Unit 5 – Exercise 1
Allophonic variation of vowels. Classify the following words under the right heading: normal length, clipping, lengthening and extra length.
| give | lie | view | quite | school |
| though | aid | sin | shirt | jug |
| beds | chore | soothe | reach | cold |
| peal | go | light | lied | cat |
| cad | car | play | plate | played |
| Normal Length | Clipping | Lengthening | Extra Length |
| school | quite | give | lie |
| aid | shirt | sin | view |
| soothe | reach | jug | though |
| cold | light | beds | chore |
| peal | plate | cad | go |
| lied | car | ||
| cat | play | ||
| played |
Unit 5 – Exercise 2
Allophonic variation of vowels and consonants. Give the complete allophonic transcription of the following words:
| 1. play | 3. clue | 5. countless | 7. what time | 9. stop pushing |
| 2. cotton | 4. ahead | 6. begged | 8. bridge | 10. bit |
| 1. play [pʰˡleːːɪ] | 3. clue [kʰˡlʷuːː] | 5. countless [ˈkʰaːʊ̃nt̬ˡləs] | 7. what time [w̥̠ʷɒtˆˈtʰaːɪ̃m̥] | 9. stop pushing [st̠ʷɒpˆˈp̠ʰʷʊʃ̬ʲɪ̃ŋ̊] |
| 2. cotton [ˈkʰʷɒt̬ⁿn̩] | 4. ahead [əˈɦ̟ed̥] | 6. begged [b̥eɡ̟˺d̥] | 8. bridge [b̥ɹʲɪʤ̥] | 10. bit [b̥ʲɪt] |
Unit 5 – Exercise 3
Assimilation. Identify instances of assimilation in the following sequences and explain each case.
| 1. last point | 6. ten bags | 11. common ground | 16. these young men |
| 2. both sectors | 7. good guitar | 12. nice year | 17. tin plate |
| 3. gold mine | 8. that cake | 13. please shut up | 18. bad copy |
| 4. hold back | 9. fan mail | 14. sixth century | 19. in gold |
| 5. as yet | 10. cut glass | 15. lord mayor | 20. glass shelf |
| last point | /t/ changes to /p/ before /m b p / |
| both sectors, sixth century | /θ/ changes to /s/ before /s/ |
| gold mine, lord mayor, hold back | /d/ changes to /b/ before /m b p/ |
| glass shelf, nice year, as yet | /s/ changes to /ʃ/ before /ʃ/ or /j/ |
| ten bags, fan mail, tin plate | /n/ changes to /m/ before /m, b, p/ |
| good guitar, bad copy | /d/ changes to /g/ before /k/ or /g/ pre-glottal or glottalisation |
| cut glass, that cake | /t/ changes to /k/ before /k/ or /g/ pre-glottal or glottalisation |
| common ground, in gold | /n/ changes to /ŋ/ before /k/ or /g/ pre-glottal or glottalisation |
| please shut up, these young men | /z/ changes to /ʒ/ before /ʃ/ or /j/ |
Unit 5 – Exercise 4
In the following passage given in orthography, try and identify all the places where assimilation might occur and comment on each case.
“Mind you!,” he cried, “that cat broke the nice shells that were on the glass shelf. So now, please shut up and listen to me. Did you, or didn’t you have to get them again?” Both sad, the two sisters stopped caressing her and looked blank. As yet, they couldn’t quite believe it. Ten minutes before, their face shone with enthusiasm, but not now.
| mind you | /d/ changes to /ʤ/ before /j/ |
| that cat | /t/ changes to /k/ before /k, g/ pre-glottal or glottalisation |
| cat broke | /s/ changes to /ʃ/ before /ʃ, j/ |
| nice shells | /s/ changes to /ʃ/ before /ʃ/ or /j/ |
| on the | initial /ð/ in unstressed syllables is assimilated following /n l s z / |
| glass shelf | /s/ changes to /ʃ/ before /ʃ j/ |
| please shut up | /s/ changes to /ʃ/ before /ʃ j/ |
| did you | /n/ changes to /ŋ/ before /k/ or /g/ pre-glottal or glottalisation |
| didn't you | /d/ changes to /ʤ/ before /j/ | both sad | /θ/ changes to /s/ before /s/ |
| stopped caressing | /t/ changes to /k/ before /k, g/ pre-glottal or glottalisation |
| looked blank | /t/ changes to /p/ before /m b p/ |
| as yet | /s/ changes to /ʃ/ before /ʃ j/ |
| couldn’t quite | /t/ changes to /k/ before /k g/ pre-glottal or glottalisation |
| quite believe | /t/ changes to /p/ before /m b p/ |
| ten minutes | /n/ changes to /m/ before /m b p/ |
| face shone | /s/ changes to /ʃ/ before /ʃ j/ |
Unit 5 – Exercise 5
Elision. Identify cases of elision in the following words and sequences. Explain them.
| got to go | piece of paper | you and me | hard sofa | give me two |
| send them | fifths | didn't like | last time | looked bad |
| got to go | /t/ is elided in the sequence /tt/ | |
| piece of paper | labio-dental fricative elision, /v/, in the word ‘of’ | |
| you and me | alveolar plosive elision, /d/, since /d/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another voiced consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ | |
| hard sofa | alveolar plosive elision, /d/, since /d/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another voiced consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ | |
| give me two | labio-dental fricative elision, /v/, at rapid tempo before /m/, as i n ‘give me one’ | |
| send them | alveolar plosive elision, /d/, since /d/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another voiced consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ | |
| fifths | dental fricative elision, /ð/, in the common word ‘clothes’ | |
| didn't like | /t/ is elided, although it is preceded by a consonant of different voicing, since it is part of a negative contraction | |
| last time | alveolar plosive elision, /t/, since /t/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ | looked bad | alveolar plosive elision, /t/, since /t/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ |
Unit 5 – Exercise 6
In the following passage given in orthography, try and identify all the places where elision might occur and comment on each case.
He lost the other one. It was the second time. So he picked two more but one of them dropped. I don’t know what happened after he left. It felt horrible. We knew he didn’t like the old school. Last time he was going to send them on a piece of paper. Now he had to add one.
| lost the | alveolar plosive elision, /t/, since /t/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ | |
| second time | alveolar plosive elision, /d/, since /d/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another voiced consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ | |
| picked two | /t/ is elided in the sequence /tt/ | |
| but one | glottalisation | |
| one of them | labio-dental fricative elision, /v/, in the word ‘of’ | |
| don't know | /t/ is elided, although it is preceded by a consonant of different voicing, since it is part of a negative contraction | |
| didn't like | /t/ is elided, although it is preceded by a consonant of different voicing, since it is part of a negative contraction | |
| old school | alveolar plosive elision, /d/, since /d/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another voiced consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ | |
| last time | alveolar plosive elision, /t/, since /t/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ | |
| send them | alveolar plosive elision, /d/, since /d/ is in the coda of the syllable, is preceded by another voiced consonant and is followed by a consonant other than /h/ | |
| piece of paper | labio-dental fricative elision, /v/, in the word ‘of’ |
Unit 5 – Exercise 7
Transcribe the text below including possible linking or intrusive ‘r’.
Either of them could have got it, but neither of them had seen the saw in the workshop. In the end, after a fight, Sally drew it and Pam cut it. The colour of the star in the distance was really striking, as the blue and the silver edges glittered in the dark room.
Linking /r/, which occurs when there is a letter <r> in the spelling preceding a vowel sound, is marked with a superscript letter R, whereas intrusive /r/, which takes place between certain long vowel sounds and another vowel and is not marked in spelling, is marked with a superscript letter I.
aɪðәrL әv ðem kʊd әv gɒrI ɪt ∣ bәt ˈnaɪðәrL әʌ ðem әd siːn ðә sɔːrI ɪn ðә wɜːkʃɒp ∣∣ ɪn ðiː end ∣ ɑːftәrL ә faɪt ∣ ˈsӕli druːrI ɪt әnd pӕm kʌt ɪt ∣∣ ðә ˈkʌlәrL әv ðә stɑːrL ɪn ðә ˈdɪstәns wәz ˈriːәli ˈstraɪkɪŋ ∣ ӕz ðә bluːrI әnd ˈsɪlvәrL ˈeʤɪz ˈglɪtәd ɪn ðә dɑːk ruːm ∣∣
Unit 5 – Exercise 8
Identify and transcribe the weak forms in the following sentences:
- Can you move the car and trailer that were parked outside as soon as possible?
- He had gone with her from one place to another.
- Some of us would have preferred that he’d had a drink. Suddenly, he had it.
- Our neighbour doesn’t have that car. His is better than that.
- An interesting event for its price at a new café; we’d have gone with him but there’s only one ticket left.
- Can / kәn/ you /jʊ/ move the /ðә/ car and /әn/ trailer that /ðәt/ were /wә/ parked outside as /әz/ soon as /әz/ possible?
- He /hi/ had /(h)әd/ gone with her /ә/ from /frәm/ one place to /tʊ/ another.
- Some /sәm/ of /әv/ us/әs/ would/wәd/ have/әv/ preferred that /ðәt/ she’d ʃiːd ad /hӕd/ a drink. Suddenly, he had /hӕd/ it.
- Does /dәz/ our /ɑː/ new neighbour have that car? Oh, no; his is better than / ðәn/ that.
- An /әn/ interesting event for /fәr/ its price at /әt/ a /ә/ new café; we’d /wiːd/ have /әv/ gone with him /ɪm/ but /bәt/ there’s /ðәz/ only one ticket left.
