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Modern German pronunciation: An introduction for speakers of English
The most complete guide available to the correct pronunciation of German for native English speakers. Revised and updated, a new feature for this edition is that the discussion of English-speaking learners' pronunciation problems has been extended to include American learners, reflecting the worldwide usage of the first volume. Each chapter deals with a separate aspect of the problems of modern German pronunciation; vowels, consonants, stress and intonation, and the reduced ('weak') forms of conversational pronunciation. Comprehensively illustrated with clear pronunciation and intonation diagrams emphasising common problems experienced when learning German. The Manchester University Press website also gives readers access to nineteen audio files which complement the content of the book, providing examples of pronunciation, stress and intonation, and listening exercises.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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May 28, 2017
This is a pretty fantastic resource!
The authors systematically explain the pronunciation of vowels and consonants, intonation, and reduced speech in German. They explain the different registers (formal, informal, etc.) and what kind of pronunciation can be expected in each. They explain the origin of "standard" pronunciation. The whole first chapter teaches phonetics and the international phonetic alphabet for use throughout the rest of the book, which any language learner would do well to learn anyway.
The audio files available online are a wonderful resource. The end of the book also has lots of pronunciation exercises with audio to shadow.
Nits:
The authors refer often to many accents of English to explain the pronunciation of German or to point out possible pitfalls. The second edition is supposed to include Americans in the target audience. The problem here is that many of the descriptions can be quite vague, unless you have a really good audial memory and know lots of English accents. "They say it like this in XYZ area," etc. Americans don't know the accents of different parts of England! If a 3rd edition is printed, a much better approach would be to mention the area and also the name of a famous actor/actress that speaks that dialect. That is much more likely to be recognized, and can also be listened to online (i.e. Youtube clips) very easily.
While the audio is fantastic, there are places where the speakers' pronunciations don't match the transcription given in the text, making me think that much of the book is describing a too-ideal pronunciation. It may be helpful to move many of the items from the "connected speech" chapter to the individual consonant/vowel sections in the earlier chapters. The intonation chapter contains many, many examples where the speakers' intonation do not match that diagrammed in the text, which is confusing, to say the least. Worst of all, there's NO AUDIO for the connected speech chapter! This was a major letdown.
The authors systematically explain the pronunciation of vowels and consonants, intonation, and reduced speech in German. They explain the different registers (formal, informal, etc.) and what kind of pronunciation can be expected in each. They explain the origin of "standard" pronunciation. The whole first chapter teaches phonetics and the international phonetic alphabet for use throughout the rest of the book, which any language learner would do well to learn anyway.
The audio files available online are a wonderful resource. The end of the book also has lots of pronunciation exercises with audio to shadow.
Nits:
The authors refer often to many accents of English to explain the pronunciation of German or to point out possible pitfalls. The second edition is supposed to include Americans in the target audience. The problem here is that many of the descriptions can be quite vague, unless you have a really good audial memory and know lots of English accents. "They say it like this in XYZ area," etc. Americans don't know the accents of different parts of England! If a 3rd edition is printed, a much better approach would be to mention the area and also the name of a famous actor/actress that speaks that dialect. That is much more likely to be recognized, and can also be listened to online (i.e. Youtube clips) very easily.
While the audio is fantastic, there are places where the speakers' pronunciations don't match the transcription given in the text, making me think that much of the book is describing a too-ideal pronunciation. It may be helpful to move many of the items from the "connected speech" chapter to the individual consonant/vowel sections in the earlier chapters. The intonation chapter contains many, many examples where the speakers' intonation do not match that diagrammed in the text, which is confusing, to say the least. Worst of all, there's NO AUDIO for the connected speech chapter! This was a major letdown.
Displaying 1 of 1 review