This study explored some of the intricate connections between the cognitions (beliefs, knowledge, perceptions, attitudes) and pedagogical practices of five English language teachers, specifically in relation to pronunciation‐oriented techniques. Integral to the study was the use of semistructured interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated recall interviews with the teachers and questionnaires with students. Findings reveal that the teachers' knowledge base of pronunciation techniques consisted mainly of controlled techniques—techniques strongly manipulated by the teachers and typically considered less communicative than other techniques. Of all techniques, guided techniques (semistructured) were the least frequently used, suggesting in part that the teachers' knowledge of how to incorporate guided techniques on a consistent basis with oral communication curricula may be limited. This article also includes discussion of three sets of beliefs held by some of the teachers: (1) listening perception is essential for producing comprehensible speech, (2) kinesthetic/tactile practice is integral to phonological improvement, and (3) pronunciation instruction can be boring.

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Over the past few decades, research has demonstrated the important role that prosody (i.e., stress, rhythm, intonation) plays in the intelligibility of speakers of English as a second language (ESL). Yet the impact of this research on teacher cognition—the beliefs and knowledge that teachers possess in relation to their classroom practices—has received limited attention. This article explores how research into English prosody has influenced pronunciation instruction in the ESL classroom, teachers' knowledge and beliefs about this instruction, and what teachers believe to be the most effective way to improve their knowledge base in this area. In particular, the opinions of teachers of beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes are investigated. Through semistructured interviews with five instructors and the pronunciation journal of the author, these issues are examined. Results show that research into English pronunciation has clearly influenced the teaching and prioritization of features of pronunciation for instructors with graduate education that has included a course dedicated to pronunciation or pronunciation pedagogy. However, even with this education, teachers may lack confidence in teaching different aspects of pronunciation.

This case study extends the findings of Pickering et al. 2009 to the domain of conversational humor. We find that, as was the case in humorous narratives, conversational humor is not marked by higher pitch or volume, increased speech rate, or significant pauses. Unlike narrative humor, conversational humor is not produced at a lower pitch and slower rate than non-humorous parts of the text. We find that smiling and laughter tend to occur with humor.