Re: Chinese dictation

From: Sean O'Leathlobhair (jwlawler_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 11/23/04 

Date: 23 Nov 2004 01:29:37 -0800

Lee Sau Dan <danlee@informatik.uni-freiburg.de> wrote in message news:<87sm7127te.fsf@informatik.uni-freiburg.de>...
> >>>>> "Dylan" == Dylan Sung <dylanwhs.tsktsktsk@pacific.net.hk> writes:
>
> Dylan> If you're distinguish characters from another character,
> Dylan> you could say it's the one with such and such a radical and
> Dylan> means so and so as in the compound XY.
>
> Just like "Janet(te)? With 'et' or 'ette'?".
> Or "D (B)? Bravo or Delta?", or "B for boy or D for dog?".
>
> Is that so difficult to understand?
>
>
>
> >>> How do you write [huz sOrd] in English?
> >> I don't know. Please spell it for me.
>
> Dylan> who's sword or it could be whose sword
>
> Yeah. It's strange that 2 persons who learnt English as L2 can
> communicate this way, and that apparently native speaker is seeking
> help from us.
>
>
> Dylan, could you explain to Richard how come you know the spellings
> "whose" and "sword" should be used to write down the words [huz sOrd]?

The most obvious inference from Richard's request is that he is
unfamiliar with IPA. Is there some special reason why a native
speaker should be familiar with it? It is not taught in schools and
in my experience, it is not commonly known among native speakers. It
is not even commonly used in foreign language lessons in school. I
only encountered it when my interest in language went further.

It is actually evidence for the effectiveness of the English script.
Natives don't feel the need for IPA or any other alternative spelling
(e.g. Pinyin or Romaji). IPA transcriptions of English may be useful
to foreign learners, as IPA transcriptions of foreign languages are to
me, but most natives do not feel the need for it.

I have an English dictionary with IPA but I use it mostly for helping
foreign friends. I use it occasionally with English friends to give
them examples of IPA prior to showing them one of may foreign language
dictionaries.

On your original question, "Who's sword" is rather contrived. Can you
give an example of a conversation that uses it? It would seem to
require someone called "Sword". In general, context should make it
quite clear which is correct.

Seán O'Leathlóbhair

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