7. Phonetic transcription. What type of broad transcription is preferable for teaching pronunciation?

8. Which method of broad transcription do you prefer? why?

Transcription – a set of symbols representing speech sounds. The symbols are accepted by the International Phonetic Association. Transcriptions differ according to whether the aim is to indicate the phoneme or to reflect the modifications of its allophones as well:

• The broad (phonemic) transcription – a transcription that provides special symbols for all the phonemes of the language (it indicates the phoneme as a functional unit). This type of transcription is mainly used for practical purposes (for example, in EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching and learning). Phonetic transcription is a good basis for teaching the pronunciation of a foreign language as it is a powerful visual aid.

• The narrow (allophonic) transcription – a transcription that suggests special symbols for speech sounds, representing particular allophonic features. This type of transcription serves the purposes of research work.

The striking difference among modern broad transcriptions of British English is the varying significance which is attached to vowel quality and quantity.

Two kinds of broad transcription of English which are used in Russia for practical purposes:

Broad transcription by D. Jones	Broad transcription by V.A. Vasilyev
Jones realized the difference in quality as well as in quantity between the vowel sounds (sit – seat, pot – port), the neutral sound and the vowel in the word earn. He insisted that certain conventions should be stated once for all so that to relieve us from numerous transcription symbols. (One of the conventions was that the long and short vowels differ in quality as well as in quantity) Thus, the aim of his transcription is to reduce the number of symbols to a minimum. It reflects visually only the quantity of the phonemes.	Vasilyev was the first who used this transcription. It provides special symbols for all vowel phonemes, thus causing no phonological misunderstanding. It reflects visually both quantity and quality of the phonemes. This transcription is strongly recommended for teaching the pronunciation of English.

9. The functional aspect of the phoneme.

The Functional Aspect

It is reflected in the following part of the definition: “the phoneme is opposable to other phonemes of the same language to distinguish the meaning of morphemes and words”.

This is the main aspect of the phoneme. The phonemes are capable of differentiating the meaning of morphemes, words and even sentences.

The phoneme can perform the distinctive function when it is opposed to another phoneme in the same phonetic context. (ka:t - pa:t). Sometimes the opposition of the phonemes serves to distinguish the meaning of the whole phrases: he was heard badly - he was hurt badly.

In this case the phonemes differ in one articulatory feature – backlingual/forelingual. Such features are called relevant (distinctive).

The articulatory features that do not affect the meaning are called non-distinctive (irrelevant). A good example of such a feature is aspiration. For consonants the distinctive features are: place of articulation, manner of articulation, presence or absence of voice. For vowels – it’s quality.

If an allophone of some phoneme is replaced by an allophone of a different phoneme, the mistake is called phonological (sit – si:t). If an allophone of some phoneme is replaced by another allophone of the same phoneme, the mistake is called phonetic.