Whenever I meet someone for the first time and we get to the part where we exchange names, I always follow the same script:
Me: Hi, my name is <pause> EE...DOW...SAH...<pause>...ee-DOW-ssah
Person: “ee-DOW-ssah?”
Me: Exactly
Person: Interesting name. How do you spell that?”
Me: Don't worry about it; it will only confuse you.
Why do I insist on keeping the spelling of my name (Idahosa) a secret? Because I learned a long time ago that if people see my name before hearing it, they will ALWAYS learn to pronounce it wrong, and they will NEVER remember to say it right, even if they sincerely try:
Person: Ai – duh – HO- suh! Like the state right?
Me: No, Person, not like the state. My parents did not name me after a random midwestern American state that neither has ever set foot in. My name is Nigerian, and Nigerians don't eat potatoes.
Person: But that's how it's spelled!
For some strange reason, people always proclaim this last bit to me as if I were committing some grave injustice by pronouncing my own name differently from its spelling. Actually, letters are just pictures that people attach sounds to, and there's no universal law of mankind that demands that a picture must be associated with a certain sound.
Indeed, systems for associating script and sound, or orthographies, vary greatly across different languages, and for language learners this can be problematic. If you learned to read (i.e. associate speech sound with visual script) at the age of 6, you will have already reinforced these script-sound relationships billions of times by the age of 16 by through reading books to street signs to cereal boxes. Such a strong mental framework of script-sound associations will inevitably interfere in your learning of a second language.
In fact, in my own experience teaching and talking to hundreds of people in different languages with difference accents, I'd estimate that 75% of pronunciation errors can be attributed to the interference of native language script-sound associations. Here's what I mean....
Me: Hi, my name is <pause> EE...DOW...SAH...<pause>...ee-DOW-ssah
Person: “ee-DOW-ssah?”
Me: Exactly
Person: Interesting name. How do you spell that?”
Me: Don't worry about it; it will only confuse you.
Why do I insist on keeping the spelling of my name (Idahosa) a secret? Because I learned a long time ago that if people see my name before hearing it, they will ALWAYS learn to pronounce it wrong, and they will NEVER remember to say it right, even if they sincerely try:
Person: Ai – duh – HO- suh! Like the state right?
Me: No, Person, not like the state. My parents did not name me after a random midwestern American state that neither has ever set foot in. My name is Nigerian, and Nigerians don't eat potatoes.
Person: But that's how it's spelled!
For some strange reason, people always proclaim this last bit to me as if I were committing some grave injustice by pronouncing my own name differently from its spelling. Actually, letters are just pictures that people attach sounds to, and there's no universal law of mankind that demands that a picture must be associated with a certain sound.
Indeed, systems for associating script and sound, or orthographies, vary greatly across different languages, and for language learners this can be problematic. If you learned to read (i.e. associate speech sound with visual script) at the age of 6, you will have already reinforced these script-sound relationships billions of times by the age of 16 by through reading books to street signs to cereal boxes. Such a strong mental framework of script-sound associations will inevitably interfere in your learning of a second language.
In fact, in my own experience teaching and talking to hundreds of people in different languages with difference accents, I'd estimate that 75% of pronunciation errors can be attributed to the interference of native language script-sound associations. Here's what I mean....
The Two Causes of Bad Foreign Language Accent
Really, there are only two reason why you would not pronounce a foreign word correctly: either you can't or you won't. If you can't pronounce a word properly, it's because you lack the speech organ motor skills needed to articulate the component sounds of the word. For example, there is no alveolar trill (rollled 'r') in General American English, so an American who can't roll his r's will not be able to pronounce the Spanish word "perro" (dog) properly.
A foreign word like Idahosa, however, is composed only of sounds that also exist in English (ee as in "beet," dow as is "doubt," and sah as is "so-ccer." In other word's there is no physiological obstacle to pronouncing my name correctly. Nevertheless, I am certain that the vast majority of people reading this will have heard "Ai-duh-HO-suh" in their head when they read my name at the beginning of this paragraph (Don't lie- I know you did).
This is why written words are your worst enemy as a language learner. Even if you have a keen ear and a sincere desire to pronounce things with an authentic accent, if you see a word before you hear it, you risk developing a poor pronunciation habit that will linger with you for a long time. People who've known me for years and pronounce my name correctly will still occasionally call me Ai-duh-HO-suh by accident, purely because they experienced my name for the first time on paper.
A foreign word like Idahosa, however, is composed only of sounds that also exist in English (ee as in "beet," dow as is "doubt," and sah as is "so-ccer." In other word's there is no physiological obstacle to pronouncing my name correctly. Nevertheless, I am certain that the vast majority of people reading this will have heard "Ai-duh-HO-suh" in their head when they read my name at the beginning of this paragraph (Don't lie- I know you did).
This is why written words are your worst enemy as a language learner. Even if you have a keen ear and a sincere desire to pronounce things with an authentic accent, if you see a word before you hear it, you risk developing a poor pronunciation habit that will linger with you for a long time. People who've known me for years and pronounce my name correctly will still occasionally call me Ai-duh-HO-suh by accident, purely because they experienced my name for the first time on paper.
The Solution: Foreign Language Illiteracy
Most would rather learn things using script than sound. Script is visual, concrete, and you can learn and memorize new scripts in the quiet safety of your own room. Sound on the other hand is more elusive, and to get good at it you have to say things out loud and risk embarrassing yourself in front of others. "So why can't I just keep learning my second language out of this textbook like I've been doing?" you might be ask?
No matter how you look at it: language communication is a sound-based activity. There's no way around this. The process of learning a second language is essentially a process of learning how to hear and create the proper sounds, so anything that interferes with this end is counterproductive. In other words, the ideal language-learning environment is one that removes all written script and relies purely on sound.
Many people I tell this to consider this idea preposterous: "How can you learn another language without reading or writing?" To this question I always respond the same: "How did you learn your first language?"
No baby in this history of babies has ever learned to write before speaking. You learned your first language in exactly the same environment that I am encouraging you to learn your second one -- one based entirely on sound. Reading and writing is indeed an important skill, but its always secondary and dependent on our ability to listen and speak.
That's why you are hearing a voice right now in your head as you read this; my script only serves to inspire the sounds you recreate with your own inner ear. Moreover, you are only able to read so fast because the inner-voice is constantly guessing the next thing I will say the same way you do when you listen to someone speak. Imagine if you had to sound every word out in your head while you read it. Actually, this would never work in English, since most English words AREN'T pronounced how they are spelled (in your face Mr. Person!)
No matter how you look at it: language communication is a sound-based activity. There's no way around this. The process of learning a second language is essentially a process of learning how to hear and create the proper sounds, so anything that interferes with this end is counterproductive. In other words, the ideal language-learning environment is one that removes all written script and relies purely on sound.
Many people I tell this to consider this idea preposterous: "How can you learn another language without reading or writing?" To this question I always respond the same: "How did you learn your first language?"
No baby in this history of babies has ever learned to write before speaking. You learned your first language in exactly the same environment that I am encouraging you to learn your second one -- one based entirely on sound. Reading and writing is indeed an important skill, but its always secondary and dependent on our ability to listen and speak.
That's why you are hearing a voice right now in your head as you read this; my script only serves to inspire the sounds you recreate with your own inner ear. Moreover, you are only able to read so fast because the inner-voice is constantly guessing the next thing I will say the same way you do when you listen to someone speak. Imagine if you had to sound every word out in your head while you read it. Actually, this would never work in English, since most English words AREN'T pronounced how they are spelled (in your face Mr. Person!)
The Compromise: Rhythmic Phonetic Notation and Post-Mimic Ability Orthography Instruction.
Despite the evils of written word in second-language instruction, there's no denying its convenience. The vast majority of information you will find on the language and culture of the people you wish to speak with will be in writing, so reading skills can be extremely useful. Moreover, it is often difficult to determine exactly what someone is saying in another language without having some visual representation to work with. But we've already established that visual representation can be disruptive given the likelihood of native language interference.
This is why I created Rhythmic Phonetic Notation. In the all my course materials, I use a special phonetic respelling that corrects for the native-language interference while minimizing the use of special symbols. Whenever the sound exists in English and there is an English letter that unambiguously represents that sound, I use the English script. For sounds that do not exist in English, I use the symbol from the International Phonetic Alphabet. Since most foreign language sounds also exist in English, IPA script usage is minimal, so you only have to learn a handful of new symbols.
As for eventually learning to read and write, I always urge my students to wait at least until they develop "Mimic Ability," before learning the target-language's orthography. When you have this ability, it means you have a strong internal concept of all the sounds that make up your target language. As was the case for you learning your first language, the sound came first, then the script. Reverse the order and risk never quite learning the original sound.
Trust me when I say this: the second-language-learner that is illiterate and fluent is much better off than the one who is literate but terrible at speaking and listening. The former can easily learn to read and write, but the latter will hit a ceiling in his speaking and listening very early on.
This is why I created Rhythmic Phonetic Notation. In the all my course materials, I use a special phonetic respelling that corrects for the native-language interference while minimizing the use of special symbols. Whenever the sound exists in English and there is an English letter that unambiguously represents that sound, I use the English script. For sounds that do not exist in English, I use the symbol from the International Phonetic Alphabet. Since most foreign language sounds also exist in English, IPA script usage is minimal, so you only have to learn a handful of new symbols.
As for eventually learning to read and write, I always urge my students to wait at least until they develop "Mimic Ability," before learning the target-language's orthography. When you have this ability, it means you have a strong internal concept of all the sounds that make up your target language. As was the case for you learning your first language, the sound came first, then the script. Reverse the order and risk never quite learning the original sound.
Trust me when I say this: the second-language-learner that is illiterate and fluent is much better off than the one who is literate but terrible at speaking and listening. The former can easily learn to read and write, but the latter will hit a ceiling in his speaking and listening very early on.
In case you were wondering why I don't change the spelling of my name, there is actually a good reason. In my mother's tribe in Nigeria, names are actually full sentences with significant meanings. My name, Idahosa, is actually three different words. I - DAHỌ - OSA (Ọ is same as "o" sound in the word "ought"). Since it is a name, it is pronounced in a quicker more fluid manner with the DAHỌ merging with the OSA, hence my respelling: ee-DAO-ssah.
It translates directly to "I listen (to) God," which I think is really nice. So no disrespect the the great state of Idaho, but I'd really appreciate it if you pronounced my name correctly. Thank you.
It translates directly to "I listen (to) God," which I think is really nice. So no disrespect the the great state of Idaho, but I'd really appreciate it if you pronounced my name correctly. Thank you.
