1. What is the number of phonemes in the sound system of English?
2. What large groups of sounds do the phonemes of any language fall into?
3. How are vowels and consonants produced?
4. What groups of English vowels and consonants do phoneticians distinguish?
5. Enumerate the English phonemes.
Unit 5
Section 1
Make a careful study of the text below and pick out the terms related to phonetics.
Sounds and Phonemes. Allophones
Pronunciation can always be studied from two points of view: phonetic and phonological. Phonetics studies all possible sounds that the human vocal apparatus can make without reference to their meaning and functioning in speech. Phonology deals with the sound system of the language (which is formed by the system of phonemes) and studies only those contrasts in sounds (the phonemes) which make differences of meaning. In other words, phoneticians are only interested in the way the sounds are pronounced, their articulatory or acoustic features, while phonologists are involved in describing the functioning of phonemes in speech.
Here is an illustrative example:
If we compare the words bead [bi:d], bid [bıd], bad [bæd], bed [bed], bud [bΛd], we can see that all these words only differ in the vowel sound: [i:]-[ı]-[æ ]-[e]-[Λ]. These sounds represent different phonemes of the English language.
Here are some more examples:
1) in the pair man [mæn] - men [men] – phonemes [æ] and [e] differentiate singular and plural forms of the noun;
2) in the pair advice [ ə d'vaıs] – advise [ ə d'vaız] – phonemes [s] and [z] differentiate parts of speech (noun - verb).
Now, what is a phoneme?
It is usually defined as the smallest contrastive language unit which is capable of distinguishing one word from another in the same phonetic context.
The phoneme is realized in the material form of speech sounds of different types. The variants of the same phoneme are called allophones. They occur in various phonetic contexts because of the influence of the neighbouring sounds upon them. Let us consider the following examples:
1) bee [bi:] – bead [bi.d] – beat [bit]
The phoneme [i:] is the longest in the open syllable when it is free (= is not followed by another sound), [i.] is a bit shorter in the second word when it is followed by a weak voiced consonant, and [i] is the shortest (checked) when followed by a strong voiceless consonant, as it is in the last word.
2) tea [ti:] – two [tu:] – ten [ten]
In the first word [t] is produced with the strongly spread lips, in the second word – with the rounded lips, in the third word the lips for [t] are neutral.
So we can see that one and the same phoneme [i:] (example 1) and [t] (example 2) can be realized in speech differently and its variants may be denoted by the so-called allophonic transcription.
One more point is worth mentioning, as far as phonetics and phonology are concerned. A person cannot avoid making mistakes when learning a foreign language. Pronunciation mistakes may be of two types – phonetic and phonological. If the learner pronounces a foreign sound with the wrong articulation (for example, substitutes an English sound for a similar Russian sound, i.e. pronounces [тeıbl] instead of [teıbl]), the meaning of the word is not affected. If the speaker uses the wrong phoneme when saying the word, and its meaning is changed, the so-called phonological mistake is made.
e.g. She likes w o rking [з:].
She likes w a lking [ɔ:].
The same is true for mistakes in intonation. Here is one more example of a phonological mistake:
Isn’t it ä hot? (general question)
Isn’t it æ hot! (exclamation)
As for phonetic mistakes, they can be easily detected in the wrong reproduction of the English pitch changes, rhythm, etc.
Section 2
[ Λ ]
(central, mid (broad variant), unrounded, short)
I. Observe the position of the lips and the tongue for the sound [Λ]. Read the words
in the columns. Pay attention to the positional length of [Λ].
сome cut [æ - Λ ] cap -cup
bun but hat - hut
none nut sack - suck
done duck ban - bun
mud must bag - bug
run rust hag - hug
jug just mad - mud
II. Read the sentences. Follow the tonetic marks.
1. Pluck up your courage. Не робей, мужайся!
2. Double Dutch. Чепуха.
3. Here’s another country cousin. Вот ещё один гость из провинции.
4. Gus chucked up the sponge. Гас признал себя побеждённым.
5. Lush is nothing but a money grubber. Лаш – самый настоящий стяжатель.
6. Does the bus run every other Monday? Это автобус ходит два раза в месяц
по понедельникам?
7. None but dullards copy one another. Лишь глупцы подражают друг другу
III. Observe the correct pronunciation of the rhythmic groups and the vowel [Λ].
You must come.| You must 'come to supper.| You must 'come to 'supper
with us.| You must 'come to 'supper 'with us and 'join in the fun.||
IV. Match the following English idioms, proverbs and sayings with their Russian equivalents. Make up situations to illustrate their usage.
1. As snug as a bug in the rug. a. вкратце
2. сupboard love b. напористый, предприимчивый
3. Don’t trouble trouble until trouble c. хорошо устроился
troubles you.
4. cut and run d. корыстная любовь
5. up-and-coming e. это в крови, в роду
6. in a nutshell f. Не буди лихо, пока лежит тихо.
7. come down to earth with a bump g. восстанавливать в памяти
8. it runs in the blood h. спасаться бегством
9. brush up i. спуститься с небес на землю
V. Practise the pronunciation of the following rhyme and learn it by heart.
The Brook
by Alfred Tennyson
Grumbling, stumbling, Rustling, hustling,
Fumbling all the day, Bustling as it flows,
Fluttering, stuttering, That is how the brook talks,
Muttering away, Bubbling as it goes.
Section 3
I. Test. Tick the words you recognize in the sentences you hear:
| 1. a) cap; b) cup | |
| 2. a) hat; b) hut | |
| 3. a) bag; b) bug | |
| 4. a) mad; b) mud | |
| 5. a) hang; b) hung | |
| 6. a) ran; b) run |
II. Listen to the dialogue and learn it by heart.
I Love You
Russ: Honey, why are you so sad?
(Janet says nothing)
Russ: Honey, why are you so unhappy? I don’t understand.
Janet: You don’t love me, Russ!
Russ: But, honey, I love you very much.
Janet: That’s untrue. You love my cousin Sunny. You think she’s lovely and
I’m ugly.
Russ: Janet, just once last month I took Sunny out for lunch. You mustn’t
worry. I like your company much better than Sunny’s.
Janet: Oh, shut up, Russ.
Russ: But, honey, I think you’re wonderful. You mustn’t…
Janet: Oh, SHUT UP!
