Pax all!
 
Accent reduction can be very important to a student's self-esteem, while
it can also be very important to a professional/academic career.
However, I feel that once pronunciation reaches a level that the student
can be understood the majority of the time over the phone, the student
(and teacher) would be better off to focus on other skills.
 
If the student or teacher feels it is necessary to continue with
pronunciation (and here we are speaking only of the sounds of spoken
English as opposed to spelling), then I feel the student must become
"hyper-aware" of their pronunciation skills, both in L1 and L2. An
example of this is being able to answer the question "Where is your
tongue?" with more than "In my mouth." It is a question of physiology
and NOT necessarily linguistics.
 
Often teachers try repetition of the L2 sound, but if the student can't
figure out what they're doing wrong in the first place, how can they
correct it? When a student is having trouble reproducing an "authentic"
L2 sound, I feel the only way to overcome this is basically through
speech pathology and "therapy," since the student is being asked to
fundamentally change or even create anew the way they produce certain
sounds. 
 
I attempt to introduce the student to this hyper-awareness and give them
some basic drills to practice on their own (self-therapy) to create the
physical "dexterity" to reproduce those sounds. Mirrors and suckers are
my favorite tools. Pygmalion anyone?
 
A classic example of a linguistic-physiological problem is the Asian
languages' /L/ and /R/ problem. Since the /L/ (sound) is not common or
does not exist at all to that language family, the student's body
physically cannot produce that sound. It is replaced by a similar sound
that DOES exist in the L1, hence the /R/ replacement (they are both
liquid alveolars).
 
Another favorite (and exasperating) pronunciation problem is English
final stops (/T/, /D/) with the South Asian languages (If you saw the
Budweiser Super Bowl commercial, you know what I mean). I find this
problem goes beyond oral physiology, extending all the way down to the
lungs. South Asian languages completely "stop" their breathing at the
end of a word, whereas in English, even with a final "stop" sound, we
still exhale after the primary sound is finished.
 
The major problem with pronunciation "therapy" is that it requires
intensive one-on-one instruction, which few ESL teachers and students
have the luxury of. I only use it when my student's pronunciation (and
communication) is greatly affected by mispronunciation.
 
Hope that helps!
 
Ciao!
Martin E. Senger
Adult ESL Teacher
GECAC / The R. Benjamin Wiley Learning Center
Erie, PA
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