it’s more likely to sound more like the English L. That can result in Korean speakers saying “ladio” instead of “radio”…which is no big deal since “ladio” isn’t an English word, and listeners are likely to figure it out.
But what if your Korean student said “ramp” when she meant “lamp”?
Strategy #2: Observe mouth movements
Watch their mouth as they make (or try to make) the sound. Tongue and mouth position is crucial for creating sounds the proper way. When a student is trying to make a sound not found in their own language, they may not instinctively know how to position their tongue and lips to create it. This is certainly more helpful with consonant sounds than vowel sounds, but seeing what they might be doing wrong will help you explain what they should do instead.
Of course, it’s not just about you observing their mouths as they speak. I like to have my students watch my mouth as I make the sound and then look at small hand-held mirrors (or even their phone in selfie mode) to watch their own mouths as they try.
Now, I’m not going to lie. This gets awkward. You’re staring at someone’s mouth. They’re staring at yours. Everyone feels a little uncomfortable, and that’s fine. Embrace the weirdness.
With R/L pronunciation, they won’t see as much as with other sounds because most of what’s going on happens inside their mouths. However, you can always show them the trick for making a strong L sound. More on that in a moment.
Strategy #3: Use minimal pairs
Minimal pairs aren’t just for drilling students on sound production. They are also helpful in showing WHY making the distinction between sounds is important.
A “liver” certainly isn’t a “river,” and “light” has nothing to do with “write.” And “lice” is not as common of a food staple as “rice”.
By practicing with pairs, students are constantly moving their tongue from the R position to the L. This exercises the tongue and makes holding the tongue in those positions more natural-feeling.
If your language dictates that words don’t begin with the “R” sound, saying anything that begins with an R will feel unnatural, and that can make it harder to remember to do it.
Strategy #4: Teach pronunciation-related vocabulary
How ridiculous do you end up feeling (and perhaps looking) when you try to explain tongue positions when the tongue is entirely inside the mouth and not seen when making a particular sound?
Telling students how to hold their tongue without using relevant vocabulary complicates everything. It’s like trying to teach the difference between active and passive voice without saying subject, object, verb, participle, verb 3, phrase, etc. If your students know front, back, hard palate, soft palate, tip, base, and curl, for example, they will have an easier time understanding your instructions for where to put their tongue while making the /r/ or /l/ sound.
Unless you are doing an actual pronunciation class, you (and they) may not need to know the difference between the velar and the uvular. Still, you could always introduce more specific terminology as it becomes necessary.
One More Quick Tip for /r/ vs. /l/ Pronunciation
Teaching your students how (and when) to make the R sound vs. the L sound isn’t about eliminating an accent. It’s about reducing a pronunciation challenge enough that your students can communicate on the level that they need/want to.
As for that quick tip, I’ve found that telling students to put the tip of their tongue to the top of their mouth as far back as they can usually results in a better R sound. For the L sound, putting the tip of their tongue between their front teeth will pretty much guarantee an L. Is it exaggerated? Yes. Does it feel ridiculous? Absofreakinlutely. Does it give them a physical anchor for what an L should feel like? Yeah, every single time.
Once they’ve got that feeling locked in, they can gradually move the tongue back to a more natural position while maintaining the /r/ or /l/ sound. But starting with the exaggerated version gives them something concrete to hold onto.
The Bottom Line
My professor back in college was intelligent and knew his subject inside and out. But his pronunciation challenges made every single class harder than it needed to be for him and for everyone trying to follow along. He deserved better than whatever pronunciation instruction he got (or didn’t get). Your students deserve better too.
They’re not trying to confuse anyone. They’re dealing with sounds their brains haven’t been wired to distinguish or produce since birth. Asking them to “just say it again” until something clicks? That’s not teaching. That’s hoping.
So identify the language conflicts. Watch those mouth movements and practice with minimal pairs. Give them real strategies instead of repetition. Because at the end of the day, you’re not trying to eliminate their accent. You’re trying to help them say what they truly mean to say.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
Want some ready-to-go /r/ vs. /l/ teaching materials made for adults?
These are available in my TpT store:
presentation & activity pack . . . | | | . . . flashcards . . . | | | . . . game
Read more about teaching pronunciation to adult ESL students!
Pronunciation Truly Matters: The Spelling Quiz That Made My Students Question Everything
When Your Best Student Is Also Your Most Incomprehensible
Two Helpful Tips for Teaching Pronunciation
Sh/Ch: 3 Must-Have Methods for Successful Pronunciation Tweaks
