Afterthoughts on the Symposium Presentation in the 34th General Meeting of the Phonetic Society of Japan

 

I enjoyed my joint presentation on Zoom with Professor William Acton (Trinity Western University) and Mr. Hiroyuki Watanabe (Labo Party) in the 34th General Meeting of the Phonetic Society of Japan on September 26, 2020.

 

Application of haptic research to instruction in phonetics and classroom pronunciation teaching

http://www.psj.gr.jp/jpn/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/psj2020conf-program.pdf

 

I thank them, Coordinator Noriko Yamane (Hiroshima University), and other symposium members, for providing excellent opportunities to exchange ideas. Below are my afterthoughts.

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The afternoon session (the general lecture and the symposium) offered three examples of pronunciation learning: the analytical method by ATR (http://www.atr-lt.jp/index.html), the natural and non-instructive approach by Labo Party (https://www.labo-party.jp/), and the eclectic method by Professor Acton, where intentional instructions from the teacher and intrinsic feelings in the learner converge.

 

The Acton method is presumably a synthesis of providing programmed instructions (represented by ATR) and creating a natural learning environment (exemplified by Labo Party.)

 

However, it is critical to notice that the analytical/programmed method (ATR) and the natural or eclectic procedures (Labo Party and the Acton Method) hold different views on the body and meaning. I argue that while the ATR method assumes a mechanical idea of the body and an objective view of meaning, Labo Party and the Acton methods recognize the body as self-production and embrace a subjective notion of meaning.

 

Below are the explanations of these contrasting views. Implications for pronunciation instructions are indicated with arrow marks.

 

BODY

 

A Mechanical View of the Body:

The body is an anatomical structure that the mind controls.

=>The mechanical view suggests that pronunciation instructions are about conscious manipulation of the vocal organ.

 

A Self-production View of the Body:

The body is the source of emotion and meaning from which the mind emerges, thus creating a self as the integration of the body and the mind.

=>The self-production view indicates that pronunciation instructions should incite emotion and meaning in the learner's body.

 

MEANING

 

An Objective View of Meaning:

Meaning is a cognitive/linguistic idea that the mind recognizes as an object.

=>The objective view does not generally acknowledge the senses or feelings that one cannot precisely articulate as legitimate meaning.

 

A Subjective View of Meaning:

Meaning is a complex flow of emotions that directs the mind to a particular perspective. Meaning thus endows the mind with the capacity as the subject/agent of the action that the body actualizes.

=>The subjective view includes non-cognitive/non-linguistic senses or feelings as genuine meaning because they produce some prospects within the human. According to this view, the haptic sensations in the Acton method generate meaning in learners.

 

 

To sum up, the ATR method and other analytical approaches teach learners to control their vocal organs according to the findings of phonetics. In contrast, Labo Party focuses on embedding learners in meaningful linguistic experiences, expecting appropriate pronunciation skills to emerge gradually. The Acton method, as a sort of blended approach, teaches pronunciation intentionally by emphasizing the sensation and meaning in learners' body to integrate the articulation knowledge into their living mind-body.

 

 

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If you are interested in my presentation slides and proceeding manuscript, visit my Japanese blog where they are presented in English.

https://yanase-yosuke.blogspot.com/2020/09/20202-34.html

Visit Professor Acton’s blog.

https://hipoeces.blogspot.com/2020/09/new-v50-haptic-pronunciation-teaching.html