3. Introduction to Phonetics   Fall 2002
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 you will listen to it again to evaluate your progress.

Materials required:
      This handout, a serviceable tape recorder, a blank cassette tape (60 or 90 minutes in length), and your pronunciation journal.

Instructions:
     1. First record your name in English and Chinese, along with your student number, onto the tape. Also say what your native language is, e.g. 'Mandarin' or 'Southern Min' (Taiwanese).

     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:
One Big Happy Family  by Hsu Hung-yuan  United Daily News, March 26, 2002
    Just as I was in a hurry to get to the ground floor, the elevator came to a prolonged rest at the 17th floor. Finally, the doors slowly parted, and in walked a young mother carrying a child about one year old. She nodded and smiled. I had moved into this building over a month ago, but however I tried to greet people with at least a glance, I found myself involuntarily frowning in the corner, grousing to myself about when the elevator would finally reach its destination.
     All at once I felt someone tap me twice on the shoulder. Looking up, I saw that the child had reached out, and was pointing at me with goos, gahs, and laughter. The mother turned around, ordering the child to 'Say hello to "Uncle".' The child's black irises contrasted sharply with the whites of his round eyes. His smiling
sweetness soon drew me into making faces and sticking out my tongue at him.
     Just then the seventh floor light went on, and a white-haired gentlemen stepped in. He chuckled immediately at the round little chin, then turned to me to say, 'Such a young Daddy!' I felt flushed as I waved my arms and shook my head. But before I had a chance to set the matter straight, the door again opened, at the fifth floor,
and a woman carrying a shopping basket had already asked: 'Oh, so the whole family's going out today?' This time the old gentleman joined in our laughter.
    As we exited the elevator, our laughter was absorbed into the sunbeams reflected on the building windows. We chitchatted as we crossed the center court. It was true - we were just like one big, happy family.

Mandarin:
大城市小故事﹕電梯相逢一家人
許鴻元
      急著下樓，電梯卻一直掛在十七樓，動也不動……
     終於，門緩緩打開，裏頭那位年輕媽媽抱著一歲左右的小朋友，點頭笑了一下。搬進來一個多月了，儘管試著要自己學著習慣以眼神問候，但還是不知不覺靠到角落別過臉，心裏嘀咕著，電梯怎麼不趕快到地。
      忽然，肩頭有人踫了兩下，抬頭是那孩子伸著手，咿呀呀指著人笑，媽媽回頭哄著他『叫叔叔』；滾圓的眼睛黑白分明，甜甜笑著的表情，讓人不由得也扮起鬼臉、吐吐舌頭。    這時七樓的燈亮了，白髮老爺一進來，馬上開心地呵呵小可愛的圓下巴，跟著向我笑道﹕『好年輕的爸爸！』臉上一熱，忙著揮手搖頭，還沒來得及說清楚，電梯又在五樓開了門，提著菜籃的太太又已經問﹕    『一家人要出門啊？』這會兒老爺爺可跟著我們一塊兒笑了……
     走出電梯，陽光混著笑聲映在大樓玻璃窗上，我們聊著穿過中庭，真的……就像一家人。
(聯合報 3/26/02)

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 – 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.

Spanish:
El Gallo y la Perla
     Un gallo, colorido, hermoso y hambriento, se pavoneaba de un lado a otro del corral, tratando de impresionar a las gallinas.
     Cabriolando garbosamente y escarbando la tierra en busca de alimento, vió algo brillante mezclado con la hierba y la paja.
     "¡Ea, ea!", dijo, "esto es para mí".
      Comenzó a picotear mientras las gallinas, llenas de curiosidad, se congregaban en torno suyo.
      ¡Una perla! Eso fue lo que encontró. Las gallinas dieron una mirada y se alejaron.
      El gallo dejó caer el hemoso pero indigestible bocado.
"Puedes ser preciosa a los ojos de los hombres", refunfuñó, pero no para mí.
Un solo grano de cebada o maíz me hubiese ayudado a llenar mi estómago vacío o a ganar el favor de las damas".
     La perla quedó en el suelo centellante.

French:
Le Coq et la Perle
     Un coq, beau, à brillant plumage– et affamé –  se pavanait de long en large dans le foret, essayant d'impressioner les poules.
     Se rengorgeant, fringant, it grattait la terre pour y trouver de quoi manger, il vit quelque chose de brillant mêlé a la terre et a la paille.
     "Ha", dit-il, "ceci est pour moi!"
     Il commença à picoter tandis que les poules curieuses se rassemblaient autour de lui.
     Une perle! Voilà ce qu'il a trouvé! Les poules lancèrent un seul coup d'oeil et s'en allèrent...
     Le coq laissa tomber la perle, joli mais indigeste fragmant.
     "Vous pouvez paraître precieuse aux yeux des hommes", grogna-t-il, "mais pas aà moi! Un seul grain d'orge ou de maiïs aurait mieux satisfait mon estomac vide, ou gagné la faveur des dames".
     La perle resta sur le sol...lumineuse.

German:
Der Hahn und die Perle
     Ein farbreicher, ansehnlicher und hungrigrer Hahn stolzierte, um den Hennen zu imponieren, auf dem Wirtschaftshof auf und ab.
     Als er sich so brüstete und die Erde nach Nahrung suchend aufscharrte, bemerkte er etwas Glitzerndes, mit Gras und Stroh vermengt.
     "He, heda", sagte er, "das is für mich".
     Er begann zu picken, waährend ihn die Hennen voller Neugierde umringten.
     Eine Perle! Das war es, was er fand. Die Hennen warfen einen Blick darauf und wandten sich ab.
     Der Hahn liess den schönen, aber unverdaulichen Bissen fallen.
     "Du magst noch wertvoll in den Augen der Menschen sein", brummte er, "aber nicht für mich. Ein einziges Gersten- oder Getreidekorn hätte geholfen, meinen hungrigen Magen zu füllen oder die Gunst der Damen zu erwerben".
     Die Perle blieb glitzernd am Boden liegen.
from: Quinto Lingo Dec. 1967, pp 60-63



Next: What are linguistics and phonetics all about?


back          on to next page          index I        index II         home