The use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for pronouncing the sounds of languages

Abstract

The common way that language students learn to pronounce the sounds of a foreign language is to imitate the sounds uttered by language teachers or native speakers of the language. A possible drawback with the practice is that students are in a way parroting without knowing how the sounds are articulated. This may result in (i) students being unable to pronounce the words not previously heard and (ii) students’ pronunciation lacking precision and salience. Furthermore, language teachers are in general less effective in explaining and correcting the pronunciation errors made by students. They usually ask students ‘to repeat after me’, resorting to the less productive listen-and-repeat method rather than the more effective analyze-and-understand method. A useful way to remedy the situation will be for students to acquire the knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet, commonly known as the IPA. Students will be able to pronounce the words in a second language whether or not previously heard by looking at the IPA transcription of the words, given that they have the prior knowledge of the phonetic value embodied in the IPA transcription. Also, teachers who are equipped with the knowledge of the IPA can now explain technically the reasons for the pronunciation errors made by students and answer questions about the precise pronunciation of the sounds of a second language. The proposed project introduces the knowledge of the IPA to students and teachers with an aim to facilitate learning and teaching of the pronunciation of the sounds of foreign languages, in particular those taught at the City University, namely Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, Standard Mandarin and English.