Description

Join us for an engaging webinar designed for English language teachers working with Japanese speakers. In this session, Dr. Katsuya Yokomoto, of Sophia University, Tokyo, will explore key phonological challenges faced by Japanese learners, including specific phonemes and suprasegmental elements that impact intelligibility. We will discuss common pronunciation errors, such as vowel and consonant distinctions and intonation patterns, providing practical strategies for teachers to address these issues effectively. Participants will leave with actionable techniques and resources to enhance their students' pronunciation skills, fostering clearer communication in English. No prior knowledge of Japanese is required—just a passion for helping your students succeed!

Presenter

Katsuya Yokomoto is an associate professor at Sophia University in Tokyo. He completed the TESOL master’s program of California State University, Sacramento, and received his doctor’s degree in Education after completing the doctoral program in TESOL/Applied Linguistics at the University of Bristol. He has extensive experience in teaching English to speakers of other languages in the U.S., China, and Japan. He has also taught various courses in teacher training programs, such as pronunciation teaching, methods in teaching English, theories in second language acquisition. His research interests include pronunciation teaching, world Englishes, language teacher cognition, and language teaching in neurodiverse classroom.