PhonologyMoats Ch. 3

Phonetics vs. Phonology Remember, phonetics is the ability to

pronounce individual speech sounds

Phonology is the awareness of the sound patterns and rules by which sounds are combined and spoken

Think about when words “sound foreign.” We have specific sequences and combinations of sounds that make up English words.

Syllables The phonemes in a word are organized into

coarticulated units that always have a vowel sound.

A word always has at least 1 syllable because it always has at least 1 vowel sound.

The number of syllables in a word is equal to the number of vowels in the word.

Closed syllables = lax/short vowels Open syllables = tense/long vowels

Simple Syllables Simple Syllables have a vowel that may be

preceded and/or followed by a single consonant.

Structure Example

V I

CV me

VCe ice

Complex Syllables Complex Syllables have two or more

consonants in a cluster before or after a vowel.

Structure Example

VCC ask

CCV ski

CCVC skin

CVCC cans

CCVCC stops

CCCVC scream

CCCVCC squeaks

CCVCCC starts

CCCVCCC scrimped

Fun Facts! Each separate vowel in a syllable is the peak. When 2 vowel sounds are adjacent (idiot,

poetry, idea) there is a syllable break between them (id-i-ot, po-et-ry, i-de-a).

Consonants tend to cluster at the beginning of a stressed syllable rather than at the end of an unstressed syllable (a-strin-gent).

Some consonant sequences can only be adjacent across a syllable break (on-ly; pump-kin)

Onsets & Rimes The internal structure of a syllable consists

of onsets and rimes. Onset: what (if anything) comes before the

vowel. Rime: the vowel and what comes after it. Words such as egg and itch do not have an

onset. The consonants that follow the peak (vowel

in the syllable) are referred to as the coda .

Instructional Implications So…How do we teach syllables?

Remember, we are talking about the sounds not the letters. Keeping that in mind, how does identifying syllable breaks in spoken words aid in decoding the words in print?

Let’s Analyze Words! Window= win (cvc)/ dow (cvc)

Onset= w Rime= in/ Onset=d Rime= ow

Porcupine= por(cvc)/ cu(cv)/ pine(cvce) Onset= p Rime= or/ Onset= c Rime= u/

Onset= p Rime= ine

Elevator=el(vc)/e(schwa)/ va(cv)/tor(cvc) Rime= el/ Rime= e/ Onset= v Rime= a/

Onset= t Rime= or

Toward Instruction (The fun part!) Phonological Tasks (Easiest to most difficult)

Blending syllables (Put this word together: bas-ket-ball)

Segmenting syllables (Say the syllables in Hillary)

Rhyme detection (Which words rhyme? ship, that, lip)

Alliteration categorization (Find all the objects that start with /p/; picture sorting)

Blending onset/rime (Put this word together: th-ink)

Alliteration detection Which picture starts with the same sound as pizza?)

Rhyme production (Tell me word that rhymes with top)

Blending phonemes (Put this word together: ch-i-p)

Segmenting onset/rime (Break sat into 2 parts)

Segmenting phonemes (Elkonin boxes)

SCHWA!!! Fun fact: the schwa is the most

commonly spoken vowel in English The schwa sound occurs when it is not

contained in the stressed syllable (we innately know which syllable is stressed in English words: Photograph; Photography

A, I, and O are most often used for the schwa sound (about, definition, wagon)

More Practice Identify the schwas in the words below. Are there other forms of these words in

which the vowels have a distinct sound? Example: orthography/orthographic

imitate application complexityblossom narrative expositoryaboutcompetent argumentative

Instructional Activities

SEE PAGES 70-75 FOR PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS AS WELL AS A LOT OF GREAT ACTIVITIES

Phonological Awareness Spelling Let’s look at the spelling piece again… Good phoneme awareness/lack of conventional

spelling knowledge: Letter Name

DA= day KAM= came FEL= feel

Short Vowel Substitution (articulation)

BAD= bed FES= fish GIT= get

Nasal consonants omitted after vowels (consonant is lost)

JUP= jump AD= and ED= end

Syllabic consonants

LIDL= little BIGR= bigger OPN= open

Spelling Continued… Inflections WAKT= walked DAWGZ= dogs LITID= lighted

Vowel confusion SOWN= soon GOWT= goat BOE= boy

Affrication (remember affricates are /ch/ and /j/; they are stops followed by a quick release of air)

CHRA= tray JRAGN= dragon

Flaps (tongue position produces /d/) LADR= letter WODR= water

Substitute letter names for phonemes YOH= watch YL= will HRH= church

LAST ONE! Underdeveloped Phonemic Awareness

Consonant omissions

MIKE= milk

Consonant confusion (articulation)

INEMS= items

Schwa omission

CIMMON= cinnamon

Inflection confusion/omission/substitution

FRIGHTINGLY= frightened WASHT= washed

Omission, confusion or mis-sequencing of nasals and liquids

CLOREL= color MD= bed

Vowel substitutions (far from correct articulation)

DRONCK= drink

So… How can spelling give us insight into

children’s phonemic awareness?