Zapisać mowę. Wybrane zagadnienia graficznej reprezentacji tekstów polskich

Abstract

Przedmiotem niniejszej książki są sposoby przekazywania w różnych typach współczesnych polskich tekstów informacji na temat wymowy. Analiza obejmuje przykłady tekstów zapisanych zgodnie ze skonwencjonalizowanymi zasadami ortograficznymi, specjalistyczne notacje odzwierciedlające rozmaite reguły transkrypcji fonetycznej oraz swoiste systemy notacyjne stosowane w kompendiach leksykograficznych i podręcznikach szkolnych. Szczególny typ analizowanych tekstów stanowią zapiski małych dzieci, ilustrujące proces opanowywania konwencji ortograficznej. Celem prowadzonych rozważań jest nakreślenie zróżnicowania stosowanych systemów notacyjnych oraz ukazanie ich funkcjonalnej odmienności, a także – w odniesieniu do wybranych zjawisk – krytyczna refleksja nad przydatnością charakteryzowanych praktyk utrwalania mowy i przekazywania informacji na jej temat. Sposoby zapisu dźwięków mowy są bardzo zróżnicowane i zależą przede wszystkim od celu, do jakiego są stosowane, oraz – co się z tym wiąże – od adresata. Trzy podstawowe systemy notacyjne to pismo ortograficzne, pismo fonetyczne oraz pismo ortograficzno-fonetyczne. Książka zawiera ogólne omówienie każdego z nich wraz z przedyskutowaniem wybranych zagadnień szczegółowych.

Speech and writing are the two sub-codes of language. The spoken sub-code, genetically primary, is inherently volatile. The written sub-code takes the form of standardised spelling that usually relates to phonic structures to some extent, but is represented in conventionally written text. The subject of this book is the way of conveying information on pronunciation in various types of contemporary Polish written texts. The analysis includes examples of texts written in accordance with conventionalized spelling rules (orthographic writing), specialized notations reflecting various rules of phonetic transcription (phonetic writing), and specific notation systems used in lexicographic compendiums and school textbooks (orthographic­‑phonetic writing). A particular category of analysed texts includes notes taken by young children, which illustrate the process of mastering spelling conventions that reflects the process of transition, at a certain stage, from orthographic­‑phonetic writing to orthographic writing. The aim of this analysis is to outline the diversity of these notation systems and to show their functional diversity, as well as – in relation to selected phenomena – to critically reflect on the usefulness of the characterized practices of preserving speech and providing information about it. The basic register of graphic symbols used to record the Polish language, including its spoken version, is the Polish alphabet along with its punctuation system. Although the phonic side of a language can be reconstructed from orthographic script, its main purpose is to identify language units. Orthographic representation, based on specific graphemic­‑phonemic relations, evokes in the mind of the recipient a certain association with a linguistic sign and directs their attention to the meaning. Language speakers tend to overlook the discrepancy between pronunciation and spelling, which is the result of the historical development of the Polish language and contemporary phonetic variance. Spoken and written sub­‑codes affect each other. At a time when the graphemic system of the Polish language was being shaped, pronunciation more often determined the way of writing, but along with the stabilization of the graphic image of words, the writing began to influence pronunciation. Orthographic pronunciation occurs in situations in which the graphic form of a word suggests pronunciation inconsistent with basic rules. A text consistent with spelling rules is phonically transparent to the reader. In writing, when one wants to draw attention not to the meaning, but to the sound of an utterance, there is a need to use a notation that violates the regular spelling rules. Signalling the phonic features of a message in an orthographic text is achieved through the use of typographic and lexical means evoking specific emotions or connotations, as well as conscious departures from the spelling convention. This creates a simplified rendition of the pronunciation, usually limited to a specific fragment of a word or to a selected phonic feature. Such notations are usually used to draw attention to constant peculiarities of someone’s pronunciation (e.g. individual or related to dialect or social environment) or its expressive character, which is needed in fiction to build a convincing setting. The main way of writing down pronunciation is phonetic transcription (in the broad sense) or phonetic script; in other words: transcription using phonetic symbols. The general purpose of such transcription is to render the spoken form suitable for further analysis, using language­‑independent notation. Transcription is the result of a preliminary analysis of the sound layer of the spoken text and enables its presentation in a concise and effective manner, which facilitates reflection on the phonic aspect of an utterance. Transcription is therefore a record of speech analysis, but is to some extent influenced by the primary writing system (e.g. when it retains the delimitation resulting from the orthographic tradition). The scope of information that transcription carries depends on many factors, including on the adopted inventory of sounds and the phonological system, which means that the same text can have many transcriptions. Transcription is both a research tool and a teaching aid. Phonetic writing is used primarily in scientific research (including to formulate ortho­‑phonic principles, describe the variability of pronunciation and trends in its development) and in teaching at the academic level. The purpose of the transcription determines its nature and level of detail. Narrow phonetic transcription can approximate pronunciation very accurately, but symbols reflecting various articulation or acoustic details require a rich repertoire of diacritics and sometimes carry too much information. For these reasons, in many situations, e.g. in teaching foreign languages (especially those in which the relations between graphemes and phonemes are very complicated), less precise, or broad, transcription is commonly used. Creators of a transcription aimed at a wider audience must find a balance between being precise, economic, and intelligible. One of the methods is to abandon the phonetic alphabet in favour of the alphabet used to write the mother tongue, which is a convenience for both the sender and the recipient. Orthographic­‑phonetic writing (simplified transcription) is used to record the pronunciation by a person unfamiliar with specialized phonetic notation or to approximate the pronunciation for such a recipient. The discussed notation is used in short­‑term practical applications, but it is also of great social importance, if only because of the reach of the publications it occurs in. In works with a certain degree of intellectual discipline, such as dictionaries or textbooks for teaching Polish as a mother tongue, the adopted notation conventions should be thought out and applied consistently. Analysis proves that this is not always the case. In the case of the mother tongue taught in schools, the graphic form of the pronunciation is not only intended to enable the reader to read the text correctly, even if only approximately, using characters that are understandable without specialized explanations. It is also intended to make the students aware of the phonetic structure of the language, thus shaping their linguistic awareness. The lack of appropriate notation makes it impossible to achieve the intended educational goals. A specific type of orthographic­‑phonetic writing is notation used by young children. The process of discovering how the code used to write spoken language works goes through several stages. Initially, children relate graphic symbols to single linguistic signs (functional units), hence their records should be treated as a reflection of their way of categorizing speech sounds and reconstructing the graphemic system of their mother tongue. Understanding children’s inconsistency with standard spelling as attempts to reflect pronunciation, rather than as spelling errors, creates an opportunity to better help them acquire reading and writing skills.