Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Jrg Strssler

English Phonemic Transcription It is important to understand the difference between a narrow transcription and a broad one. The term narrow is applied to a transcription which contains a certain amount of phonetic detail: the narrower a transcription is, the more phonetic detail it contains and the more diacritic signs and special symbols it requires. This kind of transcription is a phonetic transcription and is placed between square brackets ( [...] ). A broad transcription shows an absence of phonetic detail. The broadest transcription contains only phonemes. It is referred to as a phonemic transcription and is written between slants ( /.../ ). In dictionaries (and in dictations) it is common usage to use a phonemic transcription with the added symbols for vowel length ( 9 ) , primary stress ( ! ) and secondary stress ( $ ), and the diacritic for syllabic consonants (as in m and k ). Transcription of consonants: English has the following consonant phonemes: Voiceless stops: p as in 'pea' t as in 'tea' k as in 'key' Voiced b as in 'bee' d as in 'do' g as in 'go' l as in 'map' m as in 'nap' M as in 'hang' f as in 'fat' S as in 'thin' s as in 'sip' R as in 'ship' g as in 'hat' sR as in 'chin' liquids: glides: v C z Y as in as in as in as in 'vat' 'that' 'zip' 'measure'

nasals:

fricatives:

affricates: approximants:

cY as in 'gin' k as in 'led' q as in 'red' i as in 'yet' v as in 'wet'

Some hints for transcribing consonants: 1. 2. The main difference to listen for is whether the consonant is voiced or voiceless. The following consonant letters have (nearly always) their usual English sound values: p, b, t, d1, k, m, n, l, r, f2, v, z, h, w (1 except certain past and past part.- ending __ed) (2 except in <of> / Pu / )

Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Jrg Strssler

3.

The remaining consonant letters and the vowel letters have no unique sound value: letters c phonemes / s, k / , always voiceless examples cellar / s / club / k / access / ks / pick / k / get [ g ] age / cY / beige / Y / queen sign, basis, / s / please, realise / z / measure, vision / Y / with, thy, they, then / C /

ck g

/k/ / g, cY , Y / , always voiced

qu s

/ kw / / s / or / z / / Y / in some words of French origin / S / or / C /; All the function words (articles, prepositions, pronouns, adverbials) except through and thorough have a voiced th-sound / C /. A lot of content words have a voiceless th-sound / S /, especially in initial and final position. In median position <th> is often voiced. / ks /

th

thin, thigh, bath / S / mother, father / C / box / aPjr /

x 4.

Relationship between .Y+R+cY+sR / phonemes and letters: phoneme Y R cY sR letters g, s sh, ti, ssi j, g, dg ch, tch, tu examples beige, measure, vision / Y / fish, station, expression / R / judge, age /cY / teacher, butcher, nature / sR /

5.

Plural-, genitive- and 3rd person singular ___s: / r / after voiceless sounds cats, tips, kicks / y / after voiced sounds pens, cars, songs / Hy / after sibilants (r+y+R+Y ) kisses, dishes, boxes past- and past participle ___ed: /s/ after voiceless sounds / c / after voiced sounds / Hc / after / d / and / t /

6.

sipped, kicked sinned, followed mended, sorted

7.

In British English (RP) an / r / is only transcribed in front of a vowel.

Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Jrg Strssler

Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Jrg Strssler

Transcription of vowels: English has the following vowel phonemes: short vowels: H as in 'pit' d as in 'pet' z as in 'pat' U as in 'cut' P as in 'pot' (US: @9) T as in 'put' ? as in 'potato', 'upper' long vowels: h9 as in 'key' diphthongs: dH as in 'bay' `H as in 'buy' NH as in 'boy' ?T as in 'low' `T as in 'how' H? as in 'here' d?3 as in 'there' T? as in 'moor'
3

@9 as in 'car' N9 as in 'core' t9 as in 'coo' 292 as in 'cur'

US: nT US: H_ US:d_ US:T_

some dictionaries use ?9

some dictionaries use D?

Some hints for transcribing vowels: 1. The main difference to listen for is whether the vowel is long or short. The symbols for the long and the short form are always different, as the phonemes differ in quantity as well as in quality. In diphthongs we use the lower case / a / / `H+`T /, originally to make life easier for the printers, before they used computers. The phoneme / ? / can only occur in unstressed syllables.

2. 3.

Books with phonetic transcripts: The English department has only one book with texts and their transcriptions. Although it does not use the latest version of the IPA, the texts are very useful to practise transcribing. It is on the presence shelf. Buck, Timothy (1968): Modern Phonetic Texts for foreign students of English. Mnchen: Hueber. ( [ER 401] ;on presence shelf) Lecumberri, M. Luisa Garcia and John A. Maidment (2000): English Transcription Course, London: Arnold. (ordered for the department library) To practice transcriptions of single words, you can always take a good dictionary. Other books (neither in the English department nor in the ZB): Morris-Wilson, Ian (1984): English Phonemic Transcription. Oxford: Blackwell. Abercrombie, D. (1964): English Phonetic Texts. London: Faber and Faber. OConnor, J.D. (1948): New Phonetic Readings from Modern English Literature. Bibliotheca Anglicana, vol. 9. Berne: Franke. OConnor, J.D. (1971): Advanced Phonetic Reader. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. OConnor, J.D. (1973): Phonetic Drill Reader. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tagliavini, Carlo 1968): Testi in trascrizione fonetica. Bologna: Riccardo Ptron. Windsor, Lewis J. (1977): People Speaking: Phonetic Readings in Current English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.