Lagapa, Fatima Q.

MAED 2 English
English 103 ( 8:00-10:00/ Fri.-Sat.)
Advance Speech and Public Speaking
Lesson No.1
The Principles in Teaching the Sound System of a Language
Learning a second or a foreign language is more than learning a description of it. It
is developing the ability to use the language on habit level. This is true of not only
second language learning but also of first language learning. Fundamentally, all
language learning involves the processes of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
These processes involve both linguistic and psychological aspects. This leads us to
understand that all language learning is based on certain well-defined principles derived
from linguistic science as well as psychological science. In the following paras, these
principles have been discussed.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING the Sound System of a Language
(Principles Derived from the Linguistic Science)
The modern approach to all language learning and teaching is the scientific one and
is based on sound linguistic principles. The principles discussed below in no way claim
finality : they are subject to change in the light of new facts exposed by linguists and
language users. These principles are general principles and are applicable to English
language.
Principle 1. Give Priority to Sounds: The sounds of English should receive
priority. Sounds should be given their due place in the scheme of teaching. Sounds
should not be presented in isolation. They should appear in proper expressions and
sentences spoken with the intonation and rhythm which would be used by a native
speaker.
Principle 2. Present Language in Basic Sentence Patterns: Present, and
have the students memorize, basic sentence patterns used in day to day conversation.
From small utterances the students can easily pass on to longer sentences. In case of
learning mother-tongue, the students memory span can retain much longer sentences
than those of a foreign language. The facility thus gained in a foreign language enables
the learners expand the grasp of the language material in respect of sounds and
vocabulary items.
Principle 3. Language Patterns as Habits. Real language ability is at the habit
level. It does not just mean knowing about the language. Make language patterns as
habit through intensive pattern practice in variety of situations. The students must be
taught to use language patterns and sentence constructions with appropriate vocabulary
at normal speed for communication. In fact the habitual use of the most frequently used
patterns and items of language, should take precedence over the mere accumulation of
words.

Principle 4. Imitation. Imitation is an important principle of language learning.

No leaner by himself ever invented language. Good speech is the result of imitating good
models. The model should be intelligible. Imitation followed by intensive practice helps
in the mastery of the language system.
Principle 5. Controlled Vocabulary. Vocabulary should be kept under control.
Vocabulary should be taught and practised only in the context of real situations. This
way, meaning will be clarified and reinforced.
Principle 6. Graded Patterns: To teach a language is to impart a new system of
complex habits, and habits are acquired slowly. (R.Lado) So, language patterns should
be taught gradually, in cumulative graded steps. This means, the teacher should go on
adding each new element or pattern to previous ones. New patterns of language should
be introduced and practised with vocabulary that students already know.
Principle 7. Selection and Gradation: Selection of the language material to be
taught is the first requisite of good teaching. Selection should be done in respect of
grammatical items and vocabulary and structures.
Selection of language items should involve
frequency (how often a certain item or word is used)
range
(in what different contexts a word or an item can be used)
coverage (how many different meanings a word or an item can convey)
availability (how far an item is convenient to teach)
learnability (how far an item is easy to learn)
teachability (how far and item is easy to teach - in the social context)
Gradation of the language material means placing the language items in an
order. Grading involves grouping and sequence. Grouping concerns (i) the system of
language, and (ii) its structures. Grouping the system of language means what sounds,
words, phrases and meanings are to be taught.
Thus we have:
(i) Phonetic grouping, i.e. grouping according to sounds. For example, words
having the same sound are placed in the one group as, cat, bat, mat, pat, fat, sat; it, bit,
fit, hit, kit, it, etc.
(ii) Lexical
grouping, i.e., grouping
according
to
lexical
situations. Example: school, teacher, headmaster, peon, class-room, library. All these
words are grouped around school.
(iii) Grammatical grouping, i.e., grouping according to similar patterns as, my
book/ his book, (pattern grouping): in the room, in the corner/ in the class/in the
garden, etc. (phrase grouping)
(iv) Semantic grouping, i.e., grouping according to meaning. Example: school,
college, university; bicycle, rickshaw, car, tonga, train, aeroplane, etc,.
2

(v) Structure grouping, i.e., grouping in the structures means how the selected
items fit one into the other-the sounds into the words, the words into phrases, the
phrases into the clauses and sentences, and the sentences into the context.
Sequence means what comes after what. Sequence should be there in the
arrangement of sounds (phonetic sequence), phrases (grammatical sequence) words
(lexical sequence) and in meaning (semantic sequence). Sequence of structures implies
direction, expansion, variation and length of the structures.
Principle 8. The Oral Way. Experts believe that the oral way is the surest way to
language learning. Prof. Kittson rightly observes,. Learning to speak a language is
always the shortest road to learning to read and write it. Prof Palmer also writes,. We
should refrain from reading and writing any given material until we have learnt to use
its spoken form.
Principle 9. Priorities of Language Skills: Listening (with understanding),
speaking, reading and writing are the four fundamental skills. Listening and speaking
areprimary skills, while reading and writing are secondary skills. Reading and writing
are reinforcement skills. They reinforce what has been learnt through understanding
and speaking. In fact, understanding and speaking speed up the reading process.
Writing should be introduced after reading.
Principle 10. Multiple Line of Approach: The term multiple line implies that
one is to proceed simultaneously from many different points towards the one and the
same end. We should reject nothing except the useless material and should selected
judiciously and without prejudice all that is likely to help in our work. In teaching a
language, it implies attacking the problem from all fronts. Say, for example, there is a
lesson on Holidays in the text book. The teacher can have a number of language
activities connected with the topic such as oral drill, reading, sentence writing,
composition, grammar, translation, language exercises etc.
Principle 11. Language Habit through Language Using: A language is best
learnt through use in different contexts and situations. Prof. Eugene A. Nida rightly
observes, Language learning means plunging headlong into a series of completely
different experiences. It means exposing oneself to situations where the use of language
is required. Another expert expresses a similar opinion by saying: Learning a language
means forming new habits through intensive practice in tearing and speaking. The
emphasis should always be on language in actual use.
Principle 12 Spiral Approach. The spiral approach to language learning
should be followed. Previously taught vocabulary and structures should be reintroduced
in subsequent units whenever logical or possible. This is spiral approach.
Principle 13. Use Mother-tongue Sparingly. The mother-tongue should be
sparingly and judiciously used during teaching English. Of course, at the early stage,
some explanations will have to be given in pupils mother tongue. It is important that
students do not use their mother-tongue in the classroom.
3

PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING ENGLISH

It will not be out of place to list down certain principles which have been derived
from the science of psychology.
Principle 1. Motivation. Motivation is an important factor in language learning,
particularly in learning a second language. It creates interest as well as the need to learn
the language in hand. If the need for the language we use is felt, it is learnt easily. Pupils
interest can be aroused in a number of ways, and language learning can be made
increasingly interesting and attractive. It can be done with the help of pictures, charts,
models, flash cards, black board sketches and similar other visual devices. The use of
tape-recorder can be most effective in the teaching of pronunciation. The aim is to have
the students maximally exposed to the target language in variety of contexts and
situations, not in isolation. The teacher should prompt connections, feedback and
correct errors, if any. The rule is teach, test, reteach, retest. The teacher should
make continual and significant use of language material in class-room situations.
Palmer suggests the following six factors which lead to motivate and create interest
among children:
(i) The limitation of bewilderment, that is, minimum of confusion;
(ii) The sense of progress achieved;
(iii) Competitions;
(iv) Game-like exercises;
(v) The right relation between teacher and student; and
(vi) Variety.
Principle 2. Immediate Correction. Do make corrections. Corrections make all
the difference. They help in improving pupils responses. But remember, when
corrections are made, they should be made immediately. Moreover, the corrections
should be made in such a way as will bring about learning and not frustration or
discouragement.
Principle 3. Reinforcement Immediate reinforcement is an important principle.
It has been experimentally proved that reinforcement of correct responses helps in
better learning. The student should be told his response is correct immediately after it is
given by him.
Principle 4. Frequent Review. An important psychological principle is the
principle of frequent review. Frequent review and re-entry of the same material is
necessary for retention. During the process of reviewing, variations in material should
be essentially be introduced and practiced.
Principle 5. Correct Responses. It is an important psychological principle that
classroom activities should strengthen the language skills. The techniques used by the
teacher of English should encourage the maximum rate of correct responses. This will
give children the feeling of success, achievement and assured progress.

Principle 6. Practice in Everyday Situations. A language is best learnt when

its need is felt in everyday situations. So, English should be practiced in every day
situations with which children can easily identify.
In short, the children, their environment and their experiences, should be the
starting point. Let them recall (and, they should be helped, if they fail) something
familiar which is related to or contrasts with a new language item to be learnt.
These are, then, some of the basic principles of language learning and teaching.
These principles are in no way dictative: they are only suggestive.

Remember then.
(i) Teach the language, not about the language.
(ii) Teach the language, not its written system (at the start).
(iii) Teach the language, as it is, not as any one thinks it to be.
(iv) Teach the language, not its literature.
(v) Teach the language as it is now, not in term of its history.
(vi) Teach the language as a skill, not as an intellectual task.
(vii) Teach the language in varied, interesting situations.
(viii) Give maximum exposure.
(ix) Give vocabulary its due place.
(x) Use mother-tongue as a tool, not a medium.
(xi) Immediately reinforce correct response.

Lagapa, Fatima Q. MAED 2 English

English 103 ( 8:00-10:00/ Fri.-Sat.)
Advance Speech and Public Speaking
Lesson No. 2
The Speech Mechanism
Our interest in learning this speech production is that how different articulators such as
tongue, lips, jaw and other speech organs are involved in making sound. Speech can be
defined as waves of air pressure created by airflow pressed out of the lungs and going
out through the mouth and nasal cavities. The air passes through the vocal folds
(chords) via the path from the lungs through the vocal tract, vibrating the mat different
frequencies. A simplified diagram of human vocal system is given below. Some of the
main articulators and their functions are also explained.
1) The Vocal tract
Having passed through the larynx, the air will undergo further changes as it
makes its way upwards towards the mouth. The air passages above the larynx are known
as the vocal tract. The vocal tract can be divided into the oral tract (the mouth and
pharynx), and the nasal tract (within the nose). On average, the total length of the vocal
tract (from the larynx to the lips/nostrils) is some 17 cm. (in men). The upper cavities of
the pharynx, mouth and nose are called the resonating cavities. The parts of the vocal
tract that can be used to form sounds are called articulators. The latter can be
subdivided into active (those that move, e.g. tongue) and passive (those that are fixed,
e.g. hard palate). Most sounds are produced with at least one active and passive
articulator. When an articulator interacts with another, its said to articulate with it. For
instance, in the production of the sound /b/, the lower lip articulates with the upper lip.
2) The Pharynx
The pharynx is a funnel-shaped muscle tube of 8-12cm in length. It stretches
from the larynx and the passage between the pharynx and the stomach, past the
epiglottis and the root of the tongue, to the area in the rear of the velum. A muscle keeps
the passage between the pharynx and the stomach closed except when swallowing.
3) The Glottis
The Glottis (or epiglottal fold) is a leaf-like cartilage which is attached to the anterior
(forward) part of the thyroid cartilage, and to the root of the tongue. Its primary
function is to cover the entrance to the larynx during swallowing, thus preventing food
from entering the trachea. As the epiglottis is joined with the root of the tongue, the
whole can be drawn back and down towards the wall of the pharynx in the production of
special sounds(for instance, Arabic pharyngeal sounds).
4) The Velum
The velum is a thin sheet composed of muscle fibres, tissue, blood vessels,nerves, and
glands. Its main function is to separate the nasal cavity from the oralcavity (the mouth).
If the velum is raised, it presses against the posterior (back) wall of the pharynx, and
prevents air from going through the nose. This is known as velic closure , and occurs in
6

the production of so called oral sounds. If the velum is lowered, air passes through both
the nose and mouth. If a lowered velum is combined with an obstruction at some point
in the oral cavity, the resultant sound is nasal. Sounds which are pronounced with
simultaneous oral and nasal articulation are said to be orinasal. It has to be said that
many people do not fully raise their velum in the production of oral sounds, which
means there is some escape of air through the nasal cavity. Speakers who
habitually leave the velum too much down produce what is known as nasalized speech,
which is commonly called a nasal twang. This type of nasalized speech can also be
heard when people have a cold, for instance. If one is unable to make an effective closure
because the soft palate itself is defective or because an abnormal opening in the roof of
the mouth gives access to the nasal cavity(as is the case for instance in people with a
cleft palate), there will be an over all nasalization of the vowels and the failure to
pronounce, for instance, /b/, /g/, /d/.Sounds like /g/ or /k/, whereby the back of the
tongue is in contact with the lower side of the velum are called velar consonants.
5) The Tongue
The tongue is the most mobile articulator (with the tip, for instance, being
capable of movements of up to 9 times per second) and can take up an almost limitless
number of positions, both vertically and laterally. The versatility of the tongue can also
be felt during eating as its main physical function is to move the food around in the
mouth and pharynx during chewing and swallowing. The tongue is the principal agent in
the formation of vowel sounds. The various parts of the tongue are (from back to
front): root back (the part facing the soft palate) front (opposite the hard palate)
blade (the part facing the teeth-ridge) tip(apex). The edges of the tongue are called the
rims. In the production of vowels, the tongue tip usually remains low behind the lower
teeth.
6) The Teeth and Lips
The teeth, particularly the various upper teeth are very important for the
production of many consonants, like the initial sounds in the English words
this(/DIs/)and thing (/TIN/).The lips which are fleshy folds consisting of tissue, blood
vessels, glands, nerves and muscle assist in the formation of both vowels and
consonants. For vowels, for instance, it is important to know whether they are
rounded(e.g. /u:/ in doom) or spread (e.g. /i:/ in heed). They can also be pressed
together they produced bilabial sounds (e.g. /p/, /b/), or the lower lip can articulate
with the upper teeth, resulting in labiodental sounds (e.g. /f/, /v/).Only the lower teeth
and lip can move since they are attached to the lower jaw (or mandible). The latter is
connected to the skull through a joint, located just before the entrance to the ear. You
can easily feel the hinge movement if you hold a finger near the forward part of the
outer opening of the ear while raising and lowering your jaw.
7) The Nose
The nose, or nasal cavity, is divided into two cavities i.e. the nostrils - by a central
bone, known as the septum. The roof of the nasal cavity is very narrow, whereas the
floor is smooth and relatively wide. The side walls are extremely irregular. At the back,
the nasal cavity leads into the nasopharynx (see above), which, as we have seen, can be
shut off from the oropharynx by means of the velum. The main biological functions of
7

the nose are the humidification and heating of the air during respiration. In addition, it
acts as a filter.
8) Larynx
Sound is generated in the larynx, and that is where pitch and volume are manipulated.
The strength of expiration from the lungs also contributes to loudness. Fine
manipulation of the larynx is used to generate a source sound with a particular
fundamental frequency, or pitch. This source sound is altered as it travels through the
vocal tract configured differently based on the position of the tongue, lips, mouth and
pharynx. The process of altering a source sound as it passes through the filter of the
vocal tract creates the many different vowel and consonant sounds of the world's
languages as well as the tone.

Lagapa, Fatima Q. MAED 2 English

English 103 ( 8:00-10:00/ Fri.-Sat.)
Advance Speech and Public Speaking
Lesson No.3-A
The International Phonetic Alphabet vs. The Roman Alphabet
Origin
The IPA was first published in 1888 by the Association Phontique Internationale
(International Phonetic Association), a group of French language teachers founded by
Paul Passy. The aim of the organisation was to devise a system for transcribing the
sounds of speech which was independent of any particular language and applicable to all
languages.
A phonetic script for English created in 1847 by Isaac Pitman and Henry Ellis was used
as a model for the IPA.
Uses

The IPA is used in dictionaries to indicate the pronunciation of words.

The IPA has often been used as a basis for creating new writing systems for
previously unwritten languages.

The IPA is used in some foreign language text books and phrase books to
transcribe the sounds of languages which are written with non-latin alphabets. It
is also used by non-native speakers of English when learning to speak English.

Where symbols appear in pairs, the one on the right represents a voiced consonant,
while the one on the left is unvoiced. Shaded areas denote articulations judged to be
impossible.

10

11

Lagapa, Fatima Q. MAED 2 English

English 103 ( 8:00-10:00/ Fri.-Sat.)
Advance Speech and Public Speaking
Lesson No.3-B
The Roman Alphabet
Origin
The Latin (or, as it is also called, Roman) alphabet appeared in the 7th century
BC as an adaptation of the Etruscan alphabet to the Latin language. The Etruscans
themselves borrowed their alphabet from the Greek colonists in Italy; the origin of
the Greek alphabet is traced through Phoenician scripts to the North Semitic alphabet,
which was already in use in Syria and Palestine during the 12th c. BC.
There was a common spread opinion, shared even by some contemporary scholars, that
the Latin characters were derived directly from the Greek ones. This hypothesis rested
on the evident correspondence between the Latin alphabet and the Chalcidian variety of
the western group of Greek scripts used at Cumae in Campania, southern Italy. It seems,
anyway, inconsistent, because the name of the letters are clearly of Etruscan and not of
Greek origin (a, be, ce, de etc. and notalpha, betha, gamma, delta etc.) and because of
the specific representation in the most ancient documents of the [f] sound by the
combination FH, which was peculiar to the Etruscan writing system.
The earliest inscription in Latin characters, dating from the 7th century BC, was made
on golden brooch known as Praeneste Fibula (preserved now in the Museo Preistorico
Etnografico Luigi Pigorini in Rome). It is written from right to left and reads:
MANIOS:MED:FHEFHAKED:NUMASIOI
(in Classical Latin: Manius me fecit Numerio)
Manius made me for Numerius.
Another inscription, dating from the end of the 7th or the beginning of the 6th century
BC, was engraved on a small pillar (cippus) found in the Roman Forum. It is written
vertically on the four faces of the pillar in bustrophedon style. Another inscription,
probably of the 6th century BC, was discovered near the Quirinal Hill in Rome. It is
known as the Duenos Vase and like the Praeneste Fibula is also written from right to
left. These inscriptions are generally considered to be the oldest extant examples of the
Latin alphabet.
Originally the Latin alphabet consisted of the following 21 letters:
ABCDEFZHIKLMNOPQRSTVX
About 250 BC the letter Z was dropped because in the Latin of this period there was not
a specific sound that would require its usage. On the other hand, a new letter, G, made
by adding a bar to the lower end of C, was placed in the position of Z. After the 1st
12

century BC, when the Greek-speaking world was incorporated into theorbis Romanum,
a large number of Greek words penetrated the Latin language. At the time of Cicero and
Caesar the symbols Y and Z were introduced from the contemporary Greek alphabet and
were placed at the end of the alphabet. Their usage was initially restricted to
transliterate Greek words only, as the popular Latin name for Y i graeca suggests
(this name is preserved in modern French i grecque and modern Spanish i griega, for
instance), and thay do not appear in ordinary Latin inscriptions. Thus, at the beginning
of the Christian era the Latin script had 23 letters:
ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRSTVXYZ
Three new letters were permanently added to the alphabet during the Middle Ages. The
semivocal pronunciation of I and V before vowels like [j] and [w] became clearly
consonantic [dJ] and [v] respectively and this change was reflected in the writing.
For long time there was a practice among the scribes to write I and V with some
modifications like J and U, though they used them interchangeably for either the vowel
or the consonant sound. At last this practice was conventionalized, so that U and I were
written for the vowels and V and J for the consonants. Before the establishing of this
conventionalization Spanish and French introduced an unpronounceable h at the
beginning of words whose first letter v, followed by a vowel, was to be read [u], and in
this manner there was formed a syllable and the reading of [u] and not of [v] assured;
this
usage
is
still
preserved
in
the
modern
orthography, cf.
Sp. huevo < L. ovum or F. huite < L. octo. W was invented by Norman scribes to
represent the Anglo-Saxon sound [w] (a semivowel) and to differentiate it from the [v]
sound. At the end of the 15th c. the alphabet was finally fixed as consisting of 26 letters:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
During the Middle Ages, with the Christianization of Central and Northern Europe by
the Roman Catholic Church, the Latin alphabet was adopted with some modifications to
many Germanic, Slavic and Ugro-Finnic language. The late Romance languages on their
part developed many new sounds as compared with the classical Latin and had also to
make innovations in the writing system. The most common way of representing sounds
that were missing in the classical Latin was to add diacritical marks like
the diaeresis above the German vowels , , , the Portuguese and French cedilla in ,
the tilde on Spanish and Portuguese and etc.
Difference between International Phonetic Alphabet and The Roman
Alphabet
In the IPA each and every sign (or combination of signs) represents exactly a specific
sound, whereas the Roman Alphabet doesn't work in the same way (most of the time not
even within a single language). For example: the words "some" and "sum" are
pronounced in the same way (IPA /sm/), but spelled in two different ways. "flood"
contains also the same sound (IPA /fld/). With the IPA it is possible to make an
accurate transcription of the pronunciation of a word, no matter which language it
comes from. The Roman Alphabet is too limited for that.

13

Lagapa, Fatima Q.
MaEd 2 English
English 103 ( 8:00-10:00/ Fri.-Sat.)
Advance Speech and Public Speaking

Lesson No. 7
The Special Speech Problems of Filipino Learners in English: Syllabics, Consonant Clusters and
other Speech Faults

Most of the native Malayo-Polynesian languages of the Philippines do not contain

the [f] phoneme. Thus, some Filipinos substitute [p] for [f] when they pronounce English words
containing [f]. Some even pronounce English words that normally do begin with [p] with
an [f] through hypercorrection due to confusion over which pronunciation is required.
Like [f], the [v] sound is also virtually non-existent in most major native languages of the
Philippines. Partly because modern Spanish does not distinguish between [b] and [v](both being
pronounced as [b] and, intervocalically, as []), some of the older generation of Filipinos would
pronounce the letter [v] in all English words as [b].
Languages of indigenous minorities that had limited contact with the Spanish colonial
government often retain the [v] sound. The [f] sound also occurs in some of them. Examples are
the Ivatan

language, Ibanag

language,

and

languages

of

the Lumad tribes

in Mindanao and Visayas. All of them are minor indigenous languages of the Philippines.
The Ibaloi tongue

in

the Baguio-Benguet area

of

Northern Luzon also

has

naturally

occurring [f] and [v] sounds, as in sifa (interrogative who) and divit (a traditional wrap-around
skirt). The modern spelling of the name of one of the most numerous ethnic groups of the
Philippines, the Manobo tribes of Mindanao, is actually the hispanized spelling of the
original Manobo word Manuvu.[7]
Some of the other sounds that Philippine languages lack include [], [] and []; only a few still
retain [] (most notably Kinaray-a in Panay Island). The sound [] (/i/ in "brick") is replaced
with [i] (/y/ in "happy") so the pronunciation of the words "bit" and "beat [bit]", "hit" and
"heat [hit]", and "fill" and "feel [fil]" would be the same, respectively. The [] and sounds in all
words are also absent in these languages, so they are pronounced [t] and [d] instead as a sign
of th-stopping. Others hypercorrectly sound th in Thai, Thomas, etc. as [].
Words such as "back" [bk] and "buck" [bk], "cat" [kt] and "cut" [ct], and "pass" [ps] and
"pus" [ps] respectively would also have the same pronunciation since [a] (/a/ in Filipino word
14

"alin"), [], and [] are not distinguished and all would be pronounced as [a]. Some speakers
realize [] as [] instead, so bad and bed are homophones.
With the exemption of [] sound in word endings "ble", "fle", and "ple" which are replaced
with [o] (/o/ in Filipino word "uso"), [] in "cle", "dle", "gle", "tle" is either replaced with [e](/e/
in "egg") which is more commonly used or [o]. Google [u()l] would be read as [uel] and
handle [hnd()l] would be [handel]. Also depending on the spelling as Filipinos read based
on how the word is spelled, "travel" [trv()l] would be [trabel], "computer" [km
pjutr] as [kompjuter], and circle [srkl] read as [sirkel] or [sirkol]. For that reason, the
endings -cion, -sion, -tion rhyme like Shaun/Shawn [on], which is somewhat similar with nonnative pronunciation of English by speakers of Romance languages.
The schwa in unstressed affixes is sounded with its full equivalent vowels instead, so that the
-ace/-ase s in "surface", "purchase", -ate [t in some words like "private", -ain in "mountain",
"captain" (and -ane in "Brisbane"), and -age/-ege [d] in "marriage" rhyme with "ace",
"pain/pane", "eight", and "age" respectively, or not deleted in some affixes but still sounded
fully, namely -ary, -ery, -ory, -mony, -erry, that is why words like "history [histori]" and
"mastery [mastri]" are pronounced that way. Some other words and affixes like -ile and -ine
are pronounced mostly like in British and Commonwealth English and some other speakers of
Canadian and/or American English, thus "missile/missal" and "hostile/hostel" are not
homophonous.
In addition to the schwa, the /e/ (actually a reduced vowel //) in -es/-ess is pronounced with
the full vowel instead, thus it sounds like ess (the letter S, [s]). This feature is also somewhat
similar with non-native pronunciation of English by speakers of Romance languages. Many have
a difficulty with some initial-stress-derived nouns, so "complex" and "compound" sound alike
whether as a noun or not.
A phenomenon among the older generation of Filipinos is their pronunciation of all the English
words

starting

with s +

consonant

such

as star, spade, stampede, slide, stigma,statue, sky, stable, strict, and stew. These words are
pronounced by some of them as "istar/estar", "istampede/estampede", "istigma/estigma",
"istatue/estatue", "istable/estable", "istrict/estrict" and "istew/estew" because these older
people were exposed to the Spanish language and were used to the Spanish system wherein
there

are

no

words

starting

with s +

consonant,

but

instead es +

consonant.

Thus, estrella (star), estampida (stampede), estigma (stigma), estatua (statue), estable (stable),
estricto (strict)

and estofado(stew).

This

phenomenon

is

called epenthesis.

Another

phenomenon is pronunciation by some speakers of the digraph qu before e and i in some words
like conquest, liquidityso that they would be conkest and likidity to an English speaker's ear.
15

Sometimes the ending -que is pronounced ke, not k. Again, this is a result of exposure to
Spanish.
Another issue is suprasegmentals. In pronunciation, emphasis often tends to be put on the
wrong syllable of a word (such as emphasizing the second syllable of "category", "celibacy",
"ceremony", "delicacy", etc. instead of the first) or on the wrong word in a sentence as compared
to North American English or British English. This issue is likely rooted in the aforementioned
Spanish (Castilian) influence and often occurs with English words with Latin (and indirectly
Spanish) roots. However, this is not the case for many fluent Anglophone speakers, who learn to
pronounce and emphasize the proper stress correctly, mostly with help and guidance from their
teachers or tutors. Despite this, some of these underlying mistakes remain in those speakers.
Yod-coalescence is also very common in certain stressed syllables of words in Philippine
English. This turns the clusters [dj], [tj], [sj] and [zj] into [d], [t], [] and [] respectively in
certain words unlike standard American dialects which drop the yod. Words like dew, tune, and
tube become pronounced as /du/ (Jew), /tun/ (Choon), and /tub/ (Chube). Yodcoalescence in stressed syllables occurs in Australian, Cockney, Estuary English, HibernoEnglish (some speakers), Newfoundland English, South African English, Scottish English, Welsh
English, and many other varieties of English in the rest of the Commonwealth of
Nations (except Ireland). Word-initial [j] also coalesces with word-final [d/], [t/], [s], and [z],
giving the same effect as the clusters mentioned earlier, so "sees/seize your" and "passed your"
sound like "seizure/seashore" and "pasture".

Some examples of words mispronounced made by Filipino learners include:

Awry = [ari]

Filipino = [pilipino]

Victor = [biktor]

Family = [pmili] or [pamili]

Varnish = [barnis]

Fun = [pn] or [pan]

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Vehicle = [bhikel] or [bhikol]

Lover = [lber]

Find = [pjnd]

Official = [opisl]

Very = [bri] or [bejri]

Guidon = [idon]

Hamburger = [hmburdzr]

High-tech = [hajtts]

Hubcap = [habkab]

Margarine = [mrrin]

Seattle = [satel]

Shako = [sako]

Daniel/Danielle = [denjel] or [danjel]

-ator in senator, predator = [ejtor] (by analogy with -ate)

Rachel/Rachelle = [reiel]

Stephen, Stephen- in Stephens, Stephenson = [(i/)stifn] or [(i/)stipn]

(the ph digraph has an eff sound rather than a vee)

Special (some speakers) = [(i/)speal] or [speal] rhymes with spatial

Twenty- (one, two, etc.) (many speakers) = [twenti]

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