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Jo Gakongajo.gakonga@elt-training.com

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The Phonemic Chart

What is it?

IPA – The International Phonetic Alphabet

Phonemic or phonetic?

Phonetics - the study of speech sounds

Phoneme: basic sound unit of speech

Standard British English chart

Why aren’t my sounds on this?

So, why learn this?

Advantages

• Captures the intangible• A clear record• Useful for correction• Helps with dictionary use - learner

independence• Shows effect of connected speech clearly

Disadvantages

• You need to learn it• They need to learn it (which nationalities do

know it?)• Can be a heavy load - esp non- Roman

alphabet

How is it divided?

ConsonantsVowelsDipthongs

Consonants

Voiced/ unvoiced sounds

Vowels

Vowels

Front Back

Vowels

closed

open

Dipthongs

Important! / / show that it’s the phonemic alphabet

/bit/ bit

Should we teach it?

Schwa

If nothing else, teach and use…

A common problem…

/ə/ or /ʌ/ ?cup /kʌp/ but cover /kʌvə/

Any vowel can be sounded as schwa

important material

Any vowel can be sounded as schwa

paper ferocious

Any vowel can be sounded as schwa

tangible giraffe

Any vowel can be sounded as schwa

introduce phonetics (but not phoneme..)

Any vowel can be sounded as schwa

pictureneighbour

In fact, most unstressed vowels sound like…

Homer Simpson = Oo Oo

In fact, most unstressed vowels sound like…

NB –this is often true but not always.. Depression oOo enough oO /i/ /i/

Schwa in connected speech

Where are you going?

/weərəjəgəʊɪŋ/What do you do?

/wɒdəjədu:/

Learning the chart

Websites for writing it• http://www.phonemicchart.com/• or you can use your keyboard

Websites for learning it.• http://cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/ • http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/activities/phonemic-chart• http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/pronunciation/phone

mic-chart-and-app/interactive-phonemic-chart/

Using the chart judiciously

Showing that pronunciation isn’t as hard as it looks!

thorough/θərə/

Using the chart judiciously

cough /kɒf/ /ɒf/

Using the chart judiciously

Highlighting unexpected sounds

image /ɪʤ/

/ɪ/

Using the chart judiciously

leisure /ʒə/

/ʒ/

Using the chart judiciously

Or missing ones..

knife /naɪf/

knife

Activities for learners

Correct the teacher1 2pack backpoor borerow (/rəʊ/) row (/raʊ/)

Ask a student to say one of the words and you point to it. If you point to the wrong word (i.e. the student wanted to say one word but said the other) the student tells you, the teacher, ‘No’ and then tries again.

Activities for learners

Saying it rightOn the board write up a series of short phrases using phonemic script and ask your students to say them and work out exactly what is being said. i.e. /ˌtentəˈtu:/ (ten to two), /knaɪˌhelpˈju:/ (Can I help you?), /ˌneksˈpli:z/ (Next please!) or /ˈɪzðeərenɪƟɪnˈtu:ˌwi:t/ (Is there anything to eat?). This kind of activity is both fun and informative.

from Adrian Tennent on Onestop –http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/pronunciation/pronunciation-matters/pronunciation-matters-sound-reasons-for-teaching-pronunciation/155507.article

Any other ideas or questions

Do put them on the forum