Pronunciation norm: The modern status in teaching English

The article discusses the necessity of revising the target goal in teaching English pronunciation due to the existing controversial attitudes towards the standard among scholars both in Russia and in the United Kingdom. A plethora of scientific works of literature as well as European and Russian regulatory documents focusing on the concept of the linguistic (pronunciation included) norm in relation to the current phonetic situation in Britain are analysed. Consequently, the existing standard is considered to contradict the provided definitions of the norm in the language because of its dynamically changing character. Based on various research conducted within the field of dialectology, the influence of various accents and phonetic trends on the pronunciation standard, particularly Received Pronunciation (RP), is outlined. As a result, the relative instability of RP is identified and the necessity for establishing a new reference pronunciation model is formulated. Consequently, the implementation of the productive phonetic variable minimum is justified as the core basis that, on the one hand, takes into account the articulatory peculiarities of Russian speakers and, on the other hand, facilitates a productive intercultural dialogue considering the sociolinguistic parameters of interlocutors. Conversely, the model Lingua Franca used as a basis for teaching English pronunciation is criticized with reference to fundamental scientific research. Additionally, the article examines the requirements of the Russian National Exam in English as a foreign language regarding students' phonological competence and reveals a contradiction between the information stated in the documents and given in the exam criteria, as there is no mentioning of any norm for the assessors of the exam. The study highlights the challenges associated with selecting an appropriate accent for teaching English as a foreign language due to changes in societal perceptions and the increasing diversity of English usage globally. The acceptance of accents provided that they do not interfere with intelligibility is stated. As a result, the article points out the importance of determining the place of various accents in the curriculum of Practical Phonetics and clarifying the key components of the productive phonetic variable minimum that could serve as a basis for students of language faculties in terms of fostering their phonetic-phonological competence and preparing for communicative situations with people speaking English from all over the world. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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