Seminar: Phonetics & Phonology

Non-native Pronunciation of English Teaching the Pronunciation of English

vocabulary and grammatical structures can be ordered and taught in sequence x pronunciation does not permit such progressive treatment, all phonetic/phonological features potentially present from the very first lesson - performance targets: (a) minimum general intelligibility the lo!est requirement, !ith a set of distinctive elements roughly corresponding to the phonemic inventory of "P (b) high acceptability the highest requirement, may not be identified as non#native by the native listener - choice of a single pronunciation model - a representative form of $r% or &m% pronunciation preferable: !idely understood, adequately described in textboo's - no conscious attempts to alter the pronunciation accord% to the situation as native spea'ers - importance of internal consistency, no mixture of different pronunciation styles - focus on those features of ( not found in the learner)s native language -

Segmental Aspects
focus on those sounds !ith high frequency of occurrence (vo!els *+,, consonants -+, of the phonemes uttered) acquisition of the full phoneme system: .+ vo!els (/. monophthongs, 0 diphthongs), .* consonants

1o!els
complex vo!el system the existence of a central long vo!el /2:/ distinction of voiced /2/ x voiceless /3/ "P: no r#colouring of the vo!els /2/ and /3/ in !ords spelled !ith vo!el letter 4 5r6 the extremely open quality of //, help: relating // to /:/ the quality of /7/, help: a conscious constriction of the pharynx the opposition of the close vo!els /i:/ x // and /u:/ x // the delicately differentiated front vo!el set /i/ # // # /e/ # /7/ # // durational variations: esp% in oppositions 8seed x seat9 heard x hurt9 road x !rote) quality & quantity complexes: - long tense /i:/ in 8bead) x reduced tense :i; in 8beat) x short lax // in 8bit) - the reduced tense :i; before voiceless consonants (8seat)) <=> to be confused !ith short lax // (8sit)) - qualitative and quantitative relationship bt! // x /i:/ (8bid x bead)) - long tense /u:/ in 8food) x reduced tense :u; in 8boot) x short lax // in 8good) - qualitative and quantitative relationship bt! /7/ x // x /:/ (8match x much x march))

?onsonants
Plosives shares !ith many languages the system of plosives /p, t, ', b, d, g/ x but: not the conventions of its realisation (: presence/absence of aspiration as the crucial feature x ?@: presence/absence of voicing aspiration of voiceless /p, t, '/ in accented positions x no aspiration of voiced /b, d, g/ avoidance of intervening :h; !ith voiceless plosives, avoidance of obscure vo!el of the :3; type !ith voiced plosives devoicing of /l, r, A, !/ after accented /p, t, '/ (8plead) : l; x 8bleed) :l;, 8pray) : B x 8bray) :;) /t, d/ before the homorganic syllabics /n/ or /l/ !ith nasal or lateral release avoidance of aspiration or of intrusive obscure vo!el before nasal or lateral release (8little) C:lthD;, 8middle) C:md3D;, 8button, sudden))

Fricatives distinction bt! the labiodental fricative /v/ x the labial#velar approximant /!/: /v/ !ith strong friction bt! the
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Seminar: Phonetics & Phonology

lo!er lip and upper teeth x /!/ !ith protruded and rounded lip action and no lo!er teeth contact (8vain x !ane9 verse x !orse9 vest x !est)) avoidance of replacement of the dental fricative /F/ by the dental stop /t/ or the alveolar fricative /s/ and of the dental fricative /G/ by the dental stop /d/ or the alveolar fricative /H/ distinction bt! !ords !ith initial 5h6 4 vo!el x initial vo!el9 elision of /h/ in unaccented non#initial positions in connected speech !ith function !ords

Affricates

avoidance of replacement of the palato#alveolar affricates /tI, dE/ by the sequences of /s, H/ 4 /A/

Nasals avoidance of /g/ after /J/, esp% before vo!els (8singing, reading out, a long essay))

Approximants /l/ - the qualities and distribution of the allophones :l, D, l; - avoidance of phonemic opposition bt! :l; x :D;, avoidance of over#veralisation in pre#vocalic positions (Slav languages) - devoicing of : l; after aspirated /p, t, '/ ( 8plot) !ith a fully voiced /l/ ris's confusion !ith 8blot)) /r/ - use of the post#alveolar approximant or frictionless continuant :; - avoidance of uvular trill :";, uvular fricative :;, lingual trill :r; or tap :; (though the least obAectionable substitute) - help: approaching the "P :; as if a vo!el - avoidance of the intrusive post#vocalic /r/ in !ords spelled !ith vo!el letter 4 5r6 - help: considering the post#vocalic r simply as a mar' of length for the preceding vo!el (8car, arm, hurt)) or as a sing of the .nd element :3; of the diphthong (8fear, there, tour)) - use of the lin'ing /r/ in connected speech the !ord#final r lin's to a follo!ing !ord beginning !ith a vo!el (8far a!ay, pour out)) - devoicing of :; after /p, t, '/: distinction bt! the sequences :pr#, tr#, 'r#; x :br#, dr#, gr#; (8pray x bray9 try x dry9 cro! x gro!)) Consonant Clusters permits many consonant clusters x but: permits different combinations than ?@ the first plosive of stop sequences !ith no audible release (8actor, rugby, big dog)) no intrusive vo!el inserted in consonant clusters, esp% bet!een /s/ and /p, t, '/ (8sport, stri'e, school))

Prosodic Aspects "hythm and &ccent

an (nglish listener tends to interpret a distorted sound/accentual pattern in terms of his o!n correct pattern, aided by the meaning of the total context x but: a !ord pronounced !ith the correct sound sequence may be misunderstood !hen pronounced !ith an incorrect relative prominence of the syllables rhythm 4 the related obscuration of !ea' syllables the prime distinguishing feature of ( unaccented syllables outnumber those !ith primary or secondary accents focus on variations in the accentual patterns of citation forms x forms in connected speech reduction of unaccented vo!els, incl% !ea' forms of function !ords in normal speech (strong forms only under special emphasis, contrast or in final positions) elision of !ea' vo!els in established cases elision of alveolar consonants: the simplification of three#consonant clusters by the elision of the medial stops / t/ or /d/ (8restless, 'indness, !ind do!n)) consonant clusters !ith no epenthetic vo!els (8sport) C/s3Kpt/ : homonymous !ith 8support);, C/3Kspt/ : homonymous !ith 8a sport);) focus on the variation of quality in !ords distinguished by a shift of accent
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Seminar: Phonetics & Phonology

cases of the accentual pattern of an extended !ord not associated !ith the accentual pattern of the root (8photograph) /Kf3t3gr:f/ x 8photography) /f3Ktgr3f/, 8nation) /Knen/ x 8national) /Kn7n3l/, 8origin) /Krdn/ x 8original) /3Krdn3l/) primary accent on the final syllable of the root before the suffixes 5#ity, #ion, #ian, #ic, #ify, #ible, #able, #ish6 (8uniKversity, maKgician, draKmatic)) accent on the penultimate syllable of the root in E4 syllable verbs !ith 5#ate6 (8Kpenetrate)) x but: accent on 5# ate6 in disyllables (8creKate)) accent on the /st syllable of the suffix 5#ation6 (8nationaliKHation, pressuriKHation, privatiKHation))

Lntonation
variation in intonation bt! languages not as great as variation in segments x but: sufficient to cause a strong foreign accent and possible misunderstanding intonation the crucial factor for the accentual patterning of ( shares !ith most non#tone languages the tendency of falling tunes for declaratives and commands and rising tunes for questions and non#finality x some types and uses of fall and rise (incl% fall#rise) specific to ( focus on attitudinal implications of intonation dividing the speech into intonational phrases (in !ays very similar in any language) putting the nucleus on the focal point in the sentence, de#accenting old information at the end of a phrase using appropriate nuclear tones: over#use of simple falling tone 6 aggressive9 over#use of simple rising tones 6 tentative

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