OE1.2 Speech and Writing

ORALENGLISH1PRONUNCIATION2:SPEECHANDWRITING2.1.1:INTRODUCTIONSpeechandwritingaretwoseparatesystemsandanindividual'slinguisticcompetencedependsontheabilitytomakeacleardistinctionbetweenthetwo.Humansacquirespeechduetotheirinnateprogramming.Writingontheotherhandisaskillwhichmustbelearntinthesamewayaswelearntodriveorplaythepiano.2:SpeechandWriting22.1.2:INTRODUCTIONSomespeechconcepts:speechisthinkingaloud.speechisaffective(aboutfeelings).speechisinterpersonal.speechusespauses,repetitionsandfillers.speechisacontinuousstreamofsound.speechcannotberevisedoreditedaswritingcan.speechisnotmadeupofsentencesorparagraphsspeechisnotalwaysspokendistinctly.speechchangesfarmorerapidlythanwriting.2:SpeechandWriting32.1.3:INTRODUCTIONSpeechwasonceseenasthepoorrelationofwriting,orasitslesseducatedprecursor.Butintoday’smodernworldreality,weusebothequally,buteachforspecificpurposes.Ofcourse,youshouldlearnabouttheunderlyinggrammarofallutterances,spokenandwritten.Butyoualsoneedtolearnaboutstructuralfeaturesspecifictoboth.ButitoftenassumedthatthestructureofwrittenandspokenEngliisharethesamewhentheyarenot.2:SpeechandWriting42.1.4:INTRODUCTION(cont.3)Fromthemomentweareborn,thereisastrongconnectionbetweenourhearingalanguageandourspeakingofalanguage.Infactwecaneasilyobservetheconnectionbetweenlisteningandspeakinginachild'slanguagedevelopment.2:SpeechandWriting52.1.5:INTRODUCTIONFrombirth,achildwillrespondedonlytoitsmother'svoice.Inlessthanaweek,achildwillturnitsheadtowardssounds.At2weeks,itwillpreferhumanvoicestonon-humansoundsBetween2and4months,itwillrespondtodifferenttonesAt4to6months,itbeginstobabbleAtthesametimeitcanunderstandafewsimplewords.At9monthsitcanmakeholophrasticoronewordsentencesAt12months,itunderstandanumberofwords.At4or5itbeginstolearntoread.Whenitis7ithasacquiredallthesoundsofthelanguage.2:SpeechandWriting62.1.6:INTRODUCTIONInEnglish,thedividebetweenspeakingandwritingisnothinglikeascompleteasinChinese,butwedohaveaverypoorphoneticsystem.Aphoneticwritingsystemwouldhaveadifferentsymbolforeachactualsoundspeakersmake.ThedifferenceissogreatthatifyouwerewriteashortstoryinwhichyoutrytorevealhowyourcharactersactuallytalkusingtheEnglishwritingsystem,youwillgocrazy.2:SpeechandWriting72.1.7:INTRODUCTIONTheonlywaytodothisistousetheInternationalPhoneticAlphabet(IPA),asystemthatlinguistsusetowritedownhowpeopleactuallytalk.Ifyoudidthat,however,yourreaderswouldnotbeabletoreadyourdialogwithoutlearningtheIPAaswell.2:SpeechandWriting82.2.1:LETTERSANDSOUNDSEnglishhasarangeofdistinctivesounds–calledphonemes–thatarecombinedtomakewords,whichwethencombinetomakesentences.Insomelanguages,thereisahighlevelofcorrespondencebetweenspellingandpronunciation,SpanishandItalianforexample.ButinEnglishtherelationshipismorecomplexandthespellingofawordcanonlybearoughguidetoitspronunciation.2:SpeechandWriting92.2.2:LETTERSANDSOUNDSIt'simportanttonotethatthespellingofawordisnotalwaysanaccurateguidetohowitispronounced.Noristhepronunciationofawordalwayshelpfulwhenworkingouthowthatwordshouldbespelt.Thereasonisthatthereare26lettersintheEnglishwritingbutthereare44soundsinEnglishspeech.Thismeansthatthenumberofsoundsinawordisnotalwaysthesameasthenumberofletters.Assomelettershavetobeusedformorethan1sound.2:SpeechandWriting102.2.3:LETTERSANDSOUNDSThewordCAThas3lettersand3sounds,thewordCASHhas4lettersand3soundsandthewordCATCHhas5lettersbutstillonly3sounds.CATiswritten-/kæt/.3lettersand3soundsCASHiswritten-/kæʃ/.4lettersand3soundsCATCHiswritten-/kætʃ/.5lettersand3soundsInthewordcashthetwoletters[sh]areonesoundrepresentedbyonesymbol/ʃ/.Andincatchtheletter[t]issilentandthe[ch]isonesoundrepresentedbyonesymbol/tʃ/.2:SpeechandWriting112.2.4:LETTERSANDSOUNDSSoundsarespoken,andlettersarewrittenanditisimportantthatthesefunctionsnotbeconfused.Whenwewriteinnormalspelling,weareusingletterstoconveysounds.InEnglishthisrelationshipbetweenlettersandsoundscanonlyaroughguidetopronunciation.2:SpeechandWriting122.2.5:LETTERSANDSOUNDSThe[a]...inMAN,MANYBATHandBATHEhas4pronunciations.The[c]...inCAT,CYCLEandDELICIOUShas3pronunciationsThe[s]...inSLEEP,PRESENT,PENSIONandVISIONhas4pronunciations.The[ou]...inSOUL,HOUSE,TOUGH,SOUP,COUGHandBOUGHThas6pronunciations.The[ea]...inDREAM,BREAK,READY,LEARN,BEAR,NEARandHEARThas7stpronunciations.2:SpeechandWriting132.3.1:SOUNDSANDWORDSTherearealsowordsthatsoundidenticalbutarewrittenindifferentways.ThereasonforthisishistoricalEnglishhascontinuedtoevolveeversinceitwasintroducedintoBritonbytheAngloSaxonsinthe5thcentauryCE.Atfirst,spellingwasnotarealproblembecausemostpeoplewereilliterate(eventhenobilitywereunabletoreadandwrite).Theonlypeoplethatcouldreadandwritewerescholars,andtheywouldwritemostlyinLatin,notEnglish.2:SpeechandWriting142.3.2:SOUNDSANDWORDSButovertimeawritingsystemdidevolvewhichwascloselyrelatedtotheEnglishspokenatthetime.Butinthe15thcentauryCEtwomajoreventstakeplacethatchangedthewaythatEnglishwasspokenbutnotthewaythatitwaswritten.Thesewerewhat?Answer:_________________and____________________.2:SpeechandWriting152.3.3:SOU