44 Phonemes

RRFTS

7 Nov 201705:30

Summary

TLDRIn the video, Yvette from the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy explains the importance of accurately pronouncing individual English phonemes to prevent students from picking up incorrect sounds that can affect their reading and writing. She demonstrates how to pronounce various consonant and vowel phonemes correctly, emphasizing the need to avoid adding extra sounds like 'uh' or the schwa sound. Yvette also covers digraphs and r-controlled vowels, stressing the role of educators in modeling correct pronunciation for students to improve their language skills.

Takeaways

🔊 The English language has distinct sounds called phonemes that are combined to form words.
📢 It's crucial to pronounce phonemes without adding extra sounds to prevent mispronunciation in reading and writing.
👩‍🏫 Teachers should model the correct pronunciation of phonemes for students to avoid emphasizing incorrectly.
📝 Consonant phonemes are demonstrated with associated letters or letter combinations, known as graphemes.
🔤 Examples of consonant phonemes include /b/, /d/, /f/, /g/, and /h/, with each sound exemplified by a word.
🔎 Special graphemes like 'Q' and 'X' are composed of two phonemes: /kw/ and /ks/ respectively.
🔗 Digraphs are two letters that make one sound, such as /ch/, /sh/, and /th/, with variations shown for different words.
📖 Vowel phonemes also have distinct sounds, and the script models each with its corresponding grapheme.
🌟 Vowel sounds change in unstressed syllables, becoming a schwa sound, like the first sound in 'again'.
👂 Correct modeling of consonant and vowel phonemes by teachers is essential for students' language development.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the video by Yvette from the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy?
-The primary focus of the video is to demonstrate how to pronounce each individual phoneme in the English language correctly, to prevent the accidental addition of extra sounds that may affect students' reading and writing.
Why is it important to avoid adding extra sounds like 'uh' or the schwa sound when pronouncing phonemes?
-Avoiding extra sounds is crucial because it ensures that students hear and imitate the correct pronunciation, which will be reflected in their later reading and writing tasks.
Can you provide an example of how teachers might incorrectly emphasize a phoneme?
-An example of incorrect emphasis is when teachers say '/puh/' instead of just producing the phoneme '/p/'.
What is the term for a letter or letter combination that represents a phoneme?
-The term for a letter or letter combination representing a phoneme is 'grapheme'.
Which phonemes are represented by the graphemes 'Q' and 'X'?
-The grapheme 'Q' represents the phoneme '/kw/', and 'X' represents the phoneme '/ks/'.
What are digraphs and can you provide an example from the script?
-Digraphs are two letters that make one sound. Examples from the script include '/ch/' as in 'child', '/sh/' as in 'shoes', and '/th/' as in 'mother'.
How does the video help students with their language decoding and writing skills?
-The video helps by modeling the correct pronunciation of phonemes, which students need to independently decode and write words.
What is a vowel phoneme and how many distinct vowel phonemes does the English language have according to the script?
-A vowel phoneme is a vowel sound represented by a vowel letter or a combination of letters. The script does not specify the exact number of vowel phonemes but demonstrates a wide variety of them.
Can you explain the term 'r-controlled vowels' as mentioned in the script?
-R-controlled vowels are vowel sounds that are influenced by the presence of the letter 'r', changing the pronunciation, such as '/ar/' in 'car', '/er/' in 'herd', and 'air' in 'chair'.
What is a schwa sound and how does it occur in words?
-A schwa sound is an unstressed and neutral vowel sound, represented as /uh/. It occurs in unstressed syllables, such as the first sound in the word 'again'.
Why is it important for teachers to model the correct pronunciation of phonemes?
-Modeling correct pronunciation is important for teachers to guide students in producing the correct sounds themselves, which is essential for their language learning, reading, and writing development.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ English Phoneme Pronunciation Guide

Yvette, a facilitator at the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy, introduces the importance of correctly pronouncing individual English phonemes to prevent students from picking up on and imitating incorrect sounds, which can affect their reading and writing. She emphasizes the need to produce phonemes without additional sounds, such as the schwa, and provides examples of consonant phonemes with their associated graphemes, including digraphs like 'ch' and 'sh'. The video aims to help educators model accurate pronunciation for their students.

05:01

📚 Modeling Correct Vowel and Consonant Sounds

This paragraph continues the discussion on phoneme pronunciation, focusing on vowel sounds and their representation in words. Yvette demonstrates various vowel phonemes, including short and long vowels, diphthongs, and r-controlled vowels, along with examples of words that contain these sounds. She also explains the concept of the schwa sound, which occurs in unstressed syllables. The paragraph underscores the significance of educators modeling these sounds to guide students in their language acquisition and literacy development.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Phonemes

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in a language that distinguish one word from another. In the context of the video, phonemes are the distinct sounds that make up the English language, and the video's aim is to demonstrate how to pronounce each individual phoneme correctly. For example, the script mentions the phoneme /p/ as in the word 'pumpkin', emphasizing the importance of pronouncing it without adding extra sounds.

💡Graphemes

Graphemes are the written symbols that represent the phonemes in a language. They are often associated with letters or letter combinations. The video script uses graphemes to show the correct spelling of words that correspond to the phonemes being pronounced, such as 'b' for the sound /b/ in 'banana'. This helps viewers associate the written form with the correct pronunciation.

💡Consonant phonemes

Consonant phonemes are the sounds made by placing an obstacle to the airflow in speech. The video script lists several consonant phonemes, such as /b/, /d/, /f/, and /g/, and provides examples of words where these sounds occur, like 'banana' for /b/ and 'dinosaur' for /d/. The focus is on pronouncing these sounds clearly and without adding extra sounds.

💡Vowel phonemes

Vowel phonemes are the sounds produced without any significant constriction of the airflow in speech. The video script discusses various vowel sounds, including short and long vowels, and provides examples like 'apple' for the /a/ sound and 'elephant' for the /e/ sound. The script emphasizes the importance of accurate vowel pronunciation for proper language acquisition.

💡Digraphs

Digraphs are two letters that together represent a single phoneme. The script mentions digraphs like 'ch' in 'child' and 'sh' in 'shoes', where the combination of two letters produces one distinct sound. Understanding digraphs is crucial for reading and spelling in English.

💡Schwa sound

The schwa sound is a mid-central, unstressed, and very common vowel sound in English, represented as /ə/. The script points out that sometimes a vowel sound in an unstressed syllable becomes a schwa, as in the first sound of 'again'. This sound is important for fluent and natural speech, and the video aims to help learners recognize and produce it.

💡R-controlled vowels

R-controlled vowels are vowel sounds that are influenced by the presence of the letter 'r'. The video script gives examples such as 'car' for /ar/ and 'bird' for /er/. These sounds are distinct from other vowel sounds and are essential for accurate pronunciation and comprehension of words.

💡Unstressed syllables

Unstressed syllables are those that do not carry the main stress or emphasis in a word or phrase. The script explains that when a vowel sound is in an unstressed syllable, it often becomes a schwa sound. Understanding unstressed syllables is important for the rhythm and intonation of spoken English.

💡Language modeling

Language modeling in the context of the video refers to the way educators demonstrate correct pronunciation and usage of language for their students. The script emphasizes the role of the facilitator in modeling the correct phonemes, which students then need to decode and reproduce in their reading and writing. This process is crucial for language learning and literacy development.

💡Decoding

Decoding in language learning is the process of converting written symbols (graphemes) into their corresponding sounds (phonemes) to understand the meaning of words. The video script highlights the importance of students learning to decode words independently, which requires a solid understanding of phonemes and graphemes.

Highlights

The English language has distinct sounds called phonemes that are combined to form words.

Demonstration of pronouncing each individual phoneme to prevent adding extra sounds.

Emphasizing the importance of producing only the phoneme itself without additional sounds for accurate language learning.

Example of incorrect pronunciation: saying /puh/ instead of just /p/.

Introduction to consonant phonemes with associated graphemes displayed on screen.

Phoneme /b/ pronounced as in 'banana'.

Phoneme /d/ pronounced as in 'dinosaur'.

Phoneme /f/ pronounced as in 'fish'.

Phoneme /g/ pronounced as in 'guitar'.

Phoneme /h/ pronounced as in 'hand'.

Phoneme /j/ pronounced as in 'jelly'.

Phoneme /k/ pronounced as in 'car'.

Phoneme /l/ pronounced as in 'leaf'.

Phoneme /m/ pronounced as in 'Monday'.

Phoneme /n/ pronounced as in 'nail'.

Phoneme /ng/ pronounced as in the end of 'sing'.

Phoneme /p/ pronounced as in 'pumpkin'.

Phoneme /r/ pronounced as in 'rain'.

Phoneme /s/ pronounced as in 'sun'.

Phoneme /zh/ pronounced as in the middle of 'treasure'.

Phoneme /t/ pronounced as in 'turtle'.

Phoneme /v/ pronounced as in 'volcano'.

Phoneme /w/ pronounced as in 'watch'.

Phoneme /y/ pronounced as in 'yo-yo'.

Phoneme /z/ pronounced as in 'zip'.

Graphemes Q and X are composed of two phonemes: /kw/ and /ks/ respectively.

Introduction to digraphs where two letters make one sound, such as /ch/, /sh/, /th/.

The importance of correctly pronouncing phonemes for students to decode and write words independently.

Introduction to vowel phonemes with distinct sounds and their graphemes.

Phoneme /a/ pronounced as in the first sound of 'apple'.

Phoneme /e/ pronounced as in the first sound of 'elephant'.

Phoneme /i/ pronounced as in the first sound of 'igloo'.

Phoneme /o/ pronounced as in the first sound of 'octopus'.

Phoneme /u/ pronounced as in the first sound of 'umbrella'.

Phoneme /ae/ pronounced as in the middle sound of 'rain'.

Phoneme /aw/ pronounced as in the final sound of 'saw'.

Phoneme /ee/ pronounced as in the final sound of 'tree'.

Phoneme /ie/ pronounced as in the middle sound of 'light'.

Phoneme /oa/ pronounced as in the middle sound of 'boat'.

Phoneme /ue/ pronounced as in the first sound of 'uniform'.

Phoneme /oo/ pronounced as in the middle sound of 'mood'.

Phoneme /oo/ pronounced as in the middle sound of 'book'.

Phoneme /ou/ pronounced as in the final sound of 'cow'.

Phoneme /oi/ pronounced as in the final sound of 'boy'.

Introduction to r-controlled vowels such as /ar/, /er/, and /air/.

Phoneme /ear/ pronounced as in the final sound of 'spear'.

Phoneme /or/ pronounced as in the middle sound of 'fork'.

The schwa sound /uh/ as in the first sound of 'again' occurs in unstressed syllables.

Modeling correct consonant and vowel phonemes is crucial for guiding students in reading and writing.