nirmala essay

8/13/2019 Nirmala Essay

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Phonetics and Phonology Essay Question

Requirement of the question :

Discussion of any two consonant pronunciation problems among non-native speakers of Englishin Malaysia

Appropriate solutions for the problems identified Supported with relevant examples

Problems:

// and //all non-native speaker in Malaysia /l/ and /r/mainly Chinese speakers Absence of /h/ and /j/ in initial position of words and /v/ and /w/ - mainly Indian speakers

Possible solutions:

Demonstrate place and manner of articulation Practice : Minimal pairs drills,tongue twister,rhymes,jazz chants

Problems: Malay speakers

/f/ often replaced with /p/ // often replaced with /s/ /v/ often replaced with /b/ /ks/ often replaced with /k/

Problem: Consonant clusters

Inserting schwa in both initial and final consonant clustersE.g : pleasant - /pleznt/ not /pleznt/

breakable/brek/ not /brek/

Possible solutions:

Awarenessraising with regard to the structure of consonant clusters. Practice pronouncing words with consonant clusters via drilling, rhymes, etc.

1. Non-native speakers in Malaysia have problems in pronunciation,particularly certainconsonant sounds.Discuss at least two consonant pronunciation problems and suggestways to overcome the problems.


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Requirement of the question :

Definition2 aspects of connected speech Explanationhow they make an impact in our daily communication Relevant examplesIntroduction

In natural speech,we do not pronounce a word, stop ,then say the next word in thesentence

Fluent speech flows with a rhythm and the words bump into each other To make the speech flow smoothly,the way we pronounce the end and the beginning of

some words can change depending on the sounds at the beginning and the end of those

words

These changes are described as features of connected speechAssimilation:

The way sounds belonging to one word changes when occurring with sounds that belong toneighbouring words in rapid,casual speech

E.g : /t/ becomes /p/ before a bilabial consonantmeat pie - /mi:p pa/

- light blue - /lap blu:/

: /d/ becomes /b/ or /g/ - good boy - gb b

-good girl - gg gl

Linking r:

/r/ inserted in //, // and // if the following words begin with vowelE.g : here are - /h/ become /hr/

Four eggs - /f egz/become /f regz/

media event - /midvent/ becomes /midrvent/

2. Aspects of connected speech have an impact in our daily

communication.Discuss at least two aspects of connected speech with examples.


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Liasons :

Combining of two sounds /d/ and /j/ to become one E.g : reduce - /rus/

:did you - /d/

Strong and weak form:

In the phonology of stress-timed languages,the weak form of a word is a form that may be used when

the word has no stress and which phonemically distinct from the strong form used when a word is

stressed.

E.g : The word and has a strong form [nd] and weak form [nd][n],[nd],[n]

: The word to has a strong form [to] .weak form [t] before vowels and weak form [t] before

consonants (or even before a vowe ,repacing the t with a gotta sound or a fap).

Requirement of the question:

Definition of accents of English Discussionthe extend to which it affects one comprehension and communication with others Relevant examples

Introduction

Languages have different accents.They are being pronounced differently due to the fact that these

people are from different geographical places,social places,ages and backgrounds.Stress is an umbrella

term to cover both accent (word stress)belongs to a word and prominence (sentence stress).

Differences of accents refer to differences of pronunciation,stress,rhythm and intonation patterns.

Connected speech contains both word accents (regardless of speaker) and prominence (because of the

speaker).In speech the individua word accent is ikey to e suordinated to the speakers choice of

prominence.

3.Accent of English in the world can affect your comprehension and communication

with others.Discuss and provide relevant examples to support your answer.


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Effects of accents from the perspective of comprehension:

It becomes a communication barrier due to variation in pronunciation,stress,rhythm andintonation patterns.First language influence on second language pronunciation may lead to

inappropriate stress placement that may cause non-comprehension

A speakers accent is a chaenge for effective human communication if the istener is notfamiliar with the accent of the speaker.Some speakers are not able to distinguish between noun

protest-pro-test and ver protest-pr-test, pronouncing oth as pro-test meaning that in

their speech the phonological distinction has been lost.Inappropriate intonation can at

times give rise not just to obscuration of the message but to a reception of a quite different

message.

Speaking with an accent affects ones communication and sometimes at its worst spois onesimage.

Effects of accents from the perspective of communication:

Accents affects on intelligibility because certain stressed vowels become unstressed and getassimilated with neighbouring consonants in rapid connected speech.

People do not understand you because of variation in pronunciation,stress and intonationpatterns.

Frustration from having to repeat yourself all the time People focusing on your accent more than on what you are trying to say that the message you

want to convey is lost

May have negative impact on job performance,educational advancement and everyday lifeactivities.

nirmala essay

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