English Pronunciation: A Color-Coded System - Newcastle Language Systems
Professional linguist and pronunciation specialist Jack Newcastle discusses the problems faced by learners who are trying to add the sounds of a second language to their set of skills. One problem is that as we get older, the brain interprets all foreign sounds as something close to those we have in our native language, and this makes it difficult for learners to differentiate those sounds. Therefore, simply listening to the sounds of the target language and then trying to repeat them doesn't work for most learners, and so Newcastle Language System has developed a new method that has helped many learners acquire the sounds of English.
This method is based on the Motor Theory of linguistics, which states that a communication loop exists between the brain and the articulators (meaning the tongue, vocal cords, and muscles), and that as we hear the sounds of our native language, those articulators slightly copy the sounds, moving along with them. It is this movement that, in turn, helps us in some way to understand the speech signal. Regarding the method, by focusing on the PHYSICAL movements of the articulators – getting the learner to FEEL where and how a sound is produced rather than just listening for it – learners slowly build up their ability to differentiate the sounds.
This video also introduces Newcastle Language System's color-coding method for the pronunciation of English. Linking colors to the sounds (phones) of English makes it easier for English learners to remember how to produce the sound when required. For example, by linking the front vowel /i/, which we hear in the word "green", to the color green and then presenting similar sounding words in that color, the student is reminded that those words required the /i/ sound. Below is a list of all the color/sound combinations that we use in our method.
Front Vowels
green - /i/
tin - /ɪ/
grape - /eɪ/
yellow - /ɛ/
lavendar - /æ/
Central Vowels
cerulean - /ə/
purple - /ɝ/
rust - /ʌ/
Back Vowels
blue - /u/
soot - /ʊ/
gold - /oʊ/
orange - /ɔ/
olive - /ɑ/
Other Diphthongs
white - /aɪ/
brown - /aʊ/
oyster - /ɔɪ/
Consonants
red – voiceless consonants
bright green - voiced consonants
Learners wishing to acquire the phonetics of English, and particularly General American English, should watch this video and the Introduction to the Five Front Vowel video before the videos on individual sounds and sound pairs.