LNG101: Sounds of English University Academic Year 2023/2024 Semester 2Java

Java Python LNG101: Sounds of English

University Academic Year 2023/2024 Semester 2

Resit Project

In this task you are requested to produce a reflective essay of 1,200 words to compare your pronunciation of words, phrases and two sentences with an original clip of RP pronunciation from a BBC documentary, TV programme or film.  To do this, you will need to select a  suitable clip, transcribe the words to bespoken, record yourself and then analyse short extracts from your own speech and the original recording using the techniques taught in the module.

You must use a different clip from that used for the original assessments. This task is assessed and counts for 40% of your module mark.

This assessment is designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate the following learning outcomes for the module:

E. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the major phonological differences between English and Chinese;

F. transcribe and annotate short stretches of connected speech; G. reflect critically on their own pronunciation patterns.

Procedure:

1.   You will need to choose a BBC documentary, TV programme or film.      You should not choose a radio news report.      You should pick out one speaker with fairly standard

British pronunciation (e.g. BBC or RP) from the recording and focus on an extract of

their speech.  Try to choose something without too much background music or  other noise.  You should check the suitability of your choice (and your assignment  title)

with the module leader prior to proceeding.

2.   You should transcribe the speech orthographically and you may find it helpful to

make abroad phonetic transcription of the section you have chosen, but you will not receive marks specifically for this.

3.   Make a recording of yourself performing the same section of the speech.

4.   Compare the transcription of the original speaker with your own speech by selecting the following:

•   2 words which contain phonemes which you find difficult (or have found difficult in the past) to pronounce yourself;

•   2 words which contain consonants or consonant clusters which are distinct from the phonemes and syllable structures of Chinese;

•   2 phrases of at least 3 words which demonstrate some aspects of connected speech which you find difficult (or have found difficult) to imitate yourself;

•   2 sentences which demonstrate interesting intonation and/or rhythm

patterns which you find difficult (or have found difficult) to imitate yourself.

5.   For each of the words, phrases and sentences you have selected, make a phonemic

transcription (or broad phonetic transcription) of standard RP pronunciation, your own speech.

6.   For the two sentences, use WASP software to create waveforms with pitch tracks for both the original and your speech OR sketch the intonation patterns as shown in Chapter 17 of Roach (2009).

7.   Write areflective piece of writing using the 8 fragments and the other analyses as

examples to support the ideas you bring forward. All the phonemic or phonetic

transcriptions you include in your essay should follow the conventions used in the

main textbook for the module:  Roach (2009).         If you need to check a dictionary for standard RP pronunciation of  individual words, it is recommended that you use the

Youdao online dictionary (https://www.youdao.com).

In your essay, you may comment on:

a.   Differences between Chinese and English RP phonemes;

b.   Differences between Chinese and English RP syllable structure;

c.   Aspects of connected speech;

d.   Intonation

e.   Weak forms and Rhythm.

8.   Before submitting your essay, you should check that the phonetic symbols have been entered correctly (i.e. using Unicode fonts) and that these display correctly in

Microsoft Word running on Windows.

Notes:

The extract from the BBC documentary, TV programme or film should be approximately    150-250 words of orthographic transcription.     This is approximately 2 minutes of video, depending on the speech rate.     If you use the subtitles to help you, make sure they

match what is actually said.     Authorised DVDs distributed in China will usually have

good subtitles for the original soundtrack, but even these sometimes use shorter forms  or synonyms to save space.     You need an orthographic transcription of what is actually said.     Beware of using ready-made transcriptions from internet sources which maybe   inaccurate and may use different transcription conventions from those taught and

assessed in this module.

You may refer to (but not copy from) either of the two core texts for the module if you wish (Roach, 2009; Lin, 2007), but you should not use any other outside sources.

Marks:

•   You will receive up to 5 marks for the title and choice of clip (based on its suitability)

•   You will receive up to 5 marks for the orthographic transcription;

•   The reflective essay (including the phonemic / broad phonetic transcriptions, the

graphs and any annotations) will carry the remaining 90 marks.       Further

guidelines for the marking of this appear on Page 4.

•   The mark out of 100 will then be used as 40% of your module mark.

Coursework official deadline:

The resit coursework assignment must be submitted no later than 8pm on the following date: Monday 5th August 2024. You will need to upload the summaries and analyses in  Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or PDF. You will also need to submit the videoclip or

audio clips as required. You must submit on Learning Mall Core using the correct assignment drop-boxes.

Late submissions for this official deadline will be penalized according to University regulations.

The reflective essay will be marked using XJTLU’s Marking Descriptors, with equal weighting for the following categories:

Category	Meaning	A good response will …	A poor response may…
Knowledge of Topic	How well does the student refer to technical knowledge and demonstrate his/her understanding of key features  covered in the course? How well does the student draw on insights gained through the reflective tasks and activities from the course? How well does the student make use of  the transcription conventions covered in the module?	Draw effectively on the concepts from the lectures and essential textbook. Demonstrate skilful use of appropriate   terminology to describe a good range of features of spoken English. Show skilful use of broad phonetic transcription,following the conventions of the essential textbook and/or the recommended dictionary.    Additional annotations may be used to show intonation, rhythm or other contrasts.	Show faulty understanding of some of the terminology associated with features and/or concepts; Show a rather narrow range of features, often lacking the appropriate terminology; Show faulty use of symbols, not following the expected conventions for transcription.
Intellectual Skills	How well does the student focus on the specific areas of the production of individual sounds, connected speech, intonation and rhythm. How fully does the student provide a critical reflection on his/her own pronunciation. How well does the student pick out good examples of different features from the   recording?	Demonstrate successful use of listening,    reflection and software to discover and/or generate convincing evidence for differences between the production of individual sounds, connected speech,  intonation and rhythm; Provide a clear indication of the limitations of the evidence which is presented and interpreted; Provide clear examples, with some reflection on more general tendencies and/or possible variation and/or nuanced differences in meaning.	Reveal problems with the selection of words, phrases or sentences used for analysis through some of the screenshots, transcriptions and/or examples given; this may also include errors in the orthographic transcript; Provide very limited examples, with analysis mainly based on generalizations and common non-specialist perceptions    regarding pronunciation; Fail to provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate the differences being presented.
Transferable Skills	How clearly and precisely does the student introduce his/her ideas? How accurate is the spelling, grammar and syntax?	Produce a response which is clear and precise and well structured; Demonstrate a high level of accuracy in spelling, grammar and syntax.	Produce a response which is unclear in places and/or too vague or repetitive; Contain highly noticeable problems with language accuracy