Phonology is an important aspect in the study of a foreign language, particularly English. Unlike phonetics, which is based primarily on the study of human speech sounds and the peculiarities of their perception and reproduction, phonology is a more comprehensive section of linguistics, and involves delving into the systems, sound patterns, and interactions between the sounds of a certain language [1; 2]. Knowledge in the field of articulation features, intonation patterns in individual syllables or sentences, contrasting phones with phonemes – all of this is especially necessary and useful for students of philological specialties, who do not just study a foreign language, but immerse themselves in its structure, trace the interrelationships and, based on this knowledge, build an understanding of the specifics of language usage and research.
The beginning of a study and work with the phonemic system of a foreign language is familiarization with phonemes and their written forms for a further dive into the topics of the place and manner of articulation, the position of the mouth, tongue and lips, etc. A good way to visualize the phoneme system in a language is a phonemic chart displaying all the phonemes grouped into categories, for example divided into English vowel (monophthongs and diphthongs) and consonant sounds.
Nowadays, there are a sufficient number of charts with the phonemic system of British and American English, each of which has a number of its own advantages and disadvantages. This paper offers to consider the effectiveness of using the British Council mobile application with an interactive phonemic chart for the aspect of phonemics in teaching English as a second language.
The British Council mobile app LearnEnglish Sounds Right is an example of interactive phonemic charts with vowels and consonants, where the former are divided into regular vowels (monophthongs) and double phonemes (diphthongs). Vowels are grouped by tongue position, and diphthongs are arranged in rows according to the second vowel. Consonant sounds are presented in vertical groups according to the method of articulation, including each voiceless sound and its voiced counterpart after it [3]. The app interface is simple, concise and intuitive. In addition to the image of the symbol for each sound, the phonemes are clickable. By clicking on the sound, the user can hear its pronunciation. By pressing on the arrow on the phoneme icon, a student can open a window with three words with this sound in them, the letter for which is highlighted in red to draw learners’ attention. The application can be downloaded to a phone or tablet with both IOS and Android systems for free, and be used even without access to the Internet.
The main advantage of the application is that students who are just starting to delve into the phonemic systems of the English language can use the chart to memorize symbols for sound notions during further work with transcriptions, sound analysis, and other activities. Besides, students can repeat the sound according to the provided audio example, that is, train correct pronunciation, while a certain order of symbols according to this or that indicator can contribute to the visual memorization of the sound arrangement within a certain category, characterized by a specific articulation pattern. Thus, students have constant visual and auditory support. Based on this chart, the lecturer may offer a variety of tasks, ranging from searching for a specific sound by symbol and offering students’ own examples of words for each sound to a full description of the method of sound formation by its symbol.
However, the simplicity of LearnEnglish Sounds Right can at the same time be perceived as its drawback, especially considering the in-depth program of the English language subject taught to future philologists. Firstly, the symbols for the written denotation of sounds that differ in American and British English are presented but the application provides only one version – British. Furthermore, the chart has a built-in read-aloud of each phoneme only according to the British pronunciation standard, which somewhat restricts the learning process for students. Secondly, the lack of exercises in the app limits its ability to be used independently in class, and the lecturer has to additionally come up with exercises that could be linked to the charts in the application.
The most obvious disadvantage is that the app has to be used mostly only at the initial level of familiarization with the phonemic system of the English language and/ or during revision, which reduces the likelihood of its usage throughout the entire educational process within the phonology aspect for students of philological specialties.
Drawing a conclusion, it is important to mention that LearnEnglish Sounds Right is a simple-to-use means for teaching the initial topics of the phonology aspect of the English language. A free interactive application, which has a clear interface and can work without an Internet connection, can be a good addition to classes and a visual auditory aid for students who are just starting to understand the complex system of English phonemes. However, with the beginning of discussions and delving into more complex topics and concepts, the app may not be enough. Therefore, the usage of this mobile application can be considered beneficial only when the level of knowledge of students and the topic require it.
References:
1. Phonetics and Phonology - Department of Linguistics. URL: https://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/linguistics/research/phonetics-phonology.html (Last accessed: 23.04.2025).
2. Fonolohiia. [Phonology]. URL: https://onlyart.org.ua/dictionary-literary-terms/fonologiya/ (Last accessed: 23.04.2025) [in Ukrainian].
3. Learn English Sounds Right. URL: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/apps/learnenglish-sounds-right (Last accessed: 23.04.2025).
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