Re: Phonetics vs. Phonemics

On 2/27/06, Paul Bennett <paul-bennett@...> wrote:
> It is, and that's exactly what the IPA does. It defines canonical
> "platinum-irridium" readings of each of its symbols -- targets, if you will,
> from which any given language, dialect or accent differs by a more or less
> specified amount. The only officially approved way to learn the IPA correctly
> is to learn it directly from one of their "Grand Master"s (or whatever the
> term is), who have all been trained on the exact target sounds and
> articulations by another previous "Grand Master". The existence of audio
> tapes, CDs and computer sound files is a partial substitute for this process,
> but does not come close to the level of personal tuition and guidance offered
> by official training. Learning the IPA by reading is the third rung, and
> according to some, it's quite a step down.
Interesting; I had heard this about "cardinal vowels" (that they are,
strictly speaking, passed on from master to student and "cannot" be
conveyed by recordings or descriptions in writing), but hadn't about
IPA "platinum-iridium" pronunciations.

Cheers,
--
Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>

Reply