by Kit McCallum
I look back on these years
To see how far I've come and grown,
I take a trip down memory lane,
And what I see has shown ...
That every step I've taken,
You have been there by my side ...
From infancy to adulthood,
We've stood the test of time.
You cradled me and nurtured me,
Through all these many years;
You held me and did comfort me,
Through happiness and tears.
You'd pick me up when I would fall,
You'd dust me off and then,
Encourage me to get back on
That horse and ride again.
Your constant care and loving,
And your warm inviting heart,
Has always been a treasure that
I knew would n'er depart.
If I could be "just half" the person
You have been to me ...
Then you have taught me well dear mom,
For in my heart I see ...
A woman whose most gentle soul,
Embraces me each day ...
A woman whom I dearly love,
Much more than words can say.
Jumat, 24 Desember 2010
Kamis, 23 Desember 2010
Raising Bilingual Children: The Snags
by Christina Bosemark, founder of the Multilingual Children's Association
I speak Swedish and my husband's native language is English. When we had our two children, we had no doubt that we wanted to raise them with equal access to both languages. Now, years later, when I've made promoting multilingual child-raising not just my avocation, but my vocation as well, people ask me for the straight story, warts and all. "What is the difference, raising bilingual children?" "What do you wish you knew before you got started?"
It's clear to most of us that speaking multiple languages is a good thing, and learning multiple languages in the early years is a nearly effortless means to fluency. Your multilingual child will have a head start in schools during a time when more and more of them are requiring a foreign language. And once your kid knows two languages, the move to three, or four is much easier. Counterintuitively, the effects of growing up bilingually include superior reading and writing skills in both languages, as well as better analytical, social, and academic skills. Parents who are themselves involved in high level careers are already well aware that professional prospects abound for those with fluency in multiple languages. Helen Riley-Collins, president of Aunt Ann's In-House Staffing in San Francisco, who caters to many clients in high tech, investment banking and finance, says that more than half her clients request nannies who speak another language. "They want to give their children a head start in business in 20 years." So, that all sounds well and good, but what are the real drawbacks?
1. Delay. Multilingual children tend to speak a little later than their peers. Although there is no solid scientific evidence to suggest a delay in speech, anecdotally there is a real sense among parents that multilinguals start talking three to six month later than monolingual children. If you think about it, it makes sense that a child learning two or more language systems might take more time, since they are actually learning twice as many words. But rest assured, even if your child did not walk at nine months, eventually he ended up walking just as well as those precocious ones. The same thing holds true for language, even when you are talking about more than one. Guaranteed!
2. Mixing. Children learning two languages often slip back and forth between them, mixing up their words. This can disturb the parents, but can be even more alarming to the uninitiated. No worries. This tendency will pass once the child has built a large enough vocabulary -- around the age of four or five. Remember that the monolingual three year old often struggles to find the right word, and, for that matter, adults don't always find it easy to express themselves. In some ways, the multilingual kid has an advantage -- if he can't think of the correct word in Vietnamese, for example, then he can say it in English. While the rest of us are speechless.
3. Effort. Perhaps the most easily overlooked drawback to taking the multilingual path is that it requires more effort on the part of the parents. Raising a multilingual child is a commitment. Much like piano lessons, you can't expect your little one to be a virtuoso overnight. Language learning is a long-term investment in your child and will require that you are able to provide enough language exposure. At times, you'll probably need to boost the second language and offer some extra encouragement. You'll need the persistence required to keep your family language rules as consistent as possible. But, if you can keep faith for the first four or five years while a solid language foundation is put in place, things get easier. Incidentally, the multilingual second child is a breeze, if your first child was raised that way. Your first will end up doing a lot of the work for you by simply being a natural chatterbox.
There's no doubt that multilingual children have more advantages, but it can feel a bit overwhelming to someone already struggling with diapers and feeding schedules; however, I have yet to meet a single parent who regretted the decision. But, the appreciation from your child, as usual, is probably another 20 years out.
Okay, if fore-warned is fore-armed, then what is the best day-to-day method for raising multilingual children? Here's a hint -- since the first five years of your child's language development is so crucial, the key to success is closely tied to his primary environment, the family. That is the topic for next article in this series: Raising Bilingual Children: The Different Methods to Success
About the author:
Christina Bosemark is the founder of the Multilingual Children's Association, your web-guide to raising bilingual children with expert advice, parent discussions, resource directory and articles. She is also mother of two trilingual daughters and co-founder of the Scandinavian immersion school in San Francisco.
Other articles in this series
* Raising Bilingual Children: The First Five Steps to Success
* Raising Bilingual Children: Fact or Fiction?
* Raising Bilingual Children: The Snags
* Raising Bilingual Children: The Different Methods to Success
* Raising Bilingual Children: 10 Tips for Boosting The Minority Language
* Raising Bilingual Children: Is It Too Late?
Links to website with information and advice about raising bilingual/multilingual children
I speak Swedish and my husband's native language is English. When we had our two children, we had no doubt that we wanted to raise them with equal access to both languages. Now, years later, when I've made promoting multilingual child-raising not just my avocation, but my vocation as well, people ask me for the straight story, warts and all. "What is the difference, raising bilingual children?" "What do you wish you knew before you got started?"
It's clear to most of us that speaking multiple languages is a good thing, and learning multiple languages in the early years is a nearly effortless means to fluency. Your multilingual child will have a head start in schools during a time when more and more of them are requiring a foreign language. And once your kid knows two languages, the move to three, or four is much easier. Counterintuitively, the effects of growing up bilingually include superior reading and writing skills in both languages, as well as better analytical, social, and academic skills. Parents who are themselves involved in high level careers are already well aware that professional prospects abound for those with fluency in multiple languages. Helen Riley-Collins, president of Aunt Ann's In-House Staffing in San Francisco, who caters to many clients in high tech, investment banking and finance, says that more than half her clients request nannies who speak another language. "They want to give their children a head start in business in 20 years." So, that all sounds well and good, but what are the real drawbacks?
1. Delay. Multilingual children tend to speak a little later than their peers. Although there is no solid scientific evidence to suggest a delay in speech, anecdotally there is a real sense among parents that multilinguals start talking three to six month later than monolingual children. If you think about it, it makes sense that a child learning two or more language systems might take more time, since they are actually learning twice as many words. But rest assured, even if your child did not walk at nine months, eventually he ended up walking just as well as those precocious ones. The same thing holds true for language, even when you are talking about more than one. Guaranteed!
2. Mixing. Children learning two languages often slip back and forth between them, mixing up their words. This can disturb the parents, but can be even more alarming to the uninitiated. No worries. This tendency will pass once the child has built a large enough vocabulary -- around the age of four or five. Remember that the monolingual three year old often struggles to find the right word, and, for that matter, adults don't always find it easy to express themselves. In some ways, the multilingual kid has an advantage -- if he can't think of the correct word in Vietnamese, for example, then he can say it in English. While the rest of us are speechless.
3. Effort. Perhaps the most easily overlooked drawback to taking the multilingual path is that it requires more effort on the part of the parents. Raising a multilingual child is a commitment. Much like piano lessons, you can't expect your little one to be a virtuoso overnight. Language learning is a long-term investment in your child and will require that you are able to provide enough language exposure. At times, you'll probably need to boost the second language and offer some extra encouragement. You'll need the persistence required to keep your family language rules as consistent as possible. But, if you can keep faith for the first four or five years while a solid language foundation is put in place, things get easier. Incidentally, the multilingual second child is a breeze, if your first child was raised that way. Your first will end up doing a lot of the work for you by simply being a natural chatterbox.
There's no doubt that multilingual children have more advantages, but it can feel a bit overwhelming to someone already struggling with diapers and feeding schedules; however, I have yet to meet a single parent who regretted the decision. But, the appreciation from your child, as usual, is probably another 20 years out.
Okay, if fore-warned is fore-armed, then what is the best day-to-day method for raising multilingual children? Here's a hint -- since the first five years of your child's language development is so crucial, the key to success is closely tied to his primary environment, the family. That is the topic for next article in this series: Raising Bilingual Children: The Different Methods to Success
About the author:
Christina Bosemark is the founder of the Multilingual Children's Association, your web-guide to raising bilingual children with expert advice, parent discussions, resource directory and articles. She is also mother of two trilingual daughters and co-founder of the Scandinavian immersion school in San Francisco.
Other articles in this series
* Raising Bilingual Children: The First Five Steps to Success
* Raising Bilingual Children: Fact or Fiction?
* Raising Bilingual Children: The Snags
* Raising Bilingual Children: The Different Methods to Success
* Raising Bilingual Children: 10 Tips for Boosting The Minority Language
* Raising Bilingual Children: Is It Too Late?
Links to website with information and advice about raising bilingual/multilingual children
Konkani, A dialect? NO!
by Derick Pinto
The other day, a Maharashtrain friend of mine remarked, "Konkani is a dialect of Marathi. That is why Konkani does not have its own script." This set me thinking. I am a linguist and I am interested in language and linguistics. So I found me asking myself as to whether Konkani is a dialect of Marathi or an independent language by itself.
After giving much though to the issue, I arrived at the following conclusion: If tongues were to be graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with a full fledged language like Hindi, Marathi, etc. placed at 10 and any dialect at 5, Konkani would find its place at 7.5; Not 5, hence not a dialect and not 10 hence not a fully developed language. Why so? Why could Konkani not become a fully developed language? The reasons are obvious. People used Konkani only for oral communication but when it came to writing, the people in pre-Portuguese Goa wrote in Marathi. During the Portuguese regime, the Christian converts used Portuguese for written communication, while the Goan hindus continued to use Marathi. As a result of this, the development of Konkani suffered a set back. Hence, 7.5 instead of 10. But definitely not 5 (a dialect).
Having or not having a script is not the criterion in deciding whether a tongue is a dialect or an independent language. Even English (bestowed with the honour of being an international language) had to borrow the Roman script from Latin. Russian and other Slav languages has no script till St Cyril formulated for them the Cyrillic Alphabet (being a mixture of Greek and Roman scripts) And for those who are ignorant, Konkani has not one but 6 scripts – Roman, Devnagari, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and A rabic! Because Konkani is spoken all along the Konkan coast which lies in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala besides Goa. It is difficult to adopt any one of these scripts for Konkani because in each state, Konkani imbibes the accent and the vocabulary peculiar to that state/region which can be denoted only in that script e.g.
The e sound cannot be denoted in Devanagari which is possible in Roman (e) or Kannada scripts ( ).
Coming to the vocabulary, as Konkani is one of the several daughters of the mother language Sanskrit, there are bound to be similarities as there are in Hindi / Marathi / Gujarati / Punjabi, etc. or Bengali / Oriya / Assamese etc. So this cannot be considered to be a ground for labeling Konkani as a dialect of Marathi. Even the syntax among most Indian languages is more or less similar. Hence, it is safe to conclude that while Konkani may not be as advanced as Marathi, it is not as underdeveloped to be considered a mere dialect.
Talking about choosing a script for Konkani, it is pertinent to recall that Kemal Pasha of Turkey changed the script of Turkish from Arabic to Roman. According to him, both Turkey and Turkish would develop if Roman script was adopted. The outcome is history. Personally, I feel the same holds for Konkani in Goa too. And I am not saying this because I am a Goan or Catholic but because circumstances so warrant. 450 years of Portuguese rule, using the Roman script for writing Konkani, the language's pronunciation and accent modified over the centuries makes it difficult for us now, to be writing in the Devnagari script. And believe me, if Konkani is to develop, it will do so only if the Roman script is adopted. While on this, special mention must be made of the valuable contribution made by the Vauraddeancho lxtt in the development of the Konkani language.
To write Konkani in the Roman script was taught to us by the Portuguese. Hence, they followed the Portuguese (Latin) rules of orthography (spelling) eg. Using 'c' or 'qu' instead of 'k', 'x' for 'sh', the grave, cedilla, circumflex and tilde accents and avoiding 'w' and 'y'. Some newspapers like the 'Goa Times' circulating in Bombay used this style of spelling. Eg. 'Conn' instead of 'Konn', 'quitem' for 'kitem' so on. The Vauraddencho lxtt adopted certain rules for spelling Konkani words and this, consistently over the years or decades. This consistency has given a certain stability to Konkani orthography. It is widely accepted, recognized and used eg. in liturgical works by the Church, etc. and for this standardization, the Vauraddeancho lxtt deserves a big award from the Konkani speaking people for its valuable contribution to the development of konkani by giving a definite shape, a regularised spelling for Konkani's vocabulary. A contribution over the years, consistently and unstinted. Editors may come and go, but the crystallization has set in and this makes the paper stand out with authentic spelling.
But there is a flip side too. Over the years, the vocabulary has undergone a drastic change. Try comparing an issue of the newspaper of the 1970's with one of today. While the spelling (orthography) has standardised, the language has become more and more marathisized. Authentic Konkani words have come to be replaced by marathi derivated eg. 'fikir' instead of 'usko' 'Khali' for 'rito', etc. and this pains a true lover of the Konkani language. Agreed, we need to develop Konkani, but in this way? Do we have to konkanise marathi words and use them? And then when an onlooker reads this, he is bound to get the impression (like my Maharashtrian friend) that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi and that it does not have its own full-fledged vocabulary to express ideas.
I would like to end this piece by telling those who do not know that the eminent linguist, Dalgado, who is accredited with compiling the first Konkani dictionary, had, after much research, come to the conclusion that "Concanim nao e o dialecto de Marathi". He knew be
The other day, a Maharashtrain friend of mine remarked, "Konkani is a dialect of Marathi. That is why Konkani does not have its own script." This set me thinking. I am a linguist and I am interested in language and linguistics. So I found me asking myself as to whether Konkani is a dialect of Marathi or an independent language by itself.
After giving much though to the issue, I arrived at the following conclusion: If tongues were to be graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with a full fledged language like Hindi, Marathi, etc. placed at 10 and any dialect at 5, Konkani would find its place at 7.5; Not 5, hence not a dialect and not 10 hence not a fully developed language. Why so? Why could Konkani not become a fully developed language? The reasons are obvious. People used Konkani only for oral communication but when it came to writing, the people in pre-Portuguese Goa wrote in Marathi. During the Portuguese regime, the Christian converts used Portuguese for written communication, while the Goan hindus continued to use Marathi. As a result of this, the development of Konkani suffered a set back. Hence, 7.5 instead of 10. But definitely not 5 (a dialect).
Having or not having a script is not the criterion in deciding whether a tongue is a dialect or an independent language. Even English (bestowed with the honour of being an international language) had to borrow the Roman script from Latin. Russian and other Slav languages has no script till St Cyril formulated for them the Cyrillic Alphabet (being a mixture of Greek and Roman scripts) And for those who are ignorant, Konkani has not one but 6 scripts – Roman, Devnagari, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and A rabic! Because Konkani is spoken all along the Konkan coast which lies in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala besides Goa. It is difficult to adopt any one of these scripts for Konkani because in each state, Konkani imbibes the accent and the vocabulary peculiar to that state/region which can be denoted only in that script e.g.
The e sound cannot be denoted in Devanagari which is possible in Roman (e) or Kannada scripts ( ).
Coming to the vocabulary, as Konkani is one of the several daughters of the mother language Sanskrit, there are bound to be similarities as there are in Hindi / Marathi / Gujarati / Punjabi, etc. or Bengali / Oriya / Assamese etc. So this cannot be considered to be a ground for labeling Konkani as a dialect of Marathi. Even the syntax among most Indian languages is more or less similar. Hence, it is safe to conclude that while Konkani may not be as advanced as Marathi, it is not as underdeveloped to be considered a mere dialect.
Talking about choosing a script for Konkani, it is pertinent to recall that Kemal Pasha of Turkey changed the script of Turkish from Arabic to Roman. According to him, both Turkey and Turkish would develop if Roman script was adopted. The outcome is history. Personally, I feel the same holds for Konkani in Goa too. And I am not saying this because I am a Goan or Catholic but because circumstances so warrant. 450 years of Portuguese rule, using the Roman script for writing Konkani, the language's pronunciation and accent modified over the centuries makes it difficult for us now, to be writing in the Devnagari script. And believe me, if Konkani is to develop, it will do so only if the Roman script is adopted. While on this, special mention must be made of the valuable contribution made by the Vauraddeancho lxtt in the development of the Konkani language.
To write Konkani in the Roman script was taught to us by the Portuguese. Hence, they followed the Portuguese (Latin) rules of orthography (spelling) eg. Using 'c' or 'qu' instead of 'k', 'x' for 'sh', the grave, cedilla, circumflex and tilde accents and avoiding 'w' and 'y'. Some newspapers like the 'Goa Times' circulating in Bombay used this style of spelling. Eg. 'Conn' instead of 'Konn', 'quitem' for 'kitem' so on. The Vauraddencho lxtt adopted certain rules for spelling Konkani words and this, consistently over the years or decades. This consistency has given a certain stability to Konkani orthography. It is widely accepted, recognized and used eg. in liturgical works by the Church, etc. and for this standardization, the Vauraddeancho lxtt deserves a big award from the Konkani speaking people for its valuable contribution to the development of konkani by giving a definite shape, a regularised spelling for Konkani's vocabulary. A contribution over the years, consistently and unstinted. Editors may come and go, but the crystallization has set in and this makes the paper stand out with authentic spelling.
But there is a flip side too. Over the years, the vocabulary has undergone a drastic change. Try comparing an issue of the newspaper of the 1970's with one of today. While the spelling (orthography) has standardised, the language has become more and more marathisized. Authentic Konkani words have come to be replaced by marathi derivated eg. 'fikir' instead of 'usko' 'Khali' for 'rito', etc. and this pains a true lover of the Konkani language. Agreed, we need to develop Konkani, but in this way? Do we have to konkanise marathi words and use them? And then when an onlooker reads this, he is bound to get the impression (like my Maharashtrian friend) that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi and that it does not have its own full-fledged vocabulary to express ideas.
I would like to end this piece by telling those who do not know that the eminent linguist, Dalgado, who is accredited with compiling the first Konkani dictionary, had, after much research, come to the conclusion that "Concanim nao e o dialecto de Marathi". He knew be
How to Speak Indonesian
How easy is it to speak Indonesian? Very easy! Indonesian language which is written in Romanized script is pronounced similar to the Germanic alphabets. Before you learn Indonesian grammar or vocabularies, it is essential that you learn how to pronounce the Indonesian words first. The question is now: How to read words in Indonesian language? Simply read them into their syllables.
Each language has its own system of sounds which is unlike that of any other language. When you begin to learn a new language, you must learn to make distinctions which are not made in your own language, and you must learn to articulate in a way different from that to which you are accustomed. Correct pronunciation and the ability to distinguish new sounds do not come automatically, but are achieved through a process of comparison and imitation, as we lead you to do in the exercises in this and the following lessons. The ability to articulate like an Indonesian will come from constant imitation of the sentences and sounds spoken on the tapes and spoken by your tutor.
In this section, we will give you a notion of what the sounds used in Indonesian are, how they are made, and how they differ from those used in English. And hopefully this could give you a slight idea of how to speak Indonesian.
Vowels
a: In open syllables is pronounced more or less like the a in "far".
For example: kata = word
In closed syllables it sounds like the English u in "but".
For example: surat = letter
e: When unstressed is pronounced as the mute e in "open".
For example: kelas = class
When stressed it sounds somewhere between the e in "bed" and the a in "bad".
For example: meja = table
i: In open syllables is pronounced as the ee in "feet".
For example: kita = we
In closed syllables the sound is shorter, like i in "tip".
For example: minta = to ask for
o: is pronounced like the a in "tall".
For example: botol = bottle
u: is pronounced like the oo in "tool", however with lips rounded.
For example: susu = milk
Diphtongs
ai: The diphthong ai in open syllables sounds like the i in "fine".
For example: sampai = to arrive
However the diphthong ai can also pronounced as two separate sounds a-i :
For example: lain = other
au: Has the same sound as ow in "how".
For example: kalau = if
However in closed syllables it is two-syllabic.
For example: haus = thirsty.
Below is the video which could help you learn how to speak Indonesian based on the examples above:
To be able to speak Indonesian well is the primary goal for every one who is learning Indonesian language. It's no use learning the language if you can't use it to communicate with the locals. Therefore it is highly recommended that you get yourself a professional Indonesian language teacher should you want to improve your Indonesian speaking skills within a short period of time.
Sumitted by Jasaritin from Online Indonesian Language Course and Lesson
Each language has its own system of sounds which is unlike that of any other language. When you begin to learn a new language, you must learn to make distinctions which are not made in your own language, and you must learn to articulate in a way different from that to which you are accustomed. Correct pronunciation and the ability to distinguish new sounds do not come automatically, but are achieved through a process of comparison and imitation, as we lead you to do in the exercises in this and the following lessons. The ability to articulate like an Indonesian will come from constant imitation of the sentences and sounds spoken on the tapes and spoken by your tutor.
In this section, we will give you a notion of what the sounds used in Indonesian are, how they are made, and how they differ from those used in English. And hopefully this could give you a slight idea of how to speak Indonesian.
Vowels
a: In open syllables is pronounced more or less like the a in "far".
For example: kata = word
In closed syllables it sounds like the English u in "but".
For example: surat = letter
e: When unstressed is pronounced as the mute e in "open".
For example: kelas = class
When stressed it sounds somewhere between the e in "bed" and the a in "bad".
For example: meja = table
i: In open syllables is pronounced as the ee in "feet".
For example: kita = we
In closed syllables the sound is shorter, like i in "tip".
For example: minta = to ask for
o: is pronounced like the a in "tall".
For example: botol = bottle
u: is pronounced like the oo in "tool", however with lips rounded.
For example: susu = milk
Diphtongs
ai: The diphthong ai in open syllables sounds like the i in "fine".
For example: sampai = to arrive
However the diphthong ai can also pronounced as two separate sounds a-i :
For example: lain = other
au: Has the same sound as ow in "how".
For example: kalau = if
However in closed syllables it is two-syllabic.
For example: haus = thirsty.
Below is the video which could help you learn how to speak Indonesian based on the examples above:
To be able to speak Indonesian well is the primary goal for every one who is learning Indonesian language. It's no use learning the language if you can't use it to communicate with the locals. Therefore it is highly recommended that you get yourself a professional Indonesian language teacher should you want to improve your Indonesian speaking skills within a short period of time.
Sumitted by Jasaritin from Online Indonesian Language Course and Lesson
Simpel-Fonetik Spelling
by Allan Kiisk
What is Simpel-Fonetik?
It is a new, simple and easy-to-learn method of writing, spelling words, in English. It is described in the book Simple Phonetic English Spelling - Introduction to Simpel-Fonetik, the Single-Sound-per-Letter Writing Method, by Allan Kiisk. Tate Publishing, 2008.
Simpel-fonetik website
http://www.simpelfonetik.com
What motivated you, Allan, to develop the Simpel-Fonetik.
When I was learning English as my third language, I was very frustrated by the terrible English spelling. Because English is becoming a global language, millions of people are learning English. They are experiencing the same frustrations. I have great empathy for them. I want to make it easier for them to learn English. I support global use of English.
What are the basic rules for Simple-Fonetik?
1. 1. Each letter represents only one spoken sound.
2. 2. For longer vowels and stronger consonants use double letters - add another letter with the same sound.
What does the Simpel-Fonetik alphabet look like?
Simpel-Fonetik alphabet
New letters: Ä,ä, Ö,ö. Letters not used: C, Q, X, Y. Total: 24 letters.
* IPA is the abbreviation for International Phonetic Alphabet.
Why were the letters Ä and Ö picked as new letters?
The letter A in present English is used to represent more than eleven different sounds. Examples: far, ant, all, ago, make, head, read, foam, fear, pair, earn. For all, except the ant and ago sounds, which correspond to the IPA's æ and ə sounds, existing letters could be used, e.g. all - ool, make - meik, head - hed, read - riid. New letters were needed for the ant and ago sounds, because a was chosen for the art sound. Nearly all other languages use the a for art and far sound. The letters Ä and Ö were the best choices because they are already in use in many other languages.
What about C, Q, X and Y?
They are not suitable for Simpel-Fonetik writing because they represent more than a single sound. Each of them can be substituted by other, more common letters. But they will be needed on keyboards and alphabets because we still need to write Chicago, Quebec, X-ray and York.
What are the replacements for the letters C, Q, X and Y?
In place of C use either S (cinder - sinder) or K (cold - kold).
In place of CH use TSH (chip - tship), or K (scheme - skiim), or SH (machine - mashiin).
In place of Q use KW (quick - kwik) or K (liquor - likör).
In place of X use KS (six - siks).
In place of Y use AI (type - taip), or I (typical - tipikal), or J (you - ju).
What are some of the other more significant changes?
In place of J and G as in jungle and gin use DSH (jungle - dshangel, gin - dshin).
Please refer to the book for the derivation and justification for this spelling change.
In place of PH use F (photo - foto).
And in forming diphthongs, two letters placed side-by-side can no longer be used for a third sound, such as au used in pause for the long o sound. In Simpel-Fonetik each letter will have only one, the same sound wherever it appears. Au will always be pronounced as a and u, as in house - haus or cow - kau. The only way to represent the au sound is to use the letters a and u.
Don't you need more letters for vowels?
No. For converting English speech to writing just seven vowels are needed. Additional letters such a Ü and Õ would be needed for dealing with other languages or writing dialect expressions, but they are not needed for the basic English writing. And keep in mind that longer vowels - and stronger consonants - are written by simply using two of the same letter. Another vowel was considered for the IPA sound ɒ, as in odd, which is in-between the a and o sounds, but it was concluded that using just a or o will greatly simplify the spelling.
Give a sample of Simpel-Fonetik writing.
Here is one:
This is interesting: No federal government order or effort so far for ending the helter-skelter spelling. Don't beg or long for it. It's hard for the big gorilla tu start implementing spelling dogma. It wil linger, limp, loiter, swing from pillar tu post . . .
As you may have noticed, this sample has only two changes: tu in place of to and wil in place of will. It illustrates that Simpel-Fonetik will not change the words that are presently spelled phonetically, based on single sound per letter.
Here is a another sample, shown first in present writing:
When you read Simpel-Fonetik words, you must pay attention to each letter. Remember: Each letter has always the same sound, the sound given in the Simpel-Fonetik alphabet, regardless what letter is next to it.
And here it is re-written in Simpel-Fonetik:
Wen ju riid Simpel-Fonetik wörds, ju mast pei ätenshön tu iitsh leter. Rimember: Iitsh leter häs oolweis the seim saund, the saund given in the Simpel-Fonetik alfabet, rigardles wat leter is nekst tu it.
The selection of the letters for the Simpel-Fonetik writing depends on pronunciation. In present English, the writing often does not tell you how to pronounce the word. That has resulted in different pronunciations in different regions or countries. Each pronunciation results in a different spelling in Simpel-Fonetik. Which one should be used? Some standardization procedure will be required. Simpel-Fonetik will fix the multiple pronunciations problem.
Why is Simpel-Fonetik better than other proposed spelling improvements?
1. Other proposals are more complicated, difficult to learn, especially for foreigners. Nearly all other proposals that I have seen, don't consider the global use of English and the blending in with other languages. For example: The letter a is often used for the ä (IPA's æ) sound, or the ei sound, whereas other languages use it for the a as in art sound.
2. The letters and sounds used in Simpel-Fonetik conform with the International (NATO) Alphabet. They also conform with the International Phonetic Alphabet, except that ä, ö and u are used in place of æ, ə and ʊ.
3. The Simpel-Fonetik is based on the keep it simple principle. It has only one letter for the sound of R, and it uses TH for both of the slightly different pronunciations of that sound, as in then and three, because most people, especially the foreigners, have difficulties pronouncing the English R and TH as it is. One must take into account that there are now at least three times more foreign than native speakers of English.
4. Simple phonetic writing has been in use in Estonia since 1850s, and in Finland even before that. That method of writing has proven to be ideal. Estonians and Finns don't spend time in learning spelling or pronunciation. They don't spend time asking how you spell this or that. They don't need to look up in the dictionary how to spell or pronounce a word. They do it only for foreign words, and mostly for words originating from the English language.
What are the prospects for Simpel-Fonetik?
Because English spelling is so bad, foreign learners of English have to learn to use the IPA to decipher the pronunciation of English words. But IPA has too many strange letters. Simpel-Fonetik does away with having to learn the IPA. It is simple, easy to learn. It uses letters the same way as in many other languages. Foreigners, especially those who are familiar with the single-sound-per-letter writing method, will favor and support the use of Simpel-Fonetik. That method of writing is expected to develop in coexistence with the present version of English spelling, and it could be referred to as the international version of English spelling.
In the modern, technical, scientific, computer-oriented, competitive world the English spelling places a heavy burden on its users. I am sure that even the native speakers will recognize, sooner or later, that by fixing the spelling problem they will greatly help their children's learning process and their ability to compete with children of other countries. I visualize that Simpel-Fonetik will be used initially for pronunciation guidance in schools and dictionaries. Once the native English speakers become familiar with the great advantages of single-sound-per-letter spelling, they also will support a spelling reform.
The book Simple Phonetic English Spelling concludes with the chapter that discusses the details of implementating the spelling reform.
Where can I buy the book?
The book is available in bookstores in most English-speaking countries. It can be ordered from the publisher: Tate Publishing & Enterprises, 127 E. Trade Center Terrace, Mustang, OK, 73064, USA. Tel. 888-361-9473, www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore. Many internet sites, such as Amazon.com, sell the book. The price shown on the cover is $11.99 (US). The book is of small size, 151 pages. It was intended for learning, teaching and promoting the Simpel-Fonetik method of writing. It is very easy to read because it was written for use also in non-English-speaking countries. It is also available as a 4-CD audio book and a downloadable e-book.
About the author (in Simpel-Fonetik)
Allan Kiisk spent his tshaildhud in Estonia änd tiineidsh jiers in Germany bifor kaming tu the United States. Hi obteind his elektrikal endshineering edukeishon ät Oregon State änd Stanford Universitys. Hi wörkd äs än endshineer änd mänidsher for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, äs ö professor of endshineering ät the University of Redlands, California, änd äs the prinsipal endshineer in his oun konsalting föörm, Alkitek Associates. Hi änd his waif, Karin, häv träveld änd livd in meni kantris. Thei häv setld daun nier Sacramento, California, klous tu their tshildren änd gräntshildren.
What is Simpel-Fonetik?
It is a new, simple and easy-to-learn method of writing, spelling words, in English. It is described in the book Simple Phonetic English Spelling - Introduction to Simpel-Fonetik, the Single-Sound-per-Letter Writing Method, by Allan Kiisk. Tate Publishing, 2008.
Simpel-fonetik website
http://www.simpelfonetik.com
What motivated you, Allan, to develop the Simpel-Fonetik.
When I was learning English as my third language, I was very frustrated by the terrible English spelling. Because English is becoming a global language, millions of people are learning English. They are experiencing the same frustrations. I have great empathy for them. I want to make it easier for them to learn English. I support global use of English.
What are the basic rules for Simple-Fonetik?
1. 1. Each letter represents only one spoken sound.
2. 2. For longer vowels and stronger consonants use double letters - add another letter with the same sound.
What does the Simpel-Fonetik alphabet look like?
Simpel-Fonetik alphabet
New letters: Ä,ä, Ö,ö. Letters not used: C, Q, X, Y. Total: 24 letters.
* IPA is the abbreviation for International Phonetic Alphabet.
Why were the letters Ä and Ö picked as new letters?
The letter A in present English is used to represent more than eleven different sounds. Examples: far, ant, all, ago, make, head, read, foam, fear, pair, earn. For all, except the ant and ago sounds, which correspond to the IPA's æ and ə sounds, existing letters could be used, e.g. all - ool, make - meik, head - hed, read - riid. New letters were needed for the ant and ago sounds, because a was chosen for the art sound. Nearly all other languages use the a for art and far sound. The letters Ä and Ö were the best choices because they are already in use in many other languages.
What about C, Q, X and Y?
They are not suitable for Simpel-Fonetik writing because they represent more than a single sound. Each of them can be substituted by other, more common letters. But they will be needed on keyboards and alphabets because we still need to write Chicago, Quebec, X-ray and York.
What are the replacements for the letters C, Q, X and Y?
In place of C use either S (cinder - sinder) or K (cold - kold).
In place of CH use TSH (chip - tship), or K (scheme - skiim), or SH (machine - mashiin).
In place of Q use KW (quick - kwik) or K (liquor - likör).
In place of X use KS (six - siks).
In place of Y use AI (type - taip), or I (typical - tipikal), or J (you - ju).
What are some of the other more significant changes?
In place of J and G as in jungle and gin use DSH (jungle - dshangel, gin - dshin).
Please refer to the book for the derivation and justification for this spelling change.
In place of PH use F (photo - foto).
And in forming diphthongs, two letters placed side-by-side can no longer be used for a third sound, such as au used in pause for the long o sound. In Simpel-Fonetik each letter will have only one, the same sound wherever it appears. Au will always be pronounced as a and u, as in house - haus or cow - kau. The only way to represent the au sound is to use the letters a and u.
Don't you need more letters for vowels?
No. For converting English speech to writing just seven vowels are needed. Additional letters such a Ü and Õ would be needed for dealing with other languages or writing dialect expressions, but they are not needed for the basic English writing. And keep in mind that longer vowels - and stronger consonants - are written by simply using two of the same letter. Another vowel was considered for the IPA sound ɒ, as in odd, which is in-between the a and o sounds, but it was concluded that using just a or o will greatly simplify the spelling.
Give a sample of Simpel-Fonetik writing.
Here is one:
This is interesting: No federal government order or effort so far for ending the helter-skelter spelling. Don't beg or long for it. It's hard for the big gorilla tu start implementing spelling dogma. It wil linger, limp, loiter, swing from pillar tu post . . .
As you may have noticed, this sample has only two changes: tu in place of to and wil in place of will. It illustrates that Simpel-Fonetik will not change the words that are presently spelled phonetically, based on single sound per letter.
Here is a another sample, shown first in present writing:
When you read Simpel-Fonetik words, you must pay attention to each letter. Remember: Each letter has always the same sound, the sound given in the Simpel-Fonetik alphabet, regardless what letter is next to it.
And here it is re-written in Simpel-Fonetik:
Wen ju riid Simpel-Fonetik wörds, ju mast pei ätenshön tu iitsh leter. Rimember: Iitsh leter häs oolweis the seim saund, the saund given in the Simpel-Fonetik alfabet, rigardles wat leter is nekst tu it.
The selection of the letters for the Simpel-Fonetik writing depends on pronunciation. In present English, the writing often does not tell you how to pronounce the word. That has resulted in different pronunciations in different regions or countries. Each pronunciation results in a different spelling in Simpel-Fonetik. Which one should be used? Some standardization procedure will be required. Simpel-Fonetik will fix the multiple pronunciations problem.
Why is Simpel-Fonetik better than other proposed spelling improvements?
1. Other proposals are more complicated, difficult to learn, especially for foreigners. Nearly all other proposals that I have seen, don't consider the global use of English and the blending in with other languages. For example: The letter a is often used for the ä (IPA's æ) sound, or the ei sound, whereas other languages use it for the a as in art sound.
2. The letters and sounds used in Simpel-Fonetik conform with the International (NATO) Alphabet. They also conform with the International Phonetic Alphabet, except that ä, ö and u are used in place of æ, ə and ʊ.
3. The Simpel-Fonetik is based on the keep it simple principle. It has only one letter for the sound of R, and it uses TH for both of the slightly different pronunciations of that sound, as in then and three, because most people, especially the foreigners, have difficulties pronouncing the English R and TH as it is. One must take into account that there are now at least three times more foreign than native speakers of English.
4. Simple phonetic writing has been in use in Estonia since 1850s, and in Finland even before that. That method of writing has proven to be ideal. Estonians and Finns don't spend time in learning spelling or pronunciation. They don't spend time asking how you spell this or that. They don't need to look up in the dictionary how to spell or pronounce a word. They do it only for foreign words, and mostly for words originating from the English language.
What are the prospects for Simpel-Fonetik?
Because English spelling is so bad, foreign learners of English have to learn to use the IPA to decipher the pronunciation of English words. But IPA has too many strange letters. Simpel-Fonetik does away with having to learn the IPA. It is simple, easy to learn. It uses letters the same way as in many other languages. Foreigners, especially those who are familiar with the single-sound-per-letter writing method, will favor and support the use of Simpel-Fonetik. That method of writing is expected to develop in coexistence with the present version of English spelling, and it could be referred to as the international version of English spelling.
In the modern, technical, scientific, computer-oriented, competitive world the English spelling places a heavy burden on its users. I am sure that even the native speakers will recognize, sooner or later, that by fixing the spelling problem they will greatly help their children's learning process and their ability to compete with children of other countries. I visualize that Simpel-Fonetik will be used initially for pronunciation guidance in schools and dictionaries. Once the native English speakers become familiar with the great advantages of single-sound-per-letter spelling, they also will support a spelling reform.
The book Simple Phonetic English Spelling concludes with the chapter that discusses the details of implementating the spelling reform.
Where can I buy the book?
The book is available in bookstores in most English-speaking countries. It can be ordered from the publisher: Tate Publishing & Enterprises, 127 E. Trade Center Terrace, Mustang, OK, 73064, USA. Tel. 888-361-9473, www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore. Many internet sites, such as Amazon.com, sell the book. The price shown on the cover is $11.99 (US). The book is of small size, 151 pages. It was intended for learning, teaching and promoting the Simpel-Fonetik method of writing. It is very easy to read because it was written for use also in non-English-speaking countries. It is also available as a 4-CD audio book and a downloadable e-book.
About the author (in Simpel-Fonetik)
Allan Kiisk spent his tshaildhud in Estonia änd tiineidsh jiers in Germany bifor kaming tu the United States. Hi obteind his elektrikal endshineering edukeishon ät Oregon State änd Stanford Universitys. Hi wörkd äs än endshineer änd mänidsher for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, äs ö professor of endshineering ät the University of Redlands, California, änd äs the prinsipal endshineer in his oun konsalting föörm, Alkitek Associates. Hi änd his waif, Karin, häv träveld änd livd in meni kantris. Thei häv setld daun nier Sacramento, California, klous tu their tshildren änd gräntshildren.
Brief Etymological Review of the English Word-Stock
by Linda Correli
Etymologically the vocabulary of the English language is far from being homogenous. It consists of two layers - the native stock of words and the borrowed stock of words. Numerically the borrowed stock of words is considerably larger than the native stock of words.
In fact native words comprise only 30% of the total number of words in the English vocabulary but the native words form the bulk of the most frequent words actually used in speech and writing. Besides, the native words have a wider range of lexical and grammatical valency, they are highly polysemantic and productive in forming word clusters and set expressions.
Borrowed words or loanwords are words taken from another language and modified according to the patterns of the receiving language.
In many cases a borrowed word especially one borrowed long ago is practically indistinguishable from a native word without a thorough etymological analysis. The number of the borrowings in the vocabulary of the language and the role played by them is determined by the historical development of the nation speaking the language.
The most effective way of borrowing is direct borrowing from another language as the result of the contacts with other nations. Though, a word may be also borrowed indirectly not from the source language but through another language.
When analyzing borrowed words one should distinguish between two terms - source of borrowing and origin of borrowing. The first term is applied to the language from which the word was immediately borrowed and the second - to the language to which the word may be ultimately traced. The closer the two interacting languages are in structure the easier it is for words of one language to penetrate into the other.
There are different approaches to classifying the borrowed stock of words
The borrowed stock of words may be classified according to the nature of the borrowing itself as borrowing proper, loans translation and semantic loans.
Loan translation or calque is a phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word translation.
Semantic loan is the borrowing of the meaning for a word already existing in the English language.
Latin loans are classified into the subgroups.
1. Early Latin loans. Those are the words which came into English language through the languages of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. The tribes had been in contact with Roman civilization and had adopted many Latin words denoting objects belonging to that civilization long before the invasion of the Angles, Saxons and Judes into Britain (e.g., cup, kitchen, mill, wine, port).
2. Later Latin borrowings. To this group belong the words which penetrated into English language in the sixth and seventh centuries, when the English people were converted to Christianity (e.g., priest, bishop, nun, and candle).
3. The third period of the Latin borrowings includes words which came into English due to two historical events: the Norman Conquest and the Renaissance. Some came to English language through French but some were borrowed directly from Latin (e.g., major, minor, intelligent, permanent).
4. The latest layer of Latin words. The words of this period are mainly abstract and scientific words (e.g., nylon, molecular, vaccine, phenomenon, and vacuum).
The tendency of the English language to borrow extensively can be traced during the centuries. Thus, one can confidently claim that borrowing is one of the most productive sources of enrichment of the English vocabulary.
About the author:
Linda Correli is a staff writer of www.CustomResearchPapers.us and an author of the popular online tutorial for students "What Teachers Want: Master the Art of Essay Writing in 10 Days", available at www.Go2Essay.com
Etymologically the vocabulary of the English language is far from being homogenous. It consists of two layers - the native stock of words and the borrowed stock of words. Numerically the borrowed stock of words is considerably larger than the native stock of words.
In fact native words comprise only 30% of the total number of words in the English vocabulary but the native words form the bulk of the most frequent words actually used in speech and writing. Besides, the native words have a wider range of lexical and grammatical valency, they are highly polysemantic and productive in forming word clusters and set expressions.
Borrowed words or loanwords are words taken from another language and modified according to the patterns of the receiving language.
In many cases a borrowed word especially one borrowed long ago is practically indistinguishable from a native word without a thorough etymological analysis. The number of the borrowings in the vocabulary of the language and the role played by them is determined by the historical development of the nation speaking the language.
The most effective way of borrowing is direct borrowing from another language as the result of the contacts with other nations. Though, a word may be also borrowed indirectly not from the source language but through another language.
When analyzing borrowed words one should distinguish between two terms - source of borrowing and origin of borrowing. The first term is applied to the language from which the word was immediately borrowed and the second - to the language to which the word may be ultimately traced. The closer the two interacting languages are in structure the easier it is for words of one language to penetrate into the other.
There are different approaches to classifying the borrowed stock of words
The borrowed stock of words may be classified according to the nature of the borrowing itself as borrowing proper, loans translation and semantic loans.
Loan translation or calque is a phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word translation.
Semantic loan is the borrowing of the meaning for a word already existing in the English language.
Latin loans are classified into the subgroups.
1. Early Latin loans. Those are the words which came into English language through the languages of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. The tribes had been in contact with Roman civilization and had adopted many Latin words denoting objects belonging to that civilization long before the invasion of the Angles, Saxons and Judes into Britain (e.g., cup, kitchen, mill, wine, port).
2. Later Latin borrowings. To this group belong the words which penetrated into English language in the sixth and seventh centuries, when the English people were converted to Christianity (e.g., priest, bishop, nun, and candle).
3. The third period of the Latin borrowings includes words which came into English due to two historical events: the Norman Conquest and the Renaissance. Some came to English language through French but some were borrowed directly from Latin (e.g., major, minor, intelligent, permanent).
4. The latest layer of Latin words. The words of this period are mainly abstract and scientific words (e.g., nylon, molecular, vaccine, phenomenon, and vacuum).
The tendency of the English language to borrow extensively can be traced during the centuries. Thus, one can confidently claim that borrowing is one of the most productive sources of enrichment of the English vocabulary.
About the author:
Linda Correli is a staff writer of www.CustomResearchPapers.us and an author of the popular online tutorial for students "What Teachers Want: Master the Art of Essay Writing in 10 Days", available at www.Go2Essay.com
Idioms: Piece of Cake or Hard Nut to Crack?
by Linda Correli
A language is a living substance, which evolves under the influence of different factors. Being very flexible English language constantly enriches its vocabulary with the words invented by the language speakers, making it more colorful with new idiomatic expressions, and at times refills its stocks with the borrowings and neologisms. English just amazes by its extraordinary linguistic diversity.
It is a language rich in exceptions and spelling traps, where almost every rule is valid 90% of the time. English is a language with a vast idiomatic basis, which makes its learning very exciting and intriguing. There are about 4,000 idioms used in the American English. Wikipedia suggests that "to even explain what they mean needs about 2000 words of the vocabulary".
Idioms derived from the culture of the nation and from day-to-day life. In real context idioms explain themselves: 9 times out of 10 times, idioms carry their own explanation. The main function of idioms is to paraphrase what is going on, and what is being said.
Idiomatic expressions pervade English with a peculiar flavor and give it astounding variety, bright character and color. They help language learners understand English culture, penetrate into customs and lifestyle of English people, and make a deeper insight into English history.
Idiom is defined as an expression that does not mean what it literally says. Hence, its meaning is often quite different from the word-for-word translation.
The meaning idioms convey is non-compositional. It implies that you cannot understand the meaning of the whole phrase putting the meanings of each word together. If you look at the individual words, it may not even make sense grammatically. Idiom has the meaning only as a unit.
Professor Koonin defined idiom "as a stable combination of words with a fully or partially figurative meaning." This definition emphasizes two inherent and very important features of the idiomatic expressions.
Idioms have lexical and grammatical stability. It implies that they are fixed in their form, hence any substitutions and rearranging in their structure can lead to complete loss of their primary meaning.
Idiomatic expressions are integral units. It literally means that idioms possess indivisible completeness, so all the components are bound within one idiom.
Idioms are used in both spoken and written English, and often appear in newspaper articles. They are frequently utilized by native speakers, who feel the language at inborn genetic level.
One of the approaches to defining this linguistic phenomena stresses that an idiom is a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of the language. It proves that only people who are very good at speaking English can adequately and to the point use idiomatic expressions in their speech.
Though, learning idioms present a host of difficulties to English learners, primarily because they don’t know the culture and history behind English idioms. That’s why they often use idioms incongruous with the situation. Indeed, English learners utilize idiomatic expressions very carefully, being afraid of using them incorrectly and being misunderstood. They find idioms very problematic to both understand and memorize.
Whilst, the majority of native language speakers can not always know the origin of idioms they use, though as long as they utilize them in every day communication, they know its meaning and feel where it is appropriate to use this or that idiom.
Undoubtedly, the correct usage of English idioms is finesse, which makes the language of the speaker more vivid and exciting.
About the author:
Linda Correli is a staff writer of www.CustomResearchPapers.us and an author of the popular online tutorial for students "What Teachers Want: Master the Art of Essay Writing in 10 Days", available at www.Go2Essay.com
A language is a living substance, which evolves under the influence of different factors. Being very flexible English language constantly enriches its vocabulary with the words invented by the language speakers, making it more colorful with new idiomatic expressions, and at times refills its stocks with the borrowings and neologisms. English just amazes by its extraordinary linguistic diversity.
It is a language rich in exceptions and spelling traps, where almost every rule is valid 90% of the time. English is a language with a vast idiomatic basis, which makes its learning very exciting and intriguing. There are about 4,000 idioms used in the American English. Wikipedia suggests that "to even explain what they mean needs about 2000 words of the vocabulary".
Idioms derived from the culture of the nation and from day-to-day life. In real context idioms explain themselves: 9 times out of 10 times, idioms carry their own explanation. The main function of idioms is to paraphrase what is going on, and what is being said.
Idiomatic expressions pervade English with a peculiar flavor and give it astounding variety, bright character and color. They help language learners understand English culture, penetrate into customs and lifestyle of English people, and make a deeper insight into English history.
Idiom is defined as an expression that does not mean what it literally says. Hence, its meaning is often quite different from the word-for-word translation.
The meaning idioms convey is non-compositional. It implies that you cannot understand the meaning of the whole phrase putting the meanings of each word together. If you look at the individual words, it may not even make sense grammatically. Idiom has the meaning only as a unit.
Professor Koonin defined idiom "as a stable combination of words with a fully or partially figurative meaning." This definition emphasizes two inherent and very important features of the idiomatic expressions.
Idioms have lexical and grammatical stability. It implies that they are fixed in their form, hence any substitutions and rearranging in their structure can lead to complete loss of their primary meaning.
Idiomatic expressions are integral units. It literally means that idioms possess indivisible completeness, so all the components are bound within one idiom.
Idioms are used in both spoken and written English, and often appear in newspaper articles. They are frequently utilized by native speakers, who feel the language at inborn genetic level.
One of the approaches to defining this linguistic phenomena stresses that an idiom is a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of the language. It proves that only people who are very good at speaking English can adequately and to the point use idiomatic expressions in their speech.
Though, learning idioms present a host of difficulties to English learners, primarily because they don’t know the culture and history behind English idioms. That’s why they often use idioms incongruous with the situation. Indeed, English learners utilize idiomatic expressions very carefully, being afraid of using them incorrectly and being misunderstood. They find idioms very problematic to both understand and memorize.
Whilst, the majority of native language speakers can not always know the origin of idioms they use, though as long as they utilize them in every day communication, they know its meaning and feel where it is appropriate to use this or that idiom.
Undoubtedly, the correct usage of English idioms is finesse, which makes the language of the speaker more vivid and exciting.
About the author:
Linda Correli is a staff writer of www.CustomResearchPapers.us and an author of the popular online tutorial for students "What Teachers Want: Master the Art of Essay Writing in 10 Days", available at www.Go2Essay.com
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