5. Each phoneme in any language is a group of sounds called phones. The phones that make up one phoneme are called allophones meaning “all the phones” (Freeman, p. 87). The phoneme /p/ has two types of allophones. One type is aspirated allophones /pʰ/ like /pʰɪn/, , where an extra puff of air is produced as the sound is released. The second allophone is non-aspirated like in /spɪn/.
Adults are good at ignoring allophonic variations as they listen to a language they speak well; they might have difficulty in perceiving the phonemes in a target language. (Freeman, p.90)
6. Dialect study is fascinating...its true. I know from first hand experience how dialect can effect how a person is accepted or not accepted by a particular group. When I first moved to Pennsylvania from Queens, New York in 1993 I had a very difficult time. I was in Junior High school, and children that age can be brutal! I was tortured by my new classmates for how I spoke. Most words that ended in -er were pronounced like -uh at the end among other differences. Words for things in Pennsylvania are a little funny too. People say "crick" instead of "creek" and "pitz" instead of "pizza". I would say pocketbook, PA people say purse. I say hero they say hoagie. After a few years I subconciously lost most of my New York dialect and conformed to my peers. I do find my accent comes back when I am talking with my New York family members or when I get really mad. My husband teases me! My parents (God rest them both) never lost their New York dialects. My mother had a hard time at work as a nurse sometimes. Her co-workers were cruel to her and would speak badly of "the city people" right in front of her. My father never mentioned any issues at his job. I have heard of classes in dialect reduction. Some people think a twangy southern dialect sounds unintelligent. I think if a dialect is so strong that it interferes with communication then it is any private company's right to require classes to reduce dialect. I don't think there should be a standard dialect though and attempting to develop one is unrealistic, especially with people from foreign countries etc. all over the U.S.
6. Dialect study is fascinating...its true. I know from first hand experience how dialect can effect how a person is accepted or not accepted by a particular group. When I first moved to Pennsylvania from Queens, New York in 1993 I had a very difficult time. I was in Junior High school, and children that age can be brutal! I was tortured by my new classmates for how I spoke. Most words that ended in -er were pronounced like -uh at the end among other differences. Words for things in Pennsylvania are a little funny too. People say "crick" instead of "creek" and "pitz" instead of "pizza". I would say pocketbook, PA people say purse. I say hero they say hoagie. After a few years I subconciously lost most of my New York dialect and conformed to my peers. I do find my accent comes back when I am talking with my New York family members or when I get really mad. My husband teases me! My parents (God rest them both) never lost their New York dialects. My mother had a hard time at work as a nurse sometimes. Her co-workers were cruel to her and would speak badly of "the city people" right in front of her. My father never mentioned any issues at his job. I have heard of classes in dialect reduction. Some people think a twangy southern dialect sounds unintelligent. I think if a dialect is so strong that it interferes with communication then it is any private company's right to require classes to reduce dialect. I don't think there should be a standard dialect though and attempting to develop one is unrealistic, especially with people from foreign countries etc. all over the U.S.
