PE 1128 B33 1922 MAIN UC-Nk -. SB BERKELEY. CALIFORNIA ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION ^ FOR FOREIGNERS/ JL i- By ., JAN 20 19o4 (\; SARAH T. /B ARRQW^ - c ^ 0iml A State Teachers College, San Francisco, California Published by THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION O^VCALIFORNIA DIVISION OF IMMIGRANT EDUCATION i Music by Mrs. Mary McCauley Drawings by Miss Olive Johnson Both of State Teachers College, San Francisco CALIFORNIA STATE PRINTING OFFICE. SACRAMENTO, 1922 18236 FIGURE 1. 1. Nasal cavity. 2. Alveole. 3. Hard palate. i. Soft palate. 5. Uvula. 6. Epiglottis. 7. Larynx. 8. Vocal chords. I d oki-fe^^ * INTRODUCTION The foreigner finds English pronunciation difficult because he has acquired, through years of speaking his native tongue, not only fixed habits of using his organs of speech, but habits of hearing speech sounds. When he hears a new sound he tries to recognize in it one of his own sounds. Thus he says "dis" for "this" because to his ears they sound alike. It is important therefore that the pupil hear the English words correctly ; and the teacher may help him to do this if she will show him the movements of the lips and tongue that produce the sound, for our eyes are better trained than our ears to distinguish differences. The pupil will hear the sounds more accurately, the more closely to his ear they are pronounced. If words containing difficult sounds are not taught until the sounds themselves have been mastered, the task of learning to pronounce the words will be easier. The pupil should also have the opportunity of hearing each word pronounced accurately and distinctly many times before he attempts to utter it himself; and the teacher should guard against the impulse to repeat the pupil s mistakes, lest she strengthen him in his wrong habits. The teacher will need to analyze very carefully each word to ascertain just what sounds actually are contained in it, for English spelling is often misleading rather than helpful in the determination of correct pronunciation. Thus the pronunciation of "handkerchief" according to its spelling leads to error; a better spelling would be "hangker- chif." "Roses" and "doses" look more alike than they sound; as do war and far, fury and bury, rough and cough. The teacher will find a study of her own speech organs and their movements during speech very helpful. With mirror in hand she should observe carefully how she forms each speech sound ; and by watching her pupil s lips she can often discover the mechanical reason for his mispronunciations. In the following study of English sounds are included only those which offer difficulty to foreigners. The descriptions of the sounds are not supposed to prescribe the only correct way to utter the sounds, but to offer the foreigner a recipe, which if followed will enable him to produce the sounds correctly. r 218236 English Pronunciation CONSONANTS Consonants are formed by a stoppage of the breath in some part of the mouth. The stoppage may be complete as in p, t, k, b, d, g, in which case the air escapes with an explosive sound when the mouth is suddenly opened; or it may be incomplete, as in s, sh, z, f, v, 1, r, th, in which case the air rubs against the sides of the narrow channel, issuing from the mouth with audible friction. In the case of m, n, ng, the mouth is completely blocked and the air escapes through the nose. th ; two sounds as in thin, this Articulation. Place the tongue between the teeth, the upper edge of the tongue resting against the inner edges of the upper front teeth. In teaching foreigners it may be necessary to protrude the tongue visibly. For th in thin the vocal cords do not vibrate; they vibrate for th in this. Probable mistakes. For th in thin may be used : s, t, or f ; for th in this : z, d, v. All nationalities except Greek will have difficulty with th. FIG. 2. Diagram to show the position of the tongue in the formation of th. li as in hat Articulation, h is merely breath, modified by the shape of the mouth for the utterance of the following vowel. The vocal chords do not vibrate. Probable mistakes, h may be omitted entirely. Sometimes when foreigners have learned to use h, they use it where it does not belong, pronouncing, for example, both air and hair alike, as hair. Spanish, Italians, Portuguese have difficulty with h. for Foreigners 5 f as in fat, cough, telephone Articulation. Place the upper teeth against the lower lip and let the air escape through the openings of the teeth. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless v. Probable mistakes, h may be substituted. Japanese have difficulty with f. ^~ f ~~ r " v as in vine Articulation. Place the upper teeth against the lower lip and let the air escape through the openings of the teeth. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced v. Probable mistakes. For v may be substituted w, or a b-like sound made by bringing the lips close together, without completely closing them. For final v, f is often used. Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese have trouble with v; most nationalities use the voiceless form f instead of final v. p as in pat Articulation. Close the lips completely, then open them suddenly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless b. Probable mistakes. Initial p may be exploded without the little puff of breath following, customary in American speech, so that the sound is heard by us as b ; final p may be unexploded and will seem to us to have been omitted. Spanish, Italians, Portuguese, Japanese omit the puff of breath after the explosion ; Chinese omit the final explosion. b as in lit Articulation. Close the lips completely, then open them suddenly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced p. Probable mistakes. For b may be used a v-like sound, made by bringing the lips close together without actual contact; for final b is sometimes used p. Final b is sometimes not exploded. Spanish, Portuguese sometimes do not make the complete contact for b; Chinese do not explode final b; and most nationalities, very noticeably Scandinavians, Chinese use p instead of final b. b English Pronunciation t as in tin, passed Articulation. Block the mouth by placing the front edge of the tongue against the gums back of the teeth; then drop the tongue sud denly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless d. Probable mistakes. The tongue may be placed against the teeth, or even between them, and the air so slightly exploded that the sound resembles t-th in the phrase not think; or there may be no puff of breath following the explosion which is customary in English in initial t, so that it sounds to our ears like d ; or final t may be unexploded, so that it seems to us to have been omitted. Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Slavs, Japanese have difficulty with English t ; Chinese do not explode final t. Articulation. Block the mouth by placing the front edge of the tongue against the gums back of the teeth; then drop the tongue sud denly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced t. Probable mistakes. The tongue may be placed against the teeth or even between them, and the air so lightly exploded that the sound resembles d-dh in the phrase read this; sometimes the pressure of the tongue against the teeth is so slight that there is no explosion and the sound is much like English th in bathe; if final, t is often substituted for d, or there may be no explosion so -that the sound seems to us to have been omitted altogether. Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Greeks, Slavs, Japanese form d dif ferently from English; Spanish and Portuguese will use a sound resembling th except when initial ; Chinese do not explode final d, and most nationalities have the tendency to use t for final d. k as in kite, cat, quite Articulation. Raise the back of the tongue against the soft palate, completely blocking the mouth; then drop the tongue suddenly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless g. Probable mistakes. If initial k is uttered without the little puff of breath following to which we are accustomed, the sound will seem to our ears like g in go. If the tongue is not dropped in final k, so that there is no explosion, the sound seems to us to have been omitted. Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, French omit the puff of breath after the explosion in initial k ; Chinese do not explode final k. for Foreigners g as in go Articulation. Raise the bacFof tlfe tongue against the soft palate, completely blocking the mouth, then drop the tongue suddenly, so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced k. Probable mistakes. If the tongue does not form an actual contact with the soft palate there can be no explosion, but instead a rough kind of sound for which English has nothing corresponding. For final g is sometimes used k, sometimes ng, or k preceded by ng. Spanish, Portuguese, Greeks pronounce g without making the com plete closure; Chinese and Japanese have the tendency to use ng or ng-k when g is final. Thus "bag" sounds like "bang" or "bank." Most non-English speaking nationalities use k instead of final g. ng as in sing, sink Articulation. Raise the back of the tongue against the soft palate, completely blocking the mouth, and send the breath out through the nose. The vocal chords vibrate. It is the same articulation as for g, except that the breath, instead of escaping from the mouth with an explosion, comes out gently through the nose. Probable mistakes, n is sometimes substituted for ng; sometimes n or ng, followed by g or k. Sing may be pronounced sin, sin-g, sing-g or sing-k. Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Slavs, Scandinavians often make this mistake. Note: Because the sound is represented in English by two letters, ng, people sometimes think that the sound itself has two parts and they talk of "leaving off the g." But saying doin for doing is not leaving off the g; it is simply using n instead of ng, just as the child who says "det" for "get" is using d instead of g. K. g FIG. 3. Diagrams to show the difference in the articulation of ng and k, g. English Pronunciation w as in wet Articulation. Round the lips and raise the tongue as for u in truth but bring the lips so closely together that the air in passing through rubs against them audibly. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced wh. Probable mistakes, v as in vine may be used ; or w may be formed with the lips straight instead of rounded. This gives a v-like sound. Slavs, Italians, Spanish, Portuguese, Scandinavians have difficulty with w ; Japanese find it difficult in such words as woo, wood, woman. wh as in whet Articulation. Eound the lips and raise the tongue as for u in truth but bring the lips so close together that the air in passing through rubs against them audibly. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless w. Probable mistakes, w is used instead of wh, and any mistake that is made for w will be repeated for wh. All foreigners have difficulty with wh. Since in England best usage prescribes w, not wh, it seems useless to insist that the foreigner learn this sound, if he finds it very difficult. 1 as in let Articulation. Place the tip of the slightly concave tongue against the gums back of the teeth in such a way as to block the front of the mouth, leaving the sides of the tongue free, over which the air issues. The vocal chords vibrate. Probable mistakes. 1 is sometimes omitted ; w or r may be substitu ted for it. European 1 differs from the American sound chiefly in the shape of the tongue, which is convex for European and concave for American 1. For American 1 also the tongue is applied a little father back than for European 1. Unless 1 is final, this difference in quality is not very noticeable. Japanese have serious difficulty with 1. The Chinese have_a sound which has some resemblance to 1, which they use for both 1 and r., Europeans will use their own 1, which when final will give the word a foreign sound. r as in rose Articulation. Place the sides of the tongue against the upper back teeth, raising the tip of the tongue toward, but not touching the gums back of the front teeth. The lips are parted but not rounded. The vocal chords vibrate. Probable mistakes. Most Europeans trill r, either with the tongue tip against the teeth, or with the tip of the soft palate against the back of the tongue. Orientals confuse r with 1. for Foreigners 9 All Continental Europeans find r difficult; Japanese and Chinese_ confuse it with 1 and find it very difficult. The Japanese have a sound somewhat resembling r which they use for both 1 and r. Note: Since many careful speakers omit final r or r followed by a consonant, as in bar, barn, it seems unnecessary to insist that foreigners make the effort to use the final r. Teachers should guard against the tendency to teach initial r like the syllable er in father ; it gives a rough, unnecessarily unmusical sound. FIG. 4. These palatograms show the difference between the articulation of 1 and r. The darkened portion shows where the tongue touches the palate in forming the sounds. It is clear that for 1 the tongue touches only in the middle behind the front teeth, while the air issues over the sides ; for r the tongue touches only at the sides by the back teeth while the air issues over the tongue tip. s as in sit, ice, scene Articulation. Bring the sides of the tongue into contact with the upper side teeth so that in the middle a rill is formed through which the air passes in a narrow stream, striking against the partly closed teeth. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless z. Probable mistakes, s and sh are sometimes confused with each other. Chinese and Japanese have difficulty with s, especially with the. vowels in see, sip. Note : Lisping is a defect common to all nationalities. z as in zebra, rose, has, bridges Articulation. Bring the sides of the tongue into contact with the upper side teeth so that in the middle a rill is formed through which the air passes in a narrow stream, striking against the partly closed teeth. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiced s. Probable mistakes, s may be used, especially when final. 10 English Pronunciation Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Japanese, Chinese have no z sound^ most foreigners use s instead of z at the end of a word; "raise" sounds like "race," "phase" like "face," etc. sh as in she, ocean, nation, sure Articulation. Bring the sides of the tongue into contact with the upper side teeth, but not so far forward as for s, so that a broader groove is formed; draw back the tongue slightly so that the stream of breath is directed to a lower point than for s; the lips are somewhat protruded. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless zh. Probable mistakes. For sh may be used ch or s. Spanish T -Japanpae^!hinese have difficulty with sh. zh as in azure, vision Articulation. Bring the sides of the tongue into contact with the upper side teeth, but not so far forward as for z, so that a broader groove is formed; draw back the tongue slightly so that the stream of breath is directed to a lower point than for z; the lips are somewhat protruded. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced sh. Probable mistakes. For zh may be used j or sh. Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Scandinavians may have difficulty with this sound. S Sb. zb FIG. 5. These palatograms show the difference in articulation between s, z, and sh, zh. The darkened portion shows where the tongue touches the palate when form ing the sounds. It is clear that the sides of the tongue touch much less surface for sh than for s, and the channel through which the air passes is much broader. This broader channel with the added resonating space given by the projecting lips, explains why sh is not as sharp and clear as s. ch as in chin, match Articulation. Place the front edge of the tongue against the gums back of the teeth as for t, but explode the t by dropping the tongue for Foreigners 11 into the position for sh. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voice less j. Probable mistakes, sh may be used for ch, t at the beginning being omitted. Japanese often fail to make the initial explosion sharp enough for English usage. Portuguese use sh for ch. j as in just, gem, ridge Articulation. Place the front edge of the tongue against the gums back of the teeth as for d, but explode the d by dropping the tongue into the position for zh as in azure. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced ch. Probable mistakes, ch may be used for j, especially when final. Spanish and Portuguese often find j difficult; most nationalities use ch for j when final. Ridge sounds like "rich," "badge" like "batch." VOWELS In the formation of vowels the lips, teeth and tongue do not form obstructions which impede the breath as it issues from the mouth, as in the case of consonants; they merely shape the mouth cavity which acts as a resonating chamber for speech sound. The quality or color of the vowel is determined largely by the shape of this resonating chamber. It is not as easy to demonstrate the articulation of vowels as of consonants, since their quality depends to a great extent on the activity of the tongue inside of the mouth. So we shall have to depend chiefly upon imitation in teaching vowels. Attention to the following points will help the foreigner to pronounce English vowels correctly : 1. The shape and tenseness of the lips. 2. The length or duration of the sound. 3. The breaking of the longer vowels into diphthongs. 1. The lips may be open wide (a in father) ; partly open (a in cat) ; almost closed (i in bit) ; spread (i in machine) ; rounded (u in rule). They may be tense (i in machine) ; or loose (i in bit). In general the tongue has the same degree of tenseness as the lips and for each lip shape there is a certain tongue movement which habitually accompanies it ; so that watching the lips may give a clue to the activity of the tongue. 2. The length of a vowel will depend on whether it is in a stressed or unstressed syllable ; the vowel a is longer in art than in artistic. Com pare vowel lengths of i in dip and diploma ; of o in or and ornate. 318236 12 English Pronunciation The length of a vowel will depend on whether it is followed by an unstressed syllable; compare the vowel length in bit and bitter, car and carnage, stock and stocking, sun and sunny. The length of a vowel will depend on the following sound. It is longest if final, as in bee, day, toe ; or if followed by a voiced consonant, as in bead, dame, toad. It is not so long if followed by a voiceless consonant, as in beat, date, toast. Compare also: bid, bit; cub, cup; bed, bet. 3. In English when a vowel, on account of its position in the word, is long, as in bee, day, toe, too, our tendency is to break it up into a diphthong; that is, the lips change their shape and the tongue glides from one position to another during the articulation of the same sound. This is especially noticeable in day and toe ; when we utter the vowel in day, the tongue moves from the position of e in bed to i in bid; for the vowel in toe, the tongue moves from the position of the vowel o in obey to that in too. For the vowels in bee, too, the tongue becomes tenser and the lips close slightly toward the end of the sound. This change in quality can be shown to the foreigner by calling his attention to the changing shape of the lips, and before the mirror he can learn to utter the vowel in the same unstable way. In languages other than English, vowels are not only generally pro nounced much shorter than ours, but they are pure ; that is, the tongue remains in the same position for the entire duration of the sound. Such words as coat, shoe, nose, when pronounced by foreigners, sound un finished to our ears, not only because they are short, but because of their unchanging quality. A result of our unphonetic spelling is that we often fail to hear sounds as they really are ; we do not recognize that the two vowels in ship and sheep, for instance, have somewhat the same relation to each other as light and dark shades of the same color. The same articulation, with the muscles of tongue and lips tense, gives the vowel in sheep ; with the muscles relaxed, the vowel in ship. These two vowels are really two shades of the same sound. Thus the vowels in mate and met belong together; in loss and law; in pull and pool ; and if the foreigner lacks one of the pair in his native tongue, he can produce the other* either by relaxing or tensing his tongue, as the case may be. By showing the pupils how the lips relax while going from ee to i, in sheep and ship, the teacher may help the pupil to the right utterance of ship, for when the lips relax, the tongue relaxes also. There are a few vowels that are peculiar to English, not occurring in other languages. For them the foreigner will use the native vowel that seems to him most similar. Sometimes it will be an entirely for Foreigners 13 different vowel, as when he pronounces come like calm; sometimes it is only a tense form of a lax vowel, as when he pronounces ship like sheep. Sometimes, it should be remembered, what seems to our ears like a strange vowel is merely a too short or too pure form of our own sound, as when sheep sounds to us like ship. The vowel in come, cup, touch, blood Articulation. Open the lips wide enough to admit the tip of the little finger between the teeth; place the tongue tip against the lower teeth and raise slightly the part of the tongue back of the middle. Probable mistakes. For this vowel will be used the a in father, in which case the mouth opening is too wide and the elevated part of the tongue is in the middle ; or a vowel similar to the o in loss, for which the lips are slightly rounded and the elevated part of the tongue is farther back than for the vowel in cup. All nationalities have difficulty with this vowel. The vowel in burn, word, bird, berth, heard, journey Articulation. Contract the corners of the lips tensely, open the lips wide enough to admit the little finger between the teeth ; pull the tongue tip just back of the edges of the upper teeth and raise tensely the part of the tongue back of the middle. This is very similar to the vowel in cup, except that it is tenser. It is always followed by r. Probable mistakes. Sometimes instead of burn a word is used that sounds something like barn ; that is, the mouth is too wide open and the tongue too flat ; or the word may sound something like born, the lips being rounded and the back of the tongue raised. As most foreigners find r difficult, some of the trouble that they have with this vowel is due to the following r. All nationalities will have difficulty with this sound; Chinese and Scandinavians will, however, replace the vowel by one of their own which bears considerable resemblance to it. The vowel in all, awe, cough, water, broad, lord Articulation. Round the lips slightly, drawing them together at the corners ; open the lips wide enough to permit the insertion of the thumb between the teeth; draw the tongue back so that the tip rests against the gums of the lower teeth, and raise the back of the tongue rather tensely. This is similar to the vowel in loss, but tenser. Probable mistakes. Sometimes the lax o sound, similar to the vowel in loss, is used in these words, sometimes the vowel in father. Most foreigners pronounce this sound more or less imperfectly. 14 English Pronunciation The vowel in cat Articulation. Open the lips so as to take the middle finger well in, contracting slightly the lip corners; place the tongue tip against the roots of the lower teeth and raise slightly the part of the tongue in front of the middle. Probable mistakes. The foreigner will use either the a in father or e in met. All foreigners have more or less trouble with this vowel. The vowel in stone, coat, mould, sew, foe Articulation. Round the lips, with the corners closely drawn together; drop the tip of the tongue and draw it away from the lower teeth, raising the back toward the soft palate. When the vowel is prolonged it becomes diphthongal, closing with u as in true. Probable mistakes. The foreigner will use his own o sound, similar to o in loss ; the vowel will be too short and pure. Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Slavs, Japanese, Chinese will have difficulty with o. The vowel in ship, Imsy, women Articulation. Relax the lips, stretch them slightly as for a smile; open them wide enough to admit the tip of the little finger between the teeth. Place the tongue tip against the lower front teeth and raise the front of the tongue quite close to the hard palate. The same articula tion with tongue and lips tense will give the vowel in ~bead, seed, piece, key. Probable mistakes. The tense vowel as in sheep may be used. The vowel will be too short. Spanish, Portuguese, Slavs, Japanese, Chinese may have difficulty with this sound. The vowel in put, book, could, wolf Articulation. Relax the lips, round them and bring them very close together, so that the teeth are almost closed; pull back the tongue and raise the back part of the tongue near to the soft palate. The same articulation with tongue and lips tense and closer will give the vowel in truth, cool, shoe, move, fruit. Probable mistakes. The tense vowel as in cool may be used; the vowel may be too short. The lips may be straight, instead of rounded, and the vowel will sound very unlike the English sound. Spanish, Italians, Slavs will use the tense vowel as in cool ; Japanese will use the unrounded vowel, both for sound in book and in cool. for Foreigners 15 DIPHTHONGS The vowel sounds in my, ice; house, cow; boy, noise; muse, few are diphthongs, composed of two distinct sounds which melt into each other and give the impression of one vowel. SPECIAL DIFFICULTIES DUE TO NATIVE SPEECH Although the people of each different nationality have their own peculiar difficulties with English pronunciation, there are some diffi culties common to all. The habit of diphthongization of prolonged vowels, as in day, see, two ; the varying vowel length, as in bead, beading, beside; the marked difference between stressed and unstressed syllables and the peculiar way we have of obscuring the vowel in an unstressed syllable, as in sofa, breakfast ; these are characteristic English traits. In the following pages attention is called to the most striking differ ences between the pronunciation of English and some of the languages spoken by foreign nationalities largely represented in California. The teacher can often help the pupil to avoid mistakes in pronunciation if she knows what mistakes he is likely to make because of his national speech habits, for some English sounds are difficult to foreigners of one nationality and not to another. Italian Italians help out their own language with gestures; this is especially true of South Italians who find a foreign language particularly diffi cult. They have the habit also of suppressing unstressed syllables, which they carry over into English; so that the Italian says "pens" instead of "pencil," "win" instead of "window"; he is much more likely to fail to hear the unstressed syllable because it is much lighter than in his own language. "Words end in vowels, except a few in 1, r, or n; therefore Italians find it hard to pronounce English words ending in a consonant. Sounds difficult for the Italian : Consonants: th, wh, h, t, d, 1, r, ng (final), w (initial). Vowels : in cat, put, cup, burn, made, mode, all. Spanish The Spanish use their lips very energetically and their tongues rather sluggishly; the Americans articulate more with the tongue and less with the lips. Spanish stress is very even and falls almost always on the last or next to the last syllable. 16 English Pronunciation Words generally end in vowels and therefore the Spanish find it hard to pronounce an English word ending in a consonant. Sounds difficult for the Spanish: Consonants : th, wh, h, v, 1, r, t, d, b, g ; ng when not followed by k. Vowels : in cat, put, cup, burn, all, mode. The difficulties of Portuguese and Greeks are in general those of the Spanish. Scandinavian While Danish, Swedish and Norwegian are slightly different lan guages, Scandinavians have in general the same difficulties in English pronunciation. Final consonants have the tendency to become voice less; thus bed and bet, raise and race sound alike. Sounds difficult for Scandinavians : Consonants : th, w, wh, z, j, r, ng, t, d. Vowels : in cat, made, mode, cup, burn, all, put. Slavs While Russian, Polish, Czecho-Slovak are distinctly different lan guages, Slavs have in general the same difficulties in English pronun ciation. One noticeable habit which they have in common is to raise the blade of the tongue to the position for y in yet, when pronouncing consonants followed by the vowels in see or say. To our ears then the sound y seems to be inserted before the vowel ; deep will sound like dyeep. Sounds difficult for Slavs : Consonants : th, t, d, w, wh, ng, r, h. Slavic h is voiced ; r is sharply trilled. Vowels in: cap, pin, made, mode, all, burn, put. Japanese The Japanese move their lips very slightly and form consonants indistinctly; the consonant often changes according to the following vowel, for instance, see becomes she. Stress is so slight that we can scarcely distinguish it. Syllables consist of one consonant followed by a vowel; therefore consonant blends and final consonants are difficult for Japanese. Sounds difficult for Japanese: Consonants: t, d, th, wh, f, v, z, 1, r, ng (unless followed by k), w (in woo, woman, wood), y (in year, yeast). for Foreigners 17 The Japanese have a sound somewhat resembling r which they use in English words spelled either with 1 or r, so that light and right sound alike. They need special ear training to learn to distinguish the two sounds. Blends with 1 are especially difficult. Vowels: in cat, made, mode, all, burn, pin, cup, put. Chinese The Chinese move their lips slightly, and seem to form their sounds in the back of the mouth. The voice rises and falls, not to aid in the expression of thought, as in English, but to change the meaning of individual words. They have few difficulties with English pronuncia tion, but those few are very difficult to overcome. Final p, b, t, d, k, g are not exploded ; final b, d, g become unvoiced and sound to our ears like p, t, k, respectively. If final g is not unvoiced it is replaced by ng, or ng followed by k ; thus frag will sound like bang or bank. Sounds difficult for Chinese : Consonants : th, wh, g, v, 1, r ; final p, b, t, d, g, k, z ; s or sh according to the dialect spoken. Chinese have a consonant somewhat resembling 1, which they use in English words spelled either with r or 1, so that light and right will sound alike. They need special ear training to learn to distinguish the_ two sounds. Vowels: in cat, mode, all, made, burn. EXERCISES FOR ARTICULATION There are two groups of exercises. Those for little children are presented in the form of games ; in them it is planned to make use of the child s love of babble, through which he developed his ability to utter the sounds of his native language. In the second group will be found alliterative sentences for the use of older children and adults. Many of these sentences may be used in connection with vocabulary building, as they may be accompanied by pantomime. It is not expected that all the exercises, or any entire exercise, will be used for a class; but a variety of drills on each sound is offered in the hope that each teacher may find something to meet the needs of her particular class. For instance, the Chinese will need drill for final p, and the Japanese for f , but not final p ; Italians have no difficulty with final p nor f, but can not pronounce h, which gives no difficulty to either Chinese or Japanese. Mirrors should be used with all the articulation drills, even for the younger children. 18 English Pronunciation EXERCISES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN th Drum game. To interest the children in the sound, use a drum ; as you beat it, say that the drum says : thump, thump, thump, etc. Show the children how you make the sound ; even little children are interested in seeing their tongues in a mirror. When the child has succeeded in forming the sound correctly, let him beat the drum, saying meanwhile with you : thump, thump, etc. Repeat the th rhythm, with music if you have a piano, the children beating imaginary drums. See page 28. Thumb game. A finger play. See page 28. This is not the same game as "Simon says" etc. The object is the correct utterance of the sounds and the association of the words with their meaning. Let the child who can pronounce the words well act as leader. The words: thumb, up, down should be accompanied by effective motions. Note: In the devising of games for articulation drills, most valuable aid was given by Miss Nina Kenagy, of the San Francisco State Teach ers College, and Miss Evlyn Chastene of Oakland. Monkey game. A monkey is a fascinating object to children and a toy monkey will do wonders in loosening tongues. For articulation purposes we will suppose that monkey chatter contains many th sounds, and we will have the monkey talk to the children using nonsense sylla bles with the simple vowels a, e, i, o, u. Let the monkey call on each child, chattering monkey talk, while the child is encouraged to answer back in kind. There will ensue a dialogue something like this : Monkey: Th*, tha, tha, the. Child: The, the, the, tho, etc. Tha, the, tho, thum; This is my hand, And this is my thumb. Outh, ath, ith, eeth; This is my mouth, And these are my teeth. All nationalities need th drills. h Blowing exercise: Blow against the hand, audibly. Laughing exercise : Ha, ha, ha, ha ! He, he, he, he! Ho, ho, ho, ho! Ha, ha, ha, hoo, hoo, hoo ! I have two hands, So have you. for Foreigners 19 Ha, ha, ha, hi, hi, hi ! You have one head, So have I. Ha, Ha, Ha, he, he, he ! She has brown hair, So has he, etc., etc. Italians, Portuguese, Spanish. Blowing exercise: With upper teeth placed on lower lip, hold a slip of paper before the mouth and utter: fa, fa, fa, fa! fe, fe, fe, fe ! fo, fo, fo, fo ! etc. For Valentine Day : Vo, vo, vo ; vee, vee, vee ! Valentines for you and me ! Imitation of aeroplane: Voo, voo, voo, etc. f exercise needed by Japanese ; v exercise for Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese. p, b Imitation of the sheep: Baa, baa, baa. Imitation of the dog: Bow, wow, bow, wow. Imitation of the bird or chicken : Peep, peep, peep. Initial b : Spanish, Portuguese ; final b : Chinese. Initial p : Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Slavs ; final p : Chinese. t, d Imitation of the shoemaker or hammer : Rat-a-tat-tat. Imitation of the rain: Pit-pat, pit-pat. Imitation of the horn: Toot, toot, toot. Imitation of the horse : Trot, trot, trot. These should be spoken slowly so that final t is sharply articulated. Initial t: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Slav, Japanese; final t : Chinese. d: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Slav, Japanese; final d: Chinese. Imitation of the hen : Cluck, cluck, cluck. Imitation of the dove : Coo, coo, coo. Imitation of the duck: Quack, quack, quack. Imitation of the automobile : Chug, chug, chug. Imitation of the tiger : Gurr, gurr, gurr. Initial k : Spanish, Italian, Portuguese ; final k : Chinese. Initial g: Spanish, Portuguese, Greek; final g: Chinese, Japanese. ng Ding, dong, ding, dong, Ding dong bell, (ng to be held so that it dies away gradually) Italians, Spanish, Portuguese, Slavs. 20 English Pronunciation wh, w Imitation of the wind: Woo, woo, woo. Imitation of the dog: Bow wow, bow, wow. Imitation of the little pig: Wee, wee, wee. Driving the horse : Whoa, whoa, wh : all nationalities, w : Slavs, though occasionally other nationalities need help with w. i la, la, la, la, le, le, etc., used as the chorus of a familiar song. Japanese, Chinese. Imitation of the bird : Chiree, chiree, chiree. Salutation of the flag : Hurrah, hurrah. All nationalities, especially Chinese, Japanese. S, Z Peanut wagon game. Adaptation of "Do you know the Muffin Man?" "Do you know the peanut man, that drives the little cart," with hissing chorus. Imitation of the bee: Zum, zum, zum. Drills to overcome lisping, but may be needed by Chinese and Japanese. sh, zh, (azure) sh, sh, sh, sh. A hushing drill. Chinese often need the drill. ch, j Imitation of train: Choo, choo, choo. Imitation of automobile: Chug, chug, chug. Jumping Jack game: Jumping Jack, jump ! Jump, jump, jump ! Rhythm for jumping rope: Jump, jump, jumpity, jump. The rhythm to be repeated by children, as one jumps the rope. (To avoid the use of ch for j, the words should be articulated gently). Most nationalities have difficulty with final j ; Portuguese with j in all positions. VOWELS Little children seldom need special articulation drills for vowels. They will usually be able to imitate the vowel quite successfully if they hear them distinctly and repeatedly uttered. Attention to the shape and tensity of the lips will help the teacher to understand the child s difficulties. for Foreigners 21 If vowels are too short, the teacher may show by motions of her hand how they are to be prolonged. In cases where drills for vowels seem necessary, the teacher can make use of the animal cries and natural sounds, as in the following examples: Imitation of the hen : cluck, cluck. Imitation of the cat : purr, purr. Imitation of the rain: pit-pat, pit-pat. Imitation of the crow : caw, caw. Laughing exercise : ho, ho, ho. EXERCISES FOR OLDER CHILDREN AND ADULTS th With mirror in hand and tongue carefully placed, practice the articulation of both forms of th with the different vowels, at first not in words but in simple syllables, using the vowels in art, be, day, go, too. Then use them in such common words as these, those, thick, thin. When th is mastered as an initial sound, practice in the same way final th with the vowels as in teeth, tooth, mouth, and then put them into words. Finally use th between vowels as in father, mother, brother. Thump, thoughtful thumb, Thump on your drum! Thump, thump, thump. Thirty thousand thoughtful boys Thought they d make a thundering noise; So with thirty thousand thumbs They thumped on thirty thousand drums. Put your thimble on your thumb. Thread three thin needles. Father and mother are with their other brother. This thief has thirty teeth in his mouth. All nationalities. Let the pupil hold a slip of paper before his lips, which should be blown from them every time h is articulated. Here are his hands, here is his head, here is his hair. Here is his high hat. He has his hat in his hand. Hurry, her husband has hurt his heel. Henry has hidden his hammer behind her .house. Spanish, Italian, Portuguese. 22 English Pronunciation f,v ; -;<! The pupil should use the mirror, to be sure that the upper teeth are resting on the lower lip. Friday Frank fed five fish fish-food. Feel the flag with five fingers. ^ My very best vest of blue velvet. Ben s wife found five very beautiful blue violets. The boy has four felt hats and five fat hens. - We have very few warm woolen vests. Japanese need drill for f ; Japanese and Chinese for v ; Spanish and Portuguese the exercises containing v and b. P ,b Use mirror to be sure that lips are completely closed for b; with paper held before lips, test the explosion of final p, b ; also the little puff of breath which follows initial p before a vowel. Bobby blows beautiful big bubbles. Bounce the big blue ball. Spin the pretty top. Pick up the piece of paper. I baked seven loaves of bread. He bought a very big vest. * Stop at the shop, buy a cap and a top. I can peel the pears and the plums. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. b : Spanish, Portuguese ; they need also drill on words containing b and v. p : Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Slav ; final p, b : Chinese. t, d Test explosion of final t, d by slip of paper held before lips; also the puff of breath to follow t before a vowel. Tom took ten little tops. Two times ten equals twenty. Today is Tuesday. Dick s dinner cost two dimes. The dog stands beside the bed. - Put a red bead on the table. The cat caught a fat rat. The golden poppies are faded already. I have hidden the reader under the desk. t, d: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Slav; final t, d: Chinese. . Test explosion of final consonant by slip of paper held before lips ; also of puff of breath following k before vowel. for Foreigners My coffee is cold ; I can not drink it. The cow gives milk. Walk quickly to the desk and back again. Go and get Maggie s big glass and give it to Gus. Our cook bakes cake and cookies in our kitchen. The cuckoo clock strikes six. The green grass grows in the garden. - The pig ate a big bag of figs. k, g : Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Slav ; final k, g : Chinese ; final g : Japanese. ng Bring me a long, strong piece of string. He is putting a ring on his ring finger. The singer was singing a long, long song. Seeing is believing. Something is crawling along on the ceiling. Slavs, Spanish, Italians, Portuguese, Japanese. W Use mirror to make sure that the lips are closely rounded ; test wh by holding slip of paper before the lips. One by one the women went to work. We will wash and wipe the wet windows with warm water. The worm works its way well into the wood. Where is the whistle which I whittled? I wonder whether the weather will be warm. -- Whistle while you walk. Slavs, Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Japanese, for w; all nationali ties for wh. i Bat the ball against the wall. -rLily lost Lottie s large yellow lemon. ^Light the lamp and learn your lesson. The fly flew from the flower into the flame. Please do not play with the plums on the plate. On the blind man s blanket was a black blot. Class, clap your clean hands, then clasp them. - This book case has twelve shelves. Eleven little beetles crawled into a hole. - I belong to a long-lived family. Chinese, Japanese ; most nationalities for final 1. Note: To prepare for drills for consonant blends with 1, practice first the syllable without the initial consonant: lay, lay, play; lass, lass, class ; lot, lot, blot. 24 English Pronunciation - The robin and the wren ran a race. Raise your right hand and rap on the door. - Father, mother, brother and sister are writing letters. The water that Robert was drinking dripped on her dress. On Friday, Frank and his friend will fry fresh fish. The railroad train runs on the track. I trimmed three trees for Christmas. All nationalities, especially Chinese, Japanese. Note: To prepare for drills for consonant blends with r, practice first the syllable without the initial consonant: rink, rink, drink; rain, rain, train. S, Z I saw the sun set this evening at half past six. Strawberries are sweet in summer. Sam Smith has six small sisters. One Sunday in summer I saw seven sisters swimming in the sea. He struck the horse with a strong strap. Boys, take your pencils in your hands and close your eyes. Chinese, Japanese; most nationalities have the tendency to use s for final z, making eyes sound like ice, etc. sh, zh, as in azure + She has sharp shears. Show me your shoes. She sees the ship sailing on the sea. She bought shirts and shoes at a shop. Across the ocean are many great nations. Treasures beyond measure lie buried in the azure ocean. Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Scandinavians. ch, j The child has chalk on his chin. Scratch the match on a chair. Chickens are cheap in China. This is my cheek and this is my chin. John has a job on the bridge. In June Julia will take a long journey. Jane made a jar of jam and a jar of jelly. Japanese for ch ; Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, for j ; all nationali ties have the tendency to use ch for final j, ridge sounding like rich, etc. Note: If j is uttered with much force, it tends to become ch, so pupils who have this difficulty should be taught to pronounce the sound gently. It may help to practice this exercise. de, de, de, de. zhe, zhe, zhe, zhe. .ie, je, je, je. for Foreigners 25 VOWELS Vowels are best taught by contrast with familiar sounds. In all languages occur vowels corresponding to those in la, let, leap, loss, loose. In Spanish, Japanese, Czech, there occur only these five vowels. If the foreigner is shown the relation of the new vowels to his native sounds, he can more easily recognize their peculiar quality. Vowels may be arranged in an ascending scale, illustrative of the increasing height of the tongue, and the varying position of the high est point. Diagram 6 shows what part of the tongue is raised and how high it is raised during the utterance of the different English vowels. The location of the vowel in the diagram corresponds roughly to the position of the highest part of the tongue during the articula tion of that vowel. ,A|Alt FIG. 6. Before the mirror, practice these vowels in pairs, careful attention being given to the change of lip shape, which will be accompanied by a corresponding tongue position which can not be so easily seen. Before the mirror, practice these vowels in pairs, careful attention being given to the change of lip shape, which will be accompanied by a corresponding tongue position which can not be so easily seen. calm, come, come, calm. In passing from the first vowel to psalm, some, some, psalm. the second, the lips are more closed, balm, bum, bum, balm. contracted at the corners, the tongue rises in the middle. barn, burn, burn, barn. In passing from first vowel to far, fur, fur, far. second, lips are tensed, contracted star, stir, stir, star. at corner and more closed, tongue is tensed and raised in middle. bud, bird, bird, bud. In passing from first vowel to hut, hurt, hurt, hut. second, lips and tongue tensed; shut, shirt, shirt, shut. lip shape and tongue position almost the same for both. 26 English Pronunciation are, all, all, are. In passing from first vowel to far, fall, fall, far. second, lips are more closed, corner car, call, call, car. of lips contracted, tongue is pulled back and back of tongue raised. bought, boat, boat, bought. In passing from first vowel to caught, coat, coat, caught, second, lips are rounded and more ball, bowl, bowl, ball. closed, tongue is pulled back, and raised higher and farther back. far, fat, fat, far. In passing from first vowel to car, cat, cat, car. second, lips more closed, highest psalm, Sam, Sam, psalm. part of tongue father forward, bed, bad, bad, bed. In passing from first vowel to set, sat, sat, set. second, lips open slightly, elevated men, man, man, men. part of tongue moves forward and lower. sheep, ship, ship, sheep. In passing from first vowel to deep, dip, dip, deep. second, lips and tongue relax; lip deed, did, did, deed. shape and tongue position are almost the same for both. SONGS FOR ARTICULATION DRILLS Songs may be used very effectually as articulation drills. Through the melody and rhythm the exercise loses its "drill" character and the children repeat the syllables with enjoyment. If in connection with the song other muscular activities are devised, such as beating an imaginary drum for number 3, raising and lowering the thumbs for 4, going through the motions of ringing the bell for 7, etc., the management of the tongue will be perceptibly freer. Also if after singing the song once, the children are allowed to run or dance or "fly" about the room, as the case may be, to the accompaniment of the melody of the song, they will sing it much better when they return to their places. The following songs in familiar children s song books are sug gested as good material for articular drills. Baker and Kohlsaat, Songs for Little Children. Abingdon Press. Page Little Chickens 7 Exercise for p. Snow Birds 7 Exercise for t. The Canary 16 Exercise for ch, r. Raindrops 34 Exercise for t, p. Firemen 48 Exercise for ng. Children Playing 57 Exercise for ng. Jones and Barbour, Child Land in Song and Rhythm. Schmidt, Boston. Page Robin Redbreast 15 Exercise for ch, r. Sparrows 16 Exercise for t. Chicks 20 Exercise tor p. The Bells. _ 37 Exercise for ng. for Foreigners 27 Words to the Songs V - th. Little Monkey in the Tree. Little monkey in the tree, This is what he says to me. Tha, tha, tha, the, the, the, Tha, tha, the ! Little monkey shows his teeth. Hear him chatter, eeth, eeth, eeth ! Outh, outh, outh, eeth, eeth, eeth, Outh, outh, eeth ! III - th. Drum Rhythm. Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump. IV - th. Thumbs Up. Thumbs up, thumbs down, Thumbs up, thumbs down, Thumbs up, thumbs down, Thumbs are down. II - s. Song of the Teakettle. The teakettle sits on the stove, s-s, And sings a gay little song, s-s, S S-S-S-, S S-S-S-, S , S , S. VI - h. All the Children Laugh with Glee. All the children laugh with glee ; Ha, ha, ha, he, he, he ! Open mouths and smiling so, Ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ho ! I - k. Clock Song. The little clock stands on a shelf in its place. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Has little black hands and a little white face, Tick, tock, tick ! VII - ng. Bell Song. Hear the bell ring, ting-a-ling-a-ling ! Ding dong, ding, dong, ting-a-ling-a-ling! Hear the bells ring, ting-a-ling-a-ling ! Ding, dong, ding! VIII - v. Valentine Song. Valentine, valentine, Oh ! My pretty valentine ! Red and blue, yellow too, 28 I English Pronunciation A^. /k ( J? r * J w j r j r i (cr\<2 J y j a j. \YO c c c c r c fc.tr t r f t t T E> . r , y t> y W / Z <7 * * r - /] L 1 ^ f r (O J * C J * J " \U +f T - ;, r (-. r r r P ( "^^ ^ i^ |M , J 4* * ^* & - s r fr ^ I \C / I I r /? IX A J 1 r~ 1~ r* rs^ /L ^ P J I s " I PR ^ ir * * * FA A* ^ * * Stz C C ? C fi ^r f r r r i^ f r ~^- ^""i^ E ; ^ r ^ / M r F - / / r_ / * \c r L F f i/ J 1 _^>. >^ | xl. J ^-^ g!2 x , J ^7 *4r *}-; & . ^ r-p rJ t -. r r B<* IT r ta / , ^= for Foreigners 29 II (S) M S -J a_ 4 J j ttn * T" T r / r ~V 7 r r f *r r P r p i 1 1 \ 2. M r r 1 p \ * 1 < - ^ <5| | P~^ ^~ J * 3 1^ s cuu t 10 2 A-+sv^*yi o. IT" T f f c "i s ~ ._ l: L^ C * fe K p A fr _k P * j r P / 1 1 r x^ _ p 1 1 1 ^ C*D it.-* -33 c^*^ y s. T" T" s- s- s- "i*" ~f~ s- f f s- S- S- CE r r r fe P J* -H i S v ^ r E f P r 1 ^ V 30 III (H) English Pronunciation =3 JX * . J i 3 Tvu** \ Hm I J J- ifc Tt^AA^v^U}^ t T ~3~ /^V-V^^vVJ . /-KA-<^>^V K> / a for Foreigners III Continued. 31 l(^A^^H^v^v ( H^ f F ipi K If 32 V English Pronunciation * j- j j ? f3 r ^f f ^W j j- 3"T @ i f I f P^ 33 te 5 TT /ft)* J . i J J *-f Kir ^ * I J A J tf (9 CLJB^V. YWc . T- -r \. y A^Uv^Xvvx^a AO 4 -fr- -f ^> , p r r U m. -/ b VN p m -r ^ r ^ / fc ^ L r \ /- T" E /Lv-i , / r & J -r ^r tt b it /-* | < K \3J ~ . j i j rfcc . >^a. . 1 A Lx! l^i.1 ^o! - L -f~ ^ r- ^ L f^* " 1* E| P ^^ fefcEsza W T- i ~x"* / V* , w 1 I ^^ - 1 -. 34 English Pronunciation VII fy\ r t ) /Vl* \ \ I * 9 J " d J5Z3 * J <* ^ i ll/ / * i *L *r *f ^i ^^\^ -r ~f f" f: ^ r lr^ *^" P c r w^5 - A. - K^V^O T b m fv^-/ ^ f B j* ^f* *-* r r r A m r t s u / b & ^ 1 r , -T r L F ^ /> T h ^ r IV f y i i i J J /K J 1 / J ^ * J ; cA c n ^ ^ J Mlv ^j* j * Sg c c C g r > J^ (Qvv ^-^" v l- T 1 _> ^ r * ^ 2 t 1 u r> * * i * ip s v 4 SI B r r / u PR I h V - 1 n i -K X J J < r J V j*" j /L * 1 / J ^ 4^ r"vt O - ^ J J C? SZ ff - i *i **F* ^i* ^*i* 3^* T f" f" -f" G^p- ( r"" ^ ^N ^ ^P 1 * *L r u ^ / r li x r r i r r" i A / r /r L p ^ F / r f I \ i J A \ i o *yf f f} ^ y J J ^^ < /-^ VL- *f ^ *i ^1 ^^ f f -^ C\* P ~* f +* V r c r c ^1- / / r r ^ - X Foreigners 35 VIII O-V^* , >J i f 5 2 F=^f ? ^ Pi f 3E i= ^^ o p r P I V^ ig- f Kh* d ,i =s ^~ *^ W P P -^g *l^ f^ ^ ==: P^ P P /* JujLA. V^ -Y P r V<3UJCO^- A/v~^v^^. R p (H tt f p r P p~> p ^d . * U-.-HP- r ^ p 18236 4-22 2500 . LIBRARY OF EDUCATl RSITY OF CAUFORNL BERKELEY. CALIFORNIA, ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION FOR FOREIGNERS SARAH T. BARROWS State Teachers College, San Francisco, California "OCUJsEHTS DEPARTMENT x t Published by THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION OF CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF IMMIGRANT EDUCATION / Music by Mrs. Mary McCauley Drawings by Miss Olive Johnson Both of State Teachers College, San Francisco CALIFORNIA STATE PRINTING OFFICE FRANK J. SMITH, Superintendent SACRAMENTO. 1924 FIGURE 1. 1. Nasal cavity. 2. Alveole. 3. Hard palate. 1. Soft palate. 5. Uvula. 6. Epiglottis. 7. Larynx. 8. Vocal chords. INTRODUCTION The foreigner finds English pronunciation difficult because he has acquired, through years of speaking his native tongue, not only fixed habits of using his organs of speech, but habits of hearing speech sounds. When he hears a new sound he tries to recognize in it one of his own sounds. Thus he says "dis" for "this" because to his ears they sound alike. It is important therefore that the pupil hear the English words correctly ; and the teacher may help him to do this if she will show him the movements of the lips and tongue that produce the sound, for our eyes are better trained than our ears to distinguish differences. The pupil will hear the sounds more accurately, the more closely to his ear they are pronounced. If words containing difficult sounds are not taught until the sounds themselves have been mastered, the task of learning to pronounce the words will be easier. The pupil should also have the opportunity of hearing each word pronounced accurately and distinctly many times before he attempts to utter it himself; and the teacher should guard against the impulse to repeat the pupil s mistakes, lest she strengthen him in his wrong habits. The teacher will need to analyze very carefully each word to ascertain just what sounds actually are contained in it, for English spelling is often misleading rather than helpful in the determination of correct pronunciation. Thus the pronunciation of "handkerchief" according to its spelling leads to error; a better spelling would be "hangker- chif." "Roses" and "doses" look more alike than they sound; as do war and far, fury and bury, rough and cough. The teacher will find a study of her own speech organs and their movements during speech very helpful. With mirror in hand she should observe carefully how she forms each speech sound; and by watching her pupil s lips she can often discover the mechanical reason for his mispronunciations. In the following study of English sounds are included only those which offer difficulty to foreigners. The descriptions of the sounds are not supposed to prescribe the only correct way to utter the sounds, but to offer the foreigner a recipe, which if followed will enable him to produce the sounds correctly. 233707 English Pronunciation CONSONANTS Consonants are formed by a stoppage of the breath in some part of the mouth. The stoppage may be complete as in p, t, k, b, d, g, in which case the air escapes with an explosive sound when the mouth is suddenly opened ; or it may be incomplete, as in s, sh, z, f , v, 1, r, th, in which case the air rubs against the sides of the narrow channel, issuing from the mouth with audible friction. In the case of m, n, ng, the mouth is completely blocked and the air escapes through the nose. th; two sounds as in thin, this Articulation. Place the tongue between the teeth, the upper edge of the tongue resting against the inner edges of the upper front teeth. In teaching foreigners it may be necessary to protrude the tongue visibly. For th in thin the vocal cords do not vibrate; they vibrate for th in this. Probable mistakes. For th in thin may be used: s, t, or f ; for th in this : z, d, v. All nationalities except Greek will have difficulty with th. FIG. 2. Diagram to show the position of the tongue in the formation of th. h as in hat Articulation, h is merely breath, modified by the shape of the mouth for the utterance of the following vowel. The vocal chords do not vibrate. Probable mistakes, h may be omitted entirely. Sometimes when foreigners have learned to use h, they use it where it does not belong, pronouncing, for example, both air and hair alike, as hair. Spanish, Italians, Portuguese have difficulty with h. for Foreigners 5 f as in fat, cough, telephone Articulation. Place the upper teeth against the lower lip and let the air escape through the openings of the teeth. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless v. Probable mistakes, h may be substituted. Japanese have difficulty with f. v as in vine Articulation. Place the upper teeth against the lower lip and let the air escape through the openings of the teeth. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced v. Probable mistakes. For v may be substituted w, or a b-like sound made by bringing the lips close together, without completely closing them. For final v, f is often used. Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese have trouble with v; most nationalities use the voiceless form f instead of final v. p as in pat Articulation. Close the lips completely, then open them suddenly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless b. Probable mistakes. Initial p may be exploded without the little puff of breath following, customary in American speech, so that the sound is heard by us as b ; final p may be unexplored and will seem to us to have been omitted. Spanish, Italians, Portuguese, Japanese omit the puff of breath after the explosion ; Chinese omit the final explosion. b as in ~bit Articulation. Close the lips completely, then open them suddenly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced p. Probable mistakes. For b may be used a v-like sound, made by bringing the lips close together without actual contact; for final b is sometimes used p. Final b is sometimes not exploded. Spanish, Portuguese sometimes do not make the complete contact for b; Chinese do not explode final b; and most nationalities, very noticeably Scandinavians, Chinese use p instead of final b. rronuncianon t as in tin, passed Articulation. Block the mouth by placing the front edge of the tongue against the gums back of the teeth; then drop the tongue sud denly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless d. Probable mistakes. The tongue may be placed against the teeth, or even between them, and the air so slightly exploded that the sound resembles t-th in the phrase not think; or there may be no puff of breath following the explosion which is customary in English in initial t, so that it sounds to our ears like d ; or final t may be unexploded, so that it seems to us to have been omitted. Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Slavs, Japanese have difficulty with English t ; Chinese do not explode final t. d as in do Articulation. Block the mouth by placing the front edge of the tongue against the gums back of the teeth; then drop the tongue sud denly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced t. Probable mistakes. The tongue may be placed against the teeth or even between them, and the air so lightly exploded that the sound resembles d-dh in the phrase read this; sometimes the pressure of the tongue against the teeth is so slight that there is no explosion and the sound is much like English th in bathe; if final, t is often substituted for d, or there may be no explosion so that the sound seems to us to have been omitted altogether. Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Greeks, Slavs, Japanese form d dif ferently from English; Spanish and Portuguese will use a sound resembling th except when initial; Chinese do not explode final d, and most nationalities have the tendency to use t for final d. k as in kite, cat, quite Articulation. Raise the back of the tongue against the soft palate, completely blocking the mouth ; then drop the tongue suddenly so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless g. Probable mistakes. If initial k is uttered without the little puff of breath following to which we are accustomed, the sound will seem to our ears like g in go. If the tongue is not dropped in final k, so that there is no explosion, the sound seems to us to have been omitted. Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, French omit the puff of breath after the explosion in initial k; Chinese do not explode final k. for Foreigners 7 g as in go Articulation. Raise the back of the tongue against the soft palate, completely blocking the mouth, then drop the tongue suddenly, so that the air escapes with a kind of explosion. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced k. Probable mistakes. If the tongue does not form an actual contact with the soft palate there can be no explosion, but instead a rougli kind of sound for which English has nothing corresponding. For final g is sometimes used k, sometimes ng, or k preceded by ng. Spanish, Portuguese, Greeks pronounce g without making the com plete closure; Chinese and Japanese have the tendency to use ng or ng-k when g is final. Thus bag" sounds like "bang" or "bank." Most non-English speaking nationalities use k instead of final g. ng as in sing, sink Articulation. Raise the back of the tongue against the soft palate, completely blocking the mouth, and send the breath out through the nose. The vocal chords vibrate. It is the same articulation as for g, except that the breath, instead of escaping from the mouth with an explosion, comes out gently through the nose. Probable mistakes, n is sometimes substituted for ng; sometimes n or ng, followed by g or k. Sing may be pronounced sin, sin-g, sing-g or sing-k. Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Slavs, Scandinavians often make this mistake. Note: Because the sound is represented in English by two letters, ng, people sometimes think that the sound itself has two parts and they talk of "leaving off the g." But saying doin for doing is not leaving off the g; it is simply using n instead of ng, just as the child who says "det" for "get" is using d instead of g. Natal FIG. 3. Diagrams to show the difference in the articulation of ng and k, g. 8 English Pronunciation w as in wet Articulation. Round the lips and raise the tongue as for u in truth but bring the lips so closely together that the air in passing through rubs against them audibly. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced wh. Probable mistakes, v as in vine may be used ; or w may be formed with the lips straight instead of rounded. This gives a v-like sound. Slavs, Italians, Spanish, Portuguese, Scandinavians have difficulty with w ; Japanese find it difficult in such words as woo, wood, woman. wh as in whet Articulation. Round the lips and raise the tongue as for u in truth but bring the lips so close together that the air in passing through rubs against them audibly. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless w. Probable mistakes, w is used instead of wh, and any mistake that is made for w will be repeated for wh. All foreigners have difficulty with wh. Since in England best usage prescribes w, not wh, it seems useless to insist that the foreigner learn this sound, if he finds it very difficult. 1 as in let Articulation. Place the tip of the slightly concave tongue against the gums back of the teeth in such a way as to block the front of the mouth, leaving the sides of the tongue free, over which the air issues. The vocal chords vibrate. Probable mistakes. 1 is sometimes omitted ; w or r may be substitu ted for it. European 1 differs from the American sound chiefly in the shape of the tongue, which is convex for European and concave for American 1. For American 1 also the tongue is applied a little father back than for European 1. Unless 1 is final, this difference in quality is not very noticeable. Japanese have serious difficulty with 1. The Chinese have a sound which has some resemblance to 1, which they use for both 1 and r. Europeans will use their own 1, which when final will give the word a foreign sound. r as in rose Articulation. Place the sides of the tongue against the upper back teeth, raising the tip of the tongue toward, but not touching the gums back of the front teeth. The lips are parted but not rounded. The vocal chords vibrate. Probable mistakes. Most Europeans trill r, either with the tongue tip against the teeth, or with the tip of the soft palate against the back of the tongue. Orientals confuse r with 1. for Foreigners 9 All Continental Europeans find r difficult; Japanese and Chinese confuse it with 1 and find it very difficult. The Japanese have a sound somewhat resembling r which they use for both 1 and r. Note: Since many careful speakers omit final r or r followed by a consonant, as in bar, barn, it seems unnecessary to insist that foreigners make the effort to use the final r. Teachers should guard against the tendency to teach initial r like the syllable er in father ; it gives a rough, unnecessarily unmusical sound. FKI. 4. These palatograms show the difference between the articulation of 1 and r. The darkened portion shows where the tongue touches the palate in forming the sounds. It is clear that for 1 the tongue touches only in the middle behind the front teeth, while the air issues over the sides ; for r the tongue touches only at the sides by the back teeth while the air issues over the tongue tip. s as in sit, ice, scene Articulation. Bring the sides of the tongue into contact with the upper side teeth so that in the middle a rill is formed through which the air passes in a narrow stream, striking against the partly closed teeth. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless z. Probable mistakes, s and sh are sometimes confused with each other. Chinese and Japanese have difficulty with s, especially with the vowels in see, sip. Note : Lisping is a defect common to all nationalities. z as in zebra, rose, has, bridges Articulation. Bring the sides of the tongue into contact with the upper side teeth so that in the middle a rill is formed through which the air passes in a narrow stream, striking against the partly closed teeth. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiced s. Probable mistakes, s may be used, especially when final. 10 English Pronunciation Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Japanese, Chinese have no z sound; most foreigners use s instead of z at the end of a word ; like "race," "phase" like "face," etc. sh as in she, ocean, nation, sure Articulation. Bring the sides of the tongue into contact with the upper side teeth, but not so far forward as for s, so that a broader groove is formed; draw back the tongue slightly so that the stream of breath is directed to a lower point than for s ; the lips are somewhat protruded. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voiceless zh. Probable mistakes. For sh may be used ch or s. Spanish, Japanese, Chinese have difficulty with sh. zh as in azure, vision Articulation. Bring the sides of the tongue into contact with the upper side teeth, but not so far forward as for z, so that a broader groove is formed; draw back the tongue slightly so that the stream of breath is directed to a lower point than for z; the lips are somewhat protruded. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced sh. Probable mistakes. For zh may be used j or sh. Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Scandinavians may have difficulty with this sound. FIG. f>. These palatograms show the difference in articulation between s, z, and sh, zh. The darkened portion shows where the tongue touches the palate when form ing the sounds. It is clear that the sides of the tongue touch much less surface for sh than for s, and the channel through which the air passes is much broader. This broader channel with the added resonating space given by the projecting lips, explains why sh is not as sharp and clear as s. ch as in cliin, match Articulation. Place the front edge of the tongue against the gums back of the teeth as for t, but explode the t by dropping the tongue for Foreigners 11 into the position for sh. The vocal chords do not vibrate. A voice less j. Probable mistakes, sh may be used for ch, t at the beginning being omitted. Japanese often fail to make the initial explosion sharp enough for English usage. Portuguese use sh for ch. j as in just, gem, ridge Articulation. Place the front edge of the tongue against the gums back of the teeth as for d, but explode the d by dropping the tongue into the position for zh as in azure. The vocal chords vibrate. A voiced ch. Probable mistakes, ch may be used for j, especially when final. Spanish and Portuguese often find j difficult; most nationalities use ch for j when final. Ridge sounds like "rich," "badge" like "batch." VOWELS In the formation of vowels the lips, teeth and tongue do not form obstructions which impede the breath as it issues from the mouth, as in the case of consonants; they merely shape the mouth cavity which acts as a resonating chamber for speech sound. The quality or color of the vowel is determined largely by the shape of this resonating chamber. It is not as easy to demonstrate the articulation of vowels as of consonants, since their quality depends to a great extent on the activity of the tongue inside of the mouth. So we shall have to depend chiefly upon imitation in teaching vowels. Attention to the following points will help the foreigner to pronounce English vowels correctly : 1. The shape and tenseness of the lips. 2. The length or duration of the sound. 3. The breaking of the longer vowels into diphthongs. 1. The lips may be open wide (a in father) ; partly open (a in cat) ; almost closed (i in bit) ; spread (i in machine) ; rounded (u in rule). They may be tense (i in machine) ; or loose (i in bit). In general the tongue has the same degree of tenseness as tile lips and for each lip shape there is a certain tongue movement which habitually accompanies it ; so that watching the lips may give a clue to the activity of the tongue. 2. The length of a vowel will depend on whether it is in a stressed or unstressed syllable ; the vowel a is longer in art than in artistic. Com pare vowel lengths of i in dip and diploma; of o in or and ornate. 3 33707 12 English Pronunciation The length of a vowel will depend on whether it is followed by an unstressed syllable; compare the vowel length in bit and bitter, car and carnage, stock and stocking, sun and sunny. The length of a vowel will depend on the following sound. It is longest if final, as in bee, day, toe ; or if followed by a voiced consonant, as in bead, dame, toad. It is not so long if followed by a voiceless consonant, as in beat, date, toast. Compare also: bid, bit; cub, cup; bed, bet. 3. In English when a vowel, on account of its position in the word, is long, as in bee, day, toe, too, our tendency is to break it up into a diphthong; that is, the lips change their shape and the tongue glides from one position to another during the articulation of the same sound. This is especially noticeable in day and toe ; when we utter the vowel in day, the tongue moves from the position of e in bed to i in bid; for the vowel in toe, the tongue moves from the position of the vowel o in obey to that in too. For the vowels in bee, too, the tongue becomes tenser and the lips close slightly toward the end of the sound. This change in quality can be shown to the foreigner by calling his attention to the changing shape of the lips, and before the mirror he can learn to utter the vowel in the same unstable way. In languages other than English, vowels are not only generally pro nounced much shorter than ours, but they are pure ; that is, the tongue remains in the same position for the entire duration of the sound. Such words as coat, shoe, nose, when pronounced by foreigners, sound un finished to our ears, not only because they are short, but because of their unchanging quality. A result of our unphonetic spelling is that we often fail to hear sounds as they really are ; we do not recognize that the two vowels in ship and sheep, for instance, have somewhat the same relation to each other as light and dark shades of the same color. The same articulation, with the muscles of tongue and lips tense, gives the vowel in sheep ; with the muscles relaxed, the vowel in ship. These two vowels are really two shades of the same sound. Thus the vowels in mate and met belong together; in loss and law; in pull and pool ; and if the foreigner lacks one of the pair in his native tongue, he can produce the other, either by relaxing or tensing his tongue, as the case may be. By showing the pupils how the lips relax while going from ee to i, in sheep and ship, the teacher may help the pupil to the right utterance of ship, for when the lips relax, the tongue relaxes also. There are a few vowels that are peculiar to English, not occurring in other languages. For them the foreigner will use the native vowel that seems to him most similar. Sometimes it will be an entirely for Foreigners 13 different vowel, as when he pronounces come like calm; sometimes it is only a tense form of a lax vowel, as when he pronounces ship like sheep. Sometimes, it should be remembered, what seems to our ears like a strange vowel is merely a too short or too pure form of our own sound, as when sheep sounds to us like ship. The vowel in come, cup, touch, Wood Articulation. Open the lips wide enough to admit the tip of the little finger between the teeth; place the tongue tip against the lower teeth and raise slightly the part of the tongue back of the middle. Probable mistakes. For this vowel will be used the a in father, in which case the mouth opening is too wide and the elevated part of the tongue is in the middle ; or a vowel similar to the o in loss, for which the lips are slightly rounded and the elevated part of the tongue is farther back than for the vowel in cup. All nationalities have difficulty with this vowel. The vowel in burn, word, bird, berth, heard, journey Articulation. Contract the corners of the lips tensely, open the lips wide enough to admit the little finger between the teeth ; pull the tongue tip just back of the edges of the upper teeth and raise tensely the part of the tongue back of the middle. This is very similar to the vowel in cup, except that it is tenser. It is always followed by r. Probable mistakes. Sometimes instead of burn a word is used that sounds something like barn ; that is, the mouth is too wide open and the tongue too flat; or the word may sound something like born, the lips being rounded and the back of the tongue raised. As most foreigners find r difficult, some of the trouble that they have with this vowel is due to the following r. All nationalities will have difficulty with this sound; Chinese and Scandinavians will, however, replace the vowel by one of their own which bears considerable resemblance to it. The vowel in all, awe, cough, water, broad, lord Articulation. Kound the lips slightly, drawing them together at the corners ; open the lips wide enough to permit the insertion of the thumb between the teeth; draw the tongue back so that the tip rests against the gums of the lower teeth, and raise the back of the tongue rather tensely. This is similar to the vowel in loss, but tenser. Probable mistakes. Sometimes the lax o sound, similar to the vowel in loss, is used in these words, sometimes the vowel in father. Most foreigners pronounce this sound more or less imperfectly. English Pronunciation The vowel in cat Articulation. Open the lips so as to take the middle finger well in, contracting slightly the lip corners; place the tongue tip against the roots of the lower teeth and raise slightly the part of the tongue in front of the middle. Probable mistakes, The foreigner will use either the a in father or e in met. All foreigners have more or less trouble with this vowel. The vowel in stone, coat, mould, sew, foe Articulation. Round the lips, with the corners closely drawn together; drop the tip of the tongue and draw it away from the lower teeth, raising the back toward the soft palate. When the vowel is prolonged it becomes diphthongal, closing with u as in true. Probable mistakes. The foreigner will use his own o sound, similar to o in loss ; the vowel will be too short and pure. Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Slavs, Japanese, Chinese will have difficulty with o. The vowel in ship, busy, women Articulation. Relax the lips, stretch them slightly as for a smile; open them wide enough to admit the tip of the little finger between the teeth. Place the tongue tip against the lower front teeth and raise the front of the tongue quite close to the hard palate. The same articula tion with tongue and lips tense will give the vowel in bead, seed, piece, key. Probable mistakes. The tense vowel as in sheep may be used. The vowel will be too short. Spanish, Portuguese, Slavs, Japanese, Chinese may have difficulty with this sound. The vowel in put, book, could, wolf Articulation. Relax the lips, round them and bring them very close together, so that the teeth are almost closed; pull back the tongue and raise the back part of the tongue near to the soft palate. The same articulation with tongue and lips tense and closer will give the vowel in truth, cool, shoe, move, fruit. Probable mistakes. The tense vowel as in cool may be used; the vowel may be too short. The lips may be straight, instead of rounded, and the vowel will sound very unlike the English sound. Spanish, Italians, Slavs will use the tense vowel as in cool ; Japanese will use the unrounded vowel, both for sound in book and in cool. for Foreigners 15 DIPHTHONGS The vowel sounds in my, ice; house, cow; l>o\j, noise; muse, few arc diphthongs, composed of two distinct sounds which melt into each other and give the impression of one vowel. SPECIAL DIFFICULTIES DUE TO NATIVE SPEECH Although the people of each different nationality have their own peculiar difficulties with English pronunciation, there are some diffi culties common to all. The habit of diphthongization of prolonged vowels, as in day, see, two; the varying vowel length, as in bead, beading, beside; the marked difference between stressed and unstressed syllables and the peculiar way we have of obscuring the vowel in an unstressed syllable, as in sofa, breakfast ; these are characteristic English traits. In the following pages attention is called to the most striking differ ences between the pronunciation of English and some of the languages spoken by foreign nationalities largely represented in California. The teacher can often help the pupil to avoid mistakes in pronunciation if she knows what mistakes he is likely to make because of his national speech habits, for some English sounds are difficult to foreigners of one nationality and not to another. Italian Italians help out their own language with gestures; this is especially true of South Italians who find a foreign language particularly diffi cult. They have the habit also of suppressing unstressed syllables, which they carry over into English; so that the Italian says "pens" instead of "pencil," "win" instead of "window"; he is much more likely to fail to hear the unstressed syllable because it is much lighter than in his own language. "Words end in vowels, except a few in 1, r, or n; therefore Italians find it hard to pronounce English words ending in a consonant. Sounds difficult for the Italian : Consonants: th, wh, h, t, d, 1, r, ng (final), w (initial). Vowels : in cat, put, cup, Imrn, made, mode, all. Spanish The Spanish use their lips very energetically and their tongues rather sluggishly; the Americans articulate more with the tongue and less with the lips. Spanish stress is very even and falls almost always on the last or next to the last syllable. 16 English Pronunciation Words generally end in vowels and therefore the Spanish find it hard to pronounce an English word ending in a consonant. Sounds difficult for the Spanish: Consonants : th, wh, h, v, 1, r, t, d, b, g ; ng when not followed by k. Vowels : in cat, put, cup, burn, all, mode. The difficulties of Portuguese and Greeks are in general those of the Spanish. Scandinavian While Danish, Swedish and Norwegian are slightly different lan guages, Scandinavians have in general the same difficulties in English pronunciation. Final consonants have the tendency to become voice less; thus bed and l)et, raise and race sound alike. Sounds difficult for Scandinavians : Consonants : th, w, wh, z, j, r, rig, t, d. Vowels : in cat, made, mode, cup, burn, all, put. Slavs While Russian, Polish, Czecho-Slovak are distinctly different lan guages, Slavs have in general the same difficulties in English pronun ciation. One noticeable habit which they have in common is to raise the blade of the tongue to the position for y in yet, when pronouncing consonants followed by the vowels in see or say. To our ears then the sound y seems to be inserted before the vowel; deep will sound like dyeep. Sounds difficult for Slavs : Consonants : th, t, d, w, wh, ng, r, h. Slavic h is voiced ; r is sharply trilled. Vowels in : cap, pin, made, mode, all, burn, put. Japanese The Japanese move their lips very slightly and form consonants indistinctly; the consonant often changes according to the following vowel, for instance, see becomes she. Stress is so slight that we can scarcely distinguish it. Syllables consist of one consonant followed by a vowel; therefore consonant blends and final consonants are difficult for Japanese. Sounds difficult for Japanese: Consonants: t, d, th, wh, f, v, z, 1, r, ng (unless followed by k), w (in woo, woman, wood), y (in year, yeast). for Foreigners 17 The Japanese have a sound somewhat resembling r which they use in English words spelled either with 1 or r, so that light and right sound alike. They need special ear training to learn to distinguish the two sounds. Blends with 1 are especially difficult. Vowels: in cat, made, mode, all, burn, pin, cup, put. Chinese The Chinese move their lips slightly, and seem to form their sounds in the back of the mouth. The voice rises and falls, not to id in the expression of thought, as in English, but to change the meaning of individual words. They have few difficulties with English pronuncia tion, but those few are very difficult to overcome. Final p, b, t, d, k, g are not exploded ; final b, d, g become unvoiced and sound to our ears like p, t, k, respectively. If final g is not unvoiced it is replaced by ng, or ng followed by k; thus Zmg will sound like bang or lank. Sounds difficult for Chinese: Consonants : th, wh, g, v, 1, r ; final p, b, t, d, g, k, z ; s or sh according to the dialect spoken. Chinese have a consonant somewhat resembling 1, which they use in English words spelled either with r or 1, so that light and right will sound alike. They need special ear training to learn to distinguish the two sounds. Vowels: in cat, mode, all, made, burn. EXERCISES FOR ARTICULATION There are two groups of exercises. Those for little children are presented in the form of games ; in them it is planned to make use of the child s love of babble, through which he developed his ability to utter the sounds of his native language. In the second group will be found alliterative sentences for the use of older children and adults. Many of these sentences may be used in connection with vocabulary building, as they may be accompanied by pantomime. It is not expected that all the exercises, or any entire exercise, will be used for a class; but a variety of drills on each sound is offered in the hope that each teacher may find something to meet the needs of her particular class. For instance, the Chinese will need drill for final p, and the Japanese for f, but not final p ; Italians have no difficulty with final p nor f, but can not pronounce h, which gives no difficulty to either Chinese or Japanese. Mirrors should be used with all the articulation drills, even for the younger children. English Pronunciation EXERCISES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN th Drum game. To interest the children in the sound, use a drum; as you beat it, say that the drum says : thump, thump, thump, etc. Show the children how you make the sound ; even little children are interested in seeing their tongues in a mirror. When the child has succeeded in forming the sound correctly, let him beat the drum, saying meanwhile with you ^thurnp, thump, etc. Repeat the th rhythm, with music if you have a piano, the children beating imaginary drums. See page 27. Thumb game. A finger play. See page 27. This is not the same game as "Simon says" etc. The object is the correct utterance of the sounds and the association of the words with their meaning. Let the child who can pronounce the words well act as leader. The words: thumb, up, down should be accompanied by effective motions. Note: In the devising of games for articulation drills, most valuable aid was given by Miss Nina Kenagy, of the San Francisco State Teach ers College, and Miss Evlyn Chastene of Oakland. Monkey game. A monkey is a fascinating object to children and a toy monkey will do wonders in loosening tongues. For articulation purposes we will suppose that monkey chatter contains many th sounds, and we will have the monkey talk to the children using nonsense sylla bles with the simple vowels a, e, i, o, u. Let the monkey call on each child, chattering monkey talk, while the child is encouraged to answer back in kind. There will ensue a dialogue something like this : Monkey: Tha, tha, tha, the. Child: The, the, the, tho, etc. Tha, the, tho, thum ; This is my hand, And this is my thumb. Outh, ath, ith, eeth ; This is my mouth, And these are my teeth. All nationalities need th drills. h Blowing exercise: Blow against the hand, audibly. Laughing exercise : Ha, ha, ha, ha ! He, he, he, he! Ho, ho, ho, ho! Ha, ha, ha, hoo, hoo, hoo! I have two hands, So have you. for Foreigners 19 Ha, ha, ha, hi, hi, hi ! You have one head, So have I. Ha, Ha, Ha, he, he, he ! She has brown hair, So has he, etc., etc. Italians, Portuguese, Spanish. f,v Blowing exercise: With upper teeth placed on lower lip, hold a slip of paper before the mouth and utter: fa, fa, fa, fa! fe, fe, fe, fe ! fo, fo, fo, fo ! etc. For Valentine Day : Vo, vo, vo ; vee, vee, vee ! Valentines for you and me! Imitation of aeroplane: Voo, voo, voo, etc. f exercise needed by Japanese ; v exercise for Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese. p, b Imitation of the sheep : Baa, baa, baa. Imitation of the dog : Bow, wow, bow, wow. Imitation of the bird or chicken: Peep, peep, peep. Initial b : Spanish, Portuguese ; final b : Chinese. Initial p : Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Slavs ; final p : Chinese. t, d Imitation of the shoemaker or hammer : Rat-a-tat-tat. Imitation of the rain: Pit-pat, pit-pat. Imitation of the horn : Toot, toot, toot. Imitation of the horse : Trot, trot, trot. These should be spoken slowly so that final t is sharply articulated. Initial t: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Slav, Japanese; final t : Chinese. d: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Slav, Japanese; final d: Chinese. k,g Imitation of the hen : Cluck, cluck, cluck. Imitation of the dove : Coo, coo, coo. Imitation of the duck: Quack, quack, quack. Imitation of the automobile: Chug, chug, chug. Imitation of the tiger : Gurr, gurr, gurr. Initial k : Spanish, Italian, Portuguese ; final k : Chinese. Initial g: Spanish, Portuguese, Greek; final g: Chinese, Japanese. ng Ding, dong, ding, dong, Ding dong bell, (rig to be held so that it dies away gradually), Italians, Spanish, Portuguese, Slavs, English Pronunciation wh, w Imitation of the wind: Woo, woo, woo. Imitation of the dog : Bow wow, bow, wow. Imitation of the little pig : Wee, wee, wee. Driving the horse : Whoa, whoa, wh : all nationalities, w : Slavs, though occasionally other nationalities need help with w. 1 la, la, la, la, le, le, etc., used as the chorus of a familiar song. Japanese, Chinese. Imitation of the bird : Chiree, chiree, chiree. Salutation of the flag: Hurrah, hurrah. All nationalities, especially Chinese, Japanese. S, z Peanut wagon game. Adaptation of "Do you know the Muffin ? [ "Do you know the peanut man, that drives the little cart," with hissing chorus. Imitation of the bee: Zum, zum, zum. Drills to overcome lisping, but may be needed by Chinese and Japanese. sh, zh, (azure) sh, sh, sh, sh. A hushing drill. Chinese often need the drill. Imitation of train: Choo, choo, choo. Imitation of automobile: Chug, chug, chug. Jumping Jack game : Jumping Jack, jump ! Jump, jump, jump ! Rhythm for jumping rope: Jump, jump, jumpity, jump. The rhythm to be repeated by children, as one jumps the rope. (To avoid the use of ch for j, the words should be articulated gently). Most nationalities have difficulty with final j ; Portuguese with j in all positions. VOWELS Little children seldom need special articulation drills for vowels. They will usually be able to imitate the vowel quite successfully if they hear them distinctly and repeatedly uttered. Attention to the shape and tensity of the lips will help the teacher to understand the child s difficulties. for Foreigners 21 If vowels are too short, the teacher may show by motions of her hand how they are to be prolonged. In cas.es where drills for vowels seem necessary, the teacher can make use of the animal cries and natural sounds, as in the following examples: Imitation of the hen : cluck, cluck. Imitation of the cat : purr, purr. Imitation of the rain: pit-pat, pit-pat. Imitation of the crow : caw, caw. Laughing exercise : ho, ho, ho. EXERCISES I^OK OLDEI: CHILDREN AND ADULTS th With mirror in hand and tongue carefully placed, practice the articulation of both forms of th with the different vowels, at first not in words but in simple syllables, using the vowels in art, be, day, go, too. Then use them in such common words as these, those, thick, thin. When th is mastered as an initial sound, practice in the same way final th with the vowels as in teeth, tooth, mouth, and then put them into words. Finally use th between vowels as in father, mother, brother. Thump, thoughtful thumb, Thump on your drum! Thump, thump, thump. Thirty thousand thoughtful boys Thought they d make a thundering noise; So with thirty thousand thumbs They thumped on thirty thousand drums. Put your thimble on your thumb. Thread three thin needles. Father and mother are with their other brother. This thief has thirty teeth in his mouth. All nationalities. Let the pupil hold a slip of paper before his lips, which should be blown from them every time h is articulated. Here are his hands, here is his head, here is his hair. Here is his high hat. He has his hat in his hand. Hurry, her husband has hurt his heel. Henry has hidden his hammer behind her house. Spanish, Italian, Portuguese. Englis h Pro n u n cia tio n The pupil should use the mirror, to be sure that the upper teeth are resting on the lower lip. Friday Frank fed five fish fish-food. Feel the flag with five fingers. My very best vest of blue velvet. Ben s wife found five very beautiful blue violets. The boy has four felt hats and five fat hens. We have very few warm woolen vests. Japanese need drill for f ; Japanese and Chinese for v ; Spanish and Portuguese the exercises containing v and b. p, b Use mirror to be sure that lips are completely closed for b; with paper held before lips, test the explosion of final p, b ; also the little puff of breath which follows initial p before a vowel. Bobby blows beautiful big bubbles. Bounce the big blue ball. Spin the pretty top. Pick up the piece of paper. I baked seven loaves of bread. He bought a very big vest. Stop at the shop, buy a cap and a top. I can peel the pears and the plums. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. b : Spanish, Portuguese ; they need also drill on words containing b and v. p : Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Slav ; final p, b : Chinese. t, d Test explosion of final t, d by slip of paper held before lips; also the puff of breath to follow t before a vowel. Tom took ten little tops. Two times ten equals twenty. Today is Tuesday. Dick s dinner cost two dimes. The dog stands beside the bed. Put a red bead on the table. The cat caught a fat rat. The golden poppies are faded already. I have hidden the reader under the desk. t, d : Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Slav ; final t, d : Chinese. k, g ; ; : ;;, ( Test explosion of final consonant by slip of paper held before lips ; also of puff of breath following k before vowel. for Foreigners 23 My coffee is cold ; I can not drink it. The cow gives milk. Walk quickly to the desk and back again. Go and get Maggie s big glass and give it to Gns. Our cook bakes cake and cookies in our kitchen. The cuckoo clock strikes six. The green grass grows in the garden. The pig ate a big bag of figs. k, g: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Slav; final k, g: Chinese; final g: Japanese. ng Bring me a long, strong piece of string. He is putting a ring on his ring finger. The singer was singing a long, long song. Seeing is believing. Something is crawling along on the ceiling. Slavs, Spanish, Italians, Portuguese, Japanese. wh, w Use mirror to make sure that the lips are closely rounded ; test wh by holding slip of paper before the lips. One by one the women went to work. We will wash and wipe the wet windows with warm water. The worm works its way well into the wood. Where is the whistle which I whittled? I wonder whether the weather will be warm. Whistle while you walk. Slavs, Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Japanese, for w; all nationali ties for wh. i Bat the ball against the wall. Lily lost Lottie s large yellow lemon. Light the lamp and learn your lesson. The fly flew from the flower into the flame. Please do not play with the plums on the plate. On the blind man s blanket was a black blot. Class, clap your clean hands, then clasp them. This book case has twelve shelves. Eleven little beetles crawled into a hole. I belong to a long-lived family. Chinese, Japanese ; most nationalities for final 1. Note: To prepare for drills for consonant blends with 1, practice first the syllable without the initial consonant: lay, lay, play; lass, lass, class; lot, lot, blot. English Pronunciation The robin and the wren ran a race. Eaise your right hand and rap on the door. Father, mother, brother and sister are writing letters. The water that Robert was drinking dripped on her dress. On Friday, Frank and his friend will fry fresh fish. The railroad train runs on the track. I trimmed three trees for Christmas. All nationalities, especially Chinese, Japanese. Note: To prepare for drills for consonant blends with r, practice first the syllable without the initial consonant: rink, rink, drink; rain, rain, train. s, z I saw the sun set this evening at half past six. Strawberries are sweet in summer. Sam Smith has six small sisters. One Sunday in summer I saw seven sisters swimming in the sea. He struck the horse with a strong strap. Boys, take your pencils in your hands and close your eyes. Chinese, Japanese; most nationalities have the tendency to use s for final z, making eyes sound like ice, etc. sh, zh, as in azure She has sharp shears. Show me your shoes. She sees the ship sailing on the sea. She bought shirts and shoes at a shop. Across the ocean are many great nations. Treasures beyond measure lie buried in the n/ure ocean. Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Scandinavians. <*, j The child has chalk on his chin. Scratch the match on a chair. Chickens are cheap in China. This is my cheek and this is my chin. John has a job on the bridge. In June Julia will take a long journey. Jane made a jar of jam and a jar of jelly. Japanese for ch; Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, for j ; all nationali ties have the tendency to use ch for final j, ridge sounding like rich, etc. Note: If j is uttered with much force, it tends to become ch, so pupils who have this difficulty should be taught to pronounce the sound gently. It may help to practice this exercise. de, de, de, de. zhe, zhe, zhe, zhe. .ie, je, je, je. for Foreigners 25 VOWELS Vowels are best taught by contrast with familiar sounds. In all languages occur vowels corresponding to those in la, let, leap, loss, loose. In Spanish, Japanese, Czech, there occur only these five vowels. If the foreigner is shown the relation of the new vowels to his native sounds, he can more easily recognize their peculiar quality. Vowels may be arranged in an ascending scale, illustrative of the increasing height of the tongue, and the varying position of the high est point. Diagram 6 shows what part of the tongue is raised and how high it is raised during the utterance of the different English vowels. The location of the vowel in the diagram corresponds roughly to the position of the highest part of the tongue during the articula tion of that vowel. 0/7 PIG. 6. Before the mirror, practice these vowels in pairs, careful attention being given to the change of lip shape, which will be accompanied by a corresponding tongue position which can not be so easily seen. Before the mirror, practice these vowels in pairs, careful attention being given to the change of lip shape, which will be accompanied by a corresponding tongue position which can not be so easily seen. calm, come, come, calm. In passing from the first vowel to psalm, some, some, psalm. the second, the lips are more closed, balm, bum, bum, balm. contracted at the corners, the tongue rises in the middle. barn, burn, burn, barn. In passing from first vowel to far, fur, fur, far. second, lips are tensed, contracted star, stir, stir, star. at corner and more closed, tongue is tensed and raised in middle. bud, bird, bird, bud. In passing from first vowel to hut, hurt, hurt, hut. second, lips and tongue tensed; shut, shirt, shirt, shut. lip shape and tongue position almost the same for both. 26 English Pronunciation are, all, all, are. In passing from first vowel to far, fall, fall, far. second, lips are more closed, corner car, call, call, car. of lips contracted, tongue is pulled back and back of tongue raised. bought, boat, boat, bought. In passing from first vowel to caught, coat, coat, caught, second, lips are rounded and more ball, bowl, bowl, ball. closed, tongue is pulled back, and raised higher and farther back. far, fat, fat, far. In passing from first vowel to car, cat, cat, car. second, lips more closed, highest psalm, Sam, Sam, psalm. part of tongue father forward, bed, bad, bad, bed. In passing from first vowel to set, sat, sat, set. second, lips open slightly, elevated men, man, man, men. part of tongue moves forward and lower. sheep, ship, ship, sheep. In passing from first vowel to deep, dip, dip, deep. second, lips and tongue relax; lip deed, did, did, deed. shape and tongue position are almost the same for both. SONGS FOR ARTICULATION DRILLS Songs may be used very effectually as articulation drills. Through the melody and rhythm the exercise loses its "drill" character and the children repeat the syllables with enjoyment. If in connection with the song other muscular activities are devised, such as beating an imaginary drum for number 3, raising and lowering the thumbs for 4, going through the motions of ringing the bell for 7, etc., the management of the tongue will be perceptibly freer. Also if after singing the song once, the children are allowed to run or dance or "fly" about the room, as the case may be, to the accompaniment of the melody of the song, they will sing it much better when they return to their places. The following songs in familiar children s song books are sug gested as good material for articular drills. Baker and Kohlsaat, Songs for Little Children. Abingdon Press. Tape Little Chickens 7 Exercise for p. Snow Birds 7 Exercise for t. The Canary 16 Exercise for ch, r. Raindrops 34 Exercise for t, p. Firemen 48 Exercise for ng. Children Playing 57 Exercise for ng. Jones and Barbour, Child Land in Song and Rhythm. Schmidt, Boston. Page Robin Redbreast 15 Exercise for ch, r. Sparrows 16 Exercise for t. Chicks 20 Exercise for p. The Bells__ 37 Exercise for ng. for Foreigners 27 Words to the Songs V - th. Little Monkey in the Tree. Little monkey in the tree, This is what he says to me. Tha, tha, tha, the, the, the, Tha, tha, the ! Little monkey shows his teeth. Hear him chatter, eeth, eeth, .eeth! Outh, outh, outh, eeth, eeth, eeth, Outh, outh, eeth! III - th. Drum Rhythm. Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump, thump, thump, Thumpity, thumpity, thump. IV - th. Thumbs Up. Thumbs up, thumbs down, Thumbs up, thumbs down, Thumbs up, thumbs down, Thumbs are down. II - s. Song of the Teakettle. The teakettle sits on the stove, s-s, And sings a gay little song, s-s, S S-S-S-, S S-S-S-, S , S , S. VI - h. All the Children Laugh with Glee. All the children laugh with glee ; Ha, ha, ha, he, he, he! Open mouths and smiling so, Ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ho ! I - k. Clock Song. The little clock stands on a shelf in its place. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Has little black hands and a little white face, Tick, tock, tick ! VII - ng. Bell Song. Hear the bell ring, ting-a-ling-a-ling ! Ding dong, ding, dong, ting-a-ling-a-ling ! Hear the bells ring, ting-a-ling-a-ling! Ding, dong, ding! VIII - v. Valentine Song. Valentine, valentine, Oh ! My pretty valentine ! Red and blue, yellow too, 28 I English Pronunciation /K y f* 5 J W J f 4 i { ( ri</ J y * J J, Vl^/i * c c c c r c ^ fc.tr r r L^jbcfjL CCCJT/^ p(t/*&4 cr~*- ** -r- f i. r T-- P / k r- r U b y k - i k- X <7 L * r r /K J- f n J ^ c J v I 2 U^ 1 ^|* f . J , r (-, p. r r -r~- P 4^^ ^) k - 57? * K to , x r r f /k -* "* J 9 1 p j E i 2 J J, vjy ff fc S t c C. J r r r r IT"- r lxV^ - 0. /^xct r <L -K f " r -p- ^ p ^ / : */ c r - / * r / r A I rtr> - C ^ t& - -- - Ot/ *+ *r - ^ - * C T f /.. ^. r /*^v / ^ l_ , a r t *r for Foreigners II 29 /SHH -1 "H J J s| j- / 3 3 Z | i r r / ^Zd-r<. S - * **^ i ^ g U f *r r f p * 7? t^ ^ r P r r r l y LJ 5 r r r 3 r T r /? j ^ 1 i j x * ^ / f / / j * J / J jj J 3 * 1 vf -/ ^i 5 5 sc I s ^t "IT" T" ^1 *- -T- 1 f ^N l S W fe m 1* H* k r 1 S / U t r / r *r *r r i \ / r I r f I I ^ r v r i^ 1 L f ^ > /? / X ._ i 1 4 (* * C3 4p rd"\ __ , \Jy ^-*> S. "T" T" s- s- s- "f" "p^ S- f f s^ S- S- 1* f" 0* r r f r f J* *r fc V E2 r r r P \\l r r / i r r r r i f I I r L 1 F t^ r F //f ^*^ -y Tf 1 d* d r^\ ^? <2p * Gj , ^j i -* "^ TJ \T S O- c25 ^^f^> . Si < ^ -% J S- r /* S - S - f f S- r-- : L ) % r r .r + CmC - -> *r gEi ^-^~ "f fr-^ -f ^A- ^ 30 III English Pronunciation -*}-? ^ Q 4 i E* Tu^sy* [ 3 Q m nn ^-^ ^ 5 /TUA>WVJ /^tx^v^A-Axi^ty ft t i g=ga 5E ^= ^^ J .f -F ^KA^^^SO./^!^^^!? ^VAX^WC r a ^^ for Foreigners III Continued. 31 t nn j=: ^= r ^- =^= (b - *Fr ^ ^ / /MA>>Ar~Aa^*A>s_x( * T^x FP^ A/> ^(f SL/< ^f , ^^J^ i^-X-U- t (T /UA^HA^V^ ^c4j 7/Ux-rvu^-D X> 32 v English Pronunciation & i Q i 2 3 ?=? f S to f f ^ "f N ^ j* l* F fife it f I jL -a: 3 ^7 ^^" 3 5 x-sf^ p >-> y^ P ^T^* P- rl\ &^. lftiA*4l* r i -JL" /-^_<_ f~^\\**~ & L w 3^, - yar u E -^ "^ Z : ff- r \ ^? 33 - K < . E B \> r s J J 1 pj ^ ^ =? ~ Spt: J (f? kUBL^w / YV\.OAA-^VL^> ^UY^CV /fc/Vi^XA vA-q AO 4 -8- -- re */\ b L f : ^- r F T ^ r r ^ ^ ">>V, f asf 34 VII English Pronunciation =2 ; r~P T r a &P F f T 57 \ A- + 1 ( J * * a ?^i BO ^ -* J SP *i r *i *i ~ C C C ? Mr p r r iH\^vW- (Lw^a - oL^^^a- c*^vt^ _J ^ _2 . t ; fc t c p CX^vVjC/- CX ~ JCA~sv\-3 C>L /OC^VI tj_. 1 J r^* ^ * r * i * V* ! r k Z_ ? L -45 * P 3^3 3 r? f f ^ F 3^ it f- "I tr for Foreigners VIII 35 f r-f p i f i? P^i 3 M? p -4*- F 1^ H^M f t^ I ^ p r r ^Q ^ I ^ r 1^^ d } <^ 1 & p p -^g i^ ^ =: ^ ^ p h HJUL. r y^^\, Q^ P r V<jCo^- 4 X~l A^A- V^-t. - P Cl -tt /* P r ^$ ^y Hr, f K^ p _. / * r 10 -^ r ... 33707 8-24 2M V 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LOAN DEPT. Renewed books are subject to i D LD EC. CIR. MB 2 5 76 AU6171984 AUG13 1968 Q mpULATION DEPT. ^ 10 PM LD 2lA-60m-4, 64 General Library University of California BERKELEY LIBRARIES