Last week I had a chance to observe a kindergarten EFL class during which the teacher was teaching phonics to two little Japanese girls. “T, t, t, top. Is this a t-word?” “Yes!” “T, t, t, bus. Is this a t-word?” “No!” But then came an interesting one. “T, t, t, train. Is this a t-word?” “No!” Both girls did not hesitate. The teacher, of course, corrected the girls, “Listen carefully. T, t, train. Now, is this a t-word?” The girls took the hint and agreed with the teacher.
But anyone who studied phonetics and phonology would know that “t” in “train” is a palatalized t, which is phonetically distinct from the “t” pronounced alone, which is an aspirated “t” (used in “top”). So the girls were right!
But I suppose, for the sake of phonics, the girls need to learn to ignore the difference between an aspirated t and a palatalized t (and an unaspirated t), so they need to be corrected, even though they were right. I didn’t say anything during or after my observation because I didn’t think anyone could appreciate it. But I am sharing this observation with my blog readers. What are your thoughts on this?