What is KK Pronunciation and Phonetics?
If any of my students asks me this question, then I would tell my student that KK pronunciation comes from an old phonetics dictionary named A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English (Kenyon and Knott, 1953). This dictionary uses symbols to help students learn how to pronounce words in English.
Why I do not use KK Pronunciation
- KK symbols are not used in everyday English – Zhuyin is not used in everyday traditional Chinese, is it?
- KK symbols are a distraction – Why spend so much time on learning KK pronunciation when in reality, you won’t even see it on TV, or read it in books?
- KK is not widely used in the US school system – Students in the US are taught starting from a young age to learn by example, and to learn English words without the help of phonetic symbols.
- KK is outdated – The English language, just like many other languages, is constantly evolving over time. KK was originally published in 1944, and was last updated in 1953. A lot has changed since then. What was correct before, may no longer be correct now.
Yes, you can learn English pronunciation without KK
I think it’s best to learn English without KK.
In my lessons, I teach my students how to pronounce every word based on how words are spoken with a neutral LA accent.
You won’t need another set of “Zhuyin” to help you learn how to pronounce English words.
With enough experience and practice, you will not only be able to properly pronounce words you already know, but you will also be able to take educated guesses on how to pronounce words that are new to you.
KK音標和自然發音是什麼？
如果任何一個我的學生問我這個問題,我會說KK音標是來自一個叫做A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English (Kenyon and Knott, 1953)的老舊音標字典.這個字典使用符號來幫助學生學習英文的發音.
為什麼我不學KK音標
- KK音標的符號並沒有被使用在日常的英文當中 – 注音符號沒有被使用在日常的中文當中,對吧？
- KK音標的符號是令人分心的 – 既然當你在日常生活中看電視或者閱讀書籍時根本不會看到KK音標的符號,那為什麼要花這麼多時間去學習KK音標的符號呢？
- KK音標在美國的學習體制當中並沒有被廣泛地使用 – 在美國的學生從小的時候就使用各式各樣的範例來被教導,以及在沒有音標符號的情況下來學習英文單字.
- KK音標是過時的 – 就像很多其他語言一樣,隨著時代的變遷,英文不斷的在發展,KK音標最初是在1944年出版的,最後一次的更新是在1953年,從那時候到現在,英文已經改變了很多,在當時是正確的東西,現在或許已經不再正確了.
是的,你可以不使用KK音標來學習英文的發音
我認為不使用KK音標學習英文是最好的.
在我的課程當中,我以中性的洛杉磯口音來教導學生英文單字的發音.
你並不需要另一套”注音符號”來幫助你學習英文單字的發音.
當你累積了足夠的經驗,做了足夠的練習,你不僅能夠正確地講出你已經知道的單字,而且還可以在陌生的單字上做出有根據的猜測,便推斷出正確的發音方式.
