Reflection on Chapter 2 “Components of Language”

Reflection on Chapter 2 “Components of Language”

2.1 The Sound of Language

SWORD—What is the correct pronunciation of this word? Is it pronounced as the way it is written /svord/? The point of this simple example is that it is not an easy task to pronounce words correctly if without any specific symbols used to represent those sounds. Indeed, I usually pronounced words based on their physical appearances. But after learning Chapter 2 entitled “Components of Language” under the first main point “The Sound of Language”, I realized that the method I applied for pronouncing those words was totally inappropriate. 

To learn how to pronounce words, the newly-met-words, correctly, one needs to learn how to read phonetic alphabets, a set of symbols that represent each sound. As mentioned earlier, the word SWORD is not pronounced as it is written but with the absence of the consonant W. Here is the correct pronunciation of this word: /sɔːd/ or /sɔːrd/. Nod only have I learnt about what phonetic alphabet is, but many key concepts such as Phonetics, Voiced and Voiceless Sound, Place of Articulation, and Manner of Articulation are also precisely illustrated. These key concepts are really useful in helping me understand clearly about the text. For instance, before studying this chapter, I hadn’t any faintest ideas what voiced and voiceless sounds are.  I could not differentiate between /t/ and /d/ sound—I mean whether I should pronounce t or d with the verbs in past tense which end in –ed. On the other side of the coin, with the understanding of the lesson, I have come to know that we should pronounce with /t/ when the ending sound of the verb is voiceless or else it is pronounced with /d/ sound.

 
With the clear illustrating points, this chapter should be recommended to use as a reading material for the younger generations who wish to learn about the sound of the language. However, it will be better if some more examples or extra reading materials are included in this lesson.  And I am also deeply appreciative for my lecturer’s clear and precise explanation on the subjects matter. Had it not been for him, I would not be able to understand all the key points like this. All in all, I can say that from day to day I can absorb the lesson more clearly and store it in my mind with confidence. I sincerely hope that the next coming lessons will be clearly illustrated as in the point I have mentioned above. It is an interesting subject, Applied Linguistics