8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 1/17

 

Takehiko MakinoChuo University, Tokyo

mackinaw@tamacc.chuo-u.ac.jp

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 2/17

 Introduction of / ɪ, u/ to English-

Japanese dictionaries (1) The older Jonesian system

A) beat /biːt / - bit /bit/ B) root /ruːt / - foot /fut/ 

C) caught /k ɔːt / - dog /dɔːɡ | dɔɡ / - cot /k ɑt | k ɔt / 

D) (i) card /k ɑːr d/ - cord /k ɔːr d/ or  (ii) card /k ɑɚd | k ɑːd / - cord /k ɔɚd | k ɔːd / 

E) coat /kout/ 

Essentially, this system distinguishes similar sound pairsonly with the presence or absence of length marks andexpects the users to infer the quality differences.

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 3/17

(2) The progressive system Since the introduction of /ɪ, ʊ, ɒ/ in EPD14 (Jones andGimson 1977) to indicate both quantitative and qualitativedifferences, however, some of the more progressive

dictionaries began adopting the symbols /ɪ/ and /U/.

A) beat /biːt / - bit /bɪt / 

B) Root /ruːt / - foot /f Ut/ 

C) caught /k ɔːt / - dog /dɔːɡ | dɔɡ / - cot /k ɑt | k ɔt / 

D) (i) card /k ɑːr d/ - cord /k ɔːr d/ or  

(ii) card /k ɑɚd | k ɑːd / - cord /k ɔɚd | k ɔːd / 

E) coat /koUt/ 

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 4/17

The first to adopt the system in (2) was the 5thedition (1980) of unabridged Kenkyusha’s NewEnglish-Japanese Dictionary.

Some of the first learner’s dictionaries to follow this were Proceed English-Japanese Dictionary (Fukutake

Shoten, 1988) and Lighthouse English-JapaneseDictionary, 2nd ed. (Kenkyusha, 1990).

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 5/17

What has been left behind: the

symbol / ɒ/  The above progressive system in (2) differs significantly 

from that of EPD14, which is now the de facto internationalstandard, with both EPD17 and LPD3 using the essentially 

same system, in one respect: it still uses /ɔː/ - /ɔ/ contrast instead of /ɔː/ - / ɒ/ (for British

pronunciation).

This is probably because the editors of those dictionariesdid not want to increase the number of types of phoneticsymbols used, or because their attention was addressed to

 American pronunciation only, or both.

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 6/17

A serious problem  This new system is inconsistent and self-contradictory:

Both length and quality differences are transcribed  in/iː/ vs. /ɪ/ and /uː/ vs. /U/, i.e., A) and B) sets)

But only length differences are transcribed in anotherpart (/ɔː/ vs. /ɔ/, i.e., C) set), even though they are alsoqualitatively different.

One could even go so far as to say that it is defective asa system of transcription.

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 7/17

The problem is British-only.  The system is defective for British pronunciation only.

The contrast in American pronunciation in the C) setabove is:

caught /kɔːt/ - dog /dɔːɡ/ - cot /kɑt/

This reflects the actual phonetic differences (in regions

 where caught and cot are distinguished).

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 8/17

Possible solutions  We cannot leave this defective system as it is.

The presupposition

The Jonesian system (1) is not inconsistent about theproblem here. However, it would be anachronistic torevert to it.

Since it overtly indicates the differences in vowel length only,it seems to be part of the reasons why Japanese speakers’

English tend not make vowel quality differences in pairs likeknit vs. neat (cf. Makino 2009).

It is the /ɔ/-/ɔː/ contrast that should be changed. 

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 9/17

Solution no.1  (3) The solution no.1 (the de facto international

standard)

A) beat /biːt / - bit /bɪt / 

B) root /ruːt / - foot /f Ut/ 

C) caught /k  ɒːt | k ɔːt / - dog /d ɒːɡ | d ɒɡ / - cot /k ɑːt | k  ɒt / 

D) (i) card /k ɑːr d/ - cord /k ɔːr d/ or  

(ii) card /k ɑɚd | k ɑːd / - cord /k ɔɚd | k ɔːd / E) coat /koUt/ 

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 10/17

Possible merits: It conforms to the International Phonetic Association’s

stipulation about the relationship between symbols and theirqualities.

 Virtually the same system is used in most of the EFL/ESLdictionaries published in UK, and it will make the learner’sswitch from an English-Japanese dictionary to an English-English one much easier.

Possible demerit: There can be some reluctance on the part of the users

(especially teachers) to the introduction of a new symbol / ɒ/. The fact that even hooked schwa /ɚ/ is not widely accepted in

 Japan makes me rather pessimistic.

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 11/17

Solution no.2  (4) The solution no.2 (a compromise system)

A) beat /biːt / - bit /bɪt / 

B) root /ruːt / - foot /f Ut/ 

C) caught /k ɔːt | koːt / - dog /dɔːɡ | dɔɡ / - cot /k ɑːt | k ɔt / 

D) (i) card /k ɑːr d/ - cord /koːr d/ or  (ii) card /k ɑɚd | k ɑːd / - cord /koɚd | koːd / 

E) coat /koʊt | k əʊt / 

Instead of changing /ɔ/ into / ɒ/, this system replaces/ɔː/ with /oː/ in British pronunciation only.

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 12/17

The single most important merit of this system is thatit does not involve an introduction of a new symbol.

Three demerits can be named here: The system deviates from the stipulation of the

International Phonetic Alphabet in some respects(namely, the value of /ɔ/).

There are no other dictionaries using this system, so

users would have to learn a new system of transcriptionif they switch to other dictionaries.

The sheer change in the use of the same symbols mightmake it unacceptable to the classroom.

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 13/17

A difficult choice  The system (2) using only / ɪ, U / is defective and cannot be

left as it is.

The solution no.1 is phonetically sound and most highly

recommended, but I cannot be sure that it will befavorably accepted to the classroom.

The solution no.2 is a compromise, but it involves a rathercomplicated shift in the uses of the phonetic symbols, and

might still be subject to the reluctance to accept a newsystem.

In addition, aren't both these transcriptions rather toodifficult for learners to decipher? 

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 14/17

A Question  Do we really want information about both American and British

pronunciations when learning English?

In Japan, American English is taught as a tacit target model in theschool system. In such situations, do we really need a learner’sdictionary which lists both American and British pronunciations ina highly complicated transcription system?

After all, the progressive system (2) has given up transcribing theBritish pronunciation in a consistent manner, as discussed above.

We might only be pretending to treat both variants equallywhile we are actually doing justice to one of the two.

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 15/17

The two choices  Everyone involved in the teaching of English in Japan must

consider seriously if we really want both British and American pronunciations in our learner’s English-Japanese

dictionaries. If it turns out that the present treatment of both variants is

the mere result of the force of habit, we might just as well stop writing British pronunciations and simplify the transcription

system. If we have decided that British pronunciation is very 

important to learners, then we would have to do justice to itin our transcription in the dictionaries. The complication of the transcription would have to be accepted.

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 16/17

The proposal My suggestion is the former, that is, dispensing with

British pronunciation in learners’ dictionaries. That would make the pronunciation of English much easierto learn with simple transcriptions.

 We can always rely on unabridged dictionaries forgiving us information about British pronunciation.

(The system of Kenkyusha’s unabridged dictionary is notphonetically sound, though. Its system is as defective as(2). Something has to be done about it.)

8/3/2019 Are Both American and British Pronunciations Necessary in Learners' English Dictionaries in Japan? (Slide version)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/are-both-american-and-british-pronunciations-necessary-in-learners-english 17/17

References Jones, Daniel. 1967. English Pronouncing Dictionary, 13th ed. London: Dent.

 Jones, Daniel and A. C. Gimson. 1977. English Pronouncing Dictionary, 14th ed. London:Dent.

Kenkyusha’s New English-Japanese Dictionary, 5th ed. Tokyo: Kenkyusha, 1980.Lighthouse English-Japanese Dictionary, 2nd ed. Tokyo: Kenkyusha, 1990.

Makino, Takehiko. 2009. “Vowel substitution patterns in Japanese speakers’ English.” InTa(l)king English Phonetics across Frontiers, Biljana Čubrović and Tatjana Paunović (eds.) , pp.19-31. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Proceed English-Japanese Dictionary. Okayama, Japan: Fukutake Shoten, 1988.

Roach, Peter, James W. Hartman and Jane E. Setter. 2006. Cambridge English PronouncingDictionary, 17th ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

 Wells, John C. 2008. Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education.