|
2.3.1 Description and classification of the English and Spanish
consonant sounds
For the purpose of this paper the consonant sounds of both
languages, English and Spanish, are described and classified from the
point of view of phonetics and phonology. Briere (as cited in Odlin
1989:113) states that “a cross-linguistic comparison of sounds in two
languages should include descriptions of phonetics as well as the
phonology of the native and the target languages
52
”.
First of all, it is important to specify how the sounds of any
language are produced, therefore, refer to phonetics. In order to produce
sounds the air flows from the lungs through the vocal tract which
includes the vocal folds, the nose or nasal cavity and the mouth or oral
cavity. The main sound creator can be considered the mouth. The major
speech organs are displayed in Picture 1 below
53
.
50
Finch, D.F. and Lira Ortiz, H. (1982). Ibid. p. 30.
51
Finch, D.F. and Lira Ortiz, H. (1982). Ibid. p. 23.
52
Odlin, T. (1989). Ibid. p. 113.
53
Delahunty, G.P. and Garvey, J.J. (2010). Ibid.
33
Picture № 1. The major speech organs.
The present study focuses mainly on the pronunciation of the
consonant sounds. Celce-Murcia; Brinton and Goodwin (1996:37)
describe consonant sounds of any language as “solid blocks with which
we construct words, phrases, and sentences. These blocks are connected
or held together by a more malleable or fluid material – the vowels of the
language
54
”.
All Spanish and English consonant sounds can be characterised
according to the three main dimensions:
A. Voicing - whether or not the vocal folds vibrate. Voiced
consonant sounds are produced with the vocal folds in light contact,
vibrating: /b/, /v/, /m/, /l/, /r/ and so on. The voiceless ones are
54
Celce-Murcia, M.; Brinton D. M. and Goodwin, J. M. (1996). Ibid. p. 37.
34
pronounced with vocal folds wide apart, so that only breath goes through:
/s/, /f/, /p/, /t/ and so on
55
.
B. Place of articulation - in the production of sounds the air passes
through the oral cavity (mouth), the nasal cavity (nose), or both. It is
important to differentiate between the articulator (the more movable part
of the articulatory system) and the place of articulation, in other words,
where the contact with the articulator occurs
56
. The main articulators are
presented in Picture 1. These are the lips, the tongue, the alveolar ridge,
the vocal cords, the velum and other speech organs. The places of
articulation for the English and Spanish consonant sounds are
summarized in the tables below.
C. Manner of articulation – how the speech organs interact with
each other. To produce sounds the air flows from the lungs through the
vocal tract which includes the vocal folds, the nose or nasal cavity and
the mouth or oral cavity. In the production of consonant sounds the air
moves through different obstacles created by different configurations of
the organs of speech. As the air encounters these obstacles, different
kinds of sounds are produced. The type of an obstacle is referred to as the
manner of articulation
57
. The manners of articulation for the English and
Spanish consonant sounds are summarized in the tables below.
All of these major dimensions help us to understand the differences
between the consonant sound pronunciation of two or more languages.
Below is Table 1 that represents the articulations of the English and
Spanish consonant sounds according to D.F. Finch and H. Lira Ortiz
(1982:19) in “A Course in English Phonetics for Spanish Speakers
58
”.
55
Finch, D.F. and Lira Ortiz, H. (1982). Ibid. p. 14
56
Celce-Murcia, M.; Brinton D. M. and Goodwin, J. M. (1996). Ibid. p. 42.
57
Celce-Murcia, M.; Brinton D. M. and Goodwin, J. M. (1996). Ibid. p. 44.
58
Finch, D.F. and Lira Ortiz, H. (1982). Ibid. p. 19.
35
Place of articulation
Manner
of
articulation
B
il
abial
La
bio
-
de
ntal
De
ntal
Alve
olar
P
ost
-
alveola
r
P
alato
-
alveola
r
P
alata
l
Ve
lar
Glott
al
Plosive
p
b
t
̪ d̪ t d
k g ʔ
Affricate
t̪ɺ d̪ɺ tʃ
dʒ
Nasal
m̥
m
ɱ
n̪
n̥ n
n̠
ɲ
ŋ
Roll
r
̥ r
Tap
r
̥ r
Lateral
l
l̥ l
ʎ
Fricative
β
f v θ
ð
s z
ɺ
ɺ
ʃ ʒ
jz
x
ɣ
h
ɦ
Approximant
β
ð
ɺ
Semivowel
w
j
(w)
Table № 1. Phonetic table of the main English and Spanish consonantal
articulations.
Table 1 classifies the English and Spanish consonant sounds from
the point of view of phonetics. The table exemplifies the phonemic
allophones of both languages according to their place and manner of
articulation. Table 1 serves for the study as a reference for the L2
consonant sounds pronunciation analysis among Peruvian learners.
Although the study focuses on the phonemes difficulty, the overview of
the English and Spanish allophones helped the researcher to comprehend
36
what organs of speech the learners use when they attempt to pronounce
some English consonant sounds, some of which the Spanish consonants
sound system does not even possess. For instance, the English consonant
sound /v/ in the position between vowels is pronounced by a Peruvian
student as Spanish bilabial approximant allophone /β/. Therefore, in order
to help the learner pronounce the labio-dental fricative /v/ correctly it has
become necessary to apply specific exercises and instructions in the
classroom.
All the IPA symbols used in Table 1 were last updated in 1979.
Therefore, it is necessary to mention that the palatal fricative sound /jz/
has a symbol /ʝ/ in a contemporary IPA alphabet
59
.
To continue with the discussion, it is essential to refer to Table 2
and Table 3 in this paper which demonstrate the English and Spanish
phonemes and therefore refer to the field of phonology. These tables
were borrowed from “A Course in Spanish Linguistics. Spanish/English
Contrasts” by M. Stanley Whitley (2002:20)
60
.
59
The International Phonetic Association. (2005):
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
