Contraction and Blending: The Use of Orthographic Clues in Teaching Pronunciation

Abstract

This article is divided into two major sections: in Section I we outline certain problems that arise when ESL materials rely too exclusively on contractions (orthographic phenomena) as a means of presenting blendings (phonological phenomena); in Section II we provide basic information on contractions and blendings that can be used by teachers. We first present constraints on the contraction of BE, HAVE, the modals and not. Next, we present parallels between 1) blending patterns involving contractable words and those involving non-contractable words; 2) blending patterns involving contractable words and patterns of combining lexical roots with suffixes; and 3) blending patterns involving contractable words and single lexical items. These parallels will help teachers maintain a fundamental principle of pedagogy as they prepare ESL materials: namely, maximal exploitation of orthographic cues in teaching pronunciation. Working with this information, teachers can make efficient use of the limited number of contractions as they introduce the wide range of blendings which non-native learners need to master.