MA TESOL: Investigating Language in Use

Phonology – Session 1 worksheet

1. To what extent do you agree with the following statements?

Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5
1 Teaching pronunciation requires a knowledge of phonology rather than
phonetics.
2 Received Pronunciation (RP) is the most appropriate model for
teaching English pronunciation.
3 Adult learners are unlikely to achieve native-like pronunciation in a
foreign language.
4 Problems of stress, rhythm and intonation interfere more with
communication than problems with individual sounds.
5 The primary goal of pronunciation teaching should be accent reduction.
6 Pronunciation success should be judged in terms of intelligibility.
7 There is a robust connection between English spelling and
pronunciation.
8 L2 pronunciation errors are a result of L1 interference.
9 Students should be taught the phonemic script.
10 I regularly make use of the phonemic script in my work as a teacher.

2. Terminology: Match the terms to the descriptions

a) consonant A sound produced with free air flow through the vocal tract
b) vowel The study of speech sounds in general
c) diphthong The smallest unit of sound that has a bearing on meaning
d) stress The changes in pitch during speech
e) rhythm A sound produced while obstructing the airflow in some way
f) intonation The study of the speech sounds of a particular language
g) voicing The greater emphasis given to some syllables during speech
h) phonology The vibration of the vocal folds in the larynx
i) phonetics The regular recurrences of stress in speech
j) phoneme A combination of two vowel sounds

Adapted from S. Thornbury, ‘About Language: Tasks for teachers of English’. Cambridge University Press.
3. The chart below shows the phonemic symbols for standard British English (Received Pronunciation or
RP).

For each sound in the chart below, add a word which contains the sound.

Now find from the chart:

a) A sound whose symbol is the same as the letter normally used to represent it in conventional
orthography.

b) A sound whose symbol is very different from the letter normally used to represent it in
conventional orthography.

c) A sound that normally requires more than one letter to represent it in conventional orthography.

d) A sound that cannot occur in word initial position.

e) A consonant sound that cannot occur in word final position.

f) A vowel sound that cannot occur in word final position.

g) A consonant cluster that cannot occur in word initial position, but is permitted word finally.

h) A sound that has a very close equivalent in your own language (or another language you know).

i) A sound that is unlike any sound in your own language (or another language you know).
 4. Transcribe the following words from phonemic script.

1. /ðɪs/
2. /dɪˈskraɪbɪŋ/
3. /ˈɪŋglɪʃ/
4. /ˈlæŋwɪdʒ/
5. /ˈmɒdʒuːl/
6. /rɪˈkwaiəz/
7. /ˈθʌrə/
8. /ˈnɒlɪdʒ/
9. /əv/
10. /fəˈnɒlədʒi/

5. Transcribe the following words into phonemic script.

Don’t forget the forward slashes around the script. For numbers 11-20, remember to include the
stress marks.

1. cap 11. weather

2. bridge 12. avoid

3. false 13. remain

4. heart 14. wooden

5. here 15. unsure

6. there 16. bottle

7. now 17. broken

8. church 18. amusing

9. hall 19. confusion

10. youth 20. critiqued

You can check your transcriptions against a (British English) dictionary.

Consonants

6. Identify the speech articulators in the diagram

alveolar ridge larynx and glottis tongue lips

teeth hard palate soft palate (velum) nasal cavity

7. Make the following consonants and identify which parts of the vocal tract are coming into contact with
each other:

1. /p/ 2. /n/ 3. /f/ 4. /g/

8. From the descriptions below, identify the sounds from 1. Above.

a. the back of the tongue pushes up against the soft palate and stops the air flow; the voice is
activated and the air is suddenly released.

b. the upper teeth meet the lower lip, while air is forced between them; the sound is continuous; no
voice is involved.

9. Describe the other two sounds.

10. Match the terms to the descriptions of how the air is constricted and released.

plosive (stop) air is passed through the nose

fricative air is stopped then released with friction

affricate air flows freely, with no stopping or friction, albeit through a rather narrow
passage

nasal air is completely stopped, building up pressure, then released in a burst

approximant with friction caused by forcing air between two

(semi-vowel) touching parts

11 . Insert the missing consonants into the appropriate boxes in the table.

θ v b k m t s dʒ z w
Place of bilabial labio dental alveola palato- palatal velar glottal
articulation dental r alveolar
Manner of
articulation
plosive P d g
(or stop)
fricative f ð ʃ ʒ h

affricate tʃ

nasal n ŋ

lateral l

approximan r j
t

What do you notice about the sounds that are paired together, such as / ʃ/ and /ʒ/? How do they differ?
Pronunciation materials

Look at a selection of pronunciation materials from ELT course books and identify the aim of each activity.
What aspects of pronunciation do they focus on? Do they target recognition of the sounds, or production,
or both? How would you use them?

d.

From S. Thornbury: ‘About Language: Tasks for teachers of English’. Cambridge University Press.

a and d above include work on minimal pairs, which contrast words that differ in just a single sound.

What sounds do your learners have difficulty with? What sound do they tend to substitute for this
difficult sound?

Create a list of minimal pairs featuring the two sounds you have just mentioned.