Pronunciation Norms Research Articles

UKRAINIAN ORAL SPEECH ECOLOGY: PRONUNCIATION OF CONSONANTS

The article is devoted to Ukrainian oral speech at the synchronous level, in particular the pronunciation features. The purpose of the survey is to prove orthoepic normativity and historical organicity on the basis of opinion polls, to indicate pronunciation problems and deviations, to determine the percentage of pronunciation of consonant norms depending on the respondents’ sphere of activity, region of Ukraine (North, South, West, East, Central). The object of the research is Ukrainian speech of students of Philological Departments in Ukraine. The subject is knowledge of orthoepic rules of modern Ukrainian, in particular orthoepy of consonants (pronunciation of voiced and voiceless consonants, [в] as [ў], [з] as a part of prefixes роз-, без, prefixes з-, об-, над-, під -, від-, аffricates [д з], [д ж]). The proposed work integrates general scientific and special research methods: analysis and synthesis, induction, deduction, observation; taxonomy; quantitative analysis, descriptive, comparative and historical methods, method of linguistic geography; field research methods: oral examination and sociolinguistic analysis; auditory analysis. They allowed to identify orthoepic features and general characteristics of Ukrainian oral speech which were subjectively perceived. Thus, the research conducted in Ukraine allows us to call stable such orthoepic norms of consonants pronunciation as the pronunciation of the merged [д зᶦ] in the word дзвінок (followed by 100% of respondents), the pronunciation [г] as [x] in the word легкий (90%), pronunciation of prefixes роз- (100%), без- (100%) in words розписати, безпека. Pronunciation norms were developed quite clearly in the second half of the XIX century and are recorded in manuscripts and first editions written in phonetic spelling. The formation of orthoepic norms was influenced by traditional spelling and folk speech. We see the prospect of further research in the study of orthoepic deviations of the regional speech of young people, in particular in the pronunciation of sound combinations.

Chinese Tone Recognition Based on 3D Dynamic Muscle Information

To advance the study of lip-reading recognition in accordance with Chinese pronunciation norms, we carefully investigated Mandarin tone recognition based on visual information, in contrast to that of the previous character-based Chinese lip reading technique. In this paper, we mainly studied the vowel tonal transformation in Chinese pronunciation and designed a lightweight skipping convolution network framework (SCNet). And, the experimental results showed that the SCNet was sensitive to the more detailed description of the pitch change than that of the traditional model and achieved a better tone recognition effect and outstanding antiinterference performance. In addition, we conducted a more detailed study on the assistance of the deep texture information in lip-reading recognition. We found that the deep texture information has a significant effect on tone recognition, and the possibility of multimodal lip reading in Chinese tone recognition was confirmed. Similarly, we verified the role of the SCNet syllable tone recognition and found that the vowel and syllable tone recognition accuracy of our model was as high as 97.3%, which also showed the robustness of our proposed method for Chinese tone recognition and it can be widely used for tone recognition.

Pronunciation Standards in the Context of Modern Requirements for Students’ Competency Level

The article addresses the problem of frequent violations of pronunciation norms at the present stage of the language system development. Reasons for accentological errors and approaches to correcting them are considered. The methods of participant observation and text analysis were used to identify cases of errors and possible causes of violations of codified rules. Participant observation allowed the authors to identify some repeated mistakes made by schoolchildren in reproducing codified accentological norms. The analysis of modern Russian language textbooks from the standpoint of the requirements for preparing for the final assessment (USE) showed that the textbooks for different educational levels fail to cover cases, where students tend to make accentuation mistakes. In addition, the pronouncing dictionaries of the analysed textbooks often contain language units that have been fully mastered by the language and the society thus not implying any pronunciation variants. The identification of problem areas in teaching accentological norms, as well as the development of methodological techniques for organizing work on their adoption, can contribute to a more effective formation of the pronunciation culture of students.

UKRAINIAN RESPONDENTS SOCIOPHONETIC SPEECH DESCRIPTION ABROAD UKRAINE: VOCAL ORPHOEPY

The article is devoted to the Ukrainian diaspora (America, Canada, Europe (Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Moldova), the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic) youth oral speech at the synchronous level, in particular the Ukrainian language pronunciation features. The normativity and historical organic are proved on the poll basis; pronunciation problems and orthoepic deviations are indicated; the vowels mastery orthoepy percentage in a wide local and social representation abroad is determined. The investigation object is the diaspora Ukrainians’ oral speech. The research subject is the orthoepic modern Ukrainian language mastery norms, the vowels orthoepy (initial stressed [i], unstressed [е], [и], [о]) in particular. Аnalysis and synthesis used in the study are as follows induction; deduction; observation; taxonomy (for the orthoepy phenomena classification, in particular words representing the sounds orthoepy); quantitative analysis (to determine the frequency of sticking to standards of orthoepy and the orthoepy standards possession percentage); descriptive method (for a pronunciation norms functioning generalized description in diachrony and synchrony). Special linguistic methods including comparative and historical (to compare orthoepy features in synchrony (modern living pronunciation) and diachrony (reflection in written memos; to study the each demanding norm historical roots)); comparative (to identify the different countries orthoepic picture specifics); linguistic geography method (to determine the orthoepy phenomenon spatial functioning). Thus, the vowels pronunciation norms belong to the weak norms abroad - less than 50% of respondents follow them: pronunciation of unstressed [и] is owned by 45% of respondents, [e] – 41%, [o] - 27%, stressed initial [i] – only 9 %. The mastery vowels orthoepy rate is 27%. The highest possession percentage norm abroad is seen when pronouncing such words as [vеде́лка], [vеиде́лка] (58 %), [vеисна́] (51 %), [vе́ршниек] (50 %). Informants demonstrated the worst norms mastery when pronouncing [пиеру́ка], [пиру́ка] (27 %), [зузу́лʹа] (27 %), [пр ̊оумʼін':а] (19 %), [усʹмʼіха́ јеіцʹ:а] (12%), [і́ин̊ одʹі], [и́н̊одʹ і], [и́ін̊ одʹ і] (9 %). There are deviations due to spelling influence and theoretical knowledge lack when pronouncing unstressed vowels [e], [и], [o] and the initial stressed vowel [i] in specifically suggested words or only the theoretical basis lack. The main reason for the literary vowels pronunciation violations is related to the these norms presentation lack in the school textbooks studied by the respondents.

О ЗВУКЕ, МУЗЫКЕ, ГАРМОНИИ — ФЕНОМЕНАХ КУЛЬТУРНОГО КОДА КИТАЯ

The article deals with sound, music, and harmony as universals of the Chinese cultural code. The cultural code is the result of merging ideas concerning the ontological unity of the world, including the harmony of society, the state and the individual. These ideas permeate historical monuments, philosophical studies, artistic creativity, and the life of every person. At the time of ‘roots’ and ‘sources’, the Chinese worldview reveals in signs of the divine — Shen (神) and subtle, elegant — Miao (妙) evidence of the manifestation of the previously hidden Tao and the birth of meanings and categories of Chinese aesthetics. Their interaction is inseparable from sound and music, which at the initial stage manifest themselves as a rhythm of ontological action. Interconnected yin and yang (female and male; dark and light) are connected to it, complementing each other, enveloping the world with web of allusions. Thus, the “Chun-qiu” classic confirms that as a result, everything that exists, “finding its final form”, occupies a “certain space”, which has a “certain tone”. “The ancient kings were based on this in the establishment of music” (Luishi Chunqiu). So was born an idea of beauty as a harmony of He, equally significant for life and artistic creativity, including theater. The complex architectonics of Chinese theater is based on the laws of music and musical rhythm, according to which vocal lines, speech passages, conditioned by the tonal pronunciation norm, stage movement, rhythm of stage action, symbolic gesture, dance pattern combine, meaning that the theater is embodied not only in plot collisions, but also conveys the deepest meanings of Chinese ontology.

PHONOSTYLISTIC VARIABILITY OF COMMENTING IN A GERMAN SPORTS REPORT

The article is devoted to the variation of pronunciation depending on the stylistic features of oral texts. Phonostylistic means act as significant indicators of variation of the pronunciation norm. One of the genres in which the dependence of the change in phonetic-prosodic means on the nature of extralinguistic parameters is clearly traced is sports commentary. The focus of the study is the degree to which articulation clarity is implemented at various stages of commenting. When conducting phonostylistic studies, it is advisable to take into consideration three degrees of articulation clarity: very high, medium-high, and reduced. At each stage of a sports competition commentators form a certain psychophysiological state that affects the clarity of articulation. The article provides an audit analysis at the segmental level, which helps to trace the completeness of the implementation of sounds and their variation in various phases of building a sports report. As a rule, in any sports report four phases can be distinguished that describe fragments that are not saturated with struggle, phases of active rivalry, victory and defeat. As indicators of the segmented level of speech we consider the implementation of a solid attack at the beginning of a word and syllable, the implementation of the longitude of a vowel in an stressed syllable, the implementation of aspiration of deaf sensory-explosive consonants “p”, “t”, “k”, the implementation of “r” in a closed syllable in a position after a short vowel, the implementation of a reduced vowel “e” in finite syllables, realization of the final consonant “t”. Phonostylistic changes are due to the psychophysiological reaction of the speaker to the actions of the athletes at the time they show strong-willed efforts to achieve victory or, conversely, when the course of the competition changes, when the favorites do not justify the hopes placed on them.

VARIABILITY OF THE GERMAN PHONEME / r / FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF LINGUOSYNERGETICS

The given article discusses the variability of the German phoneme / r /, the formation of the pronunciation norm, the codification process and the influence of speech reality on it from the point of view of linguosynergetics - the science of self-organization and self-regulation of the language system, which, according to the synergetic approach, is open, dynamic, non-linear, having stable and unstable states. As an example, reflecting these mechanisms, the implementation of the German phoneme / r / is presented, which is represented by a large set of allophones characterized by a reduction in the number of oscillatory movements, the transition of the vibrant into a narrow slot until subsequent vocalization and complete assimilation. The variety of phoneme variants / r / is explained by the specific phonetic nature of these sounds and indicates their greater susceptibility to articulation deformations compared to other consonants of the German language. Vibrants themselves are influenced and unstable due to their complexity, so the implementation of the reduced forms / r / seems more likely and frequent. One of the factors that plays a significant role in the reduction process / r / is the law of convenient articulation, based on the principle of economy - achieving the optimal recognition effect due to the least power (in this case, articulatory) efforts. From the point of view of linguosynergetics, the system, having settled on the optimal form of self-organization, “dumps” the excess energy that is not needed for the formation and functioning of the new structure. In the law of economy of speech efforts, it manifests itself in the emergence of new pronunciation options. Linguosynergetics provides a powerful impetus for studying the dynamic development of linguistic units and offers tools for studying the laws of its behavior and the laws of self-organization.

Competing norms of standard pronunciation. Phonetic analyses on the ‹-ig›-variation in Austria

AbstractThis paper focuses on phonetic variation within the standard German language register of Austria. While the norm status and a high socio-symbolic value are attributed to certain lexical variants of standard language in Austria, the norm and usage status of characteristic phonetic properties remain unclear, due to lack of empirical analyses. By investigating the relation between standard language norms and “standard usage” (Gebrauchsstandard) in Austria, our study aims to close this research gap by using the example of unstressed ‹-ig›. The analyses are based on data gathered from 52 speakers from two generations, covering all Austrian dialect regions. Elicitation settings varied from strongly standardized tasks with a graphic or visual stimulus (reading aloud tasks, picture naming tasks) to translation tasks (translation from dialect into standard) with oral stimuli. The results demonstrate that although ‹-ig› is predominantly pronounced like [ɪk], (socio-)linguistic factors as phonetic context, part of speech, setting, gender and regional background influence the ‹-ig›-variation. In total, the data suggest that German speaking Austrians are situated in a conflict between transnationally diverging norms and intra-nationally varying model speakers of German.

DEVELOPING “MODERN RUSSIAN” LESSON PLANS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SPECIALIZING IN PHILOLOGY

The article presents a plan for a lesson themed ““Orthoepy. Pronunciation norms” for international first-year students specializing in Philology. The teacher`s task is to prepare wouldbe philologists for their professional and pedagogical work. The lesson plan differs greatly from papers on similar topics because the author does not apply grammar-translation method, but introduces a systematic study of written texts and videotexts, as well as uses online services for creating tasks. The structure of the lesson includes the following components: input (introduction to the communicative situation using comprehensible language), doing pre-reading exercises, reading for the main idea of an authentic text, doing during and post-reading exercises, working with an authentic videotext, working with online services wizer.me and worditout. The plan of a 90-minute lesson contains a specially designed set of exercises. These materials can be useful for teachers of Russian as a foreign language who design materials for lessons on their own.

Problems of vitality of the Turkic languages in the age of globalisation

In recent years, there is an apparent increase in interest of linguists to do comparative studies on lexicology over the genetic and typologically related languages. This paper has sought to critically research the role of mutual lexical enrichment of kindred languages and assimilation of loanwords, in particular, anglicisms to the vitality, maintenance and revitalisation of Turkic languages in the age of globalisation. The most important reasons for penetration and use of words and terms borrowed from English in modern Turkic languages have extra linguistic nature. However, intra linguistic factors are not an exception. Owing to distinctions of graphic bases of the alphabets and pronunciation norms of Turkic languages, the level of phonetic, grammatical and semantic assimilation of loanwords and terms in these languages are not identical. Because of incomplete phonological and graphic adaptation of loanwords, it becomes clear that in the Turkic languages national colouring, phonetic and orthographic norms of these languages are partly changed.
 Keywords: Vitality, lexical system, Turkic languages, globalisation, anglicisms.

Об апостериорном подходе к построению теоретической, практической и прикладной орфоэпии

The posterior approach to orthoepy suggests that the pronunciation norm is derived from the exemplary usage of the full pronunciation type. The usage of this kind is based on the orthoepic corpus of the Russian speech. This corpus should include audio recordings of the speech of professional announcers and readers (including news broadcasts, comments, performances by masters of artistic reading, materials from lingua-phone language courses of the Russian language, and public announcements i. e. announcements made in public transport, etc.).

Variety of pronunciation models in European and American teaching or (self-)learning manuals of pronunciation for non-native speakers of Spanish

This paper analyses a corpus of Spanish pronunciation manuals published in Europe (Spain and Italy) and in the Americas (United States, Canada, and Brazil) from the 1970s onwards, which are aimed at second-language learners.
 The aim is to answer the following questions: Which pronunciation model is adopted in (self-)learning pronunciation manuals for non-native speakers of Spanish in Europe and America? Is it possible to observe a convergence towards a unique model or do these manuals reflect a plurality of different models? What is the role of the Castilian norm? Is it still the only reference model in Europe? Is it still viewed as a prestige model in non-Spanish speaking parts of the American continent, as it has been for a long time? Finally, what are the phonetic and phonological characteristics of the pronunciation norms employed in these manuals?
 The results of the analysis show that the manuals in the corpus reflect a plurality of different pronunciation models. The Castilian norm, which distinguishes between /θ/ and /s/, and in most manuals also between /ʎ/ and /ʝ/, still has an undisputed primary role in Europe. In America, by contrast, three basic models can be observed, namely a neutral American— which in its main features coincides with the Spanish of Latin American highlands—, the European one, and Buenos Aires Spanish. Moreover, it must be pointed out that in American manuals the European model is always an alternative to the neutral American one and it is never proposed as a unique reference standard. Brazilian manuals, on the other hand, represent an anomalous case due to the lack of a unique reference standard as the teaching model. In this case, the three mentioned reference models represent alternative options based on characteristics of different kinds, as discussed in the article.

UKRAINIAN ORAL SPEECH OF THE MODERN YOUTH OF THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN ZONE: DEVIANT PROCESSES

The article is devoted to the Ukrainian oral speech at the synchronic level, in particular to the spoken features of the Ukrainian language. The attempt to reveal, analyze and describe the deviations which appear as a result of violations of unstable pronouncing norms was made on the basis of a sociolinguistic survey. In particular whistling sounds before sibilants and vice versa, аlso the alveolar consonant [d] is considered before sibilants depending on the sphere of activity of the respondents and their living environment depending on the region of residence - South or Western Ukraine. In the comparative aspect, the pronunciation of the studied sound compositions by the youth of different countries (Ukraine, Canada, Moldova, Transnistrian) is presented.The subject of the research is using of the pronouncing norms of the modern Ukrainian language, in particular the sound combination (hushing sounds before sibilants, sibilants before hushing sounds and the transformation of coronal [d],[d'] in affricates before hushing sounds and sibilants).The sociolinguistic (social surveys), descriptive, comparative methods and the intake of quantitative calcculations through which the material was collected, recorded and analyzed are used in our research.The predecessors who studied certain issues (first of all, in social and phonetic description of Ukrainian speech) are N.I. Trots’kа, L.I. Prokopova, M.M. Fashchenko. The object of our research is the Ukrainian speech of the youth from Odesa, Kherson, Mykolayiv regions (students-philologists of the Ukrainian and Bulgarian branches of the Odessa National University named after I. Mechnikov) and Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk regions (students-philologists of the Ukrainian department of the Lviv National University named after I. Franko). A survey was conducted among Ukrainian students of different courses and faculties of the Transnistrian State University named after T. Shevchenko (Tiraspol, Transdniestria), the Baltsky State University named after Oleka Russo (Moldova) and the youth of various spheres of Canada (Toronto) for comparison. Thus, speech errors allow to define the norm and the study of speech phenomena clearer. According to our observations the norms of pronunciation are closely related to the field of the youth: respondents-non-philologists double the number of mistakes in pronunciation than respondents-philologists. Modern youth of Southern Ukraine predominantly adhere to two laws of orthoepy - pronounced whistling before the sizzling and vice versa, but difficulties arise when pronounced [d] before whistling and sizzling. The last rule is a characteristic of the students-philologists specializing in Ukrainian language and literature, therefore, we treat it as unstable, often violated. In addition, on the basis of our research we were convinced that the unstable norms of the pronunciations of the sound compositions not reflected in the monuments of the XIX century, or occasionally certified. The modern youth of Western Ukraine, on the contrary, repelled better possession of the norms of pronunciation [d] before sizzling and whistling than the norms of pronunciation of whistling before sizzling and vice versa. In particular, orthoepic deviations were associated with the influence of spelling or stunning, which is characteristic of the southwestern dialect. And, of course, those rules of pronunciation of the sound compositions, which for a long time were recorded in the letters of the XIX century, are the most stable in verbal speech. The need for further research of the isolated problem is seen in the study of deviations that Ukrainian young people make when pronouncing consonant, vowel, and other sound combinations.

THE PRONUNCIATION IN THE FORMAL SPOKEN PRACTICE OF THE MODERN MACEDONIAN LANGUAGE

The stress of the words, accentual units and the clitic expressions is among the most specific features in the Macedonian modern language, thus, it is very important to keep their pronunciation in accordance with the standard norm, especially in the formal communication. Therefore, the paper examines the formal spoken practice of the Macedonian standard language regarding the correct pronunciation of the words, accentual units and clitic expression and indicates the deviations from the language norm, which, on a long term, can jeopardize it and impose the incorrect pronunciation as correct one. The research has qualitative paradigm and descriptive design. The sample of the formal spoken practice consists of television advertisements that contain speech acts in which the correct pronunciation of the words, accentual units and clitic expressions can be clearly heard. The television advertisements are chosen because they are a vital part of the visual media, thus, as other media content (visual or printed) have the obligation to keep, preserve and affirm the standard language norm regarding the pronunciation. The advertisements are broadcasted on the National television and on private televisions in the West dialectal region in the Republic of Macedonia. The research has also quantitative paradigm, i.e. it shows the attitudes and thoughts of 100 native Macedonian speakers on the pronunciation that occurs in the advertisements and in other forms of formal communication. These attitudes and thoughts are collected through a survey, which contains of three questions. The methods used are analysis, synthesis and comparison. Surprisingly, the research results are very satisfactory. Regarding the analyzed advertisements, broadcasted on the private televisions in the West dialectal region in the Republic of Macedonia, there are no mistakes in the pronunciation of the words, accentual units and clitic expressions. However, three of the analyzed advertisements, broadcasted on the private televisions in the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, still show severe deviations from the pronunciation norm. The reason for this can be found in the closeness of the West dialectal region with the norms of the modern Macedonian language, i.e. the dialects from this region are the foundation of the modern Macedonian language. Article visualizations:

GERMAN ORTHOEPY AND ORTHOGRAPHY: STATEMENT OF PROBLEM AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The article deals with the investigation of peculiarities of vowel and consonant phonemes functioning in native German speakers’ speech caused by the orthoepic and orthophonic differences in the pronunciation norm’s realization

Intonation patterns of questions in Malaysian English

ABSTRACTThis article examines the intonation patterns used by Malaysian English (MalE) speakers when asking ‘wh-’ questions and ‘yes/no’ questions. Analysis on recordings of Malay, Chinese and Indian speakers revealed similar patterns in the intonation patterns of MalE wh- questions and yes/no questions regardless of the ethnicity of the speaker: wh- questions and yes/no questions tended to start with a level tone; yes/no questions ended with rises, while wh- questions ended with either falls or rises. These patterns cannot merely be attributed to the influence of the speakers’ first languages nor were they learner errors. However, whether these features are accepted as norms of MalE pronunciation will, to a certain extent, be dependent on the perception of MalE among Malaysians, which at the current point in time is generally inconsistent.

O pisowni en, em, on, om w wyrazach obcych i rodzimych. Stare reguły, nowe wątpliwości

On the spelling of en, em, on, om in Polish and foreign words. Old rules, new doubtsThe spelling of en, em, on, om in Polish and foreign words before the suffixes -ka and -ko con­tinues to cause problems — perhaps because a wrong teaching method is employed. In order to see that we need to perform two tasks: demonstrate that the spelling dictionary rule is insufficient and that in teaching it is better to draw on word formation concepts: word family, derivative, stem. The author analyses the spelling dictionary rule and provides examples. The analysis is supported with analyses of the spelling of words including en, em, on and om carried out by a teacher of Polish at school and by the author among university students of Polish. The results: what fails is the reliance on the sense of nativeness or foreignness — some pupils have an inaccurate or false sense; the pronunciation of both native and foreign words does not cor­respond to the pronunciation norm; the spelling deviates from dictionary rules; the methodology of teaching too often is limited to defining the rule and attempting to apply it mechanically.The results and the discussion make it possible to consider the preliminary assumptions to be legitimate. What is approached differently from the current practice is, especially, the spelling of en, em, on and om in native words: the information that we write them before -ka and -ko is not enough; we need an explanation that in words like ochronka we use on, because on appears in the basic word ochrona and in words like ochronny, ochronek and ochroniarz deriving from it. The article ends with the author’s call to place such explanations, needed in the teaching of spelling, in spelling dictionaries.

Ukrainian oral speech of modern youth in Ukraine and abroad: unsteady norms of pronunciation

The article is devoted to the Ukrainian oral speech at the synchronic level, in particular, to the spoken features of the Ukrainian language. On the basis of a sociolinguistic survey, the attempt to reveal, analyze, and describe the deviations that appear as a result of violations of unstable pronouncing norms has been made, in particular, hushing sounds before sibilants and vice versa. Additionally, the coronal consonant [d] is considered before sibilants depending on the sphere of activity of the respondents and their living environment.The object of our research is the Ukrainian pronunciation of young philologists in Ukraine and of the youth of various professions in Transnistria, Moldova, and Canada.The subject of the research is the usage of the pronouncing norms of the modern Ukrainian language, in particular the sound combination (hushing sounds before sibilants, sibilants before hushing sounds and the transformation of coronal [d],[d'] in affricates before hushing sounds and sibilants).The sociolinguistic (social surveys), descriptive, comparative methods, and the intake of quantitative calculations through which the material is collected, recorded, and analyzed have been used in our research.The predecessors who studied certain issues (first of all, in social and phonetic description of Ukrainian speech) are N.I. Tots’kа, L.I. Prokopova [13], and M.M. Fashchenko [14].The survey was conducted among the students of the Philological Department of the Bulgarian and Ukrainian branches of I.I. Mechnikov National University of Odessa. In addition, the Ukrainian students of different courses and faculties of T. Shevchenko Transnistrian State University (Tiraspol, Transnistria), Alec Russo Balti State University (Moldova), and the youth of various spheres in Canada (Toronto) took part in the survey. On the basis of social survey (which was recorded on an audio medium), stable and weak norms of pronunciation are singled out. Moreover, the important verbal problems and their similarities are indicated.Thus, the norms of pronunciation are closely linked to the field of activity of the youth: philologists make twice less mistakes than other students do.The modern youth of Transnistria, Moldova, Ukraine, and Canada showed the correct pronunciation of hushing sounds before sibilants, and vice versa, in particular, Transnistrian students possess the norms of pronouncing sibilants before hushing sounds (74%), hushing sounds before sibilants (66%), but difficulties appear when pronouncing coronal [d] before hushing sounds and sibilants. The last rule is used only by the students of philological department of Ukrainian language and literature, therefore, we treat it as the most frequently violated. The same rules of pronunciation of sound combinations (which are not fixed by the current norms of pronouncing, but were recorded for a long time in writing in the 19th century) are the most stable in oral speech. The same pronouncing peculiarities of sound combinations, which were not recorded in literature works or were recorded occasionally, belong to unstable ones, even though they have become the pronouncing norm.

НОРМЫ СОВРЕМЕННОЙ РУССКОЙ СЕГМЕНТНОЙ ОРФОЭПИИ: АСПЕКТЫ ОСМЫСЛЕНИЯ В РОССИЙСКОЙ ЛИНГВИСТИКЕ

The article reveals the following aspects of segmental orthoepy are the subject of research for Russian linguists: 1) the genesis of norms at the phonetic level of the language system; 2) the orthoepic paradigm, which includes normative and deviant pronunciation of words in usage; 3) the conditions of orthoepic variation; 4) the euphonic component of the pronunciation norm; 5) the attitude to the orthoepic tradition – the tendency towards modernization in the sphere of orthoepic codification or conservation of reasonable retrospective. The analysis of the conceptions in Russian linguistics allows us to conclude that the system-centric and anthropocentric approaches to the study of language are combined in problems of segmental orthoepy research.

Nasreddin Hodja tales may inspire Turkish foreign language gifted and talented students to speak better English

This study deals with a special methodology to meet the special needs of Turkish gifted and talented students (GTS) in terms of improving their English oral proficiency. Most GTS are known to have been born also “gifted in languages”. Their language awareness shows by their “communicative skills, creative flair and arguing and reasoning”. Their skill in using their native language reflect in their talents in foreign languages by their “strong desire to put language pieces together by themselves, by their creativity and imagination, picking up new words and structures very quickly, constantly asking questions and showing an intense interest in the cultural features of the new language they are learning.” So benefitting from these talents they could easily be oriented to fine-tune their pronunciation and intonation in acceptable norms of phonetics. Turkish GTS having greater ease in learning new skills than their peers and are not usually satisfied with the usual methods and curriculum which do not fit to their vision of perfection at their own pace. The official foreign language training they are offered lacks the method by which they can learn to speak clearly and effectively, which is a skill they need to acquire in order to communicate orally with the rest of the world. Therefore they must be trained in new approaches to bring their proficiency on that line up to higher standards. In order to compensate this vital gap, such GTS need to learn first a special technique called “IPA transcription reading” and practice on relevant materials. In this innovative approach, students first acquire an awareness of the individual sounds and speech rhythm of the target language, i.e. English and practice on them by reading aloud texts written in IPA codes accompanied by their sound recordings and have their performance monitored by their speech instructions until perfection is reached. As for the drilling material to be chosen humor has been found great advantage, as it makes learning easier. The best known Turkish philosopher Nasreddin Hodja’s satirical tales, traditionally a great source of inspiration for Turks, has been considered as a great source for such activities. By working hard on the transcriptions Hodja tales, students find not only to express themselves in English more clearly, understandably and fluently, their audience but also their conversation became wiser and more humourous. Because a sense of humor in conversation makes both speakers and listeners feel better as it smoothes out their interactions as a social lubricant. Those GTS grasping the correct norms of English pronunciation after much drilling on transcription are expected to speak English more efficiently and confidently than earlier and than their peers not undergone such training. The desired outcome will of course be achieved through constant practice and monitoring their performances