Freeman Application Questions: Chapter 4

Application Questions 5 & 6 (Freeman(

5.  For the phoneme /p/, the allophones are [p] and [ph] like in the words pin and spin.  In another language, native speakers of that language may have the phoneme /p/ but may not have the allophone [ph], therefore making it very difficult for them to hear the difference between words like Pam and spam.

6.  Who doesn’t love to listen to someone with a British accent?  This is a great example of differences in dialect.  I have a friend who moved to the United States from Great Britain only 3 years ago.  There is a significant difference in the pronunciation of words as well as some differences in vocabulary.  I would imagine that many people associated an increased level of intelligence in people who speak with a British accent. 

When living in Spain for a summer, I took classes in a language school in the city of Pamplona.  While working in the language lab on my Spanish, I had the opportunity to sit and listen to many Spaniards working on their English pronunciation with speaking software.  Some were learning American English and others were speaking with a British accent.  It was so fascinating to see students in one room learning the same foreign language in two completely different dialects. 

I do not feel that people should try to speak with some sort of standard dialect.  I do think, however, that students should be made aware of the different dialects and given examples of some differences they may encounter should they find themselves communicating with someone from another area.  As a Spanish teacher, I often mention the differences in pronunciation of certain words across dialects.  We most often briefly discuss the differences between Mexico, Spain and Argentina.  Are my students able to speak using these three dialects?  No, but they are at least aware of some of the words that differ in each dialect.