Course revision

Task 1. Fill in the blanks with suitable words

(a) larynx (b) lungs (c) environment (d) allophones

(e) vocal tract (f) vowels (g) first (x2) (h) shift
(i) smallest (j) final (k)Ambisyllabic (l) meaning
(m) stressed (n) trachea

A. In producing most speech sounds, including all the sounds used regularly in English, the air we
use comes from the (1. lungs). This air travels up from the lung, passing through the (2trachea)
(windpipe), until it reaches the (3. larynx) where it might be set into vibration. The (3. larynx) is
commonly known as the voice box, and its front is the protrusion that can be felt in the front of
the neck, which is called the Adam’s apple in men. The air passes through the (3. vocal tract)
into the (4. environment).

B. In terms of theory, researchers also sometimes disagree about the syllable distribution of the
intervocalic consonants (consonants in between (5. vowels). Some people think that stress attracts
intervocalic consonants, so that the /p/ in ‘happy’ would belong to the (6. first). syllable, as it is
stressed (louder and longer than the second syllable). Some others, however, think that the /p/ in
‘happy’ belongs to both syllables at the same time (that is, as the coda of the first syllable and the
onset of the second) and say it is (7. ambisyllabic). .

C. When we say the words Chinese and Waterloo in isolation, the stress is on the ( 8. final). syllable:
Chiˈnese and Waterˈloo. However, in phrases like ˈChinese ˈtakeaway and ˈWaterloo ˈstation,
stress likely falls on the (8. first) syllable of each element. This phenomenon is known as stress
(9. shift). , because stress shifts from the lexical stress position to somewhere else. This happens
because another (10.stressed) syllable occurs immediately afterwards – that is, at the start of
‘takeaway’ and ‘station’. English likes stressed syllables to be separated by some unstressed
syllables, and stress shift is one of the techniques the language employs to do just that.
D. Phonemes are the (11. smallest) units that can make a meaning difference in a language, but they
occur in slightly different forms depending on their (12. environment). (the other sounds around
them, and factors such as stress and their position in the syllable). We can tell if two sounds are
variants of the same phoneme by replacing one for another in a word and seeing if they make a
(13. meaning). difference. If they do not, then we know they are different versions of the same
phoneme. These different versions are called (14. allophones).

Task 2. For each section below, find appropriate words according to the instructions you are
given.
1. Find three words that rhyme with ‘can’, but which start with bilabials. ban, man, pan
2. Find six words that are like ‘make’, except that they finish with an alveolar sound in place of /k/.
Remember to keep the vowel the same and not to think about spelling. mate, made, maze, mane,
male, mace

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 3. Find three words where the first two sounds are exactly like those in ‘tut’, but which end with a
velar sound instead of the final /t/. tug, tuck, tongue

Task 3. Each of the following sets contains an inappropriate member. Pick it out and say why it is
inappropriate.

Set A

1. /m, n, ŋ, b/:
- m,n,b: bilabial consonants
- ŋ: nasal consonant

2. /p, b, t, n/

- p,b,t: plosives

- n: nasal stops

3. /p, t, m, s/

- p,t,m: complete closure

- s: close approximation

4. /ʊ, e, æ, ɪ/

- e, æ, ɪ: front vowels

- ʊ: back vowel

5. /l, f, v, s, z/

- f, v, s, z: fricative

- l: lateral approximants

6. /t, d, l, n, p/

- t,d,n,l: alveolar ridge

- p: bilabilal consonants

7. /t, d, p, f, s/

- t,p,s,f: voiceless (fortis)

- d: voiced (lenis)

8. /t, k, g, ŋ/

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 - k,g, ŋ: velar

- t: alveolar ridge

9. /p, tʃ, r, dʒ/

- tʃ, r, dʒ: post alveolar

- p: bilabial

10. /r w j t/

- r,w,j: central approximants

- t: plosive

Set B

1. /b p v dʒ n l r/
-
2. /ɡ l t d n s z/
3. /f ʃ ʒ θ v w ð/
4. /n l r w d j m/

Task 4. Give the correct technical terms for the sounds resulting from the following closures.

1. Complete closure followed by slow release of air

2. Complete closure for the oral cavity with the air diverted through the nose
3. Partial closure where the airstream is blocked by the tip of the tongue but allowed to escape
round the sides of the tongue
4. Complete closure followed by a sudden release of air
5. Sounds that involve some kind of pressure change and noise in their production. They include
plosives, affricates and fricatives.

Task 5. Decide whether the statements below are true or false. If they are false, explain why.
a) The velum is lowered for /ɡ/.
b) All nasals are sonorants.
c) All voiced sounds are sonorants.
d) The air is turbulent during the production of a fricative.
e) Air flows over the sides of the tongue for /j/.
f) Approximants are devoiced when they occur in a cluster after a voiceless plosive in
the onset of a stressed syllable.
g) The /w/ in ‘weed’ is not devoiced because it does not follow a voiceless plosive in a cluster.
h) There is a devoiced /r/ in ‘tree’ and ‘privet’, and a devoiced /l/ in ‘plant’ and ‘clover’.
j) The /r/ in ‘country’ is not devoiced because /tr/ is not the onset of a stressed syllable

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Task 6. Each of these transcriptions of English words contains errors. Spot the errors and
correct them.

a) quick /qwic/
b) ring /Ring/
c) box /Box/

Task 7. Transcribe the following sentences phonemically.

a) Have you got anything alcohol-free?

b) The birds are on the feeders in the garden.
c) I believe she’s got eleven units left to write.

Task 8. Which of the following words can be words in English? Which ones cannot be English
words? Explain why.

/dem/
/ŋʊdəl/
/splim/
/spfid/
/ʒɔdʒ/
/bɑh/
/sɪŋt/

Task 9. Divide the following words into syllables and explain for your answers.
1. Lengthy
2. Restore

Task 10. Transcribe the following phrases broadly, as they would be spoken by a non-rhotic
speaker. Next, divide them into three groups, according to whether they can be produced with
intrusive /r/, linking /r/ or neither.
fire in the hole
car boot
Arizona and Tennessee
pay on time
in awe of him
a pair of fives

Task 11. Transcribe the following words and sentences phonemically, including all place
assimilations that could occur.
a. white coffee; red wine; green grass; violet cream; chocolate brown
b. Those sheriffs surely can’t mend my shotgun quickly.

Task 12. The sentences below have been transcribed in isolated form. Imagine them spoken in
connected speech and add any potential weak forms, elisions, liaisons and assimilations.

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 a) /ðæt bɑ ɪznt kwaɪt bɪg ɪnʌf/
b) /ðə best frend ʃid menʃənd kʊdənt kʌm/

Task 13. Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
a) An accented syllable must also be a stressed syllable.
b) An intonation phrase must contain a nucleus.
c) Intonation phrases with a pre-head must also have a head.
d) Rising tones are followed by rising tails.

Task 14. For the following utterance, describe the intonation pattern as fully as possible.

Does it have a pre-head, head and/or tail? If so, which syllables make up these units, and what are the
pitch patterns inside these units? Which syllable is the nucleus, and what is the nuclear tone?

Task 15. These sentences are spoken with different nucleus. What different meanings do you
create? Also, try to think of an appropriate context for each version of the sentence.
a) I’ll get the shopping tonight.
b) I’ll get the shopping tonight.
c) I’ll get the shopping tonight.
d) I’ll get the shopping tonight.

Task 16. Decide on the intonation, the stressed words and nucleus in each of the following tone

units. Explain for your choice.

Setting: College senior Anastasia steps in for her sick roommate to interview prominent businessman
Christian for their campus paper.

Script [1.17:4:17] Intonation

Anastasia: So, this is for the special graduation issue of the student newspaper.
Christian: Yes, I'm giving the commencement address at this year's
ceremony.
Anastasia: You are? I mean… um…. I know.
Anastasia: You are very young to have amassed such an empire. To what do
you owe...
Christian: To what do I owe my success?
Anastasia: Yep.
Christian: Seriously?
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 Anastasia: Yes.
Christian: Business is about people. And I've always been good at people.
What motivates them, what incentivizes them, what inspires them.
Anastasia: Well maybe you're just lucky.
Christian: I've always found the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.
The key to my success is identifying talents in individuals and harnessing
their efforts.
Anastasia: You're a control freak?
Christian: Oh I exercise control in all things Miss Steele.
Anastasia: Okay um, your company is involved primarily in the
telecommunications sector, yet you also invest in numerous agricultural
projects, including several in Africa. Is that something you feel passionate
about? Feeding the world's poor?
Christian: Its smart business. You don't agree?
Anastasia: I don't know enough about it.
I just wonder if …perhaps your heart might be a bit bigger than you want to let on.
Christian: But some people say I don't have a heart…at all.
Anastasia: Why would they say that?
Christian: Because they know me well. Go on.
Anastasia: Do you have any interests outside of work?
Christian: I enjoy various physical pursuits.
Anastasia: You're unmarried, oh you were adopted at age four.
Christian: That's a matter of public record.
Anastasia: I'm sorry I didn't...
Christian: Do you have an actual question, Miss Steele?
Anastasia: Yes. Are you gay?
Anastasia: It’s written here, I'm just...
Christian: No, Anastasia. I'm not gay.
Anastasia: I apologise, Mr Grey. Kate can be a little...
Christian: Intrusive?
Anastasia: Curious.
Christian: What about you? Why don't you ask me something you want to know?
Anastasia: Earlier you said that there are some people who know you well. Why
do I have the feeling that that is not true?

Do you notice any case of weak forms, connected speech (assimilation, elision, and coalescence),
unreleased final stops?