Practical Phonetic Training
Peter Roach
Practical phonetic training is training in the recognition and production of sounds; it has a long tradition and is considered essential for the understanding of phonetics in general. It is conventional to treat practical phonetics as having two main components: the first is training in recognition of sounds, traditionally known as ear-training, and the second is training in the production of sounds. In both components learning to make use of symbols for representing sounds is part of the training.
The basis of practical phonetic training is a framework which is independent of any particular language, and which attempts to cover the sounds of all known human languages. This can then be exploited in the teaching and learning of specific foreign languages. It is usual also to give training in the recognition and production of some of the main prosodic features of speech.
Ear-training
The process of learning to recognize and transcribe speech sounds is known as ear-training.[1]. This convenient term is something of a misnomer, as Daniel Jones points out by adding the "more accurate" name of 'cultivation of the auditory memory'. This latter term implies a process in which the brain is involved. In the learning of vowels, students are expected to become familiar with the Cardinal Vowel system, while training in learning to recognize consonants is based on the Chart of the International Phonetic Association. Students are expected to learn to recognize and produce all the major variables in vowel and consonant classification schemes, e.g. vowel height, frontness/backness and rounding and consonant place and manner of articulation, voicing and even airstream.
Jones states that ear-training can only be successfully undergone by working with a suitably qualified teacher: "No one can hope to be a successful linguist unless he has a good ear ... The possession of a good ear involves (1) ability to discriminate between sounds, (2) ability toremember the acoustic qualities of foreign sounds, and (3) ability to recognize foreign sounds with ease and certainty ... To cultivate a good linguistic ear requires systematic practice in listening for sounds. There is only one effective exercise for this purpose, namely, dictation of isolated sounds and meaningless words by a teacher who can pronounce the sounds accurately. The pupil should write down these sounds and words phonetically."
It is thus implied that ear-training can only be successfully undergone by working with a suitably qualified teacher. Jones does not say whether it is possible to train one's ear by means of recorded material, but he published his pronunciation of the Cardinal Vowels on gramophone records, first published in 1917 by HMV, and later by Linguaphone in 1943 and in 1955[2]. The last recordings were made when Jones was old, and the recording quality is not good[3]; present-day computer-based practice material may well be adequate to provide ear-training.
Production training
Training in sound production does not have an agreed name: Jones refers to it as gymnastics of the vocal organs[4] or mouth-training[5]. According to J.C. Catford "What the competent phonetician must acquire is a deep, internally-experienced, awareness of what is going on within the vocal tract - an ability to analyse, and hence describe and ultimately control, the postures and movements of the organs that produce the sounds of speech"[6]. In the case of consonants, this means acquiring voluntary control over movements of the articulators to produce differences in place, manner and voicing of consonants. In the case of vowels the situation is more complicated. Th early work on vowel classification was based on an apparently articulatory basis, where differences between vowels were specified in terms of the highest point of the tongue, the degree of frontness or backness of the tongue and the rounding of the lips. Abercrombie stated in 1967 that "The specialist phonetician has first to learn to pronounce the cardinal vowels with infallible precision (as far as such a thing is humanly possible), and when that is done he must acquire the technique by which they are put to practical use in the description of vowels of actual languages"[7] Later studies, however, showed that the articulatory basis of the Cardinal Vowel system was approximate at best. Experimental observations by Ladefoged in the 1960's showed that the system was based more on auditory targets: although the labels for variables of vowel quality are articulatory, aiming to produce the right vowel by moving the tongue into a particular configuration is less effective than aiming at producing a sound quality that matches a vowel sound that one has learned[8][9]
Training in prosodic features
There is no agreed set of conventions for practical training in the recognition and production of prosodic features. Jones says "When learning a tone language students also require 'tone dictation'. 'Intonation dictations' may also be given to train students to recognize the intonation patterns of languages not possessing significant tones"[10]. Perhaps the most thorough approach to the practical learning of tones and tone systems was produced by Kenneth Pike (11)
Testing of practical phonetics
Testing of students' achievement in practical phonetics is normally done by means of a dictation session where the material may consist of cardinal vowels and consonants of the IPA chart, singly and in combinations sometimes known as "nonsense words". In addition, an individual oral examination in the production of vowels and consonants is often given. Tests may also be given of students' ability in producing and recognizing the sounds of a foreign language they are studying. The International Phonetic Association used to give examinations leading to a certificate of proficiency in the phonetics of a number of European languages; it continues to do so for English[12]
References
1. Jones, Daniel (1918). An Outline of English Phonetics. Cambridge: Heffer. p. 3.
2. Abercrombie, D. (1967). Elements of General Phonetics. Edinburgh. p. 177.
3. Jones, D. "Cardinal Vowels".
4. Jones, Daniel (1918). An Outline of English Phonetics. Heffer. p. 4.
5. Jones, Daniel (1948). "The London school of phonetics". Zeitschrift fur Phonetik 11 (3/4): 127-135. (reprinted in W.E.Jones and J. Laver Phonetics in Linguistics, Longman, 1973, pp. 180-6)
6. A Practical Introduction to Phonetics (2001), Oxford University Press, 2nd Ed., p. 1
7. Abercrombie, D. (1967). Elements of General Phonetics. Edinburgh. p. 155.
8. Ladefoged, P. (1960). "The value of phonetic statements". Language. XXXVI (3): 387-396.
9. Ladefoged, P. (1967). Three Areas of Experimental Phonetics. Oxford. p. 50-78.
10. Jones, D. (1948). "The London school of phonetics". Zeitschrift fur Phonetik II (3/4): 127–135.
11. Pike, Kenneth (1948). Tone Languages. University of Michigan.
12. International Phonetic Association. "IPA-exam".
Peter Roach
Practical phonetic training is training in the recognition and production of sounds; it has a long tradition and is considered essential for the understanding of phonetics in general. It is conventional to treat practical phonetics as having two main components: the first is training in recognition of sounds, traditionally known as ear-training, and the second is training in the production of sounds. In both components learning to make use of symbols for representing sounds is part of the training.
The basis of practical phonetic training is a framework which is independent of any particular language, and which attempts to cover the sounds of all known human languages. This can then be exploited in the teaching and learning of specific foreign languages. It is usual also to give training in the recognition and production of some of the main prosodic features of speech.
Ear-training
The process of learning to recognize and transcribe speech sounds is known as ear-training.[1]. This convenient term is something of a misnomer, as Daniel Jones points out by adding the "more accurate" name of 'cultivation of the auditory memory'. This latter term implies a process in which the brain is involved. In the learning of vowels, students are expected to become familiar with the Cardinal Vowel system, while training in learning to recognize consonants is based on the Chart of the International Phonetic Association. Students are expected to learn to recognize and produce all the major variables in vowel and consonant classification schemes, e.g. vowel height, frontness/backness and rounding and consonant place and manner of articulation, voicing and even airstream.
Jones states that ear-training can only be successfully undergone by working with a suitably qualified teacher: "No one can hope to be a successful linguist unless he has a good ear ... The possession of a good ear involves (1) ability to discriminate between sounds, (2) ability toremember the acoustic qualities of foreign sounds, and (3) ability to recognize foreign sounds with ease and certainty ... To cultivate a good linguistic ear requires systematic practice in listening for sounds. There is only one effective exercise for this purpose, namely, dictation of isolated sounds and meaningless words by a teacher who can pronounce the sounds accurately. The pupil should write down these sounds and words phonetically."
It is thus implied that ear-training can only be successfully undergone by working with a suitably qualified teacher. Jones does not say whether it is possible to train one's ear by means of recorded material, but he published his pronunciation of the Cardinal Vowels on gramophone records, first published in 1917 by HMV, and later by Linguaphone in 1943 and in 1955[2]. The last recordings were made when Jones was old, and the recording quality is not good[3]; present-day computer-based practice material may well be adequate to provide ear-training.
Production training
Training in sound production does not have an agreed name: Jones refers to it as gymnastics of the vocal organs[4] or mouth-training[5]. According to J.C. Catford "What the competent phonetician must acquire is a deep, internally-experienced, awareness of what is going on within the vocal tract - an ability to analyse, and hence describe and ultimately control, the postures and movements of the organs that produce the sounds of speech"[6]. In the case of consonants, this means acquiring voluntary control over movements of the articulators to produce differences in place, manner and voicing of consonants. In the case of vowels the situation is more complicated. Th early work on vowel classification was based on an apparently articulatory basis, where differences between vowels were specified in terms of the highest point of the tongue, the degree of frontness or backness of the tongue and the rounding of the lips. Abercrombie stated in 1967 that "The specialist phonetician has first to learn to pronounce the cardinal vowels with infallible precision (as far as such a thing is humanly possible), and when that is done he must acquire the technique by which they are put to practical use in the description of vowels of actual languages"[7] Later studies, however, showed that the articulatory basis of the Cardinal Vowel system was approximate at best. Experimental observations by Ladefoged in the 1960's showed that the system was based more on auditory targets: although the labels for variables of vowel quality are articulatory, aiming to produce the right vowel by moving the tongue into a particular configuration is less effective than aiming at producing a sound quality that matches a vowel sound that one has learned[8][9]
Training in prosodic features
There is no agreed set of conventions for practical training in the recognition and production of prosodic features. Jones says "When learning a tone language students also require 'tone dictation'. 'Intonation dictations' may also be given to train students to recognize the intonation patterns of languages not possessing significant tones"[10]. Perhaps the most thorough approach to the practical learning of tones and tone systems was produced by Kenneth Pike (11)
Testing of practical phonetics
Testing of students' achievement in practical phonetics is normally done by means of a dictation session where the material may consist of cardinal vowels and consonants of the IPA chart, singly and in combinations sometimes known as "nonsense words". In addition, an individual oral examination in the production of vowels and consonants is often given. Tests may also be given of students' ability in producing and recognizing the sounds of a foreign language they are studying. The International Phonetic Association used to give examinations leading to a certificate of proficiency in the phonetics of a number of European languages; it continues to do so for English[12]
References
1. Jones, Daniel (1918). An Outline of English Phonetics. Cambridge: Heffer. p. 3.
2. Abercrombie, D. (1967). Elements of General Phonetics. Edinburgh. p. 177.
3. Jones, D. "Cardinal Vowels".
4. Jones, Daniel (1918). An Outline of English Phonetics. Heffer. p. 4.
5. Jones, Daniel (1948). "The London school of phonetics". Zeitschrift fur Phonetik 11 (3/4): 127-135. (reprinted in W.E.Jones and J. Laver Phonetics in Linguistics, Longman, 1973, pp. 180-6)
6. A Practical Introduction to Phonetics (2001), Oxford University Press, 2nd Ed., p. 1
7. Abercrombie, D. (1967). Elements of General Phonetics. Edinburgh. p. 155.
8. Ladefoged, P. (1960). "The value of phonetic statements". Language. XXXVI (3): 387-396.
9. Ladefoged, P. (1967). Three Areas of Experimental Phonetics. Oxford. p. 50-78.
10. Jones, D. (1948). "The London school of phonetics". Zeitschrift fur Phonetik II (3/4): 127–135.
11. Pike, Kenneth (1948). Tone Languages. University of Michigan.
12. International Phonetic Association. "IPA-exam".
