Dictionary Pronunciation Gide with International Phonetic Alphabet equivalents.

22 November 2010

There are many different approaches to starting beginners in literacy, ranging from Phonics to Whole Language, and variations in between.  All of them fail many poor students.

A trial with another method is inexpensive and cannot harm.

Parallel Texts. On one page is present spelling. On the other is Spelling without Traps.  Learners can read present spelling straight off, or they can use Spelling without Traps as a crib. (Examples can be given)

For the background to this idea see http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ozideas/literacy.htm

and http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ozideas/spelling.htm

Learners’ stages

1. I have made a study of dictionaries pronunciation guides. Dictionaries either have none, have an erudite one, or tend to have weird spellings for schwa, obscure vowels. They do not help poor students.

Try a dictionary pronunciation guide that is close to present spelling, that can be used as beginners’ introduction to literacy. I base one on a modified form of the BBC Text Pronunciation Guide. It is phonemic, rather than phonetic so can handle dialects. It does not have schwa, but shows stress by bold print or unstressed by italics. It has hyphens to show segments of words, according to learners’ needs not linguistic correctness.

IPA	Dictionary Pronunciation	As in
ʌ	u	cup
ɑ:	aa	ba-zaar
æ	a	cat
e	e	hen
ə	u or a	per-turb spa
ɜ:ʳ	er  ur (stressed)	per-turb
ɪ	i	pin
i:	è	mèd-ial
ɒ	o	hot
ɔ:	au	taut
ʊ	uu	buuk
u:	oo	boot
aɪ	ì	kìnd
aʊ	ou	out
eɪ	à	tàk-ing
oʊ	ò	còld
ɔɪ	oi	boil
eəʳ	air	fair
ju	ù	mùs-ic
IPA	Consonants
b	b	big
d	d	dig
f	f	fig
g	g	get
h	h	hen
j	y	yes
k	K or c	kit cat
l	l	leg
m	m	man
n	n	net
ŋ	ng (nk =think	sing think
p	p	pet
r	r	run
s	s	sun
ʃ	sh	ship
t	t	tip
tʃ	ch	chip
θ	tth	tthin
ð	th	that
v	v	van
w	w	win
z	z	zoo
ʒ	zh	vizhn
dʒ	j	jump

New symbols are à è ì ò ù for long vowels, aa as in bazaar, uu as in buuk, tth as in tthat. c and k both represent k.

Next,beginners learn 36 very common irregular spellings which make 12% of most text, as ‘sight words’ and are not too many to learn, especially as they appear all the time: - all almost always among come some could should would four half know of off one only once other full/ful pull push put their they two as was what want who why very, and international word endings -ion/-tion/-sion/zion.

Next come a few grammatical and morphemic modifications, such as <s> for plurals together with consistent patterns for final vowels.  <th> suffices for both <th> and <tth). If diacritics are not possible for long vowels, à è ì ò ù, other spelling patterns are available to choose.

This make a spelling for writing.

Next are up to 4 variant spellings for 9 vowels and 4 consonants. Now there is a spelling for reading, which is very close to present spelling, despite the lack of 149 less familiar spelling patterns. Poor literacy students learn to recognize these, but do not have to spell them (recall memory).

Present spelling then becomes accessible, but an easier spelling is also possible.

IPA	Dictionary Pronunciation As in	Add in next step, spelling without traps	Reading without traps	Some of the patterns remaining in present spelling
ʌ	u		son	touch, dove, flood, does
ɑ:	aa	spa	part  banana	sergeant, heart, are,
æ	a			plaid, have, salmon, diaphragm, drachm
e	e			weather, many, said, friend, jeopardy, bury  aesthetic, says, heifer, guess, debt, phlegm
ə	u or a	never		atrium, callous, borough, Edinburgh  never
ɜ:ʳ	er  ur (stressed)		bird motor mortar drama	worst, myrtle, earth, err, amateur, myrrh,colonel
ɪ	i	pity		give, myth, mischief, build, counterfeit,  pretty, carriage, busy, women, minute, sieve
i:	è	mete  see me	meet meat  field	beach, machine, deceit, deceive, key, Caesar, quay, amoeba, people, debris, receipt, believe, ski, leave, esprit, Raleigh
ɒ	o			lwatch, bureaucracy, yacht
ɔ:	au	law	fort fall	bought, caught, broad, walk,
ʊ	uu		put look	should, wolf, cwm
u:	oo		tabu do flute	luminous, soup, jewel, true, lose, fruit, maneuver, canoe, through, two, Sioux, US lieutenant, Sault Sainte Marie, coup
aɪ	ì	mite	might my final tie	dye eidos, height, buy, eye, type ailurophobia, geyser,maestro, aisle, isle, sign, indict, tayra
aʊ	ou	cow		bough, tau
eɪ	à	make may	baby bait	eight, steak, veil, obey, gauge, ballet, dossier, matinee, straight,  lingerie, reign, thegn
oʊ	ò	mote no	modal moat toe	know, soul, brooch, beau, oh, sew, mauve, pharoah, furlough
ɔɪ	oi	boy		lawyer, buoy, gargoyle
eəʳ	air			where, ware, millionaire, heir, Aaron
ju	ù	mute cue	music  cue few	feud,view, beautiful, adieu queue, nuisance, ewe

98 vowel spelling patterns no longer required

Consonants -  (k can be represented by k or c)

IPA	Dictionary Pronunciation	Add in next step, Spelling without traps	Reading without traps	Patterns remaining in present spelling
b	b		bb	bhang cupboard hautboy
d	d		dd	dhow Buddhist bdellium would mezzo burthen
f	f		ff  ph	flugelman often laugh half sapphire lieutenant
g	g		gg	ghost eczema blackguard
h	h			Navajo Callaghan Colquhoun who when
j	y			azalea courteous vignette onion tortilla manana
k	K or c	x(ks)	ck q	khaki account bacchanal school lacquer falcon walk quay quill viscount exhibit
l	l		ll	silhouette kiln magdalen muscle imbroglio island aisle nestle victual knowledge Guildford
m	m		mm	solemn lamb drachm phlegm palm sandwich
n	n		nn	mnemonics sign handsome gunwale gnaw John know comptroller pneumatic demesne known
ŋ	ng (nk =think			Handkerchief gingham
p	p		pp	hiccough shepherd
r	r	rr		rhyme corps myrrh hors d’oevre mortgage colonel write
s	s	ss	c	scene coalesce schism raspberry thistle isthmus sword Gloucester psalm worsted boatswain waltz except
ʃ	sh		t  c	machine fuchsia sugar conscience noxious
t	t		tt	debt thyme two yacht indict veldt pthisis receipt pizza
tʃ	ch		t	cello match
θ	th			eighth apophthegm Matthew
ð	tth		th only
v	v		vv  f	halve rendezvous
w	w			whip   memoir bivouac persuade
z	z		zz	has discern business scissors asthma beaux Czar
ʒ	zh		z	rouge jabot pleasure division
dʒ	j		g	hajji spinach soldier judgement adjust exaggerate

 49 Old  Consonant spelling patterns are no longer required