CHAPTER IV Phonetic Transcriptions 58. Standard German. Energetic efforts towards the adoption of a uniform standard of German pronunciation -supplanting, in a measure, the various dialect forms used even by the educated classes are of comparatively recent date. A final result has not been reached as yet by any means, but the principle which has found the most general recognition is the one stated by Wilhelm Viëtor, that the 'best' pronunciation should betray as little local coloring as possible. There is no part or region of Germany where 'the best German' is spoken. — The historical basis of what may be called standard German is described in the second part of this book. Aside from the historical moments discussed there, an apparently unessential, external element has lately exerted considerable influence, namely, the uniformity of spelling. Especially Wilhelm Braune (Über die Einigung der deutschen Aussprache, Heidelberg, 1904) maintains that the existence of uniform orthography thruout the territory of the German language is recognized by many speakers as a determining factor in doubtful questions of pronunciation so schreibt man's, also spricht man's so aus. This has been true, for instance, with regard to the recent development of the pronunciation of medial and final g, as characterized by Braune in the article mentioned. An agreement of great importance was reached in 1898 by the Deutsche Bühnenkonferenz in Berlin, where representatives of German linguistic science and of the Ger man stage establisht a preliminary standard of pronunciation for the needs of the stage. This agreement was publisht by Siebs, Deutsche Bühnenaussprache (with a phonetic introduction by Sievers). — Of equal importance was the publication of Viëtor's Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch, which, on the authority of best usage, states the present standard of German pronunciation in a conservative and careful manner. No teacher should be without this reliable guide. 59. The Alphabet of the International Phonetic Association. It is clear beyond any argument that, due to the gross imperfection of the common spelling of nearly all languages, a phonetic transcription is an unavoidable necessity for the student of phonetics, and an invaluable advantage for the learner of a foreign language. A phonetic transcription is, generally speaking, such a graphic representation of the sounds of a language, in which every sound is always expressed by the same sign, and every sign always denotes the same sound. - Among the great number of transcriptions devised for this purpose, the alphabet of the Association Phonétique Internationale des enseigneurs des langues modernes1 easily deserves the first place. It is represented chiefly by the Maître phonétique, a monthly publication printed in different languages, but entirely in phonetic transcription. This system (with a few very slight modifications2) has been used in the preceding paragraphs of this book. The following connected text is taken from Viëtor's Lesebuch in Lautschrift: 1 Progressive language teachers are advised to become members of this organization; they can do so by applying to M. Paul Passy, Bourg-la-Reine, France. Annual dues, including subscription for the Maître Phonétique, $1. 2 Chiefly in the use of [g:g] and [x]. dərnre: sçən. fo:r 'tsaiten va:r ain 'ke:nik()unt aine 'ke: nr3/m,di: 'Spra:xen | 'je:den | 'ta: : ||,,''ax, | ven vir dɔx ain 'kınt heten!" "unt 'kristen | "imer kains. | da tru:/ ziç 'tsu:, || 'als di 'ke:nıın | (2)ainma:l im 'ba:de za:s, || das ain 'frɔs | ()aus dem 'vaser (2)ans lant krǝx | ()unt tsu i:r 'Spra:x: || „dain 'vuns virt er fylt verden; ||'e:e ain 'jarr fɛrge:t, | virst du aine 'tǝxter tsur velt briŋen." || vas dər frǝf ge'za:*xt hate, das ge'fa:, 'unt di 'ke:n19/m | geba:r ain 'me:tçon, || das vair zo 'fen, das der 'ke:ni(k) | fo:r 'frǝydə | zıç nıçt tsu lasen vuste (unt ain 'gro:ses | 'fest 'anftelte. || 'er 'la:dete 'niçt blo:s | zainə fɛr'vantə, | 'frɔyndə | ()unt bə'kantə, | zəndərn 'aux di 'vaizən | 'frauen datsu 'ain, || damit zi dəm 'kınt | 'holt | ()unt gǝ'vo:gen vɛ:rən. || 'es ́va:rən | irer 'draitse:n()m zainem 'raiçe; vail er aber nur 'tsvǝlf 'gǝldənə | 'tɛlər hate, | fən vɛlçən zi "ɛsən zəltən, || zo mustə "?ainə fɔn i:nen | da'haim blaibən. The needs of the teacher of German in American schools permit certain simplifications of this system, and make certain minor changes advisable. The simplifications consist chiefly in a lessened emphasis on those points where the phonetic tendencies of German and American English are nearly, or quite, identical; the indication of stress and pitch may be reduced to the traditional minimum of common punctuation, and the use of the accent sign only in apparently (from the learner's standpoint) anomalous cases; the difference between narrow and wide vowels need not be indicated, since it is, as far as the needs of the classroom are concerned, coincident with the difference between long and short vowels. The following changes are recommended: to replace the sign [x] by Greek x, in order to avoid confusion with [ks]; the distinction between narrow and wide vowels1 and between [g, g] is to be abolisht, the common lower-case sign being used in either case; the accent is to be indicated by the use of heavy type for the accented vowel where necessary. (The Phonetic Association indicates it by placing the accent mark in front of the stressed syllable; while this is, theoretically, entirely correct, it is confusing for students who, unfortunately, are used to the illogical principle followed in most dictionaries, of placing it behind the accented vowel). Accordingly, the text given above, would read as follows in "simplified phonetic spelling": dornrø:sçən for tsaitǝn vair ain køiniç/k Punt ainǝ køinigin, di Spraxen jedən taık:,,?ax, ven viir dox ain kint hetǝn!" Punt kriktǝn ?imər kains. da truik ziç tsu, Pals di kønigin ainmal im bardə zaıs, das ain fro§ Paus dəm vasər Pans lant krox Punt tsu ir Spra:x:,,dain vuns virt erfylt veirdən; Perǝ ain jar forget, virst du ainə toxtər tsur velt brinǝn." vas dǝr fros gǝza:kt hatǝ, das gǝsai, Punt di kønigin gǝbar Pain mertçən, das vair zo Søn, das dər køiniç for froydə ziç niçt tsu lasən vustə ?unt ain groisəs fest PanSteltǝ. Per la:dətə niçt blo:s zainə fərvantə, froyndə "unt bǝkantə, zondǝrn Paux di vaizən frauən datsu Pain, damit zi dəm kint holt Punt gevolgen verən. ?es vairǝn Pirǝr draitsen in zainəm raiçə; vail er Paibǝr nuir tsvølf goldənə telǝr hatə, fon velçən zi ?esən zoltən, zo mustə Painǝ fon ?inən dahaim blaibǝn. The following (taken from Meyer's Deutsche Gespräche, Leipzig, Reisland, 1906) is a sample of educated North-German pronunciation, with the retention of all those North-German peculiarities which are rejected by 1 [a, A, a] are not distinguished by Viëtor either. the stage pronunciation. While some teachers are still inclined to give it the preference over the standard set up in that agreement and in Viëtor's Aussprachewörterbuch, it is the author's firm conviction that it has no place in American schools. forijas 'ja:r hat zi mi das letste ̄ma:l jǝ,fri bm. 'næ:çstə vɔxə fa'rn zi nax ,pɔtsdam, niçt 'di:zə. Palzonæ çstn 'zɔn a:bmt ['zamstax], abı 'kɔmm zi 'ja:! den,tax fol'heu var eл nɔx,gants jə'zunt.` vas man 'glaeç tu'n kan, zəl man nıçt ɑof d(ə)n næ çstn 'tax fifibm. e komt den 'tax for Po:stan [am ftiln 'zona bmt,,?o:stun haeljǝn 'Pa:bmt] '?an unt raest am 'tsvaetn Po'stu-) tax [20'stun tsvaet 'faeлtax] vidă '?ap. vil bǝkǝmm unzrə tsaetuŋ alə 'ta:gə - jedn,tsvaetn 'tax]. de. 'ḥri'ftræjı kɔmt (taçlıç) tsvae'ma:l, fry 'morjns unt nax'mitaxs' tsvifn tsvae unt 'drae.' ven je'mant 'tsu: mi komm zǝlte, dan 'za:gn zi im nuл, iç væл` in "aena halbm Stunde vida 'da:. hort ybu axt 'ta:ge bin' Iç həfntlıç mit maen Parbaet 'fertiç. ᎾᏗ Ist zaet firtse'n ta'gn 'fort. - fox tsvae 'ftundn' 1st ex 'Paosjǝgaŋŋ.za:g mal,karl, vo_varst' du for axt ta'gn um dize,tsaet? 60. Jespersen's Analphabetic System. The system of the Phonetic Association is 'alphabetic' in so far as it sets up a definite, conventional 'letter' for each sound, i.e., a symbolic sign, the shape of which, however, has no connection with the production or the acoustic impression of the sound it symbolizes. The ingenious system |