A Pedagogic-Phonetic Critique of the BBC’s Internet-Based L2 teaching of English Vowels

Abstract

The present study proposes a pedagogic-phonetic critique of the BBC’s Internet-based L2 teaching of English vowels as a “pedagogic recontextualizing field (PRF)” (Bernstein, 1990). This PRF seems to purvey the learning input of English vocalic pronunciations in a way that manifests a set of pedagogic practices; such practices, despite being sensitive to text-based theories of phonetic description, are literally dismissive of essential pronunciation aspects that relate to lip position as well as vocalic duration and complexity. The research data is drawn from the BBC’s online video materials archived for the public use of L2 teachers and learners of English. Following Bernstein’s pedagogic-linguistic approach (Bernstein, 1971, 1975, 1990, 1996), the study has reached the main finding – alongside some pedagogic recommendations – that the BBC’s Internet-based L2 teaching of English vowels constitutes a partial PRF on the grounds that this type of L2 teaching offers only a limited pedagogic space for the recontextualization of “visible” pedagogic practices, and that there remain some phonetically significant aspects which are missing from the BBC’s PRF. Therefore, these aspects need to be incorporated into the pedagogic space available to the L2 learner or acquirer of English on the BBC learning website.