Phonetics and Phonology
REPÚBLICA BOLIVARIANA DE VENEZUELA
UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGÓGICA EXPERIMENTAL LIBERTADOR
INSTITUTO PEDAGÓGICO DE CARACAS
CÁTEDRA DE FONÉTICA Y FONOLOGÍA
ASIGNATURA: FONÉTICA Y FONOLOGÍA II
AN ANALYSIS OF A SPEECH SAMPLE
IN WHICH UNDERLIE A VARIETY OF ENGLISH VOWEL SOUNDS
Authors:
Aymara Villasmil
Daniel Rodríguez
CARACAS, FEBRERO DE 2011
INTRODUCTION
Throughout the years, a variety of famous linguists have made an attempt to define the difficult question of what language is. For instance, Halliday (1973) affirms that language is an instrument of communication among members of a social group. In relation to this, Gimson (1962) states that a language is a system of conventional signals used for a communication by a whole community. On the other hand, Whitman (1975) when trying to describe the concept of language establishes a particular connection between the use of language and the mental processes speaker experiences. He states that language, far from being independent of the mind, was so inextricably tied to the mind that the study of language was virtually the study of human mind.
These different assumptions of what language is impel us, as future EFL teachers, to recognize the enormous responsibility teaching English as a foreign language involves. Due to the fact that we will necessarily have to handle several definitions of what language is and its components (syntax, grammar, phonetics and phonology, semantics,…) in order to help students realize the variety of elements they use when communicating with others.
For instance, when teaching our students a language level such as phonetics and phonology, which primary involves pronunciation we have to make them aware that it is not only a matter of pronouncing sounds in isolation, but that these sounds are part of a communicative system the use in daily life. In relation to this, Strickland ( U.D
UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGÓGICA EXPERIMENTAL LIBERTADOR
INSTITUTO PEDAGÓGICO DE CARACAS
CÁTEDRA DE FONÉTICA Y FONOLOGÍA
ASIGNATURA: FONÉTICA Y FONOLOGÍA II
AN ANALYSIS OF A SPEECH SAMPLE
IN WHICH UNDERLIE A VARIETY OF ENGLISH VOWEL SOUNDS
Authors:
Aymara Villasmil
Daniel Rodríguez
CARACAS, FEBRERO DE 2011
INTRODUCTION
Throughout the years, a variety of famous linguists have made an attempt to define the difficult question of what language is. For instance, Halliday (1973) affirms that language is an instrument of communication among members of a social group. In relation to this, Gimson (1962) states that a language is a system of conventional signals used for a communication by a whole community. On the other hand, Whitman (1975) when trying to describe the concept of language establishes a particular connection between the use of language and the mental processes speaker experiences. He states that language, far from being independent of the mind, was so inextricably tied to the mind that the study of language was virtually the study of human mind.
These different assumptions of what language is impel us, as future EFL teachers, to recognize the enormous responsibility teaching English as a foreign language involves. Due to the fact that we will necessarily have to handle several definitions of what language is and its components (syntax, grammar, phonetics and phonology, semantics,…) in order to help students realize the variety of elements they use when communicating with others.
For instance, when teaching our students a language level such as phonetics and phonology, which primary involves pronunciation we have to make them aware that it is not only a matter of pronouncing sounds in isolation, but that these sounds are part of a communicative system the use in daily life. In relation to this, Strickland ( U.D
References: SAPIR, EDWARD (1921) Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech. Harcourt Brace and Company, Orlando, Florida. STRICKLAND, RUTH (1969) The language arts. D.C Health and Company. Lexington, Massachusetts. A.C,GIMSON (1962) An introduction to the pronunciation of English. Reader in Phonetics, University College, London. A.C,GIMSON (1975) A practical Course of English Pronunciation, a perceptual approach. Edward Arnold Publishers, 25 Hill Street, London.