A Survey of Phonics & Phonetic Symbols
On English Learning and Teaching
自然發音法與音標在英語教學之概述
Shu Yan Li
Introduction
Tracing back to our Chinese learning process ,we found that we listened and spoke it
from age 1 to 6 . After 5 or 6 years of oral and listening acquisition ,we started to learn Chinese
phonetic symbols , writing and reading . Then we could use it well .However , during junior high
school ,we were forced to learn English alphabets, K.K. phonetic symbols ,spelling, reading and
writing at beginning with few English inputs. That is why almost 40% learners fail to achieve
English learning efficiency . From the experience of learning Chinese , we could find that
pronunciation plays an important role on languages’ learning . Because it is the base of writing
listening , and speaking. Phonics and phonetic symbols are not new tools for English learning in
the U.S or in Taiwan, but how can they be fervently discussed in Taiwan? There are two reasons:
one is English learning and teaching (E LT) scope lacks of consistent pronunciation teaching
method. The second reason is, as EFL (English as foreign language) learners, we seems do not
have thought them over with the learning problems before. Is there an easier approach to
understand phonics and phonetic symbols? What is the simplest definition ? When is the
appropriate time to teach and learn?
How they are used in ELT?
What are their functions in
ELT ? These are the focus will be mentioned below.
Definition
Phonics is the knowledge about the letter-sound correspondence Relationship. “Phonics,
which is the relationship between letters and their corresponding sounds, is very much a part of
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learning how to read” (Lapp, 1997:696). As for teaching approach , “ Phonics instruction intended
to help children to understand the fundamentally alphabetic nature of our writing system and,
through that understanding, to internalize the correspondences between frequent spelling patterns
and the speech patterns --- the words, syllables, and phonemes---- that those spelling represent”
Adams, 1990).
Thus, we knew that learners with the competence of spelling ,his concept of phonics must be
completed and clear. Meanwhile, according to the basic ability, it is not hard to infer the easier
language facility could be obtained. “Phonics method of teaching reading but is an essential
ingredient of reading instruction” (Heilman,1985:17). Phonics aims to provide with a strategy for
working out pronunciation of previously unseen words” (Stuart,1995:46).
Phonetics symbols are set of symbols invented to transcribe the speech sounds by
phoneticians to linguistic studies. They includes K.K. phonetic symbols (J.S. Kenyon and T. A.
Knott) Knott), D.J. phonetic symbols and IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet).K.K. phonetic
symbols are closer to IPA than to Webster's New World Dictionary (WNWD). IPA and K.K.
phonetic symbols can not provide many clues of the spelling in the English words, but sometimes
cause confusion to the learners. Taiwan, an EFL country, phonics as well as K.K. phonetic
symbols are taken as two methods for teaching pronunciation.
Application
K.K. phonetic symbols has been widely used in Taiwan, such as mass media, textbooks and
all kinds of exams for decades. The typical teaching method usually companies with the alphabets
learning. “Phonetic symbols are taught in Taiwan for language learning’s sake, not for linguistic
study.” (Hsu, 2000:21 ) Teaching English pronunciation through the phonetic symbols is a
conventional teaching method in pronunciation teaching, through which the English sound and
word pronunciation can be symbolized, and vise versa . Learners are asked to memorize all the
symbols and spell words with practice in a short time. Usually they imitate the teacher’s
pronunciation without efficient practice. Cause the schedule must be followed in school. Teachers
don’t have much time to wait the learners who can not keep up with. But for well learners, like
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“”Prof. H says, “K.K. phonetic symbols should act an assisting tool for language learning, because
many adults, after a long period of
language learning, can independently guess the pronunciation
of a new word and need not check it up in the dictionary any more ”” (Hsu, 2000:51) Still
phonetic symbols have their own values for the EFL learners.
As far as the phonics, it has been used for a long period of time (more than ten years)
in Taiwan. But there are no explicit or consistent guidelines for school teachers. At the beginning,
it was conducted by cramming school for children English learning. Excellent effects could be
found on these elementary students. Learners are taught to familiar with the rules that the
combination of the alphabets how to pronounced with sufficient oral and listening inputs. “Teach
children 44 sounds of English and how they are spelled. Then they can sound out each word from
left to right and read it off the page” (Flesch, 1955: foreword). With the abounding inputs learners
can know more words pronunciation and spelling by what they read and saw. “What effective
readers do when they use the graphophonic cue system is (1)visually recognize known patterns of
letters; (2) translate those patterns into the sounds they represent; and (3) blend the patterns
together to see if it forms a sensible, recognizable word” (May, 1998:176). Learners can
pronounce and spell well by practicing look-reading method from one- syllable to multi-syllable
words.
This approach follows the way of the native teaching method in the United States.
According to the long-experienced observation, with the firm foundation of phonics
about two years practice ; then to learn phonetic symbols, the complete English learning effects
will be reached. When phonics collocate with phonetic symbols , learners can pronounce and listen
words easily and correctly. If the long words they are not sure how to pronounce, they can rely on
the K.K. phonetic symbols represented in the dictionary and sound it without wrongs. Through the
process of consistent listening, spelling and reading training ,learners’ reading ability will be
improved. The more vocabularies they knew, the more confidence they built . Thus, the long
English learning journey can be keep going on .
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Conclusion
To practice continuously is the only simple way to facilitate the ability of spelling and
pronunciation. As long as the learners own these basic competence , learning could start
anytime ,anywhere ,with any topic. “Only through the real reading , the real learning begins.”
Language is just a tool to help learners know more and communicate smoothly. With the definite
way that teacher’s instruct, often learners get the most benefits from it. As ELF learners ,we have
right to make some mistakes. Don’t be afraid but just try to speak it out bravely. Meanwhile,
develop the persistent zeal and interest of learning, English would be a simple and easy stuff from
now on.
【附錄一】字母音標發音
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
R
G
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
【附錄二】K.K.音標總表
單母音
母音
雙母音
無聲子音
有聲子音
子音
【附錄三】Phonics 發音規則略表
b
bed
bat
book
c
cat
can
car
d
dog
duck
desk
f
fan
fin
fish
g good
girl
green
h
hat
happy
hand
4
j
k
l
m
n
p
q
r
s
t
v
w
x
y
z
jet
king
lap
Mary
net
pen
queen
run
sing
top
van
win
box
yes
zebra
jar
kick
land
Mom
not
pot
quick
rod
song
tin
vine
window
fox
you
zero
John
cake
look
morning
can
up
quit
read
stop
take
voice
wind
fax
yet
zerox
Vowals 母音
a apple cat
fan
e pen
bed
jet
i pin kick
fish
o pot
box
dog
u duck umbrella up
a...e name cake
tale
i...e bike kite
tide
o...e hole sole smoke
u...e duke dispute mule
Others 其他: 長母音(1)
ea
sea
tea
pea
ee
bee
fee
jeep
ey
key
Jeffrey monkey
5
oo
book
cook
oo (2) fool, cool pool, spool
oa
boat
toad
ai
bait
sailor
ay
pay
say
ou
out
loud
ou
touch
enough
ow
cow
bow
ow
low
blow
oi
voice
invoice
oy
toy
joy
Others 其他 (2)
sh fish
she
ch chair church
th thin
thick
th this
there
ng strong long
pr pray
proud
br bring brown
fl fly
floor
gl glad glamour
ar bar
jar
er teacher firefighter
ir girl
bird
or work humor
ur blur
fur
air hair
chair
all wall
ball
old cold
bold
took
spoon
oak
paid
stay
shout
tough
down
row
void
annoy
ship
bench
thirty
those
lung
spring
breed
fleed
glare
tar
smaller
sir
favor
turkey
pair
small
told
6
ing sing
thinking understanding
From自然發音教學淺談
文／Euchi Tai
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