Presentation on

TEACHING OF PHONETICS
AND PHONOLOGY AT M.A.
LEVEL IN PAKISTAN.

Muhammad Sajid us Salam

Mphil Linguistics
The Islamia University
Bahawalpur
cupidlucid@gmail.com

Overview

What is Phonetics and

Phonology?
Significance of Teaching
Phonetics and Phonology
Teaching of Phonetics and
Phonology Situation in Pakistan
Required
Learning
Skills
Pakistani Classroom
Needs of Pakistani LearnersJ

in

 Difficulties of the Teachers

while teaching at M.A Level in Pakistan
Difficulties of the Learners, Segmental
and Supra-segmental problems
Difference of Sound System in Urdu and
English Languages. Vowels and
Consonants. Syllable. Pronunciation
Problems
Equipments and Training on Teachers at
M.A.
Level in Pakistan
Conclusion
Suggestions for the Improvement of
Pakistani English

Speaking a language is not merely

knowing its grammar and vocabulary, but
the practice of correct pronunciation is also
necessary.
A cricketer cannot learn to play cricket
by just acquiring theoretical knowledge of
the techniques and rules of the game. He
must actively go to the filed and practice
the game. Similarly, the language learner
must put to use his knowledge of the
language.

 PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY

Phonetics
scientific study of the
production, transmission
and reception of speech
sounds.
Phonetics is the study of physical
aspects of speech. It studies all possible
speech sounds

 Phonology
Phonology is the branch of linguistics which
Studies the sound system in a language.

Bloomfield argues
Phonology is the organization
of sounds into patterns

 Difference Between Phonetics

and Phonology

Generality and Particularity.

 Aim of Phonetics

description and classification of

The
speech sounds
Aim of Phonology
Discover the principles that govern the
way the sounds are organized in
languages and to explain the variations
that occur.
Phonology studies the speech sounds
of a given language and their function
within the sound system of that
language.

Important Terms in Phonology

Phone is an instance of a speech
sound. [b], [s], [o].
A Phoneme is a category of speech
sounds that all speakers of a language
perceive as more or less identical. /t/
/f/ /b/
An Allophone is a variant or alternate
phonetic form of a phoneme. [t] and
[t ] are allophones of the phoneme /t/.

System of Transcription in
English
Phonemic or Broad Transcription
Phonetic transcription/
Narrow Transcription
This is something much needed by the
foreign learner in order to understand fully
the features of connected speech
IPA symbols for representing the sound
system of any language in a unique form.

Priorities for Phonology in the

Pronunciation Class

Comprehensibility: are learners able to identify

the sounds and are their articulations
understood by native speakers?
Social Acceptability: are learners producing
sounds that are aesthetically acceptable to the
ears of native speakers?
Ease of Production: do learners have a good
chance of successfully learning to produce the
sounds?
Number of familiar words (functional load):
do the sounds occur frequently in essential &/or
very useful words?

Significance of Teaching
phonetics and phonology
Selection and arrangement of speech
sounds
Helps to teach phonemes
correct pronunciation of consonants
and vowels sounds etc

Significance of Teaching phonetics

and phonology
Intelligibility is a pronunciation
which can be understood with little
or no conscious effort on part of the
listener.

 It tells that how many sounds are

produced in one word. Sometimes one
sound is used for two letters.
For example:
/f/ is used for, Face and
Phenomenon

Significance of Teaching
phonetics and phonology
Segmental level of phonology analyses the
speech into direct segments and phonemes.
Supra Segmental level of phonology deals
syllables with extended segments. Such as
stress, intonation etc.
Diachronic phonology examines theories
about the changes and modification in sounds
over the period of time.
Synchronic phonology deals with the pattern
of sounds in the content of change in the
history of language.

Significance of Teaching
phonetics and phonology
Articulatory phonetics helps us to teach
the movement of speech organs in production
of speech sounds. Speech is produced by
lungs, larynx, tongue, lips soft palate, hard
plate etc.
Acoustic phonetics helps us to teach
speech sound as transmitted between mouth
and ear.
Auditory phoneticsIt helps in teaching
hearing and the perception of speech sounds.

How much phonetics and phonology

do teachers and learners of English
language need to know and use?
Teachers must understand the physical
aspects of sound production.Teachers will
not necessarily teach these to students, but
this knowledge will provide a basis for
teachers to identify the physical reasons for
inaccurate approximations of foreign
language sounds, enabling them to give
precise instructions which will help students
correct faulty pronunciation.

How much phonetics and phonology

do teachers and learners of English
language need to know and use?
Unless the teacher understands how the
student is using his speech organs in
producing a native language sound and
what he should be doing to reproduce the
foreign language sound acceptably, he
cannot help the student beyond a certain
stage of earnest but inaccurate imitation."
(Wilga Rivers- Teaching Foreign
Language Skills).

How much phonetics and phonology

do teachers and learners of English
language need to know and use?

Incorrectly articulated consonants

will affect the production of vowels,
as vowels will affect consonants.
Students therefore require steady
practice and muscle training.
Pronunciation is a motor skill that
needs practice.

What are the major causes of pupils'

inability to communicate effectively in oral
situations? How should teaching
programmes be devised to counteract this?

1. Teach the comprehension and production

of a form of "slow colloquial" suitable for the
communicative needs of the consensus.
2. Lead away from practice in the
comprehension of R.P. by including various
styles of "informal English" as listening
material. The emphasis at this stage is on
practice. Comprehension should be tested
in a variety of ways e.g. "Task Listening".

 3a. Teach the auditory & visual signals

which are reliable indicators of stress
placement. Practice material requiring to
recognise and mark strong stress and use
of video film would be helpful here.
3b. Teach the most common tunes.
Practices should also focus on the interrelationships between stress, tune, syntax
and meaning.

 4. Develop vocabulary giving special

priority to lexis containing important
signals (concepts), cohesive devices
and other discourse markers. The focus
here is comprehension of spoken
English at paragraph level.

 5. Teach the sound system (the

relationships between vowel length &
quality and consonant sounds, the points of
articulation & their modification in "informal
English" in greater detail.
(David Jones' RSA Course in
Stockholm 1982.)

Teaching of phonetics and

phonology situation in
Pakistan.

A number of explanations can be given to

account for this poor performance such as:
Our educational policy
Uncongenial teaching environment
Dearth of materials
Lack of practice
Absence of language laboratory
Outmoded syllabi methodology
Examinations system

 M.A level is considered to be the higher level

in Pakistan
Most of the students do jobs or go for higher
education
For both groups teaching of phonetics and
phonology is necessary, because you express
yourself through communication For better
communication it is necessary to learn the
correct pronunciation of the words of any
language that you speak.
Teaching of phonetics and phonology is
equally important for all the languages.

Practiced Language skills in

Pakistani Class Room; Basic
Reason for Such a Poor
Condition of Teaching
Phonetics and Phonology
An average classroom in Pakistan still reflects
traditional concepts of teaching methods.
The logical sequence of language skills is
disturbed, thus creating obstacles in the
learning process. It is an established fact that
the sequence adopted in L1 acquisition must
be followed to a large extent in L2 learning i.e.
listening, speaking reading, writing (LSRW).

 Moreover, the system in Pakistan demands

reading and writing more than the other
skills.
Speaking is almost ignored and there are
no ways to test the speaking ability of the
students.
Teaching of sound system in our country is
given no importance.

 speaking skill is required at the higher

level in Pakistan, when students appear
for interview and viva voce.
The policy makers have failed to
realize that at the higher level, it is too
late to gain proficiency in the speaking
skill.

Result:
Students are unaware of the correct
pronunciation of words even till
graduate level in our country.
Many students suffer because they
cannot express themselves so well
verbally, as they would in writing.

The need of a Pakistani

student at M.A. level
Listening and speaking facilitate
communication, creating confidence in the
learner through interaction with the
environment.
Unfortunately, a Pakistani syllabus ignores
even these two language skills, and the
syllabus objectives are set to achieve
reading and writing skills.
As a result, the students concentrate on
the structural rather than functional
aspects of the language.

 communication between teacher-students

and student-students is almost nil.
Such teaching/learning will give birth to
teachers/learners who will not be able to use
language effectively.
A balance between all four language skills
should be struck by syllabus designers.

 The students need the listening skill to

understand teachers and to follow
instructions and speaking skill to
express themselves by using language.
But all these skills are perfected if we
know well how to pronounce the words
correctly.

 In Pakistan, syllabi/ curricula have hardly

undergone any change. They need
revolutionary changes to keep abreast of the
times.
No activities or practice of correct
pronunciation of words and accent is being
done by the teachers even at M.A. level in
Pakistan.
A Pakistani syllabus stresses more on the
theoretical aspects rather than the practical/
applicable aspects. The language learners
may have a good command over the usage of
the language but may not be able to use the
language satisfactorily with correct
pronunciation and stress pattern.

 The syllabus designers should realize this

and shift from a structural syllabus to a
functional one.
Both the language / education policy makers
and the syllabus designers need to adopt a
pragmatic view of language use and
teaching of phonetics and phonology should
be made compulsory.

Difficulties of Teaching phonetics

and phonology at M.A level in
Pakistan.
Experimental subject
Lack of language laboratories
Self Access Centers (SACs)
laboratories are equipped with tape
recorders head phones, and now computers.
The students can contact their teachers on
one-to-one basis.

Compare pronunciation to the source and

get feedback with out the intervention of a
teacher.
Students are more open to the guidance of
the teacher at language laboratories.
The language laboratory helps to train
some students to really listen to what they
say and how they say it.

A basic pronunciation item may look like

this:
Tape voice: Information
Buzz Signal: (Pause of 3 seconds)
Tape voice: Information

Learners mostly face

problems due to the following
reasons:
Teachers are not much experts.
Learners have little or no exposure to
native speakers of Target Language
(TL).
They are sometimes unable to teach
the students using a good methodology
of teaching phonetics and
phonology/sound system.

 Speech organs are not taught

comprehensively.
There is a lack of written transcription
practice.
Teachers should explain the IPA chart very
well.
Language skills are not taught well.
There is the lack of the use of Audio visual
aids in teaching. Audio visual aids take the
place of first hand and actual experience. As
they enliven the learning atmosphere they can
accomplish most effectively the objectives of
language learning.

Advantages of Audio
Visual Aids
Reduce verbalism
Help in better and clear understanding of sounds
(Production/transmission).
Arouse interest of the learners in the task of
learning.
Help to focus attention on the lesson and
stimulate the learners thinking.
Encourage students participation.
Train the learners in efficient work and study
habits.
Exclude favorable attitudes
Bring about variety in the lesson and make it
effective.

Commonly used audio visual

aids (AV aids)
classroom objects such as
Blackboard /white boards,
Pictorial representations,
Bulletin board to display pictures,
Drawings,
Charts,
Flash cards,
The textbooks,
Dramatization
Role playing
Videos playing

 Teacher should use these Av aids to

make their students fully understand
the sound system, to enable them to
pronounce the words in a correct way.
Teacher should make them understand
the movement of speech organs to
produce different sound.
Use the technique of lesson planning
for batter results/outcome.

Difference between the Sound

System of Urdu and English
Student feel difficulty in learning the
foreign language i.e. English because
there is a great difference of sound
system in Urdu and English language.
We can see the difference through the
following alphabetical order shown
between English and Urdu.

Difference between the Sound

System of Urdu and English

Segmental and Suprasegmental Problems

Segmental Problems
Vowels
Consonants
Vowels:

In English Vowel intensity (quality) is

significant for syllabic prominence in
English
In Urdu vowel duration (quantity) is
significant for syllabic prominence.

Vowels
Vowels in English are uttered with
different positions of lips, tongue and
jaws, but in Urdu vowels are realized in
the natural position of the oral cavity.
For example, /b/, /t/, /a/ : are confused
and /a:
Cot
/kbt/
Caught/k: t /
/Ka: t/
Cart
/ ka: t/

Phoneme Difficulties and Sound

Difficulties.
when a phoneme is replace with
another phoneme that is called
phoneme difficulty and when some
sound of phoneme is confused that is
called sound difficulty
For example Pakistan learners
pronounce wine as vine and in this way
they confuse /w/ with /v/, this is a
phoneme difficulty

Consonants

The consonant difficulties are no less

remarkable. There are twenty-four
consonants in English whereas Urdu has
thirty seven consonants
As pirated stops constitute different
phonemes in Urdu, while English they are in
complementary distribution with the unaspirated ones. Urdu aspirated stops in
English.
/p/, /t/, /k/ sounds are aspirated R.P A
Pakistani learner tends to pronounce them
without aspiration.

Pakistani learners tend to confuse /v/ sound

with /w/sound. In R.P (Received pronunciation) /v/
is a labio-dental fricative and /w/ is a bilabial semivowel e.g.
/n/sounds does not occur independent in Urdu and
is replaced by /ng/ or /nk/.
In R.P /r/only occurs before vowels, never before
consonants.
An Urdu speaker finds it difficult to string together
two, three or four consonants with no vowel
between them. We may say that consonant
clusters are also a great difficulty for the foreign
learners.

 The sound / j/ exists and is widely

used in Urdu but appears to cause
considerable difficulty possible due to
the fact that

serves as both vowel /i:/ and
consonant /j/ in Urdu consequently
many speakers are confused:

Supra segmental Problems:

Stress/ Accent
Intonation
Syllables
Fluency
Features of connected speech

Syllabification
The term syllabification refers to the division
of a word into syllables.
Syllables are formed by the combination of
vowels and consonants.
The syllable structures are of various types
and common structure of syllable is the
combination of a consonant and a vowel
(CV), this syllable structure may be found
almost in all language.
English: (CCCVCCCC)
Urdu:
(CVCC)

44 sounds 26 letters,

Result:

(Confusion and Difficulties of Learners

in Learning Pronunciation)
1.

The same letter (S) stands for different

sounds:

The letters ch stand for different

sounds
machine, monarch, chief

The letter a stands for different sounds

late, last, fat, woman, village, water, what

The letters ough stand for different

sounds
though, through, bough, thought, thorough, cough

2. The same sound is represented by different

letters or combinations of letters:
The n sound is represented by the letters n
in neck, nn in funny, gn in sign, kn
in know and pn in pneumonia
The vowel sound in the word get, is replaced
by the letter e in end, ea in head, ei in
leasure, eo in leopard, a in many ai in said,
ie in friend, u in bury, and ue in guess
The vowel sound in the word tea is replaced by
the letters ea in beat, ie in brief, eo in
people, e in scene, ee in seen, ey in key,
I in machine, oe in foetus, ei in receive and
uay in quay

 3. One letter of the alphabet stands for a sequence

of two sounds:
The letter q stands for a combination of the k
sound (as in key) and the w sound as in watch in
the words question, quiet, quite, square, squash,
queer
The letter x stands for a sequence of the k
sound (as in kite) and the s sound (as in sea) in
the words excuse, excite, excess, box, exercise
The letter x stands also for a sequence of the g
sound (as in go) and the z sound (as in zoo) in the
words exact, examine, exist, exert
The letter u sometimes stands for the sequence of
a consonant followed by a vowel as in the words
unit, use, utilize

Equipment and Training of

English Teachers
English is an ever-growing subject
An English teacher requires more
intensive training than his other
colleagues in other subjects
Those who do not keep themselves in
constant touch with its development are
left far behind and hopelessly out of
date.

Deficiencies:
Teachers)

( Regarding

Their command of general English is poor.

The language that they habitually employ is not of
practical use to the students. The do not know
how to come down to the level of the young
beginners.
Generally they do not keep themselves abreast of
the modern methods of teaching.
Most of them avoid hard work involved in
adopting new methods.
They need an intensive and extensive knowledge
of the use English language, pronunciation and
intonation and an acquaintance with English
ways of life.

Suggestion for their

improvement.

Refresher courses should be arranged during

summer vacation for English Teachers for to
update them to the sound system of English
language.
They should be encouraged to do research work.
They should be provided with the latest
publications.
Lectures of English speakers should be arranged
for their benefit.
They should be advised to listen to the Radio
programmes.
Opportunities to visit England should be provided.

An English Teachers Association should be

established. A journal should be run by this
Association.
Conferences of teachers for academic discussion
should be encouraged.
Subject specialist system should be enforced.
Demonstration Lessons by the teachers should be
encouraged.
Purchase of Tape-recorders and Lingua phone
records should be allowed.
They should be provided with funds for the
purchases of equipment for the English room.

CONCLUSION

The tremendous and considerable influence of mother

tongue or L1 poses many great difficulties in learning the
pronunciation of second language (L2). When we teach
English language to the students at M.A Level they have
become mature and they feel difficulty in pronouncing
English words in an exact manner because their speech
organs are set for their own language/ mother tongue.
Our Jaw system and speech organs no doubt can
produce uncountable sounds but for this purpose we 63
need a great deal of practice, as the practice makes a
man perfect.
Teaching of phonetics and phonology should be made
compulsory at early level.
Speaking and listening skills should be taught and
practiced.
The students should check up to correct pronunciations
of these and similar other problematic words in a
pronouncing dictionary.

Suggestions for the Improvements

of Pakistani English

The correct pattern of English word accent

should be maintained.
The correct pattern of sentence stress and
rhythm should be maintained.
The knowledge of vowels (O,v,w) should be
acquired.
The consonants should be clearly articulated.
English vowels and diphthongs must be given
correct length, they should be sufficiently
long.

The voiceless plosives /p/, /t/, /k/ should be

aspirated at the beginning of accented syllables.
The reading of a set text should be done
carefully with proper grouping of words.
The correct distribution of /s/and /z/ in flexional
suffixes should be learnt through the constant
use of a pronouncing dictionary.
The correct distribution of English vowels and
consonants should be learnt through the
constant use of a pronouncing dictionary.

Students should remember that the sound

(r) at the end of a word or before a
consonant is dropped. It is pronounced
before a vowel only. It is, however,
pronounced at the end of a word when the
word immediately following it in connected
speech begins with a vowel e.g. morning,
there, thereafter, there by, archive in these
words (r) is not pronounced.

 Sometimes two consonants occur

next to each other. In
pronunciation the first is often
dropped, e.g.
Sit down:
/si daun/
Postman:
/pousmn/or
poustmen/

 Some most commonly mispronounced

words in Pakistan are: vowel, adjective,
sew, opportunity, capacity, political,
azure, rumor, drought, malign,
malignity, condemn, autumn, forehead,
extraordinary, Wednesday, zero, hero,
etc. The students should check up to
correct pronunciations of these and
similar other problematic words in a
pronouncing dictionary.