In your best German accent, pronounce the name of composer Bach. Make sure that there is something rumbling around in your throat back there. It shouldn’t sound like anything you do in English. Try it a couple of more times. Bach. Bach. Now take that last syllable and try to start a word with it.
This seems to be a favorite activity of one of my phonetics teachers, taking sounds that aren’t anywhere in English and starting new words with them. Phonetics is all about being able to describe the sounds that can be made with the human mouth. It provides the basis for being able to talk about languages. Because of that, phonetics is a taught in a whirlwind 3-week course here, which had its first test today, on the third day of class.
I’m quite impressed with what I’ve learned in the last three days, and equally impressed with the teachers who are passionate about using linguistics for the
I was accused of being a scientist today after my list of 5 questions that a language survey can answer followed a strict logical pattern. Later I admitted that I had been thinking some about mathematical optimization methods that could be used to set priorities for language work. The professor referred me to a paper exploring the topic.
So far the class seems to be exactly what I had hoped it would be, a synthesis of analytical methods and a desire to see the glory of God spread throughout the Earth. And there might even be some math involved! God knew what he was doing when he brought me here.
Keep praying that God will allow me to learn well, and that he will continue to make his will abundantly known to me.
Back to studying!
1 comments:
Wow, phonetics class sounds very much the same as it was when David and I took it in N. Dakota. We are excited to see what God is doing in you and through you! You are being prayed for!
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