Thursday, September 29, 2011

Clinical Phonetics and "Prononciation Cliniques" or HIPC

I have been trying to come up with a good, descriptive organization name for what we do for some time. In practice, the term "clinical pronunciation" is probably close, parallel to the field of "clinical phonetics" (linked above.) This definition of "counseling psychology" may provide a better point of departure: a branch of psychology that specializes in both discovering new knowledge and in applying the art and science of psychology to people with emotional or behavioral disorders . . .  Not sure that the analogy extends well to one with pronunciation issues as having an "emotional or behavioral disorder," of course, but systematic work with emotion and behavior (especially directed movement) is central to effective pronunciation change. We work more with "hands on" anchoring and integration, rather than with cognitive schema and metacommunication (rules, goal setting and planning) about the process with learners. So, I might propose, instead, the French term: Prononciation cliniques--literally, clinical pronunciation. It sounds somewhat more euphonic to the English ear (my focal group assures me) and it seems to also suggest indirectly, the notion of "pronunciation clinic," which, in turn, by itself in English sounds a bit too "mechanical." Or perhaps: Clinique de Prononciation Cliniques? (Clinical Pronunciation Clinic = CPC). The simple acronyms "CP, PC and CPC" don't work too well, for various reasons--but haptic-integration of pronunciation certainly does. So how about:  HIPC (haptique intégrée Prononciation cliniques)?

2 comments:

  1. May have a winner! Haptic-integrated Clinical Pronunciation. HICP (pronounced: Hiccup!)

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  2. This blog is a real treasure. All sorts of very useful links. HICP (hiccup) does seem to be a good choice. I think it is a very memorable name because of its comical irony.

    Evan

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