STAGES OF TEACHING ENGLISH PHONETICS IN UKRAINIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Introduction. The problems of globalization, the use of English as the language of international communication, the orientation of teaching towards world trends in education, the Europeanization of new contents and models of learning, and the creation of educational standards for higher education create several issues that are crucial for the development of language didactics: the shift from a knowledge-centered to a competency-based model of educating specialists capable of working out educational strategies for intercultural cooperation, which ensure the preparation and self-realization of the individual in the process of intercultural communication. Purpose. The proposed investigation is devoted to the determination of the stages of effective teaching of English phonetics in Ukrainian institutions of higher education. The article offers the empirical experience of step- by-step teaching of English phonetics shared by the teachers of the Chair of Theoretical and Applied Phonetics of the English language, Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University. This long-term experience testifies to the importance of phonetic competence for the real mastering of a foreign language by students of higher education, to the need for resuming stand-alone teaching of phonetics. Methods. The analysis has been based on the application of general scientific methods, namely: the methods of synthesis and analysis that promoted the complex methodology of teaching English phonetics in universities using a systematic approach in applying phonological methods, techniques, and methods, from the point of view of their effectiveness in teaching phonetic skills; inductive-deductive approach – for sharing the empirical experience of the teachers of the Chair of Theoretical and Applied Phonetics of the English language, Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University; system-structural approach – for justifying the logical sequence of stages of teaching English phonetics in universities, which will enable the consequent formation of phonetic skills: mastering the standard English pronunciation and intonation. Results. It has been established that perfecting phonetic skills of a foreign language with university students involves adapting their articulatory apparatus to the foreign language norms, which should be done at the initial stage; formation and development of phonemic hearing; mastering the correct pronunciation of sounds and, finally, mastering the intonation peculiarities of a foreign language. In senior courses, attention should be focused on phono stylistic aspects: students are expected to recite publicist, informational, and belles-lettres texts demonstrating impeccable English pronunciation and intonation, which can be achieved by imitating, practicing, and rehearsing the intonation of native speakers, concentrating on the connotative shades of the meaning of speech fragments. Originality. The teachers of the Chair of Theoretical and Applied Phonetics of the English language are proud of the fact that their experience of teaching the phonetics of the English language, based on both historical and modern techniques, has long had fruitful results: many generations of graduates of the Romance-Germanic faculty can boast the most elite version of the English language – Upper-Class English. Conclusion. The combination of modern phonetic multimedia courses and using traditional pronunciation teaching methods provide an opportunity to solve most phonetic problems. The introduction of phonetic material should take place with strict adherence to the principle of sequence and intensity: from easy issues to more complex ones, from things known to those unfamiliar, from phenomena similar to the native language, and to phenomena that have no analogs in the native language.