Analyzing the objective reasons for mastering the alphabet, it should be noted that with the beginning of studying the alphabet of a foreign language, orientation in the sounds and signs denoting the letters of the alphabet seems something incomprehensible. However, this is the first step towards developing speaking (oral and written) skills. The application AnkiPRO will help you master the alphabet of a foreign language. Thanks to the flashcard learning method, the educational process will become real fun and an effective tool in mastering the language.
Is It Necessary to Learn the Alphabet of the Target Language?
When starting to learn any foreign language, the question often arises: Is studying the alphabet really necessary? It is no secret that any language consists of words, and a word consists of letters. Transferring information to an interlocutor using rock paintings (drawings) or sign language is not a convenient way in everyday communication. More often, this is spoken word or written texts.
It is not enough to write or speak a text. If you really want to be understood, you need the information to reach the recipient and be interpreted correctly. This means that for successful and effective exchange of information we have to know and distinguish the same “coordinate system”, namely the alphabet. So, when learning the alphabet, you need to remember tree essential tasks:
- to learn the name of letters;
- to learn possible ways to pronounce letters;
- to learn graphic representation of letters.
Top Alphabet Flashcard Decks 2024
Knowing the alphabet will help you dictate your personal data, including first name/last name/street name or e-mail address since it is useful for correct recording in documents. Moreover, sections in textbooks, sectors of large sports and assembly halls, sometimes the “numbering” of individual streets, halls of airports and train stations, parts of instructions are indicated by letters of the alphabet.
Just imagine what kind of unpleasant situations you can avoid if you pronounce and read the alphabet correctly. Here’s the top alphabet flashcard decks for 2024.
The Brazilian Portuguese Alphabet
It is common knowledge that Brazil was once a colony of Portugal, so these countries have a lot in common. Portuguese has exactly the same alphabet as English, the same 26 letters. Moreover, some letters (K, W, Y) are used only in proper names and in words of foreign origin. This deck implies a helpful language series that is designed to focus on learning Brazilian Portuguese alphabet. There are approximately 31 notes here.
English Alphabet Sounds
Over the history of its existence, the English alphabet has borrowed words from many other languages. Accordingly, the different origins of words lead to the fact that they are read differently. This is precisely what can explain the fact that it consists of 26 letters, which are conveyed by 44 sounds. There are currently many ways to study phonemes. The main thing to remember is that there is at least one exception for every rule. The presented list contains 26 notes.
Hangul (Korean Alphabet)
The Korean language implies one of the most distinctive languages in the world, spoken by about 60 million people. The majority of Korean speakers live on the Korean Peninsula and surrounding islands, and more than 3 million are scattered around the world. The origin of the Korean language is as uncertain as the origin of the Korean people themselves.
In its modern form, the Korean phonetic alphabet, Hangul, consists of forty letters. The individual letters in it are formed into syllables. Sometimes, a syllable may end with two consonants. In this case, only one of them is read. Three groups of readings can be distinguished. The presented deck contains 80 notes.
Arabic Alphabet with Pronunciation (Audio)
Arabic is a great language, the language of a huge culture, a significant part of the world’s population uses it. It serves not only those for whom it is native but also a large number of countries surrounding the core of the Arab world. At the same time, the languages of all these countries included a very large number of borrowings from Arabic.
In ancient times, the Arabic alphabet had similar features to the Phoenician, but those letters that were added later were located at the end of the Arabic alphabet. It consists of 28 letters, displaying only consonant sounds in writing. There are no special letters for writing vowel sounds in Arabic writing. Due to the fact that the Arabic language distinguishes between short and long vowels, some letters used to write consonants are used to convey long vowels in writing. The presented deck contains 112 notes. The use of these words assists learners in mastering the Arabic language.
Russian Alphabet with Handwritten and Print Fonts and Sounds
The structure of the modern Russian language has a number of features that distinguish it from other languages of the world. Russian is an inflectional language since it has inflections. This is a synthetic language, namely a word that combines both lexical and grammatical meanings.
The alphabet begins with the letter “A”, which represents the first letter in the word “ABC”. Then come the other letters in order. The presence of vowels and consonants constitutes one of the Russian alphabet features. Consonants are pronounced short and cannot be sung without effort and vowel sounds can be sung. So, if your goal is to learn the Russian language, its alphabet will be necessary. The presented deck contains 99 notes.
French Alphabet Pronunciation
French is one of the most developed and influential languages in the world. It is remarkable that the French language does not tolerate the initial letter combination st, which is so common in the original Latin. There are 26 pairs of letters in the French alphabet. It is based on Latin, like English and German.
It is also worth keeping in mind that although the letters in all 4 languages are written the same, the sounds are different. In addition, French uses diacritics. The deck contains about 30 flashcards needed for learning the French alphabet.
Thai Alphabet – All Consonants and Vowels
There are 72 letters in the Thai alphabet. Meanwhile, 44 are consonants and 28 are vowels. There are 4 symbols that determine the tone of a word. As a rule, words are not separated by spaces, but Thais write from left to right. Depending on the intonation, the word changes its meaning. This deck has approximately 309 useful cards.
Spanish Alphabet with Audio
The Spanish language is very beautiful and melodic. Thus, borrowed words quickly adapt to Spanish phonetics, retaining the letters w and k, indicating foreign origin. A significant difference between the Spanish alphabet and other Latin languages is the presence in it of a letter that conveys the soft sound Ñ (enye) in words and syllables. The letters of the Spanish alphabet are easy to remember, but it is better to do it immediately with practice, for example, by doing a simple reading exercise. There are approximately 27 notes here.
Japanese Katakana Alphabet
Several thousand years ago, the Japanese did not have any written language. They decided to borrow writing from the Chinese because at that time the Chinese nation was very developed. However, the Japanese found it difficult to read such characters, and they began to come up with various signs to sign the reading of kanji. This is how two alphabets arose: hiragana and katakana.
Katakana is not just an alphabet. It is part of Japanese culture and identity. This is an integral element of the rhythm, sound and design of Japanese speech. Learning katakana not only allows you to better understand and use the Japanese language but also allows you to immerse yourself in the rich and unique culture of Japan. The presented deck contains 83 notes.
Georgian Alphabet
The Georgian language belongs to the South Kartvelian branch of the Kartvelian languages. It is the official language of Georgia, the literary and national language of the Georgian nation. The total number of Georgian language speakers in the world is about 5 million people. Features of the Georgian language include:
- the absence of a grammatical gender category;
- the absence of capital letters;
- weak stress.
Nowadays, the alphabet consists of 33 letters. Previously, 3 letters were removed from the alphabet. As a result, 5 vowels and 28 consonants remained in the Georgian alphabet. If you know the Georgian alphabet, then reading any inscription will be easy for you. The presented deck contains 33 notes.
Key Takeaways
Previously, mastering the foreign language alphabet helped when searching for words in printed dictionaries since any dictionaries are kept in alphabetical order. With the advent of the era of electronic dictionaries and reference books, this has almost lost its relevance. However, correct pronunciation of abbreviations and terms directly depends on knowledge of the alphabet.
Most importantly, learning the language alphabet is the key to building a competent basis for the spelling correctness of words. If you are already learning the foreign language alphabet, feel free to use the AnkiPRO platform for studying. It will surely help you remember the letters easier and faster.