Page:An outline of English phonetics ... with 131 illustrations (IA cu31924027389505).pdf/21

Rh 14. When, however, the object is rather to deal chiefly with one language and only incidentally with other languages—as is the case with the present book—it greatly facilitates the task -of the student if the transcription of the one language is made as simple as possible, complicated signs and diacritical marks being reserved as far as possible for sounds of the other languages, The style of transcription requisite for the chief language will then be what is known as a transcription.

15. A transcription may be defined as a transcription obtained by using the minimum number of symbols requisite for representing without ambiguity the sounds of the language in question (without reference to other languages).

16. Broad transcription of English is used throughout this book, narrow forms being occasionally added in cases where it might be helpful. Such narrow transcription is in every case enclosed in square brackets []. The rules which enable us to simplify the transcription of English in practical work, are given in Appendix I. By the application of these rules any broad transcription may be converted into a narrow one if desired.

17. The first question that confronts a person wishing to acquire a correct pronunciation of a foreign language is:—Which of the various forms of pronunciation ought he to learn?

18. No two persons of the same nationality pronounce their own language exactly alike. The differences may arise from a variety of causes, such as locality, social surroundings, early influences, or individual peculiarities.

19. Thus, the pronunciation current among people educated in Manchester differs from that of those educated in Exeter, and both differ from the pronunciation of those educated in Edinburgh or in London. The French of Paris is different from that of Marseilles or Lausanne; the pronunciation of educated Germans from Berlin differs considerably from that used by Germans of the same social class coming from Dresden, Cologne or Hamburg.

20. An example of differences of English pronunciation due to locality may be found in the letter r in such words as part. In Scotland the r in this word is pronounced as a slightly rolled r, but

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