Univerzita sv. Cyrila a Metoda v Trnave

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917 01 Trnava

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Sekretariát

PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY
Segmental Aspects

EXERCISES

CHECK YOUR KNOWLEDGE:
Part A:
Choose the correct option:

  1. A linguistic discipline dealing with speech sounds from the functional point of view is:
    • phonetics
    • phonology
    • linguistics

  2. A phoneme is the basic unit of:
    • phonetics
    • phonology
    • phonics

  3. Clear and dark /l/ are:
    • combinatory variants
    • facultative variants
    • minimal pairs

  4. Aspirated /ph/ and unaspirated /p/ are:
    • combinatory variants
    • facultative variants
    • minimal pairs

  5. English /n/ and /η/ are:
    • phonemes
    • allophones
    • minimal pairs

  6. Slovak /n/ and /η/ are:
    • phonemes
    • allophones
    • minimal pairs

  7. A linguistic discipline dealing with speech sounds from the material point of view is:
    • phonetics
    • phonology
    • linguistics

  8. An abstract unit of the sound level is:
    • phone
    • allophone
    • phoneme

  9. The process of selecting the signals and putting them into the channel in communication (speech chain) is called:
    • coding
    • encoding
    • decoding

  10. Variants of phonemes are:
    • phones
    • allophones
    • minimal pairs

  11. A set of symbols used in transcription is:
    • phonetic alphabet
    • phonemic alphabet
    • phone alphabet

  12. Simple and comparative are types of:
    • allophonic transcription
    • phonemic transcription
    • phonic transcription

  13. IPA is an abbreviation for:
    • International Phonic Alphabet
    • International Phonemic Alphabet
    • International Phonetic Alphabet

  14. When the vocal folds are active
    • voiced sounds are produced
    • voiceless sounds are produced
    • unvoiced sounds are produced

  15. When the soft palate is raised, the airstream is released through
    • the oral cavity
    • the nasal cavity
    • the laryngeal

  16. The opening between the vocal folds is:
    • trachea
    • larynx
    • glottis

  17. When the soft palate is lowered, the air escapes through:
    • the nasal cavity
    • the oral cavity
    • the pharyngeal cavity

  18. The mandible is:
    • the upper jaw
    • the lower jaw
    • the roof of the mouth

  19. Diphthongs with the /ə/ as the second component, are called:
    • centring
    • closing
    • high

  20. According to the part of the tongue which is raised, the vowels /i: e æ/ are:
    • front
    • central
    • back

  21. Diphthongs with a higher degree of prominence on the first component are:
    • falling
    • rising
    • central

  22. The length of English vowels
    • increases when they are followed by a voiceless consonant
    • decreases when they are followed by a voiced consonant
    • decreases when they are followed by a voiceless consonant

  23. Diphthongs /eɪ aɪ ͻɪ əʋ aʋ/ are:
    • centring
    • closing
    • open

  24. In American English, there are:
    • no diphthongs
    • no centring diphthongs
    • no closing diphthongs

  25. PI is an abbreviation for:
    • Phonetic Inventory
    • Phonemic Inventory
    • Phone Inventory

  26. Plosives, fricatives, affricates, nasals, laterals and approximants are groups of consonants according to the:
    • manner of articulation
    • place of articulation
    • voicing

  27. /p/, /t/, /k/ lose their aspiration when they are:
    • preceded by /s/
    • followed by /l/
    • followed by /r/

  28. Nasal speech sounds are produced when the:
    • soft palate is raised
    • soft palate is lowered
    • hard palate is lowered

  29. The group of consonants articulated with little muscular effort is called:
    • fortis
    • lenis
    • sibilants

  30. Fortis consonants are:
    • voiced
    • voiceless
    • continuants

  31. Which consonants can be aspirated?
    • voiced plosives
    • voiceless plosives
    • lenis plosives

  32. Consonants made with the tongue touching the front teeth are called:
    • alveolar
    • dental
    • velar

  33. Narrowing without friction is a typical way for pronunciation of:
    • affricates
    • fricatives
    • approximants

  34. Which of the consonants require a total obstruction to the flow of air (i.e. complete closure):
    • plosives, fricatives, affricates
    • plosives, affricates, nasals
    • affricates, nasals, approximants

  35. Which of the following example-words form a minimal pair?
    • /deɪ/, /deɪt/
    • /pet/, /set/
    • /dri:m/, /stri:m/

Part B:

Answer the following questions:

 

  1. Subbranches of phonetics are………………………………………………………..
  2. Subbranches of phonology are ………………………………………………………
  3. What is a “minimal pair”? Explain and give an example……………………………
  4. We recognise two types of allophones. Name them……………..………………….
  5. Two types of phonemic transcription are recognised. These are…………………….
  6. Name three passive (fixed) articulators……………………………………………..
  7. Which of the articulators is lowered when we are pronouncing nasal consonants?…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
  8. Voicing in speech sounds is caused by vibration of…………………………………
  9. The opening between the vocal folds is called…………..………………………….
  10. PI stays for…………………………………………………………………………..
  11. Vowels are tones, consonants are……………………………………………………
  12. From the phonological point of view, vowels function as……………..in syllables.
  13. According to what criterion vowels are described as tense or lax?……………………….
  14. Who devised the reference system of cardinal vowels?……………………………………….
  15. Cardinal vowels are manifested in the two groups:………………………………….
  16. Quantity of vowels decreases if they are followed by………..……………………..
  17. Two segments of a vowel-cluster pronounced within one syllable form…………………………………………………………………………………..
  18. Two segments of a vowel-cluster NOT pronounced within one syllable form…………………………………………………………………………………..
  19. Diphthongs are pronounced as falling if its first component is…….……………….
  20. Name all British English centring diphthongs……..……………………………….
  21. Put down the symbols of vowels functioning as the second segment in closing diphthongs……………………………………………………………………………  
  22. According to the manner of articulation we recognise six groups of consonants. Name them…………………………………..…………………………….…………
  23. According to the muscular effort of the articulators, consonants are recognised as either………………………………………………, or………………………………
  24. What group of consonants is (also) called “stops”?…………………………………………….
  25. Name the English consonants that could be pronounced with aspiration..………….
  26. In the post-release phase (when producing plosives) the air escaping through the vocal folds makes an additional puff of air called.………………………………….
  27. What is the place and manner of articulation for /h/?………………………………………….
  28. According to voicing, the English /h/ is………., while the Slovak /h/ is……………
  29. Name all British English bilabial consonants……………………………………….
  30. Name English sibilants…..…………………………………………………………..
  31. Name Slovak sibilants……………………………………………………………….
  32. While the English /n/ and /η/ are phonemes, Slovak /n/ and /η/ are…………..…….
  33. The discipline dealing with the sequential arrangement of speech sounds in a language is called…………… ……………………………………………………….
  34. Name the English fricative consonants…………..…….……………………………
  35. Do we have dental consonants in both English and Slovak?……………………………….

Part C:

Fill in the missing IPA symbols representing the British English pronunciation:

Short vowels:

 

  1. sit /s t/                                                                                                              
  2. cat /k t/
  3. put /p t/
  4. win /w n/
  5. milk /m lk/
  6. let /l t/
  7. apple / pl/
  8. risky /r sk   /
  9. frog /fr g/
  10. good /g d/
  11. bed /b d/
  12. fit /f t/
  13. hot /h t/
  14. wet /w t/
  15. cut /k   t/
  16. pot /p   t/
  17. shut /ʃ   t/
  18. catch /k ʧ/
  19. bunny /b   n   /
  20. dot /d   t/
  21. happy /h p   /
  22. ban /b n/
  23. merry /m r   /
  24. love /l   v/
  25. doll /d   l/
  26. pretty /pr t   /
  27. son /s   n/
  28. ham /h m/
  29. dot /d t/
  30. handsome /h ns   m/
  31. sand /s nd/
  32. up / p/
  33. the /δ /
  34. an / n/
  35. come /k m/

Part D:

 

Fill in the missing IPA symbols representing the British English pronunciation:

Long vowels:

 

  1. clean /kl n/
  2. call /k l/
  3. dream /dr m/
  4. answer / nsə/
  5. turn /t n/
  6. beat /b t/
  7. girl /g l/
  8. peace /p s/
  9. ask / sk/
  10. corn /k n/
  11. heat /h t/
  12. daughter /d tə/
  13. tree /tr /
  14. born /b n/
  15. cool /k l/
  16. earn / n/
  17. earth / θ/
  18. keep /k p/
  19. barn /b n/
  20. cheat / ʧ t/
  21. part /p t/
  22. noon /n n/
  23. curl /k l/
  24. sweet /sw t/
  25. blue /bl /
  26. leap /l p/
  27. freeze /fr z/
  28. burn /b n/
  29. seat /s t/
  30. shoe /ʃ /
  31. scream /skr m/
  32. card /k d/
  33. heart /h t/
  34. learn /l n/
  35. sleep /sl p/

Part E:

Fill in the missing IPA symbols representing the British English pronunciation:

Diphthongs/ triphthongs:

 

1) cake /k   k/                                                                                               

2) high /h   /

3) higher /h     /

4) brown /br   n/

5) hear /h   /

6) loud /l   d/

7) drive /dr   v/

8) bone /b   n/

9) low /l   /

10)lower /l     /

11)boy /b   /

12)coin /k   n/

13)layer /l     /

14)here /h   /

15)liar /l     /

16)there /δ   /

17)care /k   /

18)go /g   /

19)mower /m     /

20)oil /   l/

21)royal /r     l/

22)cry /kr   /

23)enjoy /ɪn´ʤ   /

24)voice /v   s/

25)play /pl   /

26)player /pl     /

27)mile /m  l/

28)day /d  /

29)night /n   t/

30)tour /t   /

31)phone /f   n/

32)bind /b   nd/

33)bound /b   nd/

34)power /p     /

35)writer /r   tə/

Part F:

Fill in the missing IPA symbols representing the British English pronunciation:

Consonants:

 

  1. this / ɪs/
  2. usher /Ʌ ə/
  3. cheetah / i:tə/
  4. think / ɪ   k/
  5. juice / u:s/
  6. kingdom /kɪ dəm/
  7. wet / et/
  8. vet / et/
  9. whale / eɪl/
  10. shrink / rɪ   k/
  11. monk /mɅ k/
  12. otherwise /Ʌ əwaɪz/
  13. Christmas / rɪsməs/ 
  14. hairdresser / eədresə/
  15. shark / ɑ:k/
  16. pleasure /ple ə/
  17. teacher /ti: ə/
  18. church / ɜ:   /
  19. three / ri:/
  20. tree / ri:/
  21. free / ri:/
  22. show / əʋ/
  23. one / Ʌn/
  24. teeth /ti: /
  25. breath /bre /
  26. breathe /bri: /
  27. bath /bɑ: /
  28. bathe /beɪ /
  29. shirt / ɜ:t/
  30. school / ku:l/
  31. technology /te ´nɒlə   i/
  32. chef / ef/
  33. sheep / i:p/
  34. justice / Ʌstɪs/
  35. quay / i:/

Part G:

Transcribe the following words using the IPA symbols representing the British English pronunciation:

 

  1. develop
  2. development
  3. author
  4. examine
  5. examination
  6. analyse
  7. analysis
  8. occur
  9. occurrence
  10. course
  11. identify
  12. wrap
  13. hypothesis
  14. technique
  15. hotel
  16. determine
  17. European
  18. heir
  19. queue
  20. basic
  21. advantage
  22. advantageous
  23. receipt
  24. recipe
  25. carrier
  26. career
  27. criterion
  28. thoroughly
  29. acoustic
  30. bilabial
  31. cupboard
  32. nasal
  33. nasality
  34. auxiliary
  35. focus