Unit 3 Phonology

 

Unit 3

Phonology

According to Catford (2001), Phonology processes sound structure in various languages: the distinction of sound is used to distinguish language items, and the sound structure of "same" elements changes according to the changes of other sounds in the context.

According to Spratt, Pulverness, & Williams (2011), sound features like: phonemes, word stress and intonation are studied by phonology to communicate meaning. A phoneme is the smallest meaningful sound unit expressed in writing with phonetic symbols. The phonetic symbols are arranged in the phonetic chart. The phonetic chart is divided into 3 categories: consonants, diphthongs and vowels. There are: voiced sounds and unvoiced sounds. In words that are basically composed of phonemes, some syllables have greater pronunciation ability than others. This is called word stress. In English, stress also affects the pronunciation of sentences and incomplete sentences. Some content words have primary stress, secondary stress, and others are not stressed words. In addition to the above two features, connected speech also has other features, such as linking, contractions, and weak forms. These functions support the rhythm of oral expression. Intonation is a feature that involves an important section of pronunciation. Intonation is used to express emotions and attitudes, to emphasize or make certain things we say less important, and to convey the functions we say to others. After explaining the metalanguage used in phonology, the next topic involves teaching it. As English becomes a global language, English learners need to be able to understand multiple English accents, because there are speakers from many countries/regions and they must know the pronunciation of the learner

(Video taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JYahvKUvPU)

Thanks to this unit, we were able to refresh our knowledge of phonology. We were able to use the key concepts and interpret it in examples, since as future teachers it is important to differentiate different sounds to communicate and to improve our pronunciation.

As future teachers, we can teach phonology in different ways, for example:

1. To use different materials, exercises and activities which focus on hearing or producing different sounds. Teachers can use songs, conversations, oral presentations, etc.

2. To use flashcards with different minimal pairs to check pronunciation. In schools, there is a lot of confusion between minimal pairs, for this reason it is important to clarify how to distinguish these kinds of words.

In conclusion, it is important to learn and to teach about phonology as it helps teachers understand the different sounds that the English language has. Additionally, both the pronunciation of teachers and students must be clear to have good communication.

Bibliography:

Catford, J. C. 2001. A practical introduction to phonetics. 2nd edition. Oxford: University Press. Fox, Anthony 2002. Prosodic features and prosodic structure. The phonology of suprasegmentals.

Spratt, M., Pulverness, A & Williams, M. (2011). The TKT course. Cambridge, U.K.:         Cambridge University Press.

Extra material:

McMahon, April 2001. An introduction to English phonology. Edinburgh: University Press.

Roca, Iggy and Wyn Johnson 1999. A course in phonology. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.