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demoiselle · Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 25

What is a good, basic introduction to the IPA and phonetics? I am interested in learning more about the system, proper sounds, transcription of words, etc. I am sure it will help me with MY foreign language learning, as well as any future teaching!

danielita · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 281 Location: SLP

I have found that the BBC site: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/download/pron_chart/pron_chart.shtml has been a helpful start...

D

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

If you're following British RP - Peter Roach - English Phonetics and Phonology - a Practical course is a must .

tedkarma · Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 12:11 am Post subject:

The IPA is quite useful - but it really won't help you teach your students. I've not taught in a country (only five under my belt) yet where students knew the IPA (at least in Asia anyway). The closest I've been to it is the "KK" system students use in Taiwan.

For teaching you might consider more practical systems like simple phonic "respelling" that many teachers in Asia use.

Take a look at:

http://teflbootcamp.com/Pronunciation.htm

for some ideas about how to proceed with respelling and pronunciation.

Pronunication, btw, is critical to your students success. Stress and rhythm are critical for students to get down well - so people can understand what they are saying. Nothing is more frustrating for an EFL student than to address a statement or question to a native speaker and have them frown and say "What?"

Sonnet · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 235 Location: South of the river

In response to tedkarma, I've found that the majority of the Chinese students I've worked with have been familiar with the IPA.

They seem to learn it in junior middle school at some point, and often never really forget it; 90% of the middle-aged false beginners I've worked with here have still been pretty familiar with the IPA.

Can't comment on any other Asian countries, though. And people have already provided some helpful links & advice; I'll second the recommendation for Roach.

ilaria · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 88 Location: Sicily

Roach is good. For a gentler introduction to the wonderful world of phonology, try:

English Pronunciation in Use, Mark Hancock, CUP
English Pronunciation in Use Advanced, Martin Hewings, also CUP

Also good to use with students, especially one-to-ones with weak pronunciation and listening skills. Both books come with CDs. The main voices on the CDs have southern British accents but there are other accents in some parts of the material.

I agree with Sonnet - Chinese students do know their phonemic symbols. Italian students sort-of know them and need reminding. I point out that once they know the symbols they can look up any word in a dictionary, read the phonemic script and know exactly how to pronounce it. They no longer have to ask me!

I also use the phonemic chart on my classroom wall a lot. I'm forever tapping a symbol on the chart to correct dodgy pronunciation (one big problem in Italy is initial /h/).

And I give my students one sentence in phonemic script in every lesson - a quotation, a joke, a 'class catchphrase', or (for beginners) a simple phrase or some vocabulary words for review. They like it, and it keeps the symbols fresh in their minds.

demoiselle · Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 25

Thank you for all the ideas! I think they will be very useful to me. I have a friend here who is constantly asking me to write out in IPA how words are pronounced for her, and I can't do it. I also think that it would just be useful for MY language learning to have a firmer grip on the sounds and symbols.

I really like the idea of handing out warm-ups in IPA.

sunrader · Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 101

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

ilaria · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 88 Location: Sicily

I wrote:

hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

I use IPA in my classes and it works wonders for the students' pronunciation. Of course, they have to learn IPA first, which takes a while, but it's worth it.

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

tedkarma · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 12:50 am Post subject:

The problem with IPA is that there are at least EIGHT different phonetic spelling systems and many dictionaries have their own.

So . . . if your students learn the IPA and you will spend at least a full semester teaching it to them - their dictionary will still NOT agree with what they learned.

Simple respelling is the most practical method of dealing with this problem.

I have - in the past - spent a full semester teaching students the IPA and quickly gave up.

China or at least the students in China that the previous poster has experience with - may know the IPA and may have luckily purchased dictionaries that use the IPA - but my experience in five other countries has been quite otherwise.

I would certainly PREFER that all students know one system and purchase dictionaries using that one system - but in most of the world it just doesn't happen.

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

IPA itself isn't very useful for teaching, but phonetic and phonemic knowledge is very, very useful for describing sounds that may not be in the L1 (like /l/ and /r/ used in English and not in Japanese).

JHS kids learn a simplified IPA starting in 2nd year in Japan.

ilaria · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 88 Location: Sicily

Tedkarma wrote: