Practice Lesson 1 [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

I. Introduction Written exercises 1/ Give three different names that have been used for the accent usually used for teaching the pronunciation of British English. 1. 2. 3.

BBC (BBC Pronunciation) RP (Received Pronunciation) GB (General British)

2/ What is the difference between accent and dialect? Accent is concerned with pronunciation differences only., while dialect refers to all language variation including grammatical and lexical factors. 3/ Which word is used to refer to the relative strength of a syllable? Stress 4/ How many sounds (phonemes) do you think there are in the following words? a) love /lʌv/: 3 sounds b) half /hɑ:f/: 3 sounds c) wrist /rɪst/: 4 sounds d) shrink /ʃrɪŋk/: 5 sounds e) ought /ɔ:t/: 2 sounds

II. The production of speech sounds Written exercises 1/ On the diagram provided, various articulators are indicated by labelled arrows (a-e). Give the names for the articulators. a) Soft palate or velum b) Alveolar ridge c) Front of tongue d) Hard palate e) Lower lip 2/ Using the descriptive labels introduced for vowel classification, say what the following cardinal vowels are: a) [u]: Close/ back/ rounded

b) [e]: Close-mid/ front/ spread c) [a]: Open/ front/ spread d) [i]: Close/ front/ spread e) [o]: Close-mid/ back/ rounded

3/ Draw a vowel quadrilateral and indicate on it the correct places for the following English vowels: a) æ

b) ʌ

c) ɪ

d) e

4/ Write the symbols for the vowels in the following words: a) Bread /e/

e) pull /ʊ/

b) rough /ʌ/

f) cough /ɒ/

c) foot ̸ʊ/

g) mat /æ/

d) hymn /ɪ/

h) friend /e/

III. Long vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs Written exercises 1/ On the vowel diagram provided, indicate the glides for the diphthongs in the following words:

a) fright /fraɪt/ b) home /həʊm/ c) clear /klɪəʳ/ d) cow /kaʊ/

2/ Write the symbols for the long vowels in the following words: a) broad /ɔ:/ d) learn /ɜ:/ g) err /ɜ:/ b) ward /ɔ:/ e) cool /u:/ h) seal /i:/ c) calf /ɑ:/ f) team /i:/ i) curl /ɜ:/ 3/ Write the symbols for the diphthongs in a) tone /əʊ/ d) way /eɪ/ g) hair /eə/ b) style /aɪ/ e) beer /ɪə/ h) why /aɪ/ c) out /aʊ/ f) coil /ɔɪ/ i) prey /eɪ/

IV. Voicing and consonants Written exercises 1/ Write brief descriptions of the actions of the articulators and the respiratory system in the words given below. Your description should start and finish with the position for normal breathing. Here is a description of the pronunciation of the word ‘bee’ bi: as an example:

Starting from the position for normal breathing, the lips are closed and the lungs are compressed to create air pressure in the vocal tract. The tongue moves to the position for a close front vowel, with the front of the tongue raised close to the hard palate. The vocal folds are brought close together and voicing begins; the lips then open, releasing the compressed air. Voicing continues for the duration of an i: vowel. Then the lung pressure is lowered, voicing ceases and the articulators return to the normal breathing position. Words to describe: (a) goat; (b) ape. a) goat Starting from the position for normal breathing, the back of the tongue is raised to form a closure against the velum. The lungs are compressed to produce air pressure in the vocal tract and the vocal folds are brought together in the voicing position. The vocal folds begin to vibrate, and the back of the tongue is lowered to allow the compressed air to escape. The tongue is moved to a mid-central vowel and then moves in the direction of a closer, backer vowel: the lips are moderately rounded for the second part. The tongue blade is raised to make a closure against the alveolar ridge, the vocal folds are separated and voicing ceases. Then the compressed air is released, the lips return to spread shape and the articulators return to the normal breathing position. b) ape Starting from the position for normal breathing, the tongue is moved slightly upward and forward, and the vocal folds are brought together to begin voicing. The tongue glides to a slightly closer and more central vowel position. Then the lips are pressed together, making a closure, and at the same time the vocal folds are separated so that voicing ceases. The lips are then opened and the compressed air is released, while the tongue is lowered to return to the normal breathing position.

2/ Transcribe the following words: a) bake /beɪk/

d) bought /bɔ:t/

g) bored /bɔ:d/

b) goat /ɡəʊt/

e) tick /tɪk/

h) guard /ɡɑ:d/

c) doubt /daʊt/

f) bough /baʊ/

i) pea /pi:/

VII. Nasals

and other consonants

Written exercises

1/ List all the consonant phonemes of the BBC accent, grouped according to manner of articulation. Plosives: p t k b d ɡ Fricatives: f θ s ʃ h v ð z ʒ Affricates: ʧ ʤ Nasals: m n ŋ Lateral: l Approximants: r w j 2/ Transcribe the following words phonemically: a) sofa /'səʊfə/ c) steering /'stɪərɪŋ/ b) verse /vɜ:s/ d) breadcrumb /'bredkrʌm/ e) square /skweə/ g) bought /bɔ:t/ f) anger /'æŋɡə/ h) nineteen /naɪn'ti:n/ 3/ When the vocal tract is in its resting position for normal breathing, the soft palate is usually lowered. Describe what movements are carried out by the soft palate in the pronunciation of the following words: a) banner /'bænəʳ/: The soft palate is raised for the ‘b’ plosive and remains raised for ‘æ’. It is lowered for ‘n’, then raised again for the final ‘ə’. b) mid /mɪd/: The soft palate remains lowered during the articulation of ‘m’, and is then raised for the rest of the syllable. c) angle /'æŋɡl/ : The soft palate is raised for the ‘æ’ vowel, then lowered for ‘ŋ’. It is then raised for the ‘ɡ’ plosive and remains raised for the ‘1’.

Chart of English consonant phonemes

IX. Strong

and weak syllables

Written exercise The following sentences have been partially transcribed, but the vowels have been left blank. Fill in the vowels, taking care to identify which vowels are weak; put no vowel at all if you think a syllabic consonant is appropriate, but put a syllabic mark beneath the syllabic consonant 1. A particular problem of the boat was a leak ə pə'tɪkjələ 'prɒbləm əv ðə bəʊt wəz ə li:k 2. Opening the bottle presented no difficulty 'əʊpnɪŋ ðə bɒtl prɪ'zentɪd nəʊ 'dɪfɪklti 3. There is no alternative to the government’s proposal ðər ɪz nəʊ ɒl'tɜ:nətɪv tə ðə 'ɡʌvnmənts prə'pəʊzl 4. We ought to make a collection to cover the expenses wi ɔ:t tə meɪk ə kə'lekʃn tə 'kʌvə ðə ɪk'spensɪz 5. Finally they arrived at a harbour at the edge of the mountains 'faɪnli ðəɪ ə'raɪvd ət ə 'hɑ:bər ət ði eʤ əv ðə 'maʊntɪnz