Due by 5pm on Sunday, February 16: Discussion Post #4 on the Ning
What is the difference between sound and spelling? Why is this distinction significant for your language-learning efforts? Describe the phonetic inventory of your target language. Are there sounds in your language that don’t exist in American English? If so, provide several words and their phonetic transcriptions of words as examples to support your argument. What do you need to know about the sound system of your target language? How will you acquire the ability to discriminate differentiated segments in your listening, and to produce these sounds in your speech?
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The difference between sound and spelling is a critical concept in language learning, particularly for Hebrew, which has a unique phonetic structure. In essence, sound refers to the actual pronunciation of words, while spelling pertains to how those words are written. This distinction is significant because Hebrew is a language where the written form (using the Hebrew alphabet) does not always correspond directly to its phonetic pronunciation. For instance, the Hebrew letter ש (shin) can be pronounced as ʃ (like sh in shoe) or s (like s in see) depending on the context, which emphasizes the need for learners to focus on the sounds rather than solely on the letters. Hebrew has a diverse phonetic inventory that includes several sounds not found in American English. The Hebrew language features consonants such as ע (ayin), which is a voiced pharyngeal fricative ʕ, and ח (chet), which is a voiceless pharyngeal fricative χ. These sounds can be challenging for English speakers, as they do not exist in American English phonology.
Here are some examples of Hebrew words along with their phonetic transcriptions:
שלום =ʃaˈlom=Peace/Hello
חלב=χaˈlav=Milk
עין=ʕajin=Eye
חתול=χaˈtul=Cat
To effectively learn Hebrew, it has been essential for me to understand its sound system. This includes recognizing the unique phonemes and their articulatory properties. To develop the ability to discriminate between these sounds in listening, I can engage in activities such as listening practice which uses audio resources that emphasize the pronunciation of Hebrew sounds, focusing on minimal pairs (words that differ by one phoneme) to sharpen listening skills. Further, repetition and shadowing which mimics native speakers by repeating phrases and sentences, helping in the production of sounds that may be difficult. Lastly, phonetic transcription helps me with the International Phonetic Alphabet for Hebrew to better understand how sounds are produced and represented. By concentrating on these aspects, I can gradually improve my ability to both discriminate and produce the distinct sounds of Hebrew, enhancing their overall language proficiency.
This is really interesting! I had no idea Hebrew had so many sounds that don’t exist in English. The examples you gave helped me understand how tricky it can be to match spelling with pronunciation. I’ve never studied Hebrew, but now I get why listening and shadowing would be so important. Thanks for breaking it down so clearly!
This is so interesting! I don't know much about the Hebrew language, so I definitely learned a lot reading your post. This is so different than how the Korean alphabet works, and I think there is so much beauty to that! However, I agree that even for Korean, understanding the sound system is still important.
The difference between sound and spelling is that spoken language is made up of sounds (phonemes), while written language represents these sounds through symbols (letters or characters). In many languages, there is not always a one-to-one pair between sounds and letters, which can make pronunciation unpredictable. I notice this distinction in my Korean learning, as Korean pronunciation often differs from its written form due to phonological rules such as sound assimilation, batchim (final consonant pronunciation), and vowel harmony. Although Hangul is a phonetic writing system, some letters change pronunciation based on their position in a word or the surrounding sounds. Understanding these patterns is important for my Korean learning because solely reading Hangul without knowing phonetic rules can lead to mispronunciations and difficulties in listening comprehension. Korean has a phonetic inventory that differs from English. The language has 19 consonants and 10 vowels, but some sounds do not exist in English, making them difficult for non-native speakers to pronounce. For example, Korean has a three-way laryngeal contrast in stops and affricates: plain (ㄱ,ㄷ,ㅂ), aspirated (ㅋ,ㅌ,ㅍ), and tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ). In Korean, aspirated and tense sounds are phonemically distinct, and switching between them can change the meaning of words. For example:길 (gil) – “road” and 킬 (khil) – “kill” have two distinct meanings. Additionally, Korean has vowels that do not exist in English, such as “ㅡ” that is pronounced like “eu” which is a high back unrounded vowel that is often mispronounced as [u].
To improve my pronunciation and to sound more native, I need to understand Korean phonological rules such as batchim and sound assimilation that are pretty different from English. To acquire the ability to discriminate and produce these sounds, I will first listen to native speech through various methods, such as language-learning podcasts, music, and children's content, to train my ear to recognize subtle differences. Second, I will practice IPA transcription and minimal pairs to distinguish similar sounds more accurately. Finally, I will record and compare my pronunciation using apps or practice with my Korean friend, allowing native speakers to correct my pronunciation and provide feedback. By applying these techniques to my learning practice, I aim to develop more accurate and natural-sounding Korean pronunciation.
I really liked how you explained the challenges of Korean pronunciation, especially the three-way laryngeal contrast and the role of batchim and sound assimilation. Your learning plan sounds really strong, using IPA, minimal pairs, and native feedback will definitely help sharpen your pronunciation. It’s great that you’re paying attention not just to reading Hangul but also to how it actually sounds in real speech.
Sound refers to the way a word is pronounced, while spelling is its written representation. This distinction is crucial for language learners because pronunciation does not always align with spelling, especially in languages with irregular orthography like English. Korean features sounds that do not exist in English and have pronunciation rules that change depending on word position or context. The Korean language has a unique sound system that differs significantly from American English. It includes distinct consonants, such as tense consonants (ㅃ, ㅉ, ㄸ, ㄲ, ㅆ), and vowel combinations not found in English. Additionally, Korean has a final consonant sound called "batchim" that affects pronunciation depending on its position in a word.One challenging sound for English speakers is the Korean consonant "ㄹ," which changes in pronunciation. Another difficulty is the tense consonants, such as 아빠 (dad), where ㅃ is a strongly articulated p sound, distinct from the standard b. To master Korean pronunciation, one needs to understand how sounds change in different contexts, particularly with batchim rules and sound assimilation. Methods like shadowing, phonetic drills, and exposure to native speech can help. Moreover, through regular listening, speaking, and writing practice, learners can bridge the gap between sound and spelling, improving both comprehension and pronunciation in their target language.
I also realized that the tense consonants are a sound not present in English. I also agree that practice is very important, as you can train the muscles used for pronouncing these sounds!
Sound refers to the spoken pronunciation of a word while spelling refers to the sequence of letters that we understand as the given word. This is significant because the way many words are written do not directly correspond to the way they are pronounced. In the American English dictionary, words such as mortgage and subtle contain silent letters that have no phonetic sounds. The “t” in mortgage and “b” in subtle are not pronounced at all. While in Korean, there are sounds that don’t exist in American English. For example, when saying “bread” in Korean, the closest translation to English is “ppang,” which still does not emphasize the mix between the p and b sound in Korean. We also have the word “salty” in Korean, which translates to “jja,” which has no American English translation. To effectively learn the Korean language, I think there needs to be a basic understanding of the Korean alphabet and its sounds. This alphabet is completely different from American English, as there are characters, which are built together, combined with other words to form phrases. These differences in language require careful listening and articulation practice. I think the best way to discriminate between these segments is to have exposure to the various sounds in Korean. This can be done by listening to Korean music, watching Kdrama, or talking to native Korean speakers. Through practicing and listening what Korean should sound like, I believe I will develop a deeper understanding of the various sounds and phrases that make up the Korean language.
You did a nice job explaining how English spelling and pronunciation don’t always match, and your examples like mortgage and subtle were great. I also thought your comparisons to Korean were helpful, especially when you talked about sounds like “ppang” and “jja” that don’t exist in English. I liked your emphasis on listening and practice too, watching K-dramas is a great way to effectively improve speaking and listening skills. I do the same with Israeli shows.
I liked the examples you use, because they are very common words in the Korean language, yet there is no direct translation on how to speak it in the American language. I realized that it is hard to pronounce some words because I am not used to the different areas of the mouth used to produce those sounds
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