Primary school kids are using unwieldy Mandarin phonetics in their English-language textbooks after the Ministry of Education ruled out teaching young pupils KK (Kenyon & Knott) symbols, a lawmaker claimed yesterday.
At a press conference, PFP Legislator Sun Ta-chien (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
With natural phonetics, students learn English through listening to and speaking the language rather than through memorization and using KK phonetic symbols to pronounce English words.
Sun said that the pupils, unable to memorize pronunciation without the help of KK symbols, marked Bopomofo characters under almost every English word in the textbook.
In one example, the pupil jotted down eight Bopomofo characters and two English letters under the English phrase, "Let's go in and have a look."
Taken phonetically, the sentence read: "Lai Tzu Kou m Hai F Erl Lu Ko" -- far from the correct pronunciation of the sentence, Sun said.
"This is only one example in this pupil's English textbook. Examples like this fill the whole book. The student even reads `and' as `m,'" Sun said.
Pointing at other examples in the book, Sun said, "The way this kid assembles Bopomofo symbols to show English pronunciations is really beyond my imagination."
"The pupil is very inventive. But the reason he has resorted to this method is because he has never been taught KK phonetic symbols," Sun said.
"Without other means to help him pronounce English, he can only use this method," he said.
The ministry decided to adopt natural phonetics in primary schools because it considers KK phonetic symbols too difficult for fifth and sixth-graders to grasp.
Sun said that he is very concerned about the future of the nation's English education because more and more primary school students are learning English using Bopomofo.
"The natural phonetics approach is only effective in English-speaking countries. In those countries, students speak correct English without learning KK phonetic symbols because they practice the language in their daily lives," Sun said.
"But Taiwan is not an English-speaking country. Students forget the pronunciations after classes. Why should we copy the teaching methods of English-speaking countries? It is simply unrealistic," Sun said.
Arjay Lin (
"I try very hard to ask my pupils to read aloud after me in every class. We only have one hour for English every week. As we don't teach KK phonetic symbols, most students forget the pronunciations after class," he said.
Deniro Lin (
According to Deniro Lin, the English proficiency of his first-grade students has polarized.
Those who can afford to attend private language schools find KK phonetic symbols boring, whereas students who have never learned the symbols hardly know how to pronounce English, Deniro Lin said.
Meanwhile, Chen Ming-yin (
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS