Phonetics, the study of the sounds of human speech, and in particular “Articulatory Phonetics”, are not commonly taught to native speakers of English, let alone learners of English as a second language. However if the learner is serious with their English and wish to progress to an advanced level, learning phonetics, in particular the International Phonetic Alphabet, would be of immense benefit.
English spelling is often contradictory, devoid of relation to the pronunciation of a word, and lacking in clear patterns. Patterns that do exist are numerous, with a large number of exceptions, and all of this makes it very difficult for the learner of English as a second language to master pronunciation. The International Phonetic Alphabet puts all of the individual sounds of all of the languages across the world into one alphabet. Although complex to learn, once mastered, learners of English would have the ability to teach themselves pronunciation from a dictionary, and should notice improved pronunciation of individual words. Most characters are based on the Roman alphabet, and most dictionaries use the IPA to explain pronunciation.
Rather than pronunciation drilling of individual words, if we were to teach phonetics to learners of English as a second language, we would teach where each individual sound is made. This is called the “place of articulation”, and can be taught to learners of English by using diagrams of the inside of the mouth. The place of articulation has to do with where in the mouth the sound is produced, and in what way, which is called the “manner of articulation”. The manner of articulation has to do with other factors, such as air flow or constriction, tongue movement and lip movement.
There are a number of different ways in which sounds can be articulated. “Stops” are one way, and occur when there is a total blockage of the outgoing air-stream, not just in the mouth, but also in the nasal passage. The letters “p” and “b” are both examples of stops. “Nasals” are similar to stops, however the nasal cavity remains unblocked. Examples of nasals are the letters ‘m’ and ‘n’, and this also explains why when we are suffering from a cold induced blocked nose, our letters ‘m’ and ‘n’ cannot be produced properly. ‘Fricatives’ are not to do with a blockage of air, but a near block of air. A fricative is produced when air escapes through a narrow gap, and examples are the letters ‘s’ and ‘z’. Similarly, an ‘affricate’ is actually a combination of a stop and a fricative. For example if you were to take the stop ‘d’ and the fricative ‘g’, you would produce the affricate ‘dg’, as in ‘judge’, where the sound occurs twice. Other manners of articulation include ‘approximates’, named so as they are more approximate in their production and do not cause an obvious friction nor blockage, and also a ‘trill’, which is present in some European languages.
As well as these manners of articulation, there is another very important factor in sound production, and that is voicing. Consonants occur in pairs, and for each pair, the place and manner of articulation is the same. The only difference is whether the sound is voiced or not. An example of a voiced consonant is the sound ‘zzzzzz’, where if you touch your larynx while making this sound you will feel a vibration. However if you make the sound ‘ssssss’, you will feel no vibration, as it is voiceless. Apart from this, the place and manner of articulation are the same.
Although these explanations are long winded and complicated, the teaching of phonetics to learners of English does not have to be. With clear diagrams of the inside of the mouth and demonstrations, practical study of phonetics does not have to be complicated. Also, as consonants are formed in voiced and voiceless pairs, if only the voiced sounds were taught first, then it should be fairly simple to come back and simply alter the voicing to double the sounds the students can recognize and produce.
Like learning any other alphabet, it would be best to do it over a period of time, like learners of English as their native language currently do. So it would take dedication and a clear plan, as well as a teacher with a firm understanding of phonetics to be able to teach phonetics and the International Phonetic Alphabet successfully. However if the student was serious in their study of English it would be extremely beneficial and worth the effort for them in the long run.
Reference:
Alison Julian
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