© 1987 by Oxford University Press
Articles |
Keys to phonemic symbols: English phonology on the computer
Ian Gurney holds a degree in Modern Languages from Cambridge and a PGCE from the University College of North Wales, Bangor. He taught EFL at various levels in England, Germany, and Spain before moving to Finland, where since 1975 he has been a lecturer in the English Department of Tampere University. His principal interests are linguistics and language teaching theory, and he has been active in in-service teacher training. His current interests include computerassisted language teaching and research.
This article aims to show how the use of an appropriately designed keyboard can help with the learning of a set of symbols for transcribing English, and at the same time give learners a picture of the English phonological system. Potential sources of difficulty are first of all considered, and it is argued that certain of these difficulties can be overcome by using the keyboard for initial presentation and practice. Using a custom-designed keyboard is actually a practical possibility, thanks to the microcomputer; the keyboard presented here has been implemented on a Spectrum 48k, but adaptations to other keyboards are also possible. After a discussion of the keyboard's design, a description is given of a computer program of transcription exercises suitable for initial or remedial practice.
It is by no means essential, however, to use a computer for either the keyboard idea or the type of practice outlined to be effectively exploited. In particular, seeing the symbol set as a ‘keyboard’ is a powerful image, and the arrangement simply presented on a handout is easy to use and instructive. The computer has, however, played an instrumental role in the development of the ideas presented here, since practical implementation and testing contributed to the design of the keyboard and to a rethinking of practice procedures.