Online Platform for Instructors Teaching Norwegian Pronunciation

Good pronunciation is important; not only to be understood, but also to integrate and counteract stigmatisation that an accent in many cases may cause. In Norwegian language learning, this aspect is often not given enough attention, and there is a lack of teaching materials.

With the support of the Nordplus programme and in cooperation with both the University of Tartu and the University of Oslo, we have developed a unique, free material for Norwegian language teachers, which will be of help in teaching Norwegian pronunciation. The material contains a broad description of the Eastern Norwegian dialect, comparisons with other languages used in the Nordic and Baltic countries, descriptions and video examples of the multisensory pronunciation teaching method developed by the linguist and Norwegian language teacher Snorre Karkkonen Svensson, and descriptions of 30 different activities that can be used in class.

This resource will be useful for teachers within the fields of adult and youth education, university-level education in Norway, the Nordic countries, the Baltic states, and other places; but it can also be valuable for learners.

The partnership established during the project and the experience and knowledge gathered set the groundwork for similar platforms to be developed for learning the pronunciation of other Nordic and Baltic languages. The project will expand the scope of available materials related to multisensory acquisition techniques, while also being helpful in the learning of, for example, grammar.

The online platform is available on Oratastic — our website for language acquisition materials.

Thanks to all involved for your contribution:

Participants from Valodu māja: Snorre Karkkonen Svensson, Emīls Dzelzkalējs, and Jevgeņija Frīdvalde, involved in content creation, and Dāvids Puišelis and Marta Roķe, involved in project administration.