Phonemes

[jackofallgeeks]

Professor Hartdale's usual demeanor, which gave one the impression that he secretly knew the punchline to a joke no one else heard, melted in an instant to a mix of weariness and anger -- or the closest approximation to anger that his grandfatherly features could accept. "Yes, yes, boy. The words have power -- harmonics intrinsic to the fabric of reality and all the other theoretical jargon. But no, you can't just teach anyone to say them and be done with it; it's not that simple. Even aside from everything else, you have been studying for well over a month now and you still can't pronounce them correctly. There are subtleties, sounds and slurs that you can't even distinguish yet. It's more than a matter of hearing what the words sound like, boy. You have to know what they are."

Comments

[nif.livejournal.com]

...this really makes me want to lecture about fundamental phonetics, acoustic properties of sound, and the language learning centers of the brain...
Must. Control. Dorkiness.
Damn you, English/Linguistics double major.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

You would be among friends, here. Leslie, Gene, and I would all be interested parties, I'm sure. Maybe others, too.