Forvo: Guida de pronunciationes (per Martijn Dekker)

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

In april, 2009, io discoperiva un sito web interessante, denominate Forvo: un dictionario public con le pronunciationes in voce de omne le parolas de multes del linguas del mundo. Illo es un excellente ressource pro personas qui vole apprender ulle de iste linguas. Usante iste sito, on pote audir le parolas pronunciate per parlantes native.

Al minus, isto esseva le ambition declarate in le sito. Ma interlingua non se includeva in le lista de linguas disponibile. Ergo io me creava un conto in le sito (nomine de usator: “McDutchie”) e contactava le gerentes. Subitemente, ab le 5 de maio, 2009, io me trovava redactor principal de interlingua pro Forvo.

Al momento de scriber, le sito contine circa duo milles de parolas pronunciate in interlingua, con le voces de me personalmente, Erik Enfors (“Torrente”) de Svedia, Josu Lavin de Espania, Gabriele Maranca de Argentina, e alteres.

Participation:

Omnes pote participar in le systema e contribuer pronunciationes. Le sol requerimentos es un computator con un microphono functionante e un bon cognoscentia del pronunciation de interlingua. Le systema es autoexplicative e simple a usar.

Le sito es projectate specificamente pro permitter le varietate in accentos regional. Si un parola jam ha essite pronunciate, on es totevia invitate a adder un altere pronunciation, si on pote contribuer un differente accento o un melior qualitate.

Variantes:

Ben que il existe plure variantes de pronunciation in le communitate de interlinguistas, pro novicios il pote esser confundente trovar diverse pronunciationes inconsistente.

Ergo, in Forvo io vole mantener un standard consistente, i.e., le pronunciation como describite per IALA, sin optiones collateral. Isto vole dicer que on debe pronunciar le “c” ante vocales “e” e “i” como “ts”, e le “g” sempre dur (excepte in le suffix “-age” e certe altere parolas).

Isto es un altere cosa que le differerentia inter accentos national. Le accentos es naturalmente permittite, pro non mentionar inevitabile.

E, clarmente, le regula de Forvo que le pronunciation deberea preferibilemente esser de parlantes native del lingua in question non es applicabile a interlingua--al minus pro iste generation de parlantes.

Distribution Libere:

Qui vole contribuer pronunciationes al sito debe primo comprender que isto es un projecto public e que le pronunciationes pote legalmente esser usate per altere personas a un base non commercial.

Pro facilitar isto, omne le pronunciationes es publicate sub le conditiones de un licentia de “Creative Commons”. Iste licentia contine stipulationes exacte pro uso e distribution. Vide le adresse del web al fin de iste articulo pro le detalios exacte.

Le signification del nomine “Forvo”:

“Forvo” pare esser un parola estranie, non cognoscite in ulle lingua. Nemo cognosce le signification. In un articulo in un bulletin de novas del 16 de Julio, 2008, le gerentes del sito mantene un aere secrete circa isto. Un contributor commentava que le significato poterea esser “For Vocalization” in anglese, e Forvo respondeva que isto es “multo proxime” al veritate.

Le lingua del sito web:

Ben que le lista de pronunciationes in interlingua es jam longe, le sito web mesme non es disponibile in interlingua--al minus nunc. Quando io deveniva le redactor pro interlingua, io requestava que le gerente del sito me permitte facer un traduction in interlingua del texto del sito. Ma le gerente respondeva que ille prefereva concentrar se primo in su publication in le linguas major.

Conclusion:

Ben que il resta ancora milles de parolas a pronunciar, le sito Forvo jam es un bon guida de pronunciation pro novicios de interlingua.

Simplemente cerca un parola in le sito e, si illo se include in le dictionario, vos pote audir le pronunciation con un sol clic. E contribuer nove pronunciationes es tan facile como crear un nove conto in le sito.

In conclusion, io spera que vos gaudera de iste nove modo de apprender interlingua, e forsan alicunos de vos addera vostre proprie voces a iste grande dictionario de pronunciation!

Le addresses web:

http://forvo.com/languages/ia (parolas pronunciate in interlingua)

http://pronuncionary.com/ (bulletin de novas, in anglese)

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/deed.nl (conditiones de distribution e republication)

---

Forvo Pronunciation Guide (by Martijn Dekker)

In April, I discovered an interesting web site, called Forvo: a public dictionary with voice pronunciations of all the words of many of the languages of the world. It is an excellent resource for people who want to learn any of these languages. Using this site, you can hear words pronounced by native speakers.

At least, this was the declared ambition of the site. But Interlingua was not included in the list of available languages. So I created an account on the site (with the user name “Mc Dutchie”) and contacted the managers. Suddenly, from May 5, 2009, I found I was the principal Interlingua editor for Forvo.

As I write this, the site contains around two thousand words pronounced in Interlingua, with my own voice, and the voices of Erik Enfors (“Torrente”) of Sweden, Jose Lavin of Spain, Gabriele Maranca of Argentina, and others.

Participation:

All can participate in the system and contribute pronunciations. The only requirement is a computer with a working microphone and a good knowledge of Interlingua pronunciation. The system is self explanatory and easy to use.

The site is set up specifically to allow for variety in regional accents. If a word has already been pronounced, people are still invited to add another pronunciation, if they can contribute a different accent or better quality.

Variants:

Though several pronunciation variants exist in the community of Interlinguists, for newcomers it can be confusing to find various inconsistent pronunciations.

Thus in Forvo I want to maintain a consistent standard, i.e., the pronunciation as described by IALA, without collateral options. This means that a person should pronounce a “c” before the vowels “e” and “i” as “ts,” and the “g” always hard, except in the suffix “-age” and certain other words).

This is different from national accents. Accents are naturally allowed, not to mention inevitable.

And clearly Forvo’s rule that pronunciation should preferably be by native speakers of the language in question is not applicable to Interlingua--at least for this generation of speakers.

Free Distribution:

Whoever wants to contribute pronunciations to the site should first understand that this is a public project and that the pronunciations can be legally used by other people on a non-commercial basis.

To facilitate this, all pronunciations are published under the Creative Commons license. This license contains exact stipulations for use and distribution. Consult the web address at the end of this article for exact details.

The meaning of the name”Forvo”:

“Forvo” seems to be a strange word that is unknown in any language. No one knows its meaning. In an article in a news bulletin dated July 16, 2008, the managers of the site maintain an attitude of secrecy about this. A contributor commented that the meaning could be “For Vocalization” in English, and Forvo responded that this is “very close” to the truth.

The language of the Web Site:

Though the list of pronunciations in Interlingua is already long, the web site itself is not available in interlingua--at least right now. When I became the Interlingua editor, I requested that the manager of the site allow me to make a translation into Interlingua of the text of the site. But the manager answered that he preferred to concentrate first on its publication in the major languages.

Conclusion:

Though there still remain thousands of words to be pronounced, the Forvo site is already a good pronunciation guide for Interlingua novices.

Simply search for a word within the site, and, if it is included in the dictionary, you can hear the pronunciation with a single click. And contributing a new pronunciation is as easy as creating a new account on the site.

In conclusion, I hope that you will enjoy this new way of learning Interlingua, and perhaps some of you will add your own voices to this large pronunciation dictionary!

Web Addresses:

http://forvo.com/languages/ia (Words pronounced in Interlingua)

http://pronuncionary.com/ (News bulletin, in English)

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/deed.nl (conditions for distribution and republication)