silent consonants
Post on 24-Oct-2014
227 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
The dumb knight brought a wrong sword.
The dumb knight brought a wrong sword.[ðə dʌm naɪt brɔːt ə rɒŋ
sɔːd]
He kneels down to knuckle under the damn
heiress.
He kneels down to knuckle under the damn heiress.
[hiː niːlz daʊn tə ˈnʌkl ˈʌndə ðə dæm ˈeərɪs]
The dumb knight brought a wrong sword.
He kneels down to knuckle under the
damn heiress.
There are consonants that are spelled but not pronounced at all.
SILENT CONSONANTS
MAKE YOUR ENGLISH SOUNDS ENGLISH:
SILENT CONSONANTS
Objective:
• Give EFL teachers prior knowledge about the pattern of English silent consonants.
Teachers can design attractive classroom activity to help the students comprehend the concept of silent consonants easily based on the result of the analysis.
1 •Paper Analysis
2 •Activity
3 •Reflection
ANALYSIS
1. Position and Possible Combination with Other Letters in Syllables
• The investigation of word histories (Durkin, 2009:18).
2. Etymology
• The statement about possible sequences of phonemes (Bybee, 2001:88).
3. Phonotactics
POSITIONS IN THE SYLLABLES
Silent Consonants in the Onset
Silent Consonants in the Coda
Position and Possible Combination with Other Letters in Syllables: Onset
No Silent Consonant
Letter Combination
Example(s)
1. csc
cz
discipline /ˈdɪs.ə.plɪn/, fascinate /ˈfæs.ɪ.neɪt/Czar /zɑːr/
2. h
hchghkhphrh
heiress /ˈeə.res/, honest /ˈɒn.ɪst/cheetah /ˈtʃiː.tə/ghetto /ˈget.əʊ/, ghost /gəʊst/khaki /ˈkɑː.ki/shepherd /ˈʃep.əd/rhapsody /ˈræp.sə.di/, rhyme /raɪm/
3. k kn knuckle /ˈnʌk.l ̩%/, knock /nɒk/
4. m mn Mnemonics /nɪˈmɒn.ɪks/
Position and Possible Combination with Other Letters in Syllables: Onset
No Silent Consonant
Letter Combination
Example(s)
5. ppnpspt
pneumonia /njuːˈməʊ.ni.ə/pseudo /ˈsuː.dəʊ/,pterodactyl /ˌter.əˈdæk.tɪl/
6. tstlstn
castle /ˈkɑː.sl ̩%/, nestle /ˈnes.l ̩%/mustn’t /ˈmʌs.ənt/
7. w
swtwwhwr
answer /ˈɑːnt ̩.sər /, sword /sɔːd/two /tuː/who /huː/, whole /həʊl/write /raɪt/, wrong /rɒŋ/
Position and Possible Combination with Other Letters in Syllables: Coda
No Silent Consonant
Letter Combination
Example(s)
1. bmbbt
climb /klaɪm/, thumb /θʌm/doubt /daʊt/, debt /det/
2. ch cht yacht /jɒt/
3. dnddn
grandmother /ˈgræm.mʌð.ər /Wednesday /ˈwenz.deɪ/
4. ggmgn
diaphragm /ˈdaɪ.ə.fræm/campaign /kæmˈpeɪn/
5. ghghght
sleigh /sleɪ/ tight /taɪt/, bought /bɔːt/
Position and Possible Combination with Other Letters in Syllables: Coda
No Silent Consonant
Letter Combination
Example(s)
6. hhrh
thm
Hallelujah /ˌhæl.ɪˈluː.jə/ myrrh /mɜːr/rhythm /ˈrɪð.əm/
7. l
ldlflklmlv
could /kʊd/, should /ʃʊd/calf /kɑːf/, half /hɑːf/chalk /tʃɔːk/, talk /tɔːk/calm /kɑːm/, palm /pɑːm/calves /kɑːvz/, halves /hɑːvz/
8. n mnrn
autumn /ˈɔː.təm/, damn /dæm/government /ˈgʌv.ər.mənt/
9. ppsppt
rps
cupboard /ˈkʌb.əd/raspberry /ˈrɑːz.bər.i/receipt /rɪˈsiːt/corps /kɔːr /
10. s ssl
debris /ˈdeb.riː/aisle /aɪl/, isle /aɪl/
Position and Possible Combination with Other Letters in Syllables: Coda
No Silent Consonant
Letter Combination
Example(s)
11. t
trtststl
buffet /ˈbʊf.eɪ/, ballet /ˈbæl.eɪ/mortgage /ˈmɔː.gɪdʒ/ chestnut /ˈtʃes ̩.nʌt/rustle /rʌsl ̩%/, whistle /ˈwɪs.l ̩%/
12.
13.
w
z
wwkwlwn
Z
awry /əˈraɪ/hawk /hɔːk/, awkward /ˈɔː.kwəd/brawl /brɔːl/, crawl /krɔːl/dawn /dɔːn/, pawn /pɔːn/
rendezvous /ˈrɒn.deɪ.vuː/
Position and Possible Combination with Other Letters in Syllables: Conclusion
Some consonants will be unpronounced if they occur in the same syllable with certain consonant combination. (e.g. condemn)
The same consonant combination will be pronounced if they occur in separate syllable. (e.g. condemnation)
Some consonants could be silent only in the onset or in the coda of syllable, yet some could be silent in both position.
Some consonants can be unpronounced even if they occur without other consonant combination.
EtymologySilent gh in ght.
• The words ended in ght do not have g in their original words, e.g. fight foehtan (Old English)
Silent ps in the beginning of words.
• The words beginning with ps are mostly from Greek. E.g. psychology psykhe (breath, spirit).
Silent g in gn.
• The words beginning with gn are mostly originated from Old English (e.g. gnat from OE gneat) and from French (e.g. gnome from Fr. gnome). • The words ending with gn are mostly derived from French and originally from Latin (e.g. reign (v) from O. Fr. regner, originally from L.
regnare)
Silent g in gm.
• The words that end with gm are mostly from Late Latin (L.L) and originally from Greek. E.g. paradigm from L.L. paradigma, from Gk. Paradigma.
EtymologySilent b.
• The words that contain silent b are mostly originated from words without b in their original spelling. E.g. crumb from OE. Cruma.
Silent k in kn.
• The words that begin with kn are mostly derived from Old English cn. E.g.: knife from OE. Cnif.
Silent w in wh.
• The words that begin with wh are mostly originated from Old English words that begin with h. E.g. who from OE. Hwa.
Silent n in mn
• The words that ended with mn are mostly derived from longer words in Old French and rooted from Latin. E.g. damn from OE. damner, from L. damnare.
Etymology: Conclusion
Most of the words which contain silent consonants are rooted from Old English and from foreign languages, especially Greek, Latin, French, and German.
The spelling of original words influence the pronunciation of modern words.
PhonotacticsIn English words spelt with ght, the silent gh is quite regular. All the sample words that consist of ght are pronounced with the preceding vowel and the /t/. If words are spelt with gh, there are some irregularities of silence. • For example, the words sleigh, though, and through are
pronounced with silent gh; but in some words like tough and cough, the gh is pronounced as /f/.
English words with kn, gn, and pn at the beginning or at the end are pronounced as a single phoneme /n/.• Based on phonotactics, it is impossible for stl to occupy the
position of words initials in English.
The consonant cluster stl in one syllable will result in silent t, as in castle.
Phonotactics
Consonant cluster rh will mostly be pronounced as single phoneme /r/.
Most word initials with ps will be pronounced as /s/, and p is unpronounced as in psychology, psalm, and pseudo. Based on phonotactics, the words initial with psy has to start with an /s/.
When mb or mn occur in the same syllable, they are pronounced as /m/, leaving the b and n unpronounced.
Some consonant-endings of French loans, such as p, t, and s are not pronounced. For example: coup, ballet, bourgeois, crochet, debris, and debut
ACTIVITY
SILENT CONSONANTS k, g, and w
PRE TEACHING: VIDEO
Silent k, and g
Silent w
WHILST-TEACHING: CHAIN STORY
1. Work in pair, read the list of silent consonants k, g, and w. Choose a word from each category.
2. First pair: Make a sentence based on the words you choose in the form of narration.
3. Write your sentence on the board and read it aloud.
4. Next pair: Continue the story. Make your own sentence from the words you choose.
5. Write your sentence on the board and read it aloud.
6. Make sure you’re not using the same word with the previous group.
POST-TEACHING: REVIEW
Let’s review the words using silent consonants in our story.
Is it too hard for you?
What would you suggest me to improve the practice of silent consonants?
Conclusion
Teaching silent consonants with videos and chain stories attempts to fulfill the principle of teaching as proposed by Brown (2007: 331) and Williams and Burden (2000:38):
• Focus on both fluency and accuracy.• Provide intrinsically motivating technique.• Encourage creativity.• Develop a knowledge of the process of learning.• Encourage self-initiation.• Allow for choice.• Encourage self-evaluation.• Provide appropriate feedback and correction.
top related