Since a lot of Pakistani students who go to English medium schools have an advantage of learning English from a very young age, teaching proper English phonetics would be an immense help in getting the sounds just right.
Since British English is so common, teach British English phonetics. It will not make Pakistani students sound completely native (of British English), but it will definetly make them sound more refined, with a lesser peculiar Pakistani accent.
For example, one reason Pakistani English sounds so different from American English is placement of tongue when producing certain sounds. Pakistan English “Ka” sounds like “Ga” and “Ta” sounds like “Da”, almost sounding like D sound. Pakistanis just try to produce these sounds just like they are produced in Urdu. I am no expert in phonetics, so I don’t know all the correct phonetic terms. Emphasis on the wrong part of the word is also a big reason for the accent.
And yes, I know British accents are funny, and who would want to sound like them anyways, and accents are the spice of diversity and all that other feel good stuff. But if you are teaching English, might as well teach it right the first time.
Re: Why don't they teach proper English phonetics in Pakistani English schools?
A lot of kids do speak it in English schools. Ofcourse not all the time, but teacher student communication at a lot of English schools is in English. Yes, maybe at fancy Karachi Grammar School kids speak it all the time, but that's just one school.
Re: Why don't they teach proper English phonetics in Pakistani English schools?
^^ thats the biggest problem
Pakistani immigrants who come to Canada can't speak English properly because they are not comfortable speaking it....
and they settle in predominately pakistani neighborhoods and so have very little contact with White Canadians and thus when they come to University, they got these thick Pakistani accented English.....
Re: Why don't they teach proper English phonetics in Pakistani English schools?
Yes, but have you ever noticed that these thick accented doctors and engineers quite often make a lot more money than those "refined" speakers of English working at McDonalds?
Re: Why don't they teach proper English phonetics in Pakistani English schools?
Since a lot of Pakistani students who go to English medium schools have an advantage of learning English from a very young age, teaching proper English phonetics would be an immense help in getting the sounds just right.
Since British English is so common, teach British English phonetics. It will not make Pakistani students sound completely native (of British English), but it will definetly make them sound more refined, with a lesser peculiar Pakistani accent.
For example, one reason Pakistani English sounds so different from American English is placement of tongue when producing certain sounds. Pakistan English "Ka" sounds like "Ga" and "Ta" sounds like "Da", almost sounding like D sound. Pakistanis just try to produce these sounds just like they are produced in Urdu. I am no expert in phonetics, so I don't know all the correct phonetic terms. Emphasis on the wrong part of the word is also a big reason for the accent.
And yes, I know British accents are funny, and who would want to sound like them anyways, and accents are the spice of diversity and all that other feel good stuff. But if you are teaching English, might as well teach it right the first time.
And wat r the difference in Indian English...
Why is their an emphasize on certain letter a lot more...like the g in words like"vegetable"..or v in "development"....and the t at the end of some of the words.the sound "t" is enlongated...
Its more or less the way the kids learn at school...bring em the teachers with the same British/American accents and they learn that....same goes with any language...for example some people prefer having an Arabic Qari for Quran, so that their kids accents are in more authentic sounding Arabic then the usual desified Arabic. Its not just English you know?Same goes for Hindi/chinese/french/spanish etc etc:)
Re: Why don't they teach proper English phonetics in Pakistani English schools?
Yes, but have you ever noticed that these thick accented doctors and engineers quite often make a lot more money than those "refined" speakers of English working at McDonalds?
thats news to me....
A lot of Pakistanis I know who immigrated to Canada, because they didn't have any "Canadian Work Experience" ended up driving Taxis....
Re: Why don't they teach proper English phonetics in Pakistani English schools?
^^ thats the biggest problem
Pakistani immigrants who come to Canada can't speak English properly because they are not comfortable speaking it....
and they settle in predominately pakistani neighborhoods and so have very little contact with White Canadians and thus when they come to University, they got these thick Pakistani accented English.....
There r some desi's that assimilate so much in the American pronunciation that basically they talk in the same TUNE..but make like million grammatical mistakes...but Cover em up with the Tune of covering an accent...So which r wrong...The above mentioned or these...Basically in my mind...if u can communicate ..then accents r not the main thing...why French people are PROUD of ZEIR Accents???All in your head...Pakistanis r made to think that their accent is less then any other country's becuz u know wat...Its all in one's head...and the stereotypes that one carries within themselves...talk to the French...the Germans...etc etc..."heu Buddy cover your accent huh??, and you'll know the answer :D:D
Re: Why don’t they teach proper English phonetics in Pakistani English schools?
The proper English would be “Actually its quite expanded.”…not expansive…u make it sound as if u wanted to say..actually its quite expensive:cb:..Freudian slip shall we say???
…:k: