The conference, Voices in Harmony: Pronunciation Pedagogy for the 21st Century, organized by Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University's School of Foreign Languages in collaboration with IATEFL PronSIG (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, Pronunciation Special Interest Group), took place at our university's Millî İrade Campus on May 16-17, 2025.
World-renowned pronunciation experts John M. Levis, Tracey M. Derwing, and Sinem Sonsaat-Hegelheimer served as keynote speakers. The event featured 20 oral presentations and six workshops. The conference, which included numerous researchers and teachers from Turkey and abroad, featured research, exchanges, and sharing that will shed light on the present and future of the field of pronunciation teaching. Our faculty members, Gökçe Arslan Aşan, Dr. Tarık Uzun, Özlem Kotbaş, and Zeba Chohan, formed the organizing committee for the event, and many of our students served as student committee members. The conference began on May 16th with opening remarks from Dr. Daria Şen, Director of the School of Foreign Languages, Gemma Archer, Co-coordinator of the IATEFL PronSIG, and our Vice Rector, Prof. Dr. Abdullah Yıldız. Following the opening, Prof. Tracey M. Derwing delivered a speech focusing on current trends in second language pronunciation research. The day's second keynote speaker, Prof. John M. Levis, addressed theoretical and practical approaches to teaching suprasegmental speech elements such as stress and intonation.
Dr. Sinem Sonsaat-Hegelheimer, the second day's keynote speaker, gave a comprehensive presentation on pronunciation research in the Turkish context, current trends in the field, and AI-assisted pronunciation teaching. The conference concluded with a closing program and a panel session moderated by Gemma Archer, where the keynote speakers reunited with the participants. During this panel, the keynote speakers answered questions posed by the participants.
Voices in Harmony 2025, one of the rare events in the field of pronunciation teaching, implemented with a program based on scientific criteria in our country, was completed successfully with positive feedback from the participants.
