A Maverick Vowel: The Notorious // (Schwa)

Cottey College, Nevada, Missouri

Native language interference with the processes of foreign language acquisition constitutes an obstacle for students and a challenge for teachers. Students must cope with a multitude of new concepts of expression, and teachers must provide the necessary guidance which leads to awareness. Interferences such as grammar, word order, idiomatic usages, slang, rhythm of speech, intonation patterns, and phonetic systems must be dealt with constantly in elementary and intermediate foreign language classes. At present let us limit our discussion to a contrast of the vowel systems of English and Spanish and concentrate on the difficulties posed by the interference of the English //.

English has a twelve-vowel system (excluding diphthongs) represented orthographically by five letters of the alphabet (a, e, i, o, u) or combinations thereof. In some English dictionaries they are indicated by ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, ă, ě, ĩ, ő, ŭ, ä, and //. The //, of course, is the maverick vowel, because it commonly displaces all of the other vowels of English. As a pure vowel it manifests itself in one-syllable words such as but and in multi-syllable words such as substitute in the position of the stressed vowel. The //, however, in an unstressed position in multi-syllable words is an impure, lazy vowel. It might be called a linguistic virus which attacks any and all vulnerable vowels.

As a general rule -but not without exceptions- only the stressed vowels (both primary and secondary) in English require special attention. They must be pronounced precisely according to the twelve-vowel system already mentioned. All of the other vowels of a multi-syllable word become lazy and tend to deteriorate into a //. Let us consider the word pajamas. Only the stressed vowel is pronounced as a pure vowel in normal speech, while the other vowels lapse into a lazy // sound: (p jă'ms) or perhaps (p jä'ms). A longer word such as metropolitan stresses two vowels (primary and secondary), and because the other vowels are neglected they become the laz //: (mě'tr pől' tn). Consider the word methodical: (m thőd' cl). The English dictionary is replete with examples of this sort. There are, of course, a number of words in which some of the unstressed vowels do not deteriorate completely into a //, but we will not discuss those cases here, in order to maintain our intended pedagogical focus.

The English // is closely related to rhythm of speech in the language. The // may be either the cause or the effect of the uneven qualities of syllable length in English, resulting in the lilting stress patterns of English utterances. Using a // on unstressed vowels rarely seems to affect the meaning of a word. Altering a stressed vowel, however, can change the meaning of words or so severely deform them that they are unrecognizable or misinterpreted in oral language.

Notice the importance of the stressed vowel in these one-syllable words: hat (hăt), hit (hĩt), hot (hőt), hoot (hũt), hate (hāt), and hut (ht). If the vowel is not pronounced correctly the word will either change its meaning or result in a nonsensical utterance. If the stressed syllable in the two-syllable word rival (rī'vl) is altered in any way, the native speaker of English will very likely perceive it as gibberish, but the // of the last syllable has no effect at all on meaning. Because of the liberal use of the // instead of pure vowels in oral language, perhaps it is easier to under stand why native speakers of English frequently misspell words in the written language. The written vowels (preserved for historical reasons) simply do not correspond to contemporary oral usage. We will see more clearly how the // causes interferences in foreign language acquisition after we summarize the basic vowel system of Spanish.

Spanish has a relatively simple vowel system when compared to English. The five vowels of Spanish are represented by five letters of the alphabet (a, e, i, o, u), and both the vowel sounds and the alphabetical letters that represent them have exact, invariable correspondence. There is a minor variation of the e, but it poses no significant problem. There

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is no need for Spanish dictionaries to have diacritical markings to indicate vowel qualities once it is understood that the phonetic value of each vowel is respectively: a (father), e (date), i (beet), o (dote), and u (do). Of course, the Spanish vowels are of much shorter duration than the English vowels in the above examples, and that short quality insures that syllable length in utterances is uniform and rhythm of speech is even, not lilting. Failure to pronounce Spanish vowels properly in every syllable, whether stressed or unstressed, will change the meaning of words or create incomprehensible utterances. The lazy // is simply not acceptable as a deviation in the phonetics of the Spanish language.

What are the native language interferences that English-speaking students encounter while attempting to learn Spanish? Remember that the pedagogical focus is on vowels, especially the //. To reduce one's repertoire of vowels from twelve to five seems deceptively easy, but in fact it is rather difficult. First comes the embarrassment of producing new sounds that do not seem natural to one's own linguistic environment. Second is the actual physical difficulty in producing new linguistic sounds by changing a complex set of muscular habits involving the vocal chords, throat, tongue, lips, and facial muscles. The short vowels ă, ě, ĩ, ő, ŭ, and the //, especially the //, have caused weak speech musculature in English speakers. To tighten the muscles and produce the pure vowels of Spanish is at first tiring, so students of Spanish have to be reminded constantly of native language interference. Eliminating the interference of the English // will also, to a great extent, correct the problems of rhythm of speech (lilting where lilting is not acceptable) and clarify word meanings in Spanish.

Spanish-speaking students have their problems, too, with native language interferences while attempting to learn English. In effect, the problems are the reverse of those described in the previous paragraph. To expand one's five-vowel system to a twelve-vowel system, complicated by the //, can be a perplexing task. At first, the speaker of Spanish does not perceive the subtle differences between English long and short vowels, and the // baffles them even more. They deal with this situation by simply forcing all twelve English vowels to conform to their own familiar five vowel system. To sharpen student perceptions of English vowels, vocabulary exercises with minimal pairs (i.e., sit, set; pit, pet) are very useful, but the process is still very slow. After students begin to perceive the vowel qualities of English, it is time to break the news about the lazy //. Emphasize that the stressed vowels (both primary and secondary) must be pronounced clearly, and encourage them to use the // in most other syllables. If Spanish-speaking students learn to use the lazy //, it will help them acquire the lilting rhythm of speech so characteristic of English, and if they learn to use pure vowel sounds for stressed syllables, they will communicate meaning of words more easily to native speakers of English.

When teaching Spanish to native speakers of English, the following techniques could be employed in order to raise awareness of the notorious //. At the beginning of an elementary course, explain the rigid five-vowel system of the target language. Then present a list of one-syllable words to demonstrate the vowel sounds. Do not worry about consonantal sounds at this time, as students can rely temporarily on their imitative skills. Encourage students to pronounce the vowels consistently whenever they see them.

da	me	vi	lo	tu
la	te	ti	no	su
tan	les	di	tos	un
vas	ven	sin	hoz	sud

In succeeding classes gradually present the consonantal sounds of the language, and continue to demand correct pronunciation of the vowels. After several days or a few weeks, when the students have had ample time to experience the individual difficulties that they encounter in Spanish pronunciation, take some time to talk about the interferences of their native language. Explain the // of English, and give them examples of it, remembering that they might not be aware of such a linguistic phenomenon in their own language.

butter	rival	pajamas	methodical
huddle	tickle	connection	diacritical
punish	foreign	agreement	omnipotent
nutmeg	final	reference	metropolitan

Now emphasize that in order to ensure clear communication they must never use the // sound in Spanish. Compare the sounds of cognate words to demonstrate the tendencies of native language interference. Hadlich, Holton, and Montes suggest the following list of words (8).

English	Spanish
canal	canal
banana	banana
paternal	paternal
adorable	adorable
Caracas	Caracas
Colorado	Colorado

Extend this exercise to include random non-cognate words in Spanish in order to make awareness more acute.

casa	querer	sabiduría
pero	mente	universidad
pluma	vida	muchacho
nunca	poeta	calidad

Let students read a few brief sentences in Spanish, concentrating on pure vowel sounds and the machine-gun-like syllable-timed rhythm of Spanish.

If enough time is spent explaining the // to impress the gravity of the problem on students' minds early in the course, all the teacher will have to do in the future is to make timely references to the initial discussion of it. One might occasionally shout «Eliminate the schwa!»; or one might post a sign in the classroom that states «No schwas allowed.» Young students might even like to wear tee shirts that have «I hate schwas!» printed on them.

When teaching English to native speakers of Spanish, the following techniques could be employed in order to raise awareness of the //. At the beginning of an elementary course, explain the complex twelve-vowel system of the target language. Then present a list of one-syllable words to demonstrate the vowel sounds. Do not worry about the consonantal sounds at this time, as students can rely temporarily upon their imitative skills.

Long Vowels	Short Vowels	Other Vowels
late	cat	ha
Pete	bet	but
site	fit
dote	hot
Sue	put

Since the sound/letter correspondence in English is so unpredictable to the beginning learner, it is almost imperative that they consult dictionaries or native informants in order to know the exact pronunciation of new vocabulary. Unfortunately, English has no consistent way of indicating syllable stress or vowel quality. So give the students another list to show some alternate ways of writing the same sounds. Stress the importance of sound, not graphic representation.

After a few days, begin to drill students on minimal pairs to sharpen their perception and improve their ability to produce the strange sounds of English. Minimal pair exercises should be continued intermittently for several weeks. One can create one's own word lists for practice sessions. Here are a few examples.

bit	-	bet		pat	-	pet
sit	-	set		sat	-	set
knit	-	net		bat	-	bet

In succeeding classes, along with the minimal pair exercises, gradually present the consonantal sounds of the language, and continue to demand correct pronunciation of stressed vowels. As students learn new words, one might suggest that they note stressed syllable sounds, no matter how they are graphically represented, by using the symbols ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, ă, ě, ĩ, ő, ŭ, ä, and //. This could be done with new vocabulary lists or in short reading exercises.

After several days or a few weeks, when the students have had ample time to experience the individual difficulties that they en counter in English pronunciation, take time to talk about interferences of their native language. They must learn to expand their vowel repertoire from five to twelve, and one of those vowels is a //. Explain the // of English, and give them one-syllable examples of it.

but but gut nut rut putt etc.

Now emphasize that they must always pronounce the stressed vowel of an English word precisely, but that they must usually pronounce the unstressed vowels as a lazy //. Tell them that this will improve their communication with native speakers of English. Compare the sounds of cognate words to demonstrate the tendencies of native language interference. Once again one might use the list suggested by Hadlich, Holton, and Montes (8).

Spanish	English
canal	canal
banana	banana
paternal	paternal
adorable	adorable
Caracas	Caracas
Colorado	Colorado

Extend this exercise to include random non-cognate words in English in order to make awareness more acute.

butter	nutmeg	foreign	methodical
huddle	tickle	connection	omnipotent
punish	final	agreement	metropolitan

Awareness of the // must continually be reinforced in the teaching of English as a second language. If the problems of the // are presented in the early stages of beginning courses, then timely references to the initial discussion of it will suffice to maintain aware ness. One might occasionally shout «Viva la schwa!»; or one might post a sign in the class room that states «Schwalandia.» Young students might even like to wear tee-shirts that have «Schwas are beautiful!» printed on them.

The nature of the // and the problems it poses in foreign language acquisition do not constitute a revolutionary discovery. The // has been around a long time, and linguists identified it many decades ago. Phoneticians and foreign language methodologists frequently mention the phenomenon in their publications, but their brief discussions of it get lost in a maze of linguistic and methodological minutia. The importance, in general, of the // in teaching Spanish and English as a second language is neglected.

Authors of elementary and intermediate level textbooks for Spanish and English as a second language often neglect to mention problems involving the // at all. These authors seem to expect students to rely principally upon their imitative abilities to learn the target language. An exclusive reliance on imitative skills of students, however, may be detrimental, since they often do not perceive their own errors of pronunciation. Other authors mention the // as a prelude to pronunciation exercises, assuming that both teachers and students understand the implications of it. «Any adult can profit greatly from reading a book on general phonetics, which will tell him what kinds of sounds are used in the languages of the world and what types of movements of the speech organs are used to produce them. Such books are never a substitute for direct imitation, but they may make imitation a good deal easier because it can then be understood intellectually. Very good also are those books which deal with the phonetics of a particular language, especially if they contrast it with the phonetics of English» (Moulton, 50).

Unfortunately, most students have never heard of the //. Native speakers of English are frequently unaware of the // in their own speech, and native speakers of Spanish will be hearing of it for the very first time. If a student ever takes a specialized course in Spanish or English pronunciation, it is usually at an upper-division level (i.e., third or fourth year of studies). Ironically, an intellectual discussion of the problems created by the // can only be a corrective measure at that time, since a complex set of linguistic habits has already been formed in students. Fossilized pronunciation habits are difficult to remedy. Hence a more thorough discussion of the // and its implications needs to be presented in the beginning stages of language learning, be cause of the far-reaching consequences on pronunciation, rhythm of speech, intonation patterns, and meaning of words.

Hadlich, Roger L., James S. Holton and Matias Montes. A Drillbook of Spanish Pronunciation. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1968.

Moulton, William G. A Linguistic Guide to Language Learning. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1970, (second edition).

Hispania [Publicaciones periódicas]. Volume 73, Number 4, December 1990