3. Introduction to Phonetics Fall 2001
Reading
aloud on tape
Assignment: Record yourself reading texts in various languages according to the instructions below. This tape will be handed in, and the instructor will make a copy of it before returning it to you. Keep this tape till the end of the semester, when it will be used again for another assignment.
Materials required: This handout, a serviceable tape recorder, a blank
cassette tape (60 or 90 minutes in length), and your pronunciation journal.
2. Now record yourself reading the English language text. You may practice before you record, so that you are able to read smoothly, but use your most usual and natural pronunciation. Do not try to do anything 'special' or 'different' with your pronunciation.
3. Next read the Mandarin text onto the tape. Again, read as naturally as possible, just like you talk to your friends. Don't make a special effort to retroflex (捲舌), add-r endings (兒化韻) or do other things you don't usually do when you speak casually.
4. Now read the Southern Min閩南語 (Taiwanese) text, if you are a speaker of Southern Min, either natively or if you have learned it as a second language. Tell which part of Taiwan you grew up in before you start, e.g. 台北or 彰化. If you speak Hakka客家語, Cantonese粵語, or other Chinese dialect, record that, too (or 'instead'), saying before you start where you grew up and which subdialect you speak (e.g. 四縣or 海陸 for Hakka), if you know it.
5. If you like, you may read any of the remaining 'second foreign language' texts according to which languages you have studied. This part of the assignment is optional, but the more you put into this assignment, the more you stand to benefit from it. You may add languages not included here, such as Malay or Korean, if you know enough of the language to record a sample on tape.
6. Finally, after you have finished reading
all the texts you choose, play back
and listen to what you have recorded
and write down in your pronunciation journal how you feel about your pronunciation
in each language or dialect. Do not go back and redo the tape! No cheating, please! This assignment
will be most useful to you if you follow the instructions as given.
The texts:
English:
Hijack
A plane was on its way to CKS International Airport. Suddenly the passengers saw the captain running down the aisle towards the tail of the plane. Then they saw him carrying the emergency ax back toward the control cabin.
A number of brave, well-intentioned passengers found the captain out of breath and sweating profusely. One of the passengers went up to the captain and said, “Captain, is someone trying to hijack the plane? Do you need our help?”
“No, nobody is trying to hijack the plane,” the captain replied. “Please go back to your seats and buckle your seat belts. And it would be best if you put on your life vests as well.”
“If there's nobody attempting a hijack,” the passenger persisted anxiously, “does that mean there's something wrong with the plane?”
“The plane is fine...everything is normal...” the captain reassured him.
“Then why do you want us to fasten our seat belts and put on our life vests?” the passenger asked.
“Well...,” the captain hesitated, “I've accidentally locked myself outside of the control cabin. I'm using the ax to try and break down the door...”
Mandarin:
劫機
方向跑去，然後拿著一根緊急狀況用的斧頭往駕駛倉跑回去......
數位見義勇為的乘客發現機長氣喘如牛又汗流浹背，於是上前說﹕
乘客:『機長！是不是遇到歹徒劫機！？需要我們幫忙嗎？』
機長:『沒有歹徒劫機，你們請回座繫好安全帶，最好穿上救生衣...』
乘客:『既然沒歹徒....難道飛機出狀況了？！』乘客一陣驚亂...
機長:『飛機很好....很正常....』
乘客:『那你要我們繫好安全帶，穿上救生衣幹嘛？！』
機長:『這個...我不小心把自己反鎖在駕駛倉外面，這根斧頭是要去
敲開那扇門的.....』
Southern Min, Hakka, Cantonese, other Chinese dialects:
Try
and tell the preceding Mandarin story in Southern Min, Hakka, Cantonese, or
whatever other Chinese dialect you speak, using
your own words – i.e. don't read
–.as though talking to a friend. You don't have to include every detail or
tell it in exactly the same way it is written above – just tell a fluent,
coherent story with your most natural and accustomed pronunciation and speaking
style.
“Doctor, estoy desesperado. Estoy perdiendo la memoria. No puedo acordarme de nada”, suplicó el paciente.
"¿Cuánto tiempo hace que tiene estos síntomas?" preguntó el médico.
"¿Qué
síntomas, doctor?"
French:
“Docteur, je suis absolument désespéré. Je perds le mémoire. Je ne peux pas me souvenir de rien,” implora le malade.
“Depuis quand avez-vous ces symptômes?” demanda le médecin.
“Quels symptômes, docteur?”
German:
“Wie lange haben Sie schon diese Symptome?” fragte der Arzt.
“Welche Symptome, Herr Doktor?”
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