Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 Guidelines for Phonemic Transcription The following list is made up of a selection of tendencies that will surely help you transcribe Although we may sometimes refer to them as “rules,” you should always remember that there are very few 100%-safe rules in English phonetics It’s important for you not to panic! You’ll be incorporating these concepts gradually as the course develops, and you will be coming back to them regularly However, it’s extremely useful to have a compendium of guidelines Script conventions: Phonemic script is enclosed by slant lines Make sure you not write a slant after each word This is a phonemic transcription CHr Hy ? e?!mh9lHj sqzm!rjqHoRm Phonetic or allophonic script is enclosed by square brackets tell !sdk.+ Z!sçd4\- Ordinary spelling may be enclosed by angle brackets in order to avoid confusion !ldr As stress is a property of the whole syllable, stress marks are placed before the syllable begins hotel g?T!sdk subsequently !rUarHjv?mskh Do not use capital letters in transcriptions Irish !`HqHR August !N9f?rs London !kUmc?m Wednesday !vdmycdH Do not use punctuation marks in transcriptions a You may use a single bar ({) to show pauses, such as most commas b A double bar ({{) stands for a longer pause, such as full stops, semi-colons or colons Well, I guess you’re wrong, Howard Can you think it over? !vdk { `H !fdr iN9 !qPM !g`T?c {{ j?m it !SHMj Hs !?Tu? {{ Do not confuse letters with phonetic symbols Letters may be pronounced in a number of ways Phonetic symbols, however, always stand for the same sound can be f or cY.: go !f?T gym !cYHl f will always stand for a voiced velar plosive: give !fHu goose !ft9r The following symbols are not English phonemes: Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 Phonemic inventory: There is a limited inventory of phonemes in English Stick to these conventions – in other words, don’t create new combinations!!! a Vowels: • Pure vowels or monophthongs Relatively long h9+ @9+ N9+ t9+ 29 Short h+ H+ d+ z+ U+ ?+ P+ T+ t • Diphthongs or glides Closing `H+ dH+ NH+ `T+ ?T Centring H?+ d?+ T? b Consonants • Plosives o+ a+ s+ c+ j+ f • Affricates sR+ cY • Fricatives e+ u+ S+ C+ r+ y+ R+ Y+ g • Nasals l+ m+ M • Approximants k+ q+ v+ i 10 Be neat! Make sure that you don’t confuse these pairs in your handwritten transcriptions: a .d+ ? b .?T+ `T c .H+ h+ h9 d .T+ t+ t9 e .r+ R f .`H+ `T+ @9 g .N9+ NH+ P 11 Vowel sounds are difficult to pronounce and recognize at first Also, they differ quite a lot depending on the speaker’s accent In order to help you, we can either call the vowels of the General British accent by their number or standard lexical set Vowel Number Lexical Set h9 .H .d .z .@9 .P .N9 .T .t9 .U .29 .? 10 11 12 FLEECE KIT DRESS TRAP START LOT NORTH FOOT GOOSE STRUT NURSE Schwa Vowel Lexical Set h .t Happy Thank you Diphthong Lexical Set `H .dH .NH .d? .H? .T? .?T .`T PRICE FACE CHOICE SQUARE NEAR CURE GOAT MOUTH 12 Miscellanea: a General British English is a non-rhotic accent That is, the sound q is only found before vowels Therefore, letter is not pronounced before consonants or silence British !aqHsHR red !qdc German !cY29l?m hair !gd? Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 b The velar nasal consonant M is never found in word-initial position c The voiceless glottal fricative g is never found in word-final position d The semivowels i and v can only occur before vowels when !vdm wow !v`T youth !it9S yea !idH e Don’t confuse H? with i?+ id+ iU+ i@9+ iz.; or T? with v?+ vU+ v@9+ vz They differ in terms of which element in the sequence is the more prominent Diphthongs have a more prominent first element, whereas in the semivowel + vowel clusters it is the vowel that has the more prominence ears !H?y Cf yes !idr sure !RT? Cf schwa !Rv@9 f Don’t use the happy h and the thank-you t vowels in diphthongs Diphthongs can only end in H+ T+ ?.My cow l`H !j`T (not l`h !j`t.) g Diphthongs may be followed by other vowels, especially schwa Make sure you don’t use semivowels here hour !`T? (not !`v?.) fire !e`H? (not !e`i?.) player !okdH? (not !okdi?.) loyal !kNH?k (not !kPi?k.) lower !k?T? (not !kPv?.) h DRESS d., TRAP z., LOT P., FOOT T and STRUT U are checked vowels This means that they never occur word-finally i FLEECE h9., START @9., NORTH N9., GOOSE t9 and NURSE 29 can’t occur before the velar nasal M j The velar nasal M is normally preceded by checked (i.e short) vowels sang !rzM song !rPM sing !rHM sung !rUM ginseng !cYHmrdM k NURSE 29 almost always occurs in stressed syllables l You’re not supposed to use schwa ? in stressed syllables m GOOSE t9 and FOOT T are extremely rare in word-initial position Note the following relatively frequent words (among some other rare words): ooze !t9y oops !Tor+ !t9or n Stress has an impact on pronunciation For example, we generally use it9 in stressed syllables, and it+ i? in unstressed syllables using !it9yHM university $it9mH!u29r?sh particular o?!sHji?k?+ o?!sHjiTk? o The sequences h9q and t9q don’t occur in General British Instead, you should use H? for the former, and T? (or at times also N9.) for the latter mysterious lH!rsH?qh?r hero !gH?q?T curious !jiT?qh?r+ !jiN9qh?r plural !okT?q?k+ !okN9q?k Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 p The spelling • It’s generally GOOSE t9 • It takes STRUT U just in blood and flood • It takes FOOT T in foot, good, hood, stood, soot, woof, wood, wool • It takes FOOT T in all endings (except for spook) q The spellings for TRAP z and STRUT U are mutually exclusive The spelling never takes STRUT U The spellings never take TRAP z fan !ezm Cf fun !eUm tan !szm Cf ton !sUm r Some words whose spelling is are called BATH words because they take @9 in General British instead of TRAP Normally, the is followed by: • Nasal (+consonant) dance !c@9mr sample !r@9lok • Fricative (+consonant) after !@9es? pass !o@9r Transcribe your “own voice”: 13 Do not transcribe ‘dictionary talk.’ You should consult a pronouncing dictionary but you should transcribe the version of the word that you think is most suitable a We will focus on the British version, not the American one Also, if there are several options, you should choose the first one (which is supposed to be the most frequent)1: b Omit raised sounds: Dictionary: little !kHs?k sense rdmsr You: .!kHsk .rdmr c Keep symbols in italics: Dictionary: lunch !kUmsR You: !kUmsR oral !N9q?k .!N9q?k d Omit all symbols and spaces other than primary and secondary stresses: Dictionary: Caribbean $jzq ? !ah9 ^?m You $jzq?!ah9?m category !jzs ?f ?q^{ h .!jzs?f?qh 14 You should transcribe a text in the way you would pronounce it, not necessarily the way it is written: e We favour contractions in speech We are late .vH? !kdHs You are right .iN9 !q`Hs They are friends .Cd? !eqdmcy It has finished .Hsr !eHmHRs f We pronounce numbers and conventions fully men !Sqh9 !ldm £ 2,000 !st9 !S`Ty?mc !o`Tmcy Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 g We add words when we read dates 1st June, 1998 December 11th, 2002 C? !e29rs ?u !cYt9m { !m`Hmsh9m !m`Hmsh !dHs .Ch H!kdu?mS ?u cH!rdla? { !svdmsh !?T !st9 or !st9 !S`Ty?mc ?m !st9 h We should be familiar with acronyms and abbreviations iPhone !`He?Tm UNICEF !it9m?rde USB $it9 dr !ah9 The role of stress within the word 15 There are two stress marks: primary stresses ! and secondary stresses $ It is the primary stress of the word that can normally change the melody of intonation .$jPlo?!sHR?m $Compe!tition! Vs $Compe!tition? !jzoHs?$kHy?l !Capita$lism! Vs !Capita$lism? 16 The presence of stress has an impact on the choice of vowel sounds There are two subsystems of vowels (notice that H+ T belong to both groups): a Strong vowels – They tend to occur in stressed syllables: h9+ H+ d+ z+ @9+ P+ N9+ T+ t9+ U+ 29+ dH+ `H+ NH+ `T+ ?T+ H?+ d?+ T? b Weak vowels – They only occur in unstressed syllables: ?+ h+ t+ H+ T i .h is used: In the weak forms: he gh she Rh we vh me lh be ah the (+ vowel sound) Ch In unstressed word-final position: happy !gzoh phonology e?!mPk?cYh Charlie !sR@9kh anybody !dmh$aPch In unstressed syllable-final position before another vowel react qh!zjs envious !dmuh?r ii .t is used: In the weak forms: you it to (+ vowel sound) st who gt (+ vowel sound) ct In unstressed syllable-final position before another vowel: graduation $fqzcYt!dHRm silhouette $rHkt!ds usual !it9Yt?k graduate !fqzcYt?s 17 Notice that unstressed syllables generally take schwa ?., not DRESS d government !fUu?ml?ms (not !fUudmldms.) 18 English, being a Germanic language, doesn’t allow the occurrence of two unstressed syllables at the beginning of a word In other words, the Teutonic rule demands that either the first or second syllable of every word should be stressed If the primary stress falls later than either on the first or second syllable, there will be a secondary stress either on the first or second syllable The rule of alternation helps us there: if we hear a strong (primary) stress on the third syllable, then there may be a “hidden” secondary stress on the first syllable If we perceive a strong prominence on the Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 fourth syllable, then there may be a prominence in the second syllable The unstressed syllables normally take weak vowels (especially schwa) oven !Uu?m contain j?m!sdHm preposition $oqdo?!yHR?m sophistication r?$eHrsH!jdHR?m representative $qdoq?!ydms?sHu grammaticality fq?$lzsH!jzk?sh 19 Many unstressed endings are generally weak in English; therefore they take weak vowels Some words allow the optional use of either schwa or another weak vowel Sometimes, it’s even possible to elide a weak vowel altogether (possible elisions are shown in italics) • -able ,?ak preferable !oqdeq?ak • -ace ,?r+ ,Hr preface !oqde?r • -age ,HcY village !uHkHcY • -ain ,?m certain !r29sm • -al ,?k special !rodRk • -an ,?m American ?!ldqHj?m • -ary ,?qh secretary !rdjq?sqh • -ate ,?s+ ,Hs (adjectives & nouns) certificate r?!sHeHj?s • -ed ,Hc (past tense after final s+ c.) planted !ok@9msHc • -edly ,Hckh+ ,?ckh (adverbs) supposedly r?!o?TyHckh • -ed ,Hc (adjectives) wicked !vHjHc • -en ,?m tighten !s`Hsm • -eon ,?m dungeon !cUmcY?m • -er ,? (comparative) quicker !jvHj? • -es /-’s ,Hy (plurals, simple present, genitive after sibilants) Well’s !vdkyHy • -est ,?rs+ ,Hrs (superlatives) biggest !aHf?rs • -et ,Hs circuit !r29jHs • -eth ,?S+ ,HS twentieth !svdmsh?S • -ful ,eTk (quantity nouns) spoonful !rot9meTk • -ful ,ek (adjectives) beautiful !ait9s?ek • -ible ,?ak+ ,Hak incredible HM!jqdc?ak • -ily ,Hkh+ ,?kh happily !gzo?kh • -ion ,?m invention Hm!udmRm • -less ,k?r+ ,kHr timeless !s`Hlk?r • -ly ,kh timely !s`Hlkh • -ment ,l?ms moment !l?Tl?ms • -ness ,m?r+ ,mHr careless !jd?k?r • -on ,?m Amazon !zl?ym • -ory ,?qh laboratory k?!aPq?sqh • -ous ,?r ridiculous qH!cHji?k?r • -some ,r?l awesome !N9r?l • -ure ,? temperature !sdloq?sR? • -y /-ey ,h Tony !s?Tmh 20 Some of these endings are really words in their own right, but they have become unstressed and weak because of these combinations are extremely frequent We call this process monolithicity They take weak vowels • -burgh /-borough ,a?q? Edinburgh !dcHlaq? • -chester ,sRHrs?+ ,sR?rs? Manchester !lzmsR?rs? • -ford ,e?c Oxford !Pjre?c • -ham ,?l Buckingham !aUjHM?l • -land ,k?mc Scotland !rjPsk?mc Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 • • • • -man ,l?m Gentleman !cYdmskl?m -men ,l?m Gentlemen !cYdmskl?m -shire ,R?+ ,RH? Yorkshire !iN9jR? -son ,r?m Smithson !rlHSrm 21 When the following word-beginnings are unstressed, they tend to take weak vowels • ab- ?a, abandon ?!azmc?m • ad- ?c, admire ?c!l`H? • be- aH,+ a?,+ ah, before aH!eN9 • col- j?k, collect j?!kdjs • con- j?m, control j?m!sq?Tk • de- cH,+ c?,+ ch, derive cH!q`Hu • em- Hl, employ Hl!okNH • en- Hm, entire Hm!s`H? • ob- ?a, obtain ?a!sdHm • pho- e?, photography e?!sPfq?eh • pre- oqH,+ oq?,+ oqh, prepare oqH!od? • pro- oq?, promote oq?!l?Ts • re- qH,+ q?,+ qh, remember qH!ldla? • sub- r?a, sublime r?!ak`Hl • sup- r?, support r?!oN9s • to- s?, today s?!cdH Spelling and pronunciation: predicting vowel sounds 22 There are only five pure-vowel contrasts in Spanish In English, there are twelve contrastive pure vowels This means that it will be hard for Spanish speakers to discriminate between these sounds, both in their production and in their perception The English spelling system, however chaotic it seems to be, can certainly help a Vowel letters stand for a checked vowel sound (i.e short vowel) • Basic Vowel Pattern (Consonant letters +) Vowel letter + Consonant letter (+consonant letters) A single vowel letter needs at least to be followed by a consonant in a monosyllable or in the stressed syllable of a longer word to keep the vowel sound checked = TRAP z at hat straps = DRESS d ex met stretch = KIT H if bin strict = LOT P off clog flocks = FOOT T put pushed = STRUT U up fun brushed • Doubling of consonant letters The doubling of a consonant blocks the formation of a diphthong A checked vowel is normally found in these cases = TRAP z added latter = DRESS d begging petted = KIT H written bidding = LOT P clogged floppy = FOOT T putting hubby = STRUT U rubbing Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 b Vowel letters “say their name” • Two vowels together Two vowel letters may be written together so as to break the Basic Vowel Pattern and, as a result, represent a long vowel sound In general, the first vowel letter tends to “say its name” = FACE dH paid = FLEECE h9 sea see = PRICE `H die = GOAT ?T load soul = GOOSE 'i(t9 fruit • Final silent A final silent is added to the word to make the previous vowel letter say its name = FACE dH place = FLEECE h9 Pete = PRICE `H hike = GOAT ?T mode = GOOSE 'i(t9 duke • Final “magic” It makes the previous vowel say its name baby Levy shiny Toby ruby = FACE dH = FLEECE h9 = PRICE `H = GOAT ?T = GOOSE 'i(t9 c “Radical ” General British English is a non-rhotic accent, therefore, you should pronounce those letters in the spelling only when they are followed by a vowel sound When there’s no vowel sound after a in a strong syllable, then this consonant letter normally affects the vowel letter before it by either lengthening it or turning it into a more open sound = START @9 star = NURSE 29 hers = NURSE 29 first = NORTH N9 form = NURSE 29 curse The role of stress in connected speech 23 As you know by now, when you transcribe a word you need to focus on what syllables can be potentially stressed These syllables will always take a strong vowel The same is true when you transcribe connected speech, but in order to spot the stressed syllables in the chunk, you first need to discriminate between content and grammar words Grammar words: - They’re the only possible collocations - They are predictable - They are frequent - They have little semantic value - They tend to be unstressed CAPPA conjunctions – articles – pronouns – prepositions – auxiliaries Content words: - They compete against other options The minister of agriculture The chairman of Shell The president of Argentina The secretary of education C? !rdjq?sqh ?u $dcY?!jdHRm - They’re less predictable - They’re more semantically loaded - They tend to be stressed NAVA nouns – adverbs – verbs - adjectives Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 a Content words (NAVA: nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs) can potentially carry one or several stresses Content words are highlighted in speech by means of stress because they are loaded with meaning and are not easily predictable in the context category !jzs?fqh representative $qdoq?!ydms?sHu uselessness !it9rk?rm?r situation $rHsRt!dHRm b The following grammar words (CAPPA: conjunctions, auxiliaries, pronouns, prepositions, articles) take a weak form as the norm Tip: if in doubt, choose a weak form over a strong form These are the most frequent words in the language and, therefore, they are highly predictable in the context in which they appear These words take weak vowels because they are not stressed (See the notes on weak and strong forms) ? h am ?l., are ?., was v?y., were v? (+consonant sound) c?., does c?y., have g?u., has g?y., had g?c her g?., us ?r., them C?l that C?s., there C?., some r?l., the (+consonant sound) C?., a ?., an ?m of ?u., to (+consonant sound) s?., from eq?l., at ?s., for e? as ?y., and ?m., but a?s., than C?m must l?rs., can j?m., could j?c., will v?k., would v?c., should R?c., shall R?k be ah he gh she Rh we vh me lh., the (+vowel sound) Ch t T H could jTc (+vowel sound) ct you it to (+vowel sound) st who gt would vTc Will vHk should RTc c Polysyllabic grammar words can potentially take a stress, too about ?!a`Ts behind aH!g`Hmc beyond aH!iPmc above ?!aUu 24 If the grammar word you’re looking for is not in the list above, don’t turn it into a weak form It’s on and off, till you break up, then .Hsr !Pm ?m !Pe { sHk it !aqdHj !Uo !Cdm 25 Pre-consonantal vs Pre-vocalic weak forms The weak forms of to, do, the change depending on whether they’re followed by a consonant or a vowel sound They take schwa ? before consonants and thank-you t or happy h before vowels To eat st !h9s Cf To drink s? !cqHMj The east Ch !h9rs Cf The west C? !vdrs Do I eat? ct `H !h9s Cf Do they eat? c? CdH !h9s 26 The verb to be is so frequent and predictable that it is almost always weak if it’s a monosyllable, regardless of whether it functions as the main verb in a sentence We were tired .vh v? !s`H?c The boys are late .C? !aNHy ? !kdHs You’re being funny .iN9 !ah9HM !eUmh (Being is made up of two syllables) Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 27 Contractions: a Negative contractions are always strong, because they contain a negative adverb inside them They weren’t scared .CdH !v29ms !rjd?c b Pronoun + auxiliary contractions are generally weak He’ll be happy that she’s back .ghk ah !gzoh C?s Rhy !azj 28 Confusable weak and strong forms: a That is strong when it works as a demonstrative, but it’s weak when it works as a conjunction I’m glad (that) that man’s bad .`Hl !fkzc 'C?s( '!(Czs !lzmy !azc b There is strong when it works as a locative, but it’s weak when it denotes existence There’s a pear over there .C?y ? !od?q !?Tu? !Cd? c Be careful with us and as Tell us as much as you know .!sdk ?r ?y !lUsR ?y it !m?T d Be careful with of and off This friend of mine’s taken off .CHr !eqdmc ?u !l`Hmy !sdHj?m !Pe e Be careful with then and than You’re older than me, then .iN9q !?Tkc? C?m lh !Cdm f Be careful with he’s and his He’s younger than his brother .ghy !iUMf? C?m gHy !aqUC? Spelling and pronunciation: Voice agreement 29 Regular plural nouns, the genitive and the 3rd person singular inflection of the simple present tense: a If the final sound in the original word is voiceless o+ s+ j+ e+ S., we add r to agree in voice with it pops !oPor gets !fdsr kicks !jHjr wife’s !v`Her maths !lzSr b If the final sound in the original word is voiced a+ c+ f+ u+ C+ k+ l+ m+ M., a vowel or a diphthong, we add y to agree in voice Bob’s !aPay hoods !gTcy digs !cHfy arrives ?!q`Huy bathes !adHCy Will’s !vHky comes !jUly means !lh9my King’s !jHMy draws !cqN9y carries !jzqhy toys !sNHy c Exception: If the final sound in the original word is a sibilant consonant (i.e .r+ y+ R+ Y+ sR+ cY.), a new syllable (.Hy.) is added to the root Notice that the two phonemes in Hy agree in voice dresses !cqdrHy washes !vPRHy Mitch’s !lHsRHy James’s !cYdHlyHy garages !fzq@9YHy bridges !aqHcYHy d IRREGULARITIES: • The spelling shows the change from e to u., but not from S to C.life !k`He lives !k`Huy (C.f wives !v`Huy wife’s !v`Her.) path !o@9S paths.!o@9Cy Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 • There’s one irregular root word: house !g`Tr C.f houses !g`TyHy 30 Regular verbs in the past tense (and most adjectives): a If the final sound in the original word is voiceless o+ j+ sR+ e+ S+ r+ R., we add s to agree in voice with it hoped !g?Tos booked !aTjs watched !vPsRs laughed !k@9es wished !vHRs passed !o@9rs gap-toothed $fzo!st9Ss b If the final sound in the original word is voiced a+ f+ cY+ u+ C+ y+ Y+ k+ l+ m+ M., a vowel or a diphthong, we add c to agree in voice rubbed !qUac clogged !jkPfc ranged !qdHmcYc arrived ?!q`Huc breathed !aqh9Cc buzzed.!aUyc filled !eHkc skimmed !rjHlc cleaned !jkh9mc longed !kPMc glued !fkt9c carried !jzqhc played !okdHc camouflaged !jzl?ek@9Yc c Exception: If the final sound in the original word is either s or c., a new syllable (.Hc.) is added to the root Notice that the two phonemes in Hc agree in voice decided cH!r`HcHc invented Hm!udmsHc d Notice: • Some adjectives always take Hc naked !mdHjHc wicked !vHjHc ragged !qzfHc • The adverbial ending is pronounced Hckh.Supposedly r?!o?TyHckh allegedly ?!kdcYHckh Miscellanea 31 Be careful with the demonstratives: a Basic vowel pattern: this '!(CHr that '!(Czs b Silent : these '!(Ch9y those '!(C?Ty 32 is strong in compounds somebody !rUla?ch someone !rUlvUm somewhere !rUlvd? something !rUlSHM sometimes !rUls`Hly somewhat !rUlvPs 33 Notice: !vd? where – wear – ware v? were (most frequent form – weak) !v29 were (rarely – strong form) 34 The word Compare: Noun: The use Verb: To use Past habit: Used to C? !it9r .s? !it9y .!it9rs s? + consonant sound .!it9rs st + vowel sound Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 35 Inflecting: a Sometimes, a vowel is added after another vowel You should keep both! Vowel Final Superlative Ordinal FLEECE h9 seeing !rh9HM freest !eqh9Hrs happy h tidying !s`HchHM happiest !gzohHrs fortieth !eN9shHS tying !sq`HHM shiest !R`HHrs PRICE `H saying !rdHHM grayest !fqdHHrs FACE dH toying !sNHHM coyest !jNHHrs CHOICE NH b Make sure you don’t add an extra vowel in these cases Just follow the rule! Vowel Final Final FLEECE h9 skied !rjh9c skies !rjh9y happy h worried !vUqhc worries !vUqhy PRICE `H dried !cq`Hc dries !cq`Hy played !okdHc plays !okdHy FACE dH enjoyed Hm!cYNHc enjoys Hm!cYNHy CHOICE NH 36 vs Final is m (i.e is silent) foreign !ePqHm reign !qdHm Final is M (i.e has fused with ) king !jHM strong !rsqPM 37 Spelling a Word-internal , when it’s not at morpheme boundaries, is Mf The f belongs in the word, therefore the nasal shows velar assimilation English !HMfkHR language !kzMfvHcY finger !eHMf? anger !zMfqh hunger !gUMf? bingo !aHMf?T b Word-final and morpheme-final is M The letters and fuse sing !rHM sing|er !rHM? sing|ing !rHMHM wrong !qPM wrong|ly !qPMkh c Exception: the comparative and superlative forms of , and add f Adjective Comparative Superlative long !kPM longer !kPMf? longest !kPMf?rs strong !rsqPM stronger !rsqPMf? strongest !rsqPMf?rs young !iUM younger !iUMf? youngest !iUMf?rs 38 Spelling a It’s mostly found after a stressed vowel, and it’ jr For example: • At the end of words mix !lHjr text !sdjrs sex !rdjr • When it’s followed by an unstressed vowel sound mixing !lHjrHM sexes !rdjrHy toxic !sPjrHj toxicology $sPjrH!jPk?cYh Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 b It’s fy when followed by a stressed vowel sound exist Hf!yHrs exhausted Hf!yN9rsHc exam Hf!yzl anxiety zM!y`H?sh c It’s jR in: anxious !zMjR?r complexion j?l!okdjRm luxury !kUjRqh sexual !rdjRt?k d It’s y at the beginning of words xylophone !y`Hk?e?Tm Xavier !ydHuh? exotic Hf!yPsHj example Hf!y@9lok xenophobia $ydm?!e?Tah? Strong word beginnings 39 Prefixes can be strong when they are stressed They could take a primary stress, or a secondary stress semivowel !rdlhu`Tk overcoat !?Tu?j?Ts understand $Umc?!rszmc forecast !eN9j@9rs aftermath !@9es?lzS anticlockwise $zmsh!jkPjv`Hy 40 Negative takes a strong vowel, even if it’s not stressed undo '$(Um!ct9 unhappy '$(Um!gzoh unabridged $Um?!aqHcYc 41 a .!cd when it takes either the primary or secondary stress decorate !cdj?qdHs derivation $cdqH!udHRm b .ch9 when it means “the opposite” devoice '$(ch9!uNHr detoxify '$(ch9!sPjrHe`H c .ch+ cH+ c? before a stressed syllable determine cH!s29lHm decide cH!r`Hc 42 a .!oqh9 when it takes either the primary stress in some words pretext !oqh9sdjrs prefix !oqh9eHjr b .!oqd when it takes a secondary stress (or primary stress in some words) preferable !oqdeq?ak preparation $oqdo?!qdHRm c .$oqh9 when it means “before” prejudge $oqh9!cYUcY pre-exist $oqh9Hf!yHrs d .oqh+ oqH+ oq? before a stressed syllable prepare oqH!od? preside oqH!y`Hc 43 a .!qd when it takes either a secondary or primary stress represent $qdoqH!ydms resonate !qdy?mdHs b .qh9 when it means “again” rewrite (noun) !qh9q`Hs rewrite (verb) $qh9!q`Hs c .qh+ qH+ q? before a stressed syllable repair qH!od? react qh!zjs Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 44 a .!oq?T+ !oqP in stressed position (every word is different!) pronoun !oq?Tm`Tm probable !oqPa?ak b .$oqP in many words when the syllable takes a secondary stress proclamation $oqPjk?!ldHRm c .oq?T when it means “in favour of, instead of” pro-abortion $oq?T?!aN9Rm proactive (verb) $qh9!q`Hs d .qh+ qH+ q? before a stressed syllable repair qH!od? react qh!zjs 45 The following prefixes take a strong vowel when they’re stressed: • a- $z, acquisition $zjvH!yHRm • ad- $zc, adaptation $zc?o!sdHRm • col- $jPk, collocation $jPk?!jdHRm • con- $jPm, confidential $jPmeH!cdmRk • de- $cd, derivation $cdqH!udHRm • en- $dm, entertaining $dms?!sdHmHM • ob- $Pa, obligation $PakH!fdHRm • pho- $e?T, photographic $e?Ts?!fqzeHj • pre- $oqd, preparation $oqdo?!qdHRm • pro- $oq?T, prohibition $oq?TH!aHRm • pro- $oqP, proposition $oqPo?!yHRm • re- $qd, representative $qdoqH!ydms?sHu • sub- $rUa, sublimation $rUakH!ldHRm • sup- $rUo, supposition $rUo?!yHRm 46 The following prefixes are always strong: • anti- $zmsh, anticlimatic $zmsHjk`H!lzsHj • hom- $gPl?, $g?Tl?.homorganic $gPlN9!fzmHj • hyper- $z, hyperactive $g`Ho?q!zjsHu • pseudo- $rit9c?T, pseudo-Marxist $rit9c?T!l@9jrHrs • psycho- $r`Hj?T, psycholinguistics $r`Hj?TkHM!fvHrsHj • super- $rt9o?, supermarket !rt9o?$l@9jHs • trans- '$(sqzmr, transcription '$(sqzm!rjqHoRm • ultra- $r`Hj?T, ultramodern $Uksq?!lPcm Strong word endings 47 These endings are strong, especially when they’re stressed • -ade ,!dHc parade o?!qdHc • -ain ,!dHm ascertain $zr?!sdHm • -ate ,dHs (verbs) concentrate !jPmr?msqdHs • -gramme ,fqzl programme !oq?Tfqzl • -graph ,fq@9e photograph !e?Ts?fq@9e • -ice ,`Hr advice ?c!u`Hr • -ile ,`Hk agile !szjs`Hk • -ise/-ize ,`Hy realize !qH?k`Hy • -oir(e) ,v@9 repertoire !qdo?sv@9 Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 /s/ or /z/? 48 It’s extremely difficult to know when to use r or y Although the real answer is only found in a pronunciation dictionary, the following tendencies are of great help: a The spelling is never r b The beginning is never y Sore !rN9 strong !rsqPM But: sure !RN9 sugar !RTf? c You should never use y for the spelling face !edHr cinema !rHm?l? d The spelling is generally r Mississippi $lHrH!rHoh class !jk@9r Exceptions: scissors !rHy?y possess o?!ydr dissolve cH!yPku hussar g?!y@9 dessert cH!y29s e In word-internal position, is: • Almost always y between vowels easy !h9yh present !oqdyms • Generally y before or after a vowel or voiced consonant clumsy !jkUlyh husband !gUya?mc • Generally y before or after a voiceless consonant test !sdrs tipsy !sHorh f The ending is normally: • Homographs tend to take y in verbs and r in adjectives and nouns to excuse st Hj!rjit9y the excuse Ch Hj!rjit9r to house s? !g`Ty the house C? !g`Tr • r in tense !sdmr pulse !oUkr horse !gN9r g The ending is normally: • r in most monosyllabic content words bus !aUr yes !idr • y in most monosyllabic grammar words does c?y is Hy • y after long vowels yours iN9y series !rH?qh9y Works consulted: Jones, D (2003) Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (16th edition) Cambridge: CUP Ortíz Lira, H (2007) La transcripción fonemática del inglés: problemas y soluciones Santiago de Chile: UMCE Wells, J.C (2008) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd edition) Hong Kong: Longman [...]... .ch+ cH+ c? before a stressed syllable determine cH!s29lHm decide cH!r`Hc 42 a .!oqh9 when it takes either the primary stress in some words pretext !oqh9sdjrs prefix !oqh9eHjr b .!oqd when it takes a secondary stress (or primary stress in some words) preferable !oqdeq?ak preparation $oqdo?!qdHRm c .$oqh9 when it means “before” prejudge $oqh9!cYUcY pre-exist $oqh9Hf!yHrs d .oqh+ oqH+ oq? before a... enjoyed Hm!cYNHc enjoys Hm!cYNHy CHOICE NH 36 vs Final is m (i.e is silent) foreign !ePqHm reign !qdHm Final is M (i.e has fused with ) king !jHM strong !rsqPM 37 Spelling a Word-internal , when it’s not at morpheme boundaries, is Mf The f belongs in the word, therefore the nasal shows velar assimilation English !HMfkHR language !kzMfvHcY finger !eHMf? anger... !qPMkh c Exception: the comparative and superlative forms of , and add f Adjective Comparative Superlative long !kPM longer !kPMf? longest !kPMf?rs strong !rsqPM stronger !rsqPMf? strongest !rsqPMf?rs young !iUM younger !iUMf? youngest !iUMf?rs 38 Spelling a It’s mostly found after a stressed vowel, and it’ jr For example: • At the end of words mix !lHjr text... in compounds somebody !rUla?ch someone !rUlvUm somewhere !rUlvd? something !rUlSHM sometimes !rUls`Hly somewhat !rUlvPs 33 Notice: !vd? where – wear – ware v? were (most frequent form – weak) !v29 were (rarely – strong form) 34 The word Compare: Noun: The use Verb: To use Past habit: Used to C? !it9r .s? !it9y .!it9rs s? + consonant sound .!it9rs st + vowel sound Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016... sugar !RTf? c You should never use y for the spelling face !edHr cinema !rHm?l? d The spelling is generally r Mississippi $lHrH!rHoh class !jk@9r Exceptions: scissors !rHy?y possess o?!ydr dissolve cH!yPku hussar g?!y@9 dessert cH!y29s e In word-internal position, is: • Almost always y between vowels easy !h9yh present !oqdyms • Generally y before or after a vowel or voiced consonant... Sometimes, a vowel is added after another vowel You should keep both! Vowel Final Superlative Ordinal FLEECE h9 seeing !rh9HM freest !eqh9Hrs happy h tidying !s`HchHM happiest !gzohHrs fortieth !eN9shHS tying !sq`HHM shiest !R`HHrs PRICE `H saying !rdHHM grayest !fqdHHrs FACE dH toying !sNHHM coyest !jNHHrs CHOICE NH b Make sure you don’t add an extra vowel in these cases Just follow... a .!qd when it takes either a secondary or primary stress represent $qdoqH!ydms resonate !qdy?mdHs b .qh9 when it means “again” rewrite (noun) !qh9q`Hs rewrite (verb) $qh9!q`Hs c .qh+ qH+ q? before a stressed syllable repair qH!od? react qh!zjs Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 44 a .!oq?T+ !oqP in stressed position (every word is different!) pronoun !oq?Tm`Tm probable !oqPa?ak b .$oqP... many words when the syllable takes a secondary stress proclamation $oqPjk?!ldHRm c .oq?T when it means “in favour of, instead of” pro-abortion $oq?T?!aN9Rm proactive (verb) $qh9!q`Hs d .qh+ qH+ q? before a stressed syllable repair qH!od? react qh!zjs 45 The following prefixes take a strong vowel when they’re stressed: • a- $z, acquisition $zjvH!yHRm • ad- $zc, adaptation $zc?o!sdHRm • col- $jPk,... $z, hyperactive $g`Ho?q!zjsHu • pseudo- $rit9c?T, pseudo-Marxist $rit9c?T!l@9jrHrs • psycho- $r`Hj?T, psycholinguistics $r`Hj?TkHM!fvHrsHj • super- $rt9o?, supermarket !rt9o?$l@9jHs • trans- '$(sqzmr, transcription '$(sqzm!rjqHoRm • ultra- $r`Hj?T, ultramodern $Uksq?!lPcm Strong word endings 47 These endings are strong, especially when they’re stressed • -ade ,!dHc parade o?!qdHc • -ain ,!dHm ascertain... $ydm?!e?Tah? Strong word beginnings 39 Prefixes can be strong when they are stressed They could take a primary stress, or a secondary stress semivowel !rdlhu`Tk overcoat !?Tu?j?Ts understand $Umc?!rszmc forecast !eN9j@9rs aftermath !@9es?lzS anticlockwise $zmsh!jkPjv`Hy 40 Negative takes a strong vowel, even if it’s not stressed undo '$(Um!ct9 unhappy '$(Um!gzoh unabridged $Um?!aqHcYc 41