Pronunciation and intonation in English

Sounding professional and intelligible in English is essential to present your research and to connect with colleagues. In this course, you will learn to improve your English pronunciation and intonation through theoretical insight and practical exercises.

In five two-hour sessions by Annelien de Geest (ILT, KUL), you will cover the essentials of English pronunciation and intonation. The course includes individual feedback and group coaching.

• Session 1: Introduction & gaining insight into your own intonation and pronunciation difficulties
• Session 2: Practising tricky consonants & understanding word stress
• Session 3: Practising frequently confused vowels & improving intonation
• Session 4: Prepare a mini-presentation about your research
• Session 5: Connected speech and how to continue to fine-tune your pronunciation & intonation in the future

Preparation

The trainer will send you information about a preparatory assignment (short audio recording) to be submitted one week before the first class.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, you are able to...

• identify your own pronunciation and intonation problems,
• understand the different aspects of intonation (stress, chunking, speech rate, etc.) and how they affect you as a speaker,
• practise your tricky sounds independently,
• prepare your next conference presentation with more confidence in your pronunciation and intonation. 

Competences

An important part of preparing for any further professional step is becoming (more) aware of the competences you have developed and/or want to develop. In the current workshop, the following competences from the UHasselt competency overview are actively dealt with:

• interpersonal competences:
  • presentation skills
  • oral communication
• intellectual competences:
  • knowledge of languages
• personal effectiveness:
  • self-confidence

Who is it for?

• PhD students & postdocs
• 12 places available

When and where?

Please bear in mind that it is necessary to attend all five sessions. All sessions will take place from 10:00-12:00 AM. 

• Session 1: 30 April, 10-12 AM - Green Room (Campus Hasselt)
• Session 2: 7 May, 10-12 AM - Green Room (Campus Hasselt)
• Session 3: 21 May, 10-12 AM - Blue Room (Campus Hasselt)
• Session 4: 28 May, 10-12 AM - Green Room (Campus Hasselt)
• Session 5: 4 June, 10-12 AM - Green Room (Campus Hasselt) 

Registration

• Registration will open on 8 January 2026. Register. 
• As places are limited, registering does not automatically imply that you will be able to participate. You will be notified by email after the registration deadline has passed.
• Please cancel your registration at least one week in advance in case you cannot make it (cf. cancellation & no-show policy).

Acknowledged as?

• DS BSH: category 'research management & communication skills' - workshop on communication skills
• DS HLS: category 'transferable skills' - compulsory elective course
• DS ST: category 'scientific & generic communication' - course on scientific and generic communication