Application Questions

#5. According to Williamson (2013), for the phoneme /l/ there are four allophones. These 4 allophones can be distinguished by the /l/ being the ending sound created, by the /l/ sound preceding a vowel sound where the tongue is relaxed and there is voiceless pronunciation, the /l/ preceding a diphthong such as /th/ where the tongue has to touch the teeth, and the /l/ phoneme followed by consonant or vowel where the tongue touches the velar ridge.

For ELLs if they have a phoneme in the first language which is the same as in English, they may not actually produce similar allophones. As stated in Freeman & Freeman (2004) on page 92, "sounds that are phonemes in one language may be allophones of a phoneme in another language." This shows how it can be frustrating for ELLs when trying to create meaning with phonemic awareness exercise because allophones may differ from the phoneme in English.

#6. When I taught To Kill a Mockingbird I frontloaded my students with a dialect study because of the differences in the language used that I knew from the language used in the novel. They used specific vocabulary such as "druthers" which is commonly known in the South, but not used widely in Pennsylvania. We discussed how dialect plays a part in understanding the setting and the characters. Fortunately/unfortunately dialects are typically stereotyped in television/movies and you can have a southern gentleman with a slight drawl, or if you want him to be portrayed as a "hick" you make it more crass and decrease the understanding. I believe that the way we speak does make an impact on those we speak with and give an impression, whether accurate or not. In undergraduate school, we discussed how African American's have their own dialect of "ebonics" where there are rules that govern the dialect but it is perceived as "incorrect" grammar. I think for the sake of naivety, there should be a standard dialect addressed, but it should not be taught that a regional dialect is wrong, just used in different situations.

Williamson, G. (2013.) Allophones. Speech-Language Therapy Information.

Freeman, D. & Freeman, Y. (2004.) Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.