General Considerations: Spelling and Pronunciation

General considerations of spelling and pronunciation:

Introduction:

C.L. Wren discusses how English words are often spelled differently from how they sound. Despite of efforts to match spelling with pronunciation, pronunciation changes faster. To tackle this, we need a way to write down sounds without worrying about spelling rules. Phonetics, which studies speech sounds, offers a solution by using a special way of writing sounds accurately. This helps us understand and write down languages just by listening. Wren shows how important phonetic writing is for understanding language when spelling and pronunciation do not match up.

In the beginning he states that English exhibits a notable disparity between its spelling and pronunciation. It is difficult to understand when ‘s’ is pronounced as /s/ as in “sun”, /z/ as in "vase", /ʃ/ as in "sure"  and /ʒ/ - as in "measure".

Need for Phonetic Script:

Throughout history, people like writers, printers, and those trying to change things have tried to make spelling match how we say words. But how we say words changes faster than how we spell them. Nowadays, printing rules make spelling more consistent, even if pronunciation changes. To talk about this well, we need a way to write down sounds that is separate from how words are usually spelled.

When there is no agreed way to write down sounds, foreign words or different accents might not be shown properly. Phonetics, which is a type of science, studies speech sounds without worrying about regular spelling. Instead, it uses a special way of writing sounds to accurately show how any language or accent sounds.

This special way of writing lets someone write down a language just by listening to it, which helps people translate languages they know well. Also, some languages that are not written down, like some Native American languages, have been written phonetically to understand how they work and make new alphabets for them.

Basic pronunciations (English consonants):

Next Wren gives a chart of consonant sounds. With that he elaborates how consonant sounds are produced when airflow is obstructed or restricted by the tongue, teeth, lips, or palate in the vocal tract. These sounds can be classified based on various articulatory features such as place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing.

Examples of consonant sounds include:

1. /p/ - as in "pat"

2. /b/ - as in "bat"

3. /t/ - as in "top"

4. /d/ - as in "dog"

5. /k/ - as in "cat"

6. /g/ - as in "goat"

7. /f/ - as in "fan"

8. /v/ - as in "van"

9. /s/ - as in "sun"

10. /z/ - as in "zoo"

11. /ʃ/ - as in "ship"

12. /ʒ/ - as in "measure"

13. /m/ - as in "man"

14. /n/ - as in "no"

15. /ŋ/ - as in "sing"

The following points should be considered while using the phonetic method outlined above:

Here are the points to remember when using the phonetic method:

(a) Some letters like 'l', 'r', 'm', and 'n' (laterals and nasals) can make their own syllables, shown by a mark under them. For example, in "table" [teibl], the 'l' makes a syllable, unlike in "tabloid" [tæbloid]. Also, compare "prism" [prizm] with "prismatic" [prizmetik], and "nag" [nag] with the sound in "ration" [ræʃn].

(b) Always put phonetic transcriptions in square brackets to tell them apart from regular spellings.

(c) Use an acute accent (´) to show which syllable has the most stress, like in "bacon" [béikn].

(d) Avoid leaving out symbols; each symbol should represent a sound. For example, write "knife" as [naif], but remember that it used to be pronounced with the initial 'k' as [kni:f].

(e) Put a colon (:) after a vowel to show it's long, such as in "boot" [bu:t]. Vowels without a colon are short.

(f) The symbols ʒ and θ come from Old English. In the past, 'p' was used for both these sounds, now written as 'th'.

(g) Use the symbol ə (a backwards 'e') for the neutral vowel common in English. For example, in "river" [rivə], it's short, and in "bird" [bə:d], it's long.

There are also vowel sounds and diphthongs that are to be studied carefully for better pronunciation.

Types of spelling:

C. L. Wren further discusses the various aspects of spelling in English, shedding light on its evolution and complexities.

Phonetic Spelling

Phonetic spelling represents actual sounds of the language using symbols. Pronunciation changes over time due to physical and psychological factors, making phonetic spelling outdated.

Example: The word "vase" was pronounced [vo:z] half a century ago, but in America, it's pronounced as [veiz] today.

Ideographic Spelling

Ideographic spelling depicts the idea or thought without indicating pronunciation. Ancient Chinese writing used ideographs, where symbols represented words or roots through simplified forms of original pictures.

Example: In ancient Chinese writing, symbols like 日 (sun) or 木 (tree) represent specific ideas or objects without indicating pronunciation. These symbols are ideographs, conveying meaning through visual representation rather than phonetic sound.

In English writing, we do not typically use ideographic symbols like in ancient Chinese writing. However, certain symbols or characters, like emojis or symbols used in mathematical equations (√ for square root), can convey specific meanings or concepts without directly representing sounds. While not fully ideographic, they still serve to represent ideas visually.

Mixed Spelling:

Mixed spelling combines elements of both phonetic and ideographic methods. Modern English spelling tends to become more ideographic, transferring ideas directly to the brain without relying on sound.

Example: Modern books for teaching children to read often emphasize visual recognition ("look and say") rather than auditory repetition ("listen and repeat"). E.g. sunflower. The word has phonetic spelling and also conveys the idea related to the Sun.

Simplified Spelling:

Simplified spelling or reformed spelling is a complex and uncertain issue. It requires thorough scientific language study for a comprehensive understanding. Simplified spelling aims to make English spelling easier to learn and use, but it faces objections due to the evolving nature of pronunciation and potential loss of continuity with the past and older literature.

Example: ‘thru’ instead of ‘through’, ‘u’ instead of ‘you’. However, this is not accepted as standard English

Conclusion:

C.L. Wren examines the historical discrepancy between English spelling and pronunciation. Despite attempts to align them, pronunciation often evolves faster than spelling. To address this, phonetics provides a method to accurately transcribe speech sounds independent of spelling conventions. This allows for better understanding and representation of languages, particularly when spelling and pronunciation differ. Phonetic writing serves as a crucial tool for navigating linguistic challenges arising from these disparities.