Pronunciation in English: Learn it or Teach it? (#4)

Difficult Pronunciation Poem

The most difficult poem in the English language. Of course that is my opinion but this poem is Dr. Seuss on steroids. I saw this poem a few years back and I couldn’t believe it. Though there are several sites which have this poem this one had the pronunciation of it, which is immensely helpful. Below is a brief sample.
  
    Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
    Dies and diet, lord and word,
    Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
     (Mind the latter, how it's written.)
     Now I surely will not plague you
    With such words as plaque and ague.
    But be careful how you speak:
    Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
     Cloven, oven, how and low,
     Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

When I taught English it was to young children who would be able to pick up the differences in much the way a native speaker would. In this poem by Gerard Noist Trenité, a Belgian, I have found the worst of the English language and really not how difficult it is to learn but how difficult it is to teach. I will never know how difficult it is to learn English as an adult but this poem’s last line states “My advice is give it up!” Which would be very, very tempting.


Pronunciation even varies dialectically making the proposition of pronouncing these "correctly" even more difficult. There is a broadly correct pronunciation but some of the words as pronounced by someone in Darwin, Australia would differ greatly from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. We do know how to read it but I'm not sure there is always a correct way of pronouncing things. As a living language that is something that continually changes.



~ Sarah

English as a Documentary (#3)

The English Language. Have you ever really looked into its origins, its evolution, its diversity?

One day when I was missing my heart language, my flatmate was out of town, I wasn’t working and the snow was falling fast and furious, I watched a documentary. This documentary was in English about English. Starting with the origins, it went through the great vowel shift that led from Middle to Modern English. Leading all the way up to Creoles, Patois, Accents and Dialects in the modern age; this is one of the most complete overviews of the English language I have ever encountered.

I must say that day I watched this I was enthralled. Not only did this give me a bit of spoken English when I was thirsting for it but I was able to learn a vast deal about my history. In a way our language defines us and for better or worse English defines you. The way in which we perceive and navigate the world is in this medium.

It is long. Really, very, long. And so worth it. If you have a spare hour, or seven, and enjoy a British narrator, take a look and enjoy. Here is a snapshot of the first few minutes so I hope this will get you to watch a bit more on your own. If you don’t have the time or energy for that I would also recommend reading King Alfred’s English by Laurie J. White, it is a book much in the same vein. It follows the course of the English language, which I must admit seems rather fantastical.

Tongues and Times in Turkey (#2)

The Heart's Language    I lived in Turkey. Did I mention that yet? Well, I did. And Turkey is a beautiful country with a wonderful language. Having lived in Istanbul I was in a much more Western influenced part of the country. I had many opportunities to cross from Asia to Europe each week and see what was the capitol of the Byzntine and Ottoman empires. I never did become fluent after my three years there. I did meet many people and one of them was Charlotte McPherson. Besides owning one of the few bookstores in Turkey which has English language books she writes a column for the English language version of a Turkish newspaper.


     In her article ‘Speaking the heart’s language’ she is able to draw the parallels between Hungarian and Turkish particularly well illustrated in the extract below:



      “Turkish: “Cebimde çok küçük elma var.” Hungarian: “Zsebemben sok kicsi alma van."             
        (Translation: I have a lot of small apples in my pocket.)”



     She is addressing some obvious similarities between not only the words but also structurally in the language. Though she translated it in the traditional American way of saying, which is the best way of conducting translation, a literal translation would follow “Pocket mine in many small apples exist/are/true". Yes, we may be acquainted but I find Charlotte's observations quite astute.
     Not only does she touch on structural values in languages but she goes on to speak on how nice it is to meet people who speak one's mother tongue. One's mother tongue has also come to be known in some circles a your heart language. No matter how many languages you learn the language in which you will best be able to express your emotions will always be your heart language. For most that is the first language you learn.
     I found this very evident when even after living in Turkey, each time I overheard a bit of English conversation it was like a safe have. I recall several times being on public transport, bus, train, ferry, funicular and finding in that mix of languages my mother tongue and relishing in those brief moments when I understood everything that was being communicated. I continue to wonder at people's reactions to their heart language and I'm sure my experiences will continue to inform my life. Taking a moment to address someone in their mother tongue is a treasure, no matter the language they speak.