CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE PRONUNCIATION

Teaching foreign language pronunciation at the primary school level is vital for effective language acquisition. Early exposure to accurate pronunciation lays a strong foundation for learners’ future communication skills and overall language proficiency. However, teaching pronunciation to young learners comes with challenges such as limited access to native speaker input, teacher training gaps, and differences in students' learning paces. Despite these obstacles, primary education provides unique opportunities to foster pronunciation skills through age-appropriate strategies like play-based learning, phonics instruction, and interactive technology. This article explores the importance of pronunciation in language learning, identifies the challenges faced by educators, and highlights strategies and opportunities to support pronunciation development in young learners.