Thesis--Copenhagen. / Summary in English.

Afhandling--Copenhagen. / Includes English summary.

Afhandling--Copenhagen. / Summary in English.

Afhandling--Copenhagen. / Includes English summary.

Abstract. The purpose of this Bachelor’s thesis is to review existing literature regarding the teaching and learning of English pronunciation with the perspective of Finnish education. As English has become a worldwide language, in the future, people will need to be more adaptable to the versatile front of international spoken English, leading to the need for English as foreign language students to be able to understand and speak a comprehensible variation of it. Most students in Finland start learning English in the beginning of elementary school, and by the time they finish comprehensive school, they will be expected to understand various accents, and speak an intelligible variation of English themselves. However, students do not need to become ‘perfect pronouncers’, but confident and comprehensive users of spoken English (Atli & Bergil, 2012). This, already, establishes the need for quality pronunciation education. In this thesis, schools’ explicit influence in the acquisition of pronunciation is looked through the general viewpoint of foreign language learning in Finland, before considering the importance and intelligibility issues of pronunciation teaching and learning. The aim of this literature review is to discover the methods and techniques used to teach English pronunciation to Finnish students, in addition to considering the various aspects affecting the optimization of the learning. Furthermore, it is found, that factors such as age, personal background and motivation affect the learning of English pronunciation. Also, the schools’ and teachers’ impact on the learning process are considered. Pronunciation remains an integral part of language learning, and it should be given its due recognition in foreign language teaching and learning, as it paves way for intelligibility and comprehensibility.Tiivistelmä. Tämän kandidaatintyön tarkoitus on tarkastella olemassa olevaa kirjallisuutta englannin lausumisen opettamisesta ja oppimisesta Suomen koulutuksen näkökulmasta. Koska englannista on tullut maailmanlaajuisesti käytetty kieli, ihmisten tulee tulevaisuudessa olla paremmin sopeutuvia sen monipuolisiin muotoihin. Tämä tarkoittaa, että englantia vieraana kielenä oppivan oppilaan tulee pystyä ymmärtämään ja puhumaan sitä ymmärrettävästi. Suurin osa suomalaisista oppilaista alkaa opiskelemaan englantia ala-asteen ensimmäisillä luokilla. Peruskoulun päättyessä heidän oletetaan myös ymmärtävän erilaisia englannin aksentteja ja puhesävyjä. Oppilaiden ei kuitenkaan tarvitse osata täydellistä englannin lausuntaa, mutta heidän toivotaan olevan itsevarmoja ja ymmärrettäviä englannin puhujia. Jo tämä vahvistaa englannin lausumisen opiskelun tarpeen. Tässä kandidaatintyössä käydään läpi koulun vaikutusta englannin lausumisen oppimiseen vieraan kielen opetuksen näkökulmasta ennen lausumisen opiskelun tärkeyden ja ymmärrettävyyden käsittelyä. Tämän kirjallisuuskatsauksen tarkoitus on tarkastella suomenkielisten oppilaiden englannin lausumisen oppimisen menetelmiä ja toteutumista, sekä sen oppimisen mahdollistamista. Koulussa tapahtuvan opetuksen lisäksi tarkastellaan muita englannin lausunnan oppimiseen vaikuttavia tekijöitä, kuten oppilaan ikää, kielellistä taustaa sekä motivaatiota. Myös koulun ja opettajan rooleja oppimisen optimoinnissa käsitellään. Lausunta on yksi kielen olennaisimmista osista, mikä tulee huomioida vieraan kielen opetuksessa ja oppimisessa, sillä se tukee oppilaan lausunnan ymmärrettävyyttä.

In Malaysia what was at first Standard English has over time changed and a variety called Malaysian English has arisen. This variety of English is full of colloquial expressions and the grammar also differs slightly from that of Standard English. This paper surveys Malaysian speakers’ attitudes towards Malaysian English and Standard English. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. The results show that the informants consider Malaysian English useful for informal and everyday communication whereas Standard English is more useful for international communication as well as more formal purposes. A good command of Standard English is still regarded as important. It became evident that while the informers were aware of Malaysian English and its linguistic characteristics, identifying them in written sentences was not easy. The informants’ attitudes towards Malaysian English and Standard English showed that one variety does not have to exclude the existence of the other. / Vad som först var standardengelska har i Malaysia över tid ändrats och en ny variant kallad malaysisk engelska har växt fram. Denna variant av engelska är full av lokala uttryck och grammatiken skiljer sig delvis från standardengelskans. Denna studie undersöker talares attityder till malaysisk engelska och standardengelska med hjälp av en enkät. Resultaten visar att malaysisk engelska är användbar för informell och vardaglig kommunikation medan standardengelska är mer användbar för internationell samt mer formell kommunikation. Att behärska standardengelska anses fortfarande vara viktigt. Det blev tydligt att även om informanterna var medvetna om malaysisk engelskas lingvistiska särdrag så var det inte helt enkelt att identifiera dem i skrivna meningar. Informanternas attityder till malaysisk engelska och standardengelska visade att en variant inte nödvändigtvis utesluter den andra.

El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar el proceso de asimilación de sonoridad a diferentes velocidades de habla en catalán e inglés y, más concretamente observar y analizar la asimilación de sonoridad cuando dos consonantes que tienen una especificación fonológica de sonoridad distinta coocurren a través de palabras. Además, el estudio se propone evaluar modelos descriptivos actuales con el fin de determinar cómo explican los datos obtenidos en el experimento. Se realizó un experimento usando datos acústicos, electropalatográficos y electoglotográficos simultáneos. Las secuencias estudiadas son de 4 tipos:1) Secuencias de obstruyentes donde C1 es fonológicamente sorda y C2 es fonológicamente sonora.2) Secuencias de obstruyentes donde C1 es fonológicamente sonora y C2 es fonológicamente sorda.3) Secuencies de sonorante seguida de obstruyente.4) Secuencias de obstruyente seguida de sonorante.Se observó que en las secuencias de obstruyentes en catalán los hablantes tienden a anticipar el gesto de sonoridad de C2 a C1, tanto en las secuencias de oclusivas como en las secuencias de fricativa seguida de oclusiva. Así, el proceso es regresivo y categórico, lo cual es congruente con la existencia de una regla de asimilación de sonoridad en catalán. También se observó que los hablantes catalanes pueden mostrar anticipación parcial del gesto de sonoridad de C2, lo cual muestra que la asimilación de sonoridad puede ser un proceso gradual en catalán. Así pues, parece que la regla de asimilación de sonoridad es opcional. Los datos del catalán reflejan dos procesos distintos: por un lado, la asimilación completa y regresiva de sonoridad en las secuencias de obstruyentes es el resultado de una regla que implica la reorganización a alto nivel de las instrucciones motoras. Por otro lado, los casos de asimilación parcial podrían ser debidos a factores de implementación fonética.En inglés se observó que no existe una regla fonológica de asimilación de sonoridad en las secuencias de obstruyentes. La coordinación de los gestos orales y glotales durante la constricción máxima es un proceso gradual. En las secuencias que combinan sonorantes y obstruyentes, el gesto de sonoridad coincide con la transición de C1 a C2 en ambas lenguas. Además, se observa que puede haber asimilación completa de sonoridad en las secuencias obstruyente - sonorante en catalán. Esto sugiere que la regla de asimilación regresiva de sonoridad podría extenderse a este tipo de secuencias, por lo menos en algunos hablantes catalanes.Finalmente, se sugiere que los modelos conocidos como Articulatory Phonology y Windows Theory pueden dar cuenta de la coordinación de los gestos orales y glotales en catalán e inglés. / The present study intends to analyze the process of voicing assimilation across different speaking rates in Catalan and English. More specifically, it aims at observing and characterizing voicing assimilation when two consonants that have a different phonological specification for voicing co-occur across word boundaries. Furthermore, this study intends to evaluate current descriptive frameworks, in order to see how they account for the data obtained in the experiment. An experiment was carried out using simultaneous acoustic, electroglottographic and electropalatographic data. The sequences were of 4 types:1) Obstruent sequences where C1 was phonologically voiceless and C2 was phonologically voiced, e.g., 'fat gap', 'this doll'.2) Obstruent sequences where C1 was phonologically voiced and C2 was phonologically voiceless, e.g., 'sad gap', 'his toll'.3) Sequences of sonorant plus voiceless obstruent, e.g., 'full cap', 'long sip'.4) Sequences of voiceless obstruent plus sonorant, e.g., 'thick lap', 'this nut'.It was found that in Catalan obstruent sequences that differ in their phonological specification for voicing, speakers tend to anticipate the voicing gesture of C2 to C1, both in stop sequences and in fricative - stop sequences. Thus, the process is regressive and categorical, which is congruent with a rule of voicing assimilation in Catalan. Evidence was also found that speakers can display partial anticipation of the voicing gesture of C2, which shows that voicing assimilation may also be a gradient process in this language. Thus, the voicing assimilation rule seems to be optional. The Catalan data thus seem to reflect two different processes. On one hand, complete regressive voicing assimilation in obstruent sequences seems to be the result of a rule involving higher-level reorganization of motor commands. On the other hand, cases of partial assimilation may result from phonetic implementation factors.In English, it was found that there is no phonological rule of voicing assimilation in obstruent sequences. Rather, the coordination of oral and glottal gestures during the maximal constriction is a gradient process that may result from anticipatory overlap - sensitive to time constraints - and inertial effects . In sequences of consonants where nasals and laterals combine with obstruents, the voicing gesture seems to be switched at the transition from C1 to C2 in both languages. In addition, evidence was found for complete assimilation of voicing in Catalan obstruent - sonorant sequences, suggesting the extension of the regressive voicing assimilation rule for obstruents to these sequences, at least for some speakers.Finally, it is suggested that Articulatory Phonology and Keating's Windows Theory account for the coordination of oral and glottal gestures in Catalan and English.

Thesis (MA (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the prevalent, typical linguistic and discursive features of English as it is used as a shared medium of communication by speakers who do not share a first language in the Western Cape (i.e. as a lingua franca). These features were compared to those found in certain second-language varieties in South Africa, namely Black South African English, Cape Flats English and Afrikaans English. Fourteen female students from the University of Stellenbosch between the ages of 18 and 27 from various first language backgrounds were recruited for the data collection. A closed corpus was created in which recordings were made of semi-structured conversations between the participants, paired in seven groups of two speakers each. These recordings were then transcribed. In order to identify and analyse the English as a lingua franca (ELF) phenomena that arose, reference was made to the various linguistic features and methods of analysis of ELF suggested in House (2002), Seidlhofer (2004) and Meierkord (2000), amongst others. These features were then analysed and compared with the features reported in the literature on second-language varieties of English in South Africa. The study reveals that the South African ELF spoken by the participants displays similar features to the ELF(s) spoken in Europe, although certain European ELF features that occur in South African ELF are used to fulfil different functions. The study disclosed three ELF phenomena which have not been reported as such in the European ELF literature and therefore seem to be unique to the South African ELF context. Specifically, these are auxiliary dropping (AUX-drop), explicit self-doubt of a speaker‟s own ELF proficiency, and thinking aloud. Finally, certain South African ELF features are also reported to be features of South African second-language varieties (e.g. AUX-drop). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek heersende, tipiese eienskappe van Engels wat beskryf word as linguisties en diskursief, spesifiek soos die eienskappe voorkom in Engels as ‟n gemeenskaplike vorm van kommunikasie tussen sprekers in die Wes-Kaap wat nie ‟n eerste taal gemeen het nie (m.a.w. waar Engels as ‟n lingua franca gebruik word). Dié eienskappe is vergelyk met ander wat gevind is in sekere tweedetaal-variëteite in SuidAfrika, naamlik Black South African English, Cape Flats English en sg. Afrikaans English. Veertien vroulike studente van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch tussen die ouderdomme van 18 en 27 en met ‟n verskeidenheid eerstetaal-agtergronde is gebruik vir die datainsameling. ‟n Geslote korpus is gevorm bestaande uit opnames van semi-gestruktureerde gesprekke tussen die deelnemers. Laasgenoemde is verdeel in sewe groepe van twee sprekers elk. Hierdie opnames is later getranskribeer. Ten einde die relevante Engels-aslingua-franca (ELF)-verskynsels te identifiseer en te analiseer, is daar eerstens gekyk na verskeie linguistiese eienskappe en metodes van analise van ELF soos voorgestel deur, onder andere, House (2002, 2009), Seidlhofer (2004) en Meierkord (2000). Hierna is die waargenome eienskappe geanaliseer en vergelyk met die eienskappe wat gerapporteer is in die literatuur oor tweedetaal-variëteite van Engels in Suid-Afrika. Die studie toon dat die Suid-Afrikaanse ELF wat deur die deelnemers gebruik word, soortgelyke eienskappe vertoon as ELF in die Europese konteks, met die uitsondering dat sekere Europese ELF-eienskappe wat in Suid-Afrikaanse ELF voorkom, plaaslik ander funksies vervul. Drie ELF-verskynsels wat nie as sodanig in die literatuur oor Europese ELF gerapporteer is nie, is gevind en is dus waarskynlik eiesoortig aan die Suid-Afrikaanse ELF-konteks. Dít sluit in hulpwerkwoord-weglating (sg. AUX-drop), eksplisiete uitspreek van onsekerheid oor ‟n spreker se eie ELF-bevoegdheid, en hardop dink. Ten slotte is daar ook gevind dat sekere Suid-Afrikaanse ELF-eienskappe tegelykertyd eienskappe van Suid Afrikaanse tweedetaal-variëteite is, soos bv. weglating van die hulpwerkwoord.

Proefschrift--Groningen. / Summary in English.

Proefschrift - Utrecht. / Summary in English.