2014 MELEd Conference
How Many Phonemes to Teach?
A Comparative Analysis of Phonetic Symbols in
Major Pronunciation Dictionaries and Textbooks
Vladimir Pavlov
University of Wisconsin-River Falls vladimir.pavlov@uwrf.edu
Elena Stetsenko
University of Minnesota stets002@umn.edu

William Labov, Sharon Ash and Charles Boberg. Atlas of North American English . www.atlas.moutoncontent.com

William Labov, Sharon Ash and Charles Boberg. Atlas of North American English . www.atlas.moutoncontent.com

There are two major shifts in the vowel systems of American English that are taking place. One is referred to as the Southern Vowel Shift…
That is compared to the Northern Cities Vowel
Shift, and this is sort of one of the stunning aspects of American English dialects today, the fact that Northern dialects are actually becoming less like Southern dialects.
The reality is no, the Northern dialects are actually becoming more different…
Walt Wolfram. Integrating Language Variation into TESOL: Challenges from English
Globalization . TESOL Webinar, October 13, 2011

William Labov, Sharon Ash and Charles Boberg. Atlas of North American English . www.atlas.moutoncontent.com

Walt Wolfram. Integrating Language Variation into TESOL: Challenges from English
Globalization . TESOL Webinar, October 13, 2011

William Labov, Sharon Ash and Charles Boberg. Atlas of North American English . www.atlas.moutoncontent.com

Walt Wolfram. Integrating Language Variation into TESOL: Challenges from English
Globalization . TESOL Webinar, October 13, 2011

There are two major shifts in the vowel systems of American English that are taking place. One is referred to as the Southern Vowel Shift…
That is compared to the Northern Cities Vowel
Shift, and this is sort of one of the stunning aspects of American English dialects today, the fact that Northern dialects are actually becoming less like Southern dialects.
The Northern dialects are actually becoming more different…
Walt Wolfram. Integrating Language Variation into TESOL: Challenges from English
Globalization . TESOL Webinar, October 13, 2011

standard variety also standard dialect, standard language, standard the variety of a language which has the highest status in a community or nation and which is usually based on the speech and writing of educated native speakers of the language. A standard variety is generally: a used in the news media and in literature b described in dictionaries and grammars c taught in schools and taught to non-native speakers when they learn the language as a foreign language.
Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics , 4th Edition, 2010

www.merriam-webster.com
Consonants: 19
Vowels: 26

http://www.learnersdictionary.com

http://www.learnersdictionary.com
Consonants: 29
Vowels: 21

Consonants: 25
Vowels: 21

Jack Windsor Lewis
ELT Journal http://eltj.oxfordjournals.or
g/content/53/3/225.extract

Consonants: 24
Vowels: (16*) 17

Consonants: 25
Vowels: 21

MerriamWebster Learner’s Dictionary http://www.learnersdictionary.com
Consonants: 29

Phoneme the smallest unit of sound in a language which can distinguish two words
Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics . 4 ed., 2010

Phoneme the smallest unit of sound in a language which can distinguish two words
Allophone any of the different variants of a phoneme. The different allophones of a phoneme are perceptibly different but similar to each other, do not change the meaning of a word, and occur in different phonetic environments that can be stated in terms of phonological rules.
Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics . 4 ed., 2010

MerriamWebster Learner’s Dictionary http://www.learnersdictionary.com
Consonants: 24

Teaching Pronunciation

Teaching Pronunciation

Teaching Pronunciation

Teaching Pronunciation
/ y / = / j / Consonants: 24

Harley, H. (2006). English Words: A Linguistic Introduction . Malden: Blackwell.

Daniel Jones EPD
Consonants: 24

Longman Pronunciation Dictionary
Consonants: 25

Longman Pronunciation Dictionary
Consonants: 25

Longman Pronunciation Dictionary
Consonants: 24

MerriamWebster Learner’s Dictionary
Vowels: 21

MerriamWebster Learner’s Dictionary
Vowels: 20

MerriamWebster Learner’s Dictionary
Vowels: 15

MerriamWebster Learner’s Dictionary
Vowels: 15

Teaching Pronunciation
Vowels: 21

Teaching Pronunciation
Vowels: 21

Teaching Pronunciation
/ y / = / j / Consonants: 24

International Phonetic Association http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/index.html

Teaching Pronunciation
Vowels: 21

Teaching Pronunciation
Not in MW Learner’s!
Vowels: 21

Teaching Pronunciation
Not in MW Learner’s!

Teaching Pronunciation
Vowels: 17

Longman Pronunciation Dictionary
Vowels: 21

Longman Pronunciation Dictionary
Vowels: 21

Longman Pronunciation Dictionary
Vowels: 16

Jones EPD
Vowels: 17

Merriam-Webster Learner’s
Teaching Pronunciation
Daniel Jones EPD ɪ ɛ æ ʌ ʊ ə i ɑ u eɪ oʊ aʊ aɪ oɪ ɚ ɪ ɛ æ ʌ ʊ ə i ɑ ɔ uw ey ow aw ay y ər ɜr ɪ e æ ʌ ʊ ə i ɑ ɔ u eɪ oʊ aʊ aɪ ɔɪ ɚ ɝ
Longman Pronunciation ɪ e æ ʌ ʊ ə i ɑ ɔ u eɪ oʊ aʊ aɪ ɔɪ ɝ
/ ɑ / and / ɔ / are used in cot and caught , lot and law
Merriam-Webster Learner’s: bird / bɚd/
Longman: ə r
= ɚ
Vowels: 17

Plosive
Affricate
Fricative
Nasal
Lateral approximant
Approximant
Bilabial Labio-dental Dental Alveolar Post-alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal p b t d k g f v θ ð s z tʃ dʒ ʃ ʒ h m n ŋ l w r j