The Pronunciation of English: A Reference and Practice Book

By Tamara Piankova

The Pronunciation of English deals comprehensively with the English sounds, stress, rhythm, and intonation in a single volume.

The description of English sounds is based on the sound classification and on the symbols used by Prof. Daniel Jones, a great authority on English phonetics. Our practice exercises are developed specifically for foreign learners of English. A sound is practiced separately and in contrasts, moving from syllables and words in transcription to those in standard spelling, spelling forms, and sentences (with stress marked and intonation patterns shown by arrow point downward and arrow pointing upward). The pronunciation of words is in accordance with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.

Work through the book and you will receive a sound training in expressing meaning in English speech, will understand native speakers, and will be understood in a communication.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Sep 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483413990

Book preview

THE PRONUNCIATION

OF ENGLISH

A REFERENCE AND PRACTICE BOOK

DR TAMARA M. PIANKOVA

Copyright © 2014 Tamara Piankova.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1400-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1399-0 (e)

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 08/18/2014

CONTENTS

Preface

1    ENGLISH SOUNDS

1. Specific Features of English Sounding

2. Consonant Sounds

/p/

/b/

/t/

/d/

/k/

/g/

/f/

/v/

/θ/

/ð/

/s/

/z/

/ʃ/

/ʒ/

/h/

/tʃ/

/dʒ/

/m/

/n/

/ŋ/

/l/

/r/

/w/

/j/

3. Vowel Sounds

/i:/

/ı/

/e/

/æ/

/a:/

/ɔ/

/o:/

/u/

/u:/

/Λ/

/ə:/

/ə/

/eı/

/aı/

/ɔı/

/ou/

/au/

/εə/

/uə/

/aıə/

/auə/

2    WORD STRESS

1. Importance of Word Stress in English

2. Placement of Word Stress

3    PHRASE AND SENTENCE STRESS

1. Typical Cases of Phrase Stress

2. Words Normally Unstressed in Utterance

3. Special Cases of Phrase Stress

4. Sentence Stress

4 RHYTHM

1. Stressed Syllables

2. Unstressed Vowels

3. Strong and Weak Forms

4. Tone Groups

5    INTONATION

1. Intonation and its Functions in English Speech

2. The Rise-Fall

3. The Rise

4. Direct Speech

6    READING PRACTICE

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Once learners are aware that English words have a stress pattern,

that words can be pronounced in slightly different ways,

that the pitch of the voice can be used to convey meaning,

then they will know what to pay attention to

and can build upon this basic awareness.

Joanne Kenworthy

Exercise is the chief source of improvement in all our faculties.

Hugh Blair

List of English Phonetic Symbols, Abbreviations, and Signs

Consonant Sounds

Vowel Sounds

Abbreviations

adj. – adjective

e.g. – for example

etc. – and other things of the same sort

i.e. – that is

inf. – infinitive

n. – noun

sth. – something

v. – verb

viz. – namely

Signs

Preface

There are two elements in speech – what we say and how we say it. What we say makes use of consonant and vowel sounds to form words, phrases, and sentences. How we say it relies on stress in a particular syllable or word, on rhythm, and on intonation (tone of voice). Both elements are important for the listener to understand and for the speaker to be understood.

When a foreigner does not pronounce English sounds clearly, a native speaker can hardly understand a word. At the same time, listening to a native speaker, a foreigner may happen not to recognize a spoken word because they used to pronounce it in a different way, and what they hear at the moment does not correspond to the acoustic form stored in their minds.

The stress pattern of a word is an important feature of the word’s spoken identity. Thus we find elec'tricity, not electri'city (which may be heard as electro'city). Foreigners who unwittingly alter word stress can have great difficulty in making themselves understood. For instance, if the word house-warming is stressed on the second syllable, the listener may understand it as making the house warmer. Stress pattern may even partly convey contrasts of meaning, as with 'minute (n.) and mi'nute (adj.).

To emphasize particular words in a sentence, which the speaker thinks to be the most important in the utterance, they use a sentence stress. If the speaker does not use it or the listener fails to grasp it, the listener may miss the point the speaker is leading them to.

English has a characteristic rhythm which is greatly governed by:

• Pronunciation of stressed syllables

• Reduction of unstressed vowels

• Strong and weak forms of words

• Uninterrupted stream of sounds and words within tone groups

• Speed of speech.

The choice of the wrong intonation pattern may cause misunderstanding, just as the wrong sound does. For instance, the regular use of a narrow range between the upper and the lower limits of a speaker’s voice may give an impression that the speaker is rude, arrogant, and has bad manners.

    Pronunciation is assisted by syllabic division of words, which is based on true phonetic principles, i.e. on the spoken language. It has nothing to do with word division in writing or printing, where a word occurs at the end of the line and part of it must be carried over to the next line, as with nu-mer-ic-al. The division nu-'me-ri-cal regards only ease of utterance.

According to the phonetic principles, in spelt words, a stress mark is never placed:

− Between double consonants representing a single sound (o'pposing, co'rrect, o'ccur)

− Between the letters of a spelling form of a single sound (a'djoin, a'scent)

− Within consonant sound groups /sp, st, sk, spr, str, skr, spl, skw, kw, kr, gr, tr, pl/, which are generally pronounced together (mi'stake, de'stroy, a'cquit, di'scuss).

− On etymological grounds (wi'thout, stan'ding, tru'stee, volun'teer).

It may be added that syllabic division by etymology can be done only by those who have studied the subject, whereas all speakers should know how a word is sounded. For example, we divide banquet phonetically into 'ban-quet. But if we followed the etymology, we should have to divide it into banqu-et (literally little bench derived from the French word banc bench).

In this book, the description of English consonants and vowels is based on the sound classification and on the symbols used by Prof. Daniel Jones, a great authority on English phonetics. Our practice exercises are developed specifically for training foreign learners of English. The pronunciation of words is that given in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.

Dr. Tamara M. Piankova

Chapter 1

ENGLISH SOUNDS

1. Specific Features of English Sounding

1. English Sounds. – Foreign learners of English run into several difficulties of pronunciation. First, it is necessary to learn to pronounce new sounds, which are absent from their mother tongue, without replacing them by other sounds. Learners do not always discern the subtle difference between the sound that they hear or produce and the same sound pronounced by a native speaker. They perceive sounds of a new language from the standpoint of their mother tongue. Therefore, it is very important to draw their attention to the similarities and differences in the articulation of similar English and native sounds.

2. Length of Vowels. – The length of an English vowel means the amount of time occupied in uttering it. It is not a constant but rather a variable quantity. If the time so occupied is short, the vowel is said to be short; otherwise, it is said to be long. A vowel can be long either by nature or by position. Vowels long by nature are found in sea /si:/, pause /po:z/, tool /tu:l/. Vowels long by position are seen in kid /kıd/, rod /rɔd/, sum /sΛm/. The vowels themselves in such words or syllables are not long by nature, but they are made long by position, for they are followed by a strong combination of consonants and cannot be sounded rapidly.

Thus, the general rule is that the length of a vowel (both long and short by nature) is determined by the sound that follows it.

(a) A vowel is shorter in two-syllable and polysyllabic words as well as before a voiceless consonant.

(b) A vowel is half-long before a voiced consonant, especially a sonorant.

(c) A vowel is long in final positions, especially before a pause.

As a result, the long vowel /i:/ before a voiceless consonant in the word feet /fi:t/ and the short vowel /e/ before a voiced consonant in the word sell /sel/ are quite comparable in terms of their length.

3. Voiced and Voiceless Consonants. – Consonants are subdivided into two great classes, the Voiceless and the Voiced. Such consonants go for the most part in pairs.

The voiceless consonants are strong and pronounced without vocal cord vibration, while the voiced consonants are weak and pronounced with vocal cord vibration. Incorrect voicing or devoicing of sounds may cause notional errors.

4. Aspiration. – Besides being strong, the voiceless /p, t, k, tʃ/ have another distinguishing feature: in a position before a stressed vowel, they are pronounced with a noticeable puff of breath (aspiration), as with pit /phıt/, team /thi:m/, call /kho:l/, chain /tʃheın/. On the other hand, an aspiration of voiced sounds /b, d, g, dʒ/ may make it difficult for the listener to identify the word. Compare:

5. Continuous Pronunciation of Sounds and Words in a Natural Stream of Speech. – Unlike the written language, where word boundaries are shown by spacing, words in spoken language have no boundaries, and we do not make pauses between them. On the contrary, sounds run together in an uninterrupted stream, and the final sound of one word affects the initial sound of the next word, or an additional, linking sound emerges between two words. Every tone group (## 129 - 131) is pronounced as a single word, without taking a breath.

(1) My mother is very busy. /maı'mΛðərız'veri'bızi/

(2) He made a lot of mistakes. /hi'meıdə'lɔtəvmı'steıks/

As a result, word combinations having different meanings seem to sound alike in a speech stream. In fact, the speaker can show (and the listener can tell) the difference in their meaning in several ways. Compare:

That’s cool /'ðæts'ku:l/ – that school /ðət'sku:l/.

Here, the stress thrown upon the word that on the left compels us to make it longer than unstressed that on the right, sounded with /ə/ rather than /æ/.

6. Double Consonants.

(a) Double consonants in the middle or at the end of a word are pronounced as a single sound.

      small /smo:l/      swimmer /'swımə/      dinner /'dınə/      dress /dres/

(b) At interfaces between words or parts of words, double consonants are pronounced distinctly.

   (i) A complete closure is prolonged, with a plosion occurring only in the second sound.

   (1) I 'want to img02.png do it. /t/

   (2) We had img02.png done it. /d/

   (3) 'Stop img02.png playing ! /p/

   (4) He 'eats 'much img02.png cheese. /tʃ/

   (5) 'Don’t 'buy a 'cheap img02.png printer. /p/

   (ii) Two long continuous sounds are heard.

   (1) They 'feel img02.png low. /ll/

   (2) I 'own img02.png nothing. /nn/

   (3) 'Miss 'Sled 'drives the 'same 'make of img02.png car. /ss, mm/

2. Consonant Sounds

7. In English as now spoken, there are altogether twenty-four consonant sounds. They differ in the organs of speech chiefly used in uttering them (Fig. 1). By means of these organs, the breath is slightly changed as it passes from the lungs. For example, in making the sounds /p, b, t, d, k, g/, the flow of air coming out of the mouth is first stopped and then suddenly released (hence their name plosives). In forming the sounds /n, m, ŋ/, the air passes up the nose passage and escapes through the nostrils (hence their name nasals) (Fig. 2).

/p/

8. The English /p/ is sounded by closing the lips against each other, while the tongue rests on the lower jaw. It is voiceless and produced with considerable force, especially at the end of words. Before a stressed vowel, /p/ is strongly aspirated, as with pet /phet/, but after the sound /s/, its aspiration is less strong, as with speak /spi:k/. In final position, /p/ is unaspirated and heard clearly, as with keep /ki:p/. Before /i:, ı, e, æ, ə:, j/, the sound /p/ is not palatalized, as with pig /pıg/. Double pp in the middle of a word are pronounced as a single sound /p/, as with pepper /'pepə/. At interfaces between words or parts of words, double pp are pronounced with a prolonged complete closure and with plosion occurring only in the second sound, as in lamp post /'læmp 'poust/.

004_a_lulu.png

Exercises.

I. Pronounce /p/ with aspiration. Do not palatalize it before /i:, ı, e, æ, ə:, j/.

/ img02.png phi:, img02.png pi:s, img02.png pıt, img02.png pın, img02.png pıg, img02.png pen, img02.png pet, img02.png peı, img02.png peıpə, img02.png pæt, img02.png pæd, img02.png paı, img02.png  pə:s, img02.png pju:/

II. Read the words with aspirated /p/. Do not palatalize it before /i:, ı, e, æ, ə:, j/.

img02.png Pete /ph:t/, piece, pit, pin, pill, pitch, 'pity, pen, page, pale, pace, pay, pain, pan, pack, pants, pine, pipe, pie, part, 'party, pool, put, push, port, 'pocket, 'open, 'keeping.

III. Pronounce /p/ after /s/ without aspiration.

img02.png Speed, spend, spell, spot, sport, spoon, spy, span, Spain, spate, 'spinster.

IV. Make final /p/ unaspirated and heard clearly.

img02.png Help, top, hop, pop, map, lap, cap, clip, sip, pip, ape, sleep, cheap, steppe.

V. Pronounce double pp in the middle of words as a single sound /p/.

img02.png Supper, 'happy, 'pepper, 'apple, 'hopping, 'topple, 'slippery, clipped, 'puppy.

VI. Pronounce /pl, pr/ together, without /ə/ between them.

img02.png Plan, please, plate, plane, prime, press, 'present, proof.

VII. Read the sentences.

1. Pick 'up your img02.png pencil.

2. 'Penny 'paid for the img02.png pie

3. 'Put it on 'top of the img02.png pile.

4. 'Pat 'plays the img02.png pan pipes.

5. He was 'able to 'keep 'prices img02.png low.

6. 'Pete is 'peeping into 'Paul’s img02.png paper.

7. 'Keep the 'puppy a'way from the img02.png pepper.

8. 'Peter 'Piper 'picked a 'peck of 'pickled img02.png pepper.

/b/

9. The English /b/ is sounded by closing the lips against each other, while the tongue rests on the lower jaw. It is voiced and produced with less force than /p/. Before /i:, ı, e, æ, ə:, j/, the sound /b/ is never palatalized, as with bee /bi:/. At the beginning and at the end of words, it is partially voiced: initially, the sound starts as voiceless and ends as a voiced /b/, whereas finally, the voiced /b/ ends as a voiceless sound. Complete devoicing of /b/ may lead to notional errors. Double bb in the middle or at the end of a word are pronounced as a single sound /b/, as with pebble /'pebl/. At interfaces between words or parts of words, double bb are pronounced with a prolonged complete closure and with plosion occurring only in the second sound, as in grab bag /'græb'bæg/.

Exercises.

I. Read. Do not palatalize /b/ before /i:, ı, e, æ, ə:, j/.

/ img02.png bi:t, img02.png bıt, img02.png bıd, img02.png bet, img02.png bed, img02.png ben, img02.png beg, img02.png bel, img02.png beıd, img02.png bæd, img02.png bænd, img02.png baı, img02.png bə:d, img02.png bə:θ, img02.png bju:ti/

II. Read the words. Do not palatalize /b/ before /i:, ı, e, æ, ə:, j/. Make the initial and the final /b/ partially voiced.

img02.png Bee, be, been, Bill, big, Bess, bell, Ben, bed, bet, best, 'berry, bag, back, bat, bad, bike, barn, bark, box, boss, boom, boy, build, buoy, 'cabin, 'robin, 'baby, 'absent, Bob, cab, grab, robe, club, dub, rib.

III. Read the contrasted pairs of words with a voiced /b/ and a voiceless /p/ in final position.

IV. Read the contrasted pairs. Make the initial /p/ strong and aspirated.

V. Pronounce double bb in the middle and at the end of words as a single sound /b/.

img02.png Bobbed, webbed, 'ribbon, 'hobby, 'rubber, 'cabbage, ebb.

VI. Pronounce /bl, br/ together, without /ə/ between them.

img02.png Blue, black, 'table, 'able, 'marble, brave, bream, brick, bride.

VII. Read the sentences.

1. 'Bob is a 'bright img02.png boy.

2. 'Ben 'brought a 'big img02.png bag.

3. 'Bess’s 'hobby is img02.png boating.

4. 'Bob 'Bain is at the 'club img02.png bar.

5. 'Barbara be'lieves in the img02.png Bible.

6. The 'ruby 'belt is 'made of img02.png rubber.

7. The 'bottles in the 'cabin be'gin vi img02.png brating.

/t/

10. In sounding the English /t/, the tip of the tongue touches, at the right angle, the upper teeth-ridge. The sound /t/ is voiceless, distinct, and strong. Before a stressed vowel, /t/ has considerable aspiration, as with tell /thel/, but after /s/, its aspiration is less strong, as with stick /stık/. In final position, /t/ is unaspirated and heard clearly, as with set /set/. Before /i:, ı, e, æ, ə:, j/, the sound /t/ is not palatalized, as with tea