Sounds in English
Vowels
Semivowels
&
Consonants*
Most Frequent Mistakes Made by Spanish Speaking Students
Introduction
This is an attempt at enumerating some of the most recurrent pronunciation mistakes made by Spanish speaking students of English which my experience as a teacher has allowed me to detect and compile.
In the face of such frequent and varied faulty productions of certain English sounds, I decided to look into their possible causes. A comparative analysis of both English and Spanish phonological systems became a necessity for me since it would help me to explain their differences.
The sound systems of a learner´s language as well as his speech habits constitute a constant source of interference when he is trying to master another language. Their difficulty lies in the fact that the phonetic system of their mother tongue does not coincide with that of their target language. Moreover, Spanish is a language where the orthographic system and the phonological system are constantly related with one symbol or group of symbols always representing one sound of phonemic distinction. English, on the other hand, is characterized by the confusing illogicality of its spelling system.
Vowel Sounds in English
/ɑ:/
|
father
|
/'fɑ:ðə/
|
car /kɑ:/
| |||
/æ/
|
fat
|
/fæt/
|
rat /ræt/ bat /bæt/
| |||
/ʌ/
|
cup
|
/kʌp/
|
but /bʌt/
| |||
/e/
|
met
|
/met/
|
leg /leg/
| |||
/ə/
|
Abet/
|
/ə'bet/
|
standard /stændəd/
| |||
/ɜ:/
|
fur
|
/fɜ:r/
|
stir /stɜ:/
| |||
/ɪ/
|
bit
|
/bɪt/
|
sit /sɪt/
| |||
/i;/
|
beat
|
/bi:t/
|
seat /si:t/
| |||
/ɔ:/
|
paw
|
/pɔ:/
|
saw /sɔ:/
| |||
/u:/
|
boot
|
/bu:t/
|
food /fu:d/
| |||
/ʊ/
|
book
|
/bʊk/
|
good /gʊd/
| |||
/aI/
|
fine
|
/faɪn/
|
time /taɪm/
| |||
/aʊ/
|
now
|
/naʊ/
|
cow /kaʊ/
| |||
/eɪ/
|
fate
|
/feɪt/
|
eight /eɪt/
| |||
/əʊ/
|
goat
|
/gəʊt/
|
go /gəʊ/
| |||
/ɔɪ/
|
boil
|
/bɔɪl/
|
toy /tɔɪ/
| |||
/uə/
|
tour
|
/tʊə/
|
poor /pʊə/
| |||
/ɒ/
|
dog
|
/dɒg/
|
pot /pɒt/
| |||
/eə/
|
fair
|
/feə/
|
care /keə/
| |||
/ɪə/
|
near
|
/nɪə/
|
clear /klɪə/
| |||
/tʊə(r)/
| ||||||
Now let´s analyze the following passage
(From “Lamb to the Slaughter“, a film by Hitchcock)
He gave me this ticket for blocking an aisle during the rush hour. I don't understand. I was in the slow lane. I'd just stopped a moment at the condiment shelf where the store's having a sale on Low Calorie Calories.
Semi-Vowels
[W]
why-wai / wild- waild / west-west /sweet-swi:t / white- wait / wine-wain
[ J ]
yes - jes / new - nju: /stupid - stju:pid / beautiful - bju:tifl / cube- kju:b
Consonants
The consonant systems of Spanish and English are very much alike. We may therefore assume that English consonants should not be a source of difficulty.
We shall only go, then, over those consonants which do offer some difficulties. The few lines we analized in “Lamb to the Slaughter” when we studied vowel sounds will be of great help as we will now combine both categories focussing not only on sounds but also on stress.
Lamb to the Slaughter
He gave me this [ðis] ticket [tickit] for [fə] blocking [blokɪŋ] an aisle [ail] during [ˈdjʊərɪŋ] the rush [rʌʃ] hour. I [ai] don't understand. I was [wəz] in the [ðə] slow [sləʊ] lane. I'd just [dʒʌst] stopped [stopt] a moment at the [ðə] condiment shelf [ʃelf] where [weə(r)] the store's having [hæviŋ] a sale on Low [ləʊ] Calorie [ˈkæləri] Calories [ˈkæləriz].
[ð] (this, that, these..)
THIS [ð] is the first consonant sound we come across that offers some difficulties. It exists in both, Spanish and English. When we say DEDO in Spanish the second D sounds as TH in THis. The first D in DEDO is a plosive; the second D is a fricative. Thus, we say DE ðO /ðis, ð ɪ:z, ðæt/
[ŋ] Nasal velar sound (It occurs before /k/ and /g/)
Blocking [blokɪŋ] …ing: ɪŋ
having [hævɪŋ]
Ink /iŋk/
[n] Nasal alveolar sound
Tin: /tin/
Sin: /sin/
/ʃ/
Rush /rʌʃ/
Push /puʃ/
She /ʃi:/
[dʒ]
Just /dʒʌst/
John /dʒon/
Plosive consonants
[t]
Tick /tick/
Time /time/
Tea /ti:/
[p]
Pot /pot/
Plural /pluərəl/
[k]
Kind /kaind/
Car /ka:/
Cormorant: ko:mərənt
[b]
Balloon /bəlu:n/
Bag /bæg/
Fricative consonants
[θ] This sound takes the place of “Z” in Zapato
Thin /θin/
Thirty /θə:ti/
Thrifty /θrifti/
***
Phonetic Transcription of the same passage
hi geiv mi ðis tickit fə blokɪŋ ən ail djʊərɪŋ ðə rʌʃ a:ə// ai dəʊnt ʌndəstænd// ai wəz in ðə sləʊ lein// aid dʒʌst stopt ə məumənt ət ðə kondimənt ʃelf weə ðə sto:z hæviŋ ə seil on ləʊ kæləri kæləriz//
*
"CORTO" SOBRE FONÉTICA Y FONOLOGÍA (Abril 2014)
Se ha puesto sobre la mesa un tema ha despertado gran interés entre los alumnos:fonética y fonología. Se trata de un corto. Se subirá a Youtube para refuerzo de lo que estamos trabajando en clase, a la vez que para participación y conocimiento de nuestra gente de lo que significa el "proyecto Guadarrama Bilingüe". Será de acceso libre en YOU TUBE.: sonidos vocales, semivocales y consonantes.
A fines del corriente mes de ABRIL estará disponible. Se hará saber a los interesados cuándo saldrá a la venta. Su costo rondará los 6 euros y los interesados podrán hacerse con él contra reembolso. Duración: 56 minutos. Se podrá incursionar por él en YOU-TUBE (10 minutos del total)
"CORTO" SOBRE EDUCACIÓN (Noviembre)
No acaban aquí las novedades. Estamos a punto de lanzar un corto sobre educación en el que abordaremos una metodología acorde con todo lo que tiene de nuevo este mundo, Para eso visitaremos tres escuelas de la sierra -una pública, una concertada y una privada- para difundir su trabajo.
El aporte intelectual y afectivo que nos prestan los que participan en este trabajo ayudará a sacar adelante el film. Al igual que el corto sobre fonética, será subido a YouTube en satisfacción de los cambios que entendemos deben operarse en educación.
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