Suggestions and Grading for Posts and Comments

When you post your comments and analysis, consider the following:

1. There are some sounds that seem to jump out and characterize different Spanish Dialects. Pay special attention to the pronunciation of the following:

  • 1.  Words spelled with “y” and “ll”.  Are they “yeístas” or not.  Are the “y” and “ll” pronounced the same or not.
  • 2.  Words with “r” and “l” sounds.  How is the “double r” pronounced?  Do the “r” and the “l” sound the same or different?  What happens in syllable-final position?
  • 3.  The pronunciation of “b d g”.  Are they more fricative or more approximate?
  • 4.  The pronunciation of “s” sounds, especially at the end of words, syllables, and phrases.  Are syllable-final “s” aspirated?  Is the “s” sound very strong or does it kind of disappear?  Is the “s” pre-dorsal or apical?  Is there any evidence of [θ]?
  • 5.  Nasal sounds, especially at the end of words.  Is there assimilation?  Is there velarization in syllable-final position?
  • 6. Consonant clusters (especially obstruent clusters).  Do syllable-final consonants reduce a lot?
  • 7.  Vowel sounds that blend together (creating diphthongs, etc.)

2. Intonation. Try to identify if things sound monotone, if they fluctuate a lot in pitch, or if they seem to make large abrupt changes in pitch.

3. Individual Characteristics. Are there things that a specific person does that seem to be unique to him or her?

As to the grading of the post, consider the following:

1. On time and the appropriate length. All posts are time stamped and should be at least 100 words long.

2. Accuracy. It sounds obvious, but make accurate statements and use correct phonetic symbols.

3. Use correct phonetic terms to describe sounds and avoid imprecise words like “sounds normal,” “harsh,” “heavy,” “bold” etc.

4. Build on the comments, observations, and analysis of others.  There is no reason to repeat what has already been said.

5.  Don’t feel the need to transcribe everything.  For example, rather than write all 5 verses to a song, focus on just one verse.  It is better to do a deeper analysis of a small portion than to do a shallow analysis of a large portion.

6.  Involve the other members of the class into your presentations.  Always give the other students a reason to listen to your presentation.  Weak presentations are the ones where the only person listening is the teacher (who has to grade the presentation).