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Gemma ARCHER

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, English Language Teaching, English Language teacher

University of Glasgow, English Language & Linguistics, Alumna

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Gemma Archer is a pronunciation specialist based at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, where she is also an EAP teacher and ELT programme co-ordinator. She is the former editor of 'Speak Out!' the IATEFL Pronunciation Special Interest Group (PronSIG)'s bi-annual journal (2017-2023), is joint SIG coordinator, and is co-author of 'Teaching English pronunciation for a global world' (OUP, 2024). Her research interests lie in the field of pronunciation pedagogy and accent, particularly the issues that can arise when students and teachers of English are confronted with regional and global varieties of English. She is the creator of the Scottish Sound School, an online resource and YouTube channel helping new international arrivals to Scotland tune in to the unfamiliar sounds and speech of their new linguistic environment (www.thescottishsoundschool.com)

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Papers by Gemma ARCHER

Increasing tolerance of diverse Englishes in the classroom

Modern English Teacher, 2024

This paper discusses the challenges English language learners around the globe face when they are... more This paper discusses the challenges English language learners around the globe face when they are only exposed to the two native English accent models which dominate the ELT industry: Standard Southern British English (also called RP) and General American English. It also provides some simple techniques we can bring into the classroom to normalise discussions around diverse varieties of English, provide exposure to international and local Englishes, and increase students' tolerance to different pronunciations.

English pronunciation teaching and learning for the world that speaks it

English language teaching journal (ELTJ), 2023

A short article outlining IATEFL Pronunciation SIG (PronSIG)'s role in the field of English pronu... more

Integrating student-centred pronunciation assessment practices

Testing, Evaluation & Assessment Today, 2023

After a decades-long absence, pronunciation is slowly starting to make its way back into our clas... more After a decades-long absence, pronunciation is slowly starting to make its way back into our classrooms, materials, syllabi, and our collective consciousness. But despite its welcome return, its assessment practices are still one of the last aspects to 'catch up'. Isaacs (2014) highlights this dearth of content, noting that in 50 years only one full-length text was published which referred to pronunciation assessment (Lado's Language Testing: The Construction and Use of Foreign Language Tests in 1961). In academic journals the reality has been similarly stark; in the longest-published journal on L2 assessment, Language Testing, only two pronunciation-focused articles were published in its first 25 years, 1984-2009 (Isaacs, 2013). While things are now changing and pronunciation assessment has been the topic of several publications, articles and, of late, IATEFL Conferences, this change is still recent. As such, many teachers may lack the fundamental training or input necessary to confidently assess their students' pronunciation, be that in the creation of a valid assessment tool suitable for our students' needs and objectives, or indeed knowing which features to assess. This article aims to provide suggestions of practical student-centred methods in which teachers can, with little preparation or difficulty, conduct assessments of their students' pronunciation. To begin with, a clarification: for many, the words 'pronunciation assessment' conjure images of large-scale international speaking exams or formal presentations, for which assessing pronunciation constitutes little more than one or two criteria on a vast rubric. However, as can be noted from the title above, this article instead focuses on how we can incorporate assessment in a less formal way, using students' results to inform our teaching practices and guide our lesson planning, highlighting whether we need to incorporate more, or less, explicit practice of specific pronunciation features, and to provide feedback. Archer, G. (2023). Integrating student-centred pronunciation assessment practices. Testing, Evaluation and Assessment Today, 8, 15-21. question (Celce-Murcia et al, 2010). An example of this can be seen in the oft-confused kit vowel (/ɪ/) and fleece vowel (/i:/). For many international students of English, the kit vowel is not part of their L1 vowel inventory. As a consequence, they may struggle to perceive and distinguish it from the fleece vowel, which can, in turn, lead to all kit vowels being pronounced as fleece vowels. Running an initial perception test prior to a productive pronunciation assessment can therefore be a useful stage. The results allow teachers to identify if, post-test, the mispronunciation should be treated with additional articulation training and productive practice, or instead, extra perceptual training, allowing students to practice hearing, identifying, and distinguishing the sound or sounds in question. Biodata Gemma Archer is an EAP teacher and programme coordinator in the English language unit at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. She is also the editor of the IATEFL Pronunciation Special Interest Group's biannual journal 'Speak Out!' and joint PronSIG coordinator. Gemma holds a CELTA, Dip TESOL and a Master's of Research in English Language and Linguistics and has taught English in the UK, Ireland, Italy and the Middle East. She specialises in pronunciation and phonology and her particular passion is in researching and teaching with diverse L2 and regional L1 accents.

The Effects of Prestige Model Familiarity on UK-Based International Students’ Perceptions of and Interactions with Diverse English Accents

Theoretical and Practical Developments in English Speech Assessment, Research, and Training., 2022

For decades, English language students worldwide have been exposed to prestige L1 accent models, ... more For decades, English language students worldwide have been exposed to prestige L1 accent models, such as Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American (GA), often to the exclusion of all other varieties. However, the dominance of these models is questionable today with L2-L2 English communication considered the most common interaction pattern globally. This study was undertaken to understand the extent to which the exposure of L2 students to these models can affect their perception of diverse Englishes, such as those encountered while attending an international university. Thirty international students completed a pre-test questionnaire about their accent beliefs, followed by a Verbal Guise test. Although the questionnaire affirmed broadly positive opinions of prestige models, L2 accents were believed to be easier to understand, while the local model, Scottish Standard English (SSE), was believed to be extremely difficult. Results from the Verbal Guise test indicated most positive associations with the RP accent. However, participants selected the L2 Chinese accent as that which they liked the most, just surpassing the prestige models, potentially due to its native-like speech rate. Interestingly, though the local accent, SSE, was perceived poorly in the pre-test questionnaire, the Verbal Guise test results revealed far less severe views.

Review of Hodgetts (2020): Pronunciation Instruction in English for Academic Purposes

Journal of Second Language Pronunciation

Reviewed by Gemma Archer (University of Strathclyde) John Hodgetts' Pronunciation Instruction in ... more Reviewed by Gemma Archer (University of Strathclyde) John Hodgetts' Pronunciation Instruction in English for Academic Purposes is a monograph charting an investigative journey examining pronunciation's role within an academic preparatory programme. Despite pronunciation being once more 'on the up' after its decades long absence, it is still found lacking when it comes to assessment, and in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in particular. Hodgetts, having observed its infrequent inclusion over the course of several UK based pre-sessional programmes (intensive preparatory pre-entry courses in Academic English for international students) and inconsistent attitudes towards it among teaching staff, endeavoured to 'provide a snapshot' of pronunciation in the EAP field, particularly regarding the inclusion of suprasegmental features in 'instructional goals' and an intelligibility-based approach. In completing this text, the author has produced a thorough and fascinating account of his investigation, but disappointingly, one which also reveals how little thought appears to be given to pronunciation within the EAP industry. The book is divided into six main sections and reflects a typical academic study. After introducing its objectives in Chapter 1, there is a substantial review of literature covering Chapters 2 and 3. This includes a lengthy overview of historical teaching methodology from the early 19th century to the current day; a comprehensive and practical chapter on evidence based teaching techniques and activities; a persuasive and current treatise on English as an International Language and the argument against Native English Speaking Teacher dominance in the English Language Teaching industry; a comprehensive overview of suprasgementals (one of the author's key research areas); the Lingua Franca Core and its links to intelligibility; pronunciation assessment and the difficulties of standardisation and marking criteria; studies involving Chinese learners, one of the core demographic groups enrolled on UK EAP courses at present and therefore also central to the author's own research; and finally a chapter on instruction within EAP contexts which aptly identifies the writing dominant culture of pre-sessional courses and the consequences of such-that pronunciation instruction is sidelined and used in a 'remedial' way, often only at the discretion of an informed tutor.

Do pronunciation models matter? Reflections from Irish and Scottish classrooms.

ELT Ireland Annual Bulletin, 2021

The goal of this study was to establish whether or not the continued prevalence of prestige nativ... more The goal of this study was to establish whether or not the continued prevalence of prestige native speaker model accents in the ELT industry and its publications affected regional L1 speaker teachers from Ireland and Scotland with regards to pronunciation instruction. 152 Irish and Scottish teachers completed a questionnaire documenting their access to pronunciation training, accent model used (if training occurred), and accent model used by the teacher in their current classroom with their own students. Participants were also given the opportunity to list specific features of prestige model accents commonly found in published materials which made pronunciation instruction more challenging for them due to accent mismatch. Overall, it can be seen that around half of the Irish and Scottish teachers received pronunciation training during their initial qualification, and among those that did 60-70% were trained using Received Pronunciation. Despite this, the same percentages did not go on to teach this model with their own students. A gap has therefore been identified between teacher training and what Irish and Scottish teachers then go on to teach in their own classrooms.

Pronunciation models in regional environments: a comparison and assessment of RP and SSE

This thesis describes a 5-week classroom based study in which international pre-sessional student... more This thesis describes a 5-week classroom based study in which international pre-sessional students studying at a University in Scotland received 10 hours of explicit English pronunciation instruction using either a Standard British English (SBE) model, also known as Received Pronunciation, or a Standard Scottish English (SSE) model. Students' perception and production were tested before the course began and upon its culmination to establish if either model affected their overall uptake. A control group was also tested. After 5 weeks both the SBE and SSE groups improved in their perception and production of nuclear stress. With regards to segmental features, though raw scores improved and there were hints of statistically positive change in the SSE group, the SBE students showed more overall improvement. At the same time, the control group's scores either maintained or deteriorated. It was concluded that attitudinal factors and and quality and quantity of exposure to new varieties of English, such as SSE in this case, may have played a part in the slight difference between the groups' results.

The other 97%: pronunciation strategies for non-RP teachers.

IATEFL Conference Selections 2017, 2017

What do regional and international English speaking teachers do when confronted by pronunciation ... more What do regional and international English speaking teachers do when confronted by pronunciation materials dominated by prestige L1 voices? Based on the answers of 114 international English language teachers and questionnaire respondents, this text discusses their actions and reactions when faced with accent mismatch in teaching resources.
Subsequently, inspired by their responses, it goes on to provide actionable strategies for said teachers regarding pronunciation instruction. It then suggests ways in which we can increase students' awareness of English diversity and decrease their stigmatising of voices which diversify from the prestige models with which they are so familiar.

Increasing tolerance of diverse Englishes in the classroom

Modern English Teacher, 2024

This paper discusses the challenges English language learners around the globe face when they are... more This paper discusses the challenges English language learners around the globe face when they are only exposed to the two native English accent models which dominate the ELT industry: Standard Southern British English (also called RP) and General American English. It also provides some simple techniques we can bring into the classroom to normalise discussions around diverse varieties of English, provide exposure to international and local Englishes, and increase students' tolerance to different pronunciations.

English pronunciation teaching and learning for the world that speaks it

English language teaching journal (ELTJ), 2023

A short article outlining IATEFL Pronunciation SIG (PronSIG)'s role in the field of English pronu... more

Integrating student-centred pronunciation assessment practices

Testing, Evaluation & Assessment Today, 2023

After a decades-long absence, pronunciation is slowly starting to make its way back into our clas... more After a decades-long absence, pronunciation is slowly starting to make its way back into our classrooms, materials, syllabi, and our collective consciousness. But despite its welcome return, its assessment practices are still one of the last aspects to 'catch up'. Isaacs (2014) highlights this dearth of content, noting that in 50 years only one full-length text was published which referred to pronunciation assessment (Lado's Language Testing: The Construction and Use of Foreign Language Tests in 1961). In academic journals the reality has been similarly stark; in the longest-published journal on L2 assessment, Language Testing, only two pronunciation-focused articles were published in its first 25 years, 1984-2009 (Isaacs, 2013). While things are now changing and pronunciation assessment has been the topic of several publications, articles and, of late, IATEFL Conferences, this change is still recent. As such, many teachers may lack the fundamental training or input necessary to confidently assess their students' pronunciation, be that in the creation of a valid assessment tool suitable for our students' needs and objectives, or indeed knowing which features to assess. This article aims to provide suggestions of practical student-centred methods in which teachers can, with little preparation or difficulty, conduct assessments of their students' pronunciation. To begin with, a clarification: for many, the words 'pronunciation assessment' conjure images of large-scale international speaking exams or formal presentations, for which assessing pronunciation constitutes little more than one or two criteria on a vast rubric. However, as can be noted from the title above, this article instead focuses on how we can incorporate assessment in a less formal way, using students' results to inform our teaching practices and guide our lesson planning, highlighting whether we need to incorporate more, or less, explicit practice of specific pronunciation features, and to provide feedback. Archer, G. (2023). Integrating student-centred pronunciation assessment practices. Testing, Evaluation and Assessment Today, 8, 15-21. question (Celce-Murcia et al, 2010). An example of this can be seen in the oft-confused kit vowel (/ɪ/) and fleece vowel (/i:/). For many international students of English, the kit vowel is not part of their L1 vowel inventory. As a consequence, they may struggle to perceive and distinguish it from the fleece vowel, which can, in turn, lead to all kit vowels being pronounced as fleece vowels. Running an initial perception test prior to a productive pronunciation assessment can therefore be a useful stage. The results allow teachers to identify if, post-test, the mispronunciation should be treated with additional articulation training and productive practice, or instead, extra perceptual training, allowing students to practice hearing, identifying, and distinguishing the sound or sounds in question. Biodata Gemma Archer is an EAP teacher and programme coordinator in the English language unit at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. She is also the editor of the IATEFL Pronunciation Special Interest Group's biannual journal 'Speak Out!' and joint PronSIG coordinator. Gemma holds a CELTA, Dip TESOL and a Master's of Research in English Language and Linguistics and has taught English in the UK, Ireland, Italy and the Middle East. She specialises in pronunciation and phonology and her particular passion is in researching and teaching with diverse L2 and regional L1 accents.

The Effects of Prestige Model Familiarity on UK-Based International Students’ Perceptions of and Interactions with Diverse English Accents

Theoretical and Practical Developments in English Speech Assessment, Research, and Training., 2022

For decades, English language students worldwide have been exposed to prestige L1 accent models, ... more For decades, English language students worldwide have been exposed to prestige L1 accent models, such as Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American (GA), often to the exclusion of all other varieties. However, the dominance of these models is questionable today with L2-L2 English communication considered the most common interaction pattern globally. This study was undertaken to understand the extent to which the exposure of L2 students to these models can affect their perception of diverse Englishes, such as those encountered while attending an international university. Thirty international students completed a pre-test questionnaire about their accent beliefs, followed by a Verbal Guise test. Although the questionnaire affirmed broadly positive opinions of prestige models, L2 accents were believed to be easier to understand, while the local model, Scottish Standard English (SSE), was believed to be extremely difficult. Results from the Verbal Guise test indicated most positive associations with the RP accent. However, participants selected the L2 Chinese accent as that which they liked the most, just surpassing the prestige models, potentially due to its native-like speech rate. Interestingly, though the local accent, SSE, was perceived poorly in the pre-test questionnaire, the Verbal Guise test results revealed far less severe views.

Review of Hodgetts (2020): Pronunciation Instruction in English for Academic Purposes

Journal of Second Language Pronunciation

Reviewed by Gemma Archer (University of Strathclyde) John Hodgetts' Pronunciation Instruction in ... more Reviewed by Gemma Archer (University of Strathclyde) John Hodgetts' Pronunciation Instruction in English for Academic Purposes is a monograph charting an investigative journey examining pronunciation's role within an academic preparatory programme. Despite pronunciation being once more 'on the up' after its decades long absence, it is still found lacking when it comes to assessment, and in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in particular. Hodgetts, having observed its infrequent inclusion over the course of several UK based pre-sessional programmes (intensive preparatory pre-entry courses in Academic English for international students) and inconsistent attitudes towards it among teaching staff, endeavoured to 'provide a snapshot' of pronunciation in the EAP field, particularly regarding the inclusion of suprasegmental features in 'instructional goals' and an intelligibility-based approach. In completing this text, the author has produced a thorough and fascinating account of his investigation, but disappointingly, one which also reveals how little thought appears to be given to pronunciation within the EAP industry. The book is divided into six main sections and reflects a typical academic study. After introducing its objectives in Chapter 1, there is a substantial review of literature covering Chapters 2 and 3. This includes a lengthy overview of historical teaching methodology from the early 19th century to the current day; a comprehensive and practical chapter on evidence based teaching techniques and activities; a persuasive and current treatise on English as an International Language and the argument against Native English Speaking Teacher dominance in the English Language Teaching industry; a comprehensive overview of suprasgementals (one of the author's key research areas); the Lingua Franca Core and its links to intelligibility; pronunciation assessment and the difficulties of standardisation and marking criteria; studies involving Chinese learners, one of the core demographic groups enrolled on UK EAP courses at present and therefore also central to the author's own research; and finally a chapter on instruction within EAP contexts which aptly identifies the writing dominant culture of pre-sessional courses and the consequences of such-that pronunciation instruction is sidelined and used in a 'remedial' way, often only at the discretion of an informed tutor.

Do pronunciation models matter? Reflections from Irish and Scottish classrooms.

ELT Ireland Annual Bulletin, 2021

The goal of this study was to establish whether or not the continued prevalence of prestige nativ... more The goal of this study was to establish whether or not the continued prevalence of prestige native speaker model accents in the ELT industry and its publications affected regional L1 speaker teachers from Ireland and Scotland with regards to pronunciation instruction. 152 Irish and Scottish teachers completed a questionnaire documenting their access to pronunciation training, accent model used (if training occurred), and accent model used by the teacher in their current classroom with their own students. Participants were also given the opportunity to list specific features of prestige model accents commonly found in published materials which made pronunciation instruction more challenging for them due to accent mismatch. Overall, it can be seen that around half of the Irish and Scottish teachers received pronunciation training during their initial qualification, and among those that did 60-70% were trained using Received Pronunciation. Despite this, the same percentages did not go on to teach this model with their own students. A gap has therefore been identified between teacher training and what Irish and Scottish teachers then go on to teach in their own classrooms.

Pronunciation models in regional environments: a comparison and assessment of RP and SSE

This thesis describes a 5-week classroom based study in which international pre-sessional student... more This thesis describes a 5-week classroom based study in which international pre-sessional students studying at a University in Scotland received 10 hours of explicit English pronunciation instruction using either a Standard British English (SBE) model, also known as Received Pronunciation, or a Standard Scottish English (SSE) model. Students' perception and production were tested before the course began and upon its culmination to establish if either model affected their overall uptake. A control group was also tested. After 5 weeks both the SBE and SSE groups improved in their perception and production of nuclear stress. With regards to segmental features, though raw scores improved and there were hints of statistically positive change in the SSE group, the SBE students showed more overall improvement. At the same time, the control group's scores either maintained or deteriorated. It was concluded that attitudinal factors and and quality and quantity of exposure to new varieties of English, such as SSE in this case, may have played a part in the slight difference between the groups' results.

The other 97%: pronunciation strategies for non-RP teachers.

IATEFL Conference Selections 2017, 2017

What do regional and international English speaking teachers do when confronted by pronunciation ... more What do regional and international English speaking teachers do when confronted by pronunciation materials dominated by prestige L1 voices? Based on the answers of 114 international English language teachers and questionnaire respondents, this text discusses their actions and reactions when faced with accent mismatch in teaching resources.
Subsequently, inspired by their responses, it goes on to provide actionable strategies for said teachers regarding pronunciation instruction. It then suggests ways in which we can increase students' awareness of English diversity and decrease their stigmatising of voices which diversify from the prestige models with which they are so familiar.