University of Biskra____Section of English____Second Year LMD____Phonetics

Lecture 1: Overview of English Vowels and Consonants

1. Vowels

The vowel is a sound in the production of which the air stream does not meet an obstruction
and there is no noise component. Vowels are classified according to:
- tongue height (high, mid, low) - tongue position (front, central, back)
- lip position (rounded vs unrounded) - vowel length (short vs long)

In British English, there are 20 vowel sounds divided into 5 long vowels, 7 short vowels and
8 diphthonɡs (ɡliding vowels), which are a composed of a combination of two short vowels.

Pure vowels are also classified according to the part of the tongue involved in their
articulation: Front vowels, central vowels and back vowels as shown in figure 1.

Dipthongs are divided into closing and centring depending whether the glides is towards the
closing or centring area as shown in figure 2.

Fig 1 : Pure RP vowels Fig 2 : RP diphthongs

2. Consonants

Consonants are defined phonetically as sounds made by a closure or narrowing in the vocal
tract so that the airflow is either completely blocked, or restricted with an audible friction.
There are 24 consonantal phonemes classified in the table below into two general
categories:

A. In this class, we find plosive, fricatives and affricates in which there is a total closure or a
stricture causing friction and there is a distinctive opposition between fortis and lenis
sounds.

B. In this class, there is a partial closure or an oral or nasal escape of air. Such articulations
are typically voiced and frictionless. They share many phonetic features with vowel sounds.

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University of Biskra____Section of English____Second Year LMD____Phonetics

Table 1: RP consonant phonemes

2.1. Tips for phonetic transcription

examples
Letters phonemes
c /s, k/ voiceless cellar /ˈsiːlə/ club /klʌb/, access /əkˈses/, account /əˈkaʊnt/
ck /k/ Clock /klɒk/, pick /pɪk/ , peacock /ˈpiːkɒk/
g /ɡ, dʒ, ʒ/ voiced Get /ɡet/, Ginger /ˈdʒɪndʒə / , age /eɪdʒ/, beige /beɪʒ/
qu /kw/ Queen /kwiːn/, quality /ˈkwɒləti/, quit /kwɪt/, quite/kwaɪt/
/s, z/ or /ʒ/ in Sign /saɪn/, signal /ˈsɪɡnəl/, basis, /ˈbeɪsəs/, measure/ˈmeʒə/,
s
some words please/pliːz/, realise/ˈriːəlɑɪz/, , based /beɪzd/, vision/ˈvɪʒən/
th / θ / or / ð / thigh /θaɪ/, bath, thorough /ˈθʌrə/, there, thy, thee, bathe
x /ks/ or /ɡz/ box /bɒks/, xerox/ˈzɪərɒks/, exit /ˈeɡzɪt/, exact /ɪɡˈzækt/.
sh, ti, ssi /ʃ/ Fish / /, station / /, expression / /, Russia / /
j, g, dg /dʒ/ Judge / /, cage / /, wage / /, gadget / /, hedge.
ch, tch, tu /tʃ/ Teacher / /, butcher / /, nature / /, puncture / /
y /j/ Yoke / /, yeah, yesterday / /, yeast / /, yawn / /, yield / /
Real/ /, Create/ /, clearing / /, fear / /, care
/r/ / /, explore / /, wear / /, sphere / /.
r
In RP, /r/ is only pronounced/transcribed before a vowel or
when being intervocalic.

2.2. Tips for pronunciation of final ‘s’ and ‘ed’

1.2.1 Pronunciation of regular plurals, genitive- and 3rd person singular «s»:

/s/ after voiceless sounds (consonants): cats, tips, kicks, faults.

/z/ after all voiced sounds (some consonants and all vowels): pens, cars, songs, vows.

/ɪz/ after sibilants: /s, z, ʃ, tʃ, ʒ, dʒ/: bosses, fuzzes, dishes, boxes, judges, searches

1.2.2 Pronunciation of regular verbs in past and past participle «ed»:

/t/ after voiceless sounds (consonants)

/d/ after voiced sounds (some consonants and all vowels)
/ɪd/ after /d/ and /t/

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University of Biskra____Section of English____Second Year LMD____Phonetics

Task 1: Transcribe the following words

Kicked ……..…….. , passed ……..…….., skipped ……..…….., finished ……..…….. , banned ……..……..,

followed ……..…….., stayed ……..…….., skied ……..…….., amended ……..…….., sorted ………..……..,

wanted ……..…….., moved ……..…….., laughed ……..…….., agreed ……..…….., showered ………..……..,

wired ……..…….., numbered …….…..…….., smoothed ……..……….., robes ……..…….., ropes ……..……..,

doors ……..…….., wells ………...…….., homes …………..…….., troughs ……..…..…….. , myths ……..…….. ,

lambs ……..…….., youths ……..…….., roses……..…….. , buses ……..…….., hours……..…….. , batches ……..……..,

ridges ………..…….., garages ……….…..…….., John’s ……….…….., Peter’s ……………….., Luisa’s

…..…..…..……...

Task 2: Write the spellings for the following transcribed words:

1- /ðæt/ , /haʊˈevə/ , /əˈnʌðə/ /, ˈdɪfɪkəlt/ ,/wɜ:ld/ , /ðeə/

/ˈθʌrə/ ,/wɪtʃ/ ,/ˈeəriə/ ,/kɔ:s/ ,/ˈʌndə/ ,/ʃʊd/
/ˈnevə/ , /bɪˈtwiːn/ ,/ˈsʌmθɪŋ/ , /pɔɪnt/ , /hɪə/ ,/lɑ:dʒ/ .

Task 3: Find the mistakes: /craɪm/ ……...………… /wreslɪŋ/ ………..…….. /pɑːrkɪŋ/ ………..……..

/waɪvs/ …………...…….. /θiːz/ …………...…….. /jækɪt/ …………………….. /yeləʊ/ ……..…….….. /sɪxti/ …...…..……..

Task 4: Transcribe the following words phonemically

Allow / /; Follow / /, Book / /, Why / /; Sorrow / /;

Pool / /, Hurry / /; Sorry / /; Now / /; Orange /
/; There / /; Dear / /; Their / /, Here / /; Junior /
/; Dare / /; Liar / /; Buyer / /; Layer / /; Employer /
/; More / /; Isle / /; Bathe / /, Fur / /; Mayor /
/; Boy / /; Cheers / /, Soap / / ; What / /, Good / /.

Task 5: Transcribe the following words phonemically (pay attention to finals):

Spying / / ; Chewing / /, Cried / / ; Fetched / /, Lies / /

Crossed / / ; Needed / / ; Blessings / /; Kings / / ; Bills/ /.

3. Detailed study of consonants: allophones:

3.1 A phoneme is the smallest sound that can make a difference in meaning. There are 44
phonemes in standard British English (RP). Some of them may be realized differently or have
a variety of allophones.

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University of Biskra____Section of English____Second Year LMD____Phonetics

3.2. An allophone is any of the various phonetic realizations of a phoneme, which do not
contribute to distinctions of meaning. For example, /p/ in pin /pɪn/ is aspirated [pʰɪn] and /p/
in spin /spɪn/ is unaspirated [spɪn]. The first one [pʰ] is an allophone of the phoneme /p/.
In [ prəˈpʰəʊzł̩ ] the allophone [ pʰ ] is aspirated and [ ł] is dark & syllabic.
What is aspiration?
Definition of aspiration: it is when the production of /p/, /t/, /k/ is followed by an audible
plosion (burst of noise) in the post release phase, producing a sound like h represented as [ʰ].
Examples of allophones:
1. Plosives: the Voiceless Fortis Plosives /p, t, k/ are aspirated [pʰ, tʰ, kʰ] when initial in a
stressed syllable. However, they are unaspirated in final position or when preceded by /s/.
2. Lateral: the English alveolar lateral phoneme /l/ has three main allophones:
a. Clear [ l ] with a relatively front resonance before vowels and /j/ or when it is intervocalic
E.g.: lead [liːd] follow [ˈfɒləʊ] lose [luːz] sailor [ˈseɪlə] believe [bɪˈliːv]

b. Dark [ l̴ ] is articulated with a relatively back vowel resonance, final after a vowel (1),
before a consonant preceded by a vowel(2) and as a syllabic sound followed by a consonant(3).
c. Voiceless [l̥ ] becomes voiceless when it is preceded by accented /p, k/
E.g.: class [kl̥ɑːs] clap [kl̥æp] clean [kl̥i :n] place [pl̥eɪs] pleasure [ˈpl̥eʒə] please [pl̥i:z]

Task 6: Transcribe the following words phonetically

1. Feel ………… canal ………… pearl ………… call ………….. well ……… all ………..
2. Help ………… salt …………... cold ………… milk ………… film ……… elbow …….

3. Apple ………. middle ……….. eagle ……...…. table ……….. trouble …… able ………

4. Trial ……..…. plead …..…….. clever ……...… student ……….. clown …… plague ...…

Task 7: Transcribe the following poem phonetically (homework)

I take it you already know …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

Of tough and bough and cough and dough? …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

Others may stumble, but not you …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

On hiccough, thorough, slough, and through. …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

Well don't! And now you wish, perhaps, …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

To learn of less familiar traps. …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

Beware of heard, a dreadful word …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

That looks like beard but sounds like bird. …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

And dead: it's said like bed, not bead, …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

For goodness sake don't call it deed! …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

Watch out for meat and great and threat …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt). …………………...………………...………………...………………...…

A moth is not a moth as in mother …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

Nor both as in bother, nor broth as in brother, ……….…………...………………...………………...………………...…

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University of Biskra____Section of English____Second Year LMD____Phonetics

And here is not a match for there, …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

Nor dear and fear, for bear and pear. …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

And then there's dose and rose and lose …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

Just look them up--and goose and choose …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

And cork and work and card and ward …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

And font and front and word and sword …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

And do and go, then thwart and cart, …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

Come, come! I've hardly made a start. …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

A dreadful language? Why man alive! …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

I learned to talk it when I was five. …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

And yet to write it, the more I tried, …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

I hadn't learned it at fifty-five. …………………...………………...………………...………………...……

References for further reading

Roach, P. (2009). English phonetics and phonology. 4th ed. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
Hancock, M. (2003). English pronunciation in use intermediate. Cambridge:Cambridge University
Press.

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