Discover phonetics and

phonology:

A phonological
awareness workbook
Prof. Esp. María Laura Sordelli
Profesora Adjunta Parcial Interina

“English Phonetics &

Phonology I”

ISBN 978-987-544-302-0

Este material se utiliza con fines exclusivamente didácticos

 Introduction

The activities of the present workbook have been designed bearing the
consciousness-raising approach in mind and have been to a great extent based upon Rod
Bolitho and Brian Tomlinson´s ´s Discover English material. As the authors of such book
put it “The phonological system is not treated systematically but users of the book
[Discover English] will certainly see ways in which segmental and supra-segmental
features can be dealt with through an awareness-raising approach”1

Consciousness-raising (C-R) activities are meant to encourage students

to think about samples of (language) and draw their own conclusions about how the
English phonological system works (Willis & Willis 1996).
Ellis (1993) lists the following characteristics of C-R activities:
 The „attempt‟ to isolate a specific phonological feature for focused
attention
 The requirement that learners „utilize intellectual effort’ to
understand the targeted feature. There is a clear attempt to involve the learner in
hypothesizing about the data and to encourage hypothesis testing
C-R activities can be seen as guided problem-solving. Learners are
encouraged to notice particular features of the language, to draw conclusions from
what they notice and to organize their view of language in the light of the
conclusions they have drawn.
Advanced students will benefit from talking about phonetics, though this is
not a practice booklet in the conventional sense, nor an attempt at systematic coverage of
all points of difficulty in the phonological system. The intention is to highlight and explore
selected areas of the phonological system and learner priorities.

1
Bolitho, R & Tomlinson, B (1995) Discover English, London, Heinemann.
UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE MAR DEL PLATA
FACULTAD DE HUMANIDADES
DEPARTAMENTO DE LENGUAS MODERNAS
PROFESORADO DE INGLÉS
“FONETICA Y FONOLOGIA INGLESA I”

Discovering phonetics & phonology: phonological awareness activities

Exercises
Unit 1
1-Raising metacognitive awareness

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR PRONUNCIATION?2

Tick any of the statements below which are true of you. Then join in a class
discussion.
1- I think pronouncing is more difficult than writing
2- I think I don´t really have any problems in pronouncing English
3- Pronunciation is important to me because:
 I have to pass oral examinations in English
 I want to be a good model for my students.
 I want to talk to English-speaking friends.
 ……………………………………………..
 ……………………………………………..
4- I expect to do a lot of pronunciation work in class.
5- I expect to do a lot of pronunciation practice by myself at home
6- I expect the teacher to mark all my mistakes at the lab
7- I expect the teacher to mark the most important mistakes in my work
8- I make a careful note of the teacher´s corrections at the lab

2
Adapted from Hedge, Tricia (2000) Teaching and learning in the language classroom, Oxford, OUP:
 9- I would like to listen to other students practicing at the lab sometimes
10- I usually pay attention to the number of mistakes of my dictations but I don´t
study the corrections in detail.

2-Facts and myths about learning English

pronunciation.

1- Comment on the following statements (pair work). Then join in a group

discussion:
a) “It is not normally sufficient simply to repeat the sound and expect learners
to get it right through hearing alone”3
b) Constant repetition of correct forms is the key to learning the pronunciation
of a foreign language because it enables the learner to develop correct
pronunciation habits.
c) “This is a specialist dictionary of pronunciation. It offers the user three
kinds of information about English pronunciation that are not available in a
general dictionary: information on variants, on inflected and derived
forms, and on proper names. It covers both British and American English”4
d) “The possession of a good ear involves (1) The ability to discriminate
between sounds, (2) The ability to remember the acoustic qualities of foreign
sounds, and (3) The ability to recognize foreign sounds with ease and
certainty”5
e) The teacher should always correct pronunciation errors or else the students
will develop a bad pronunciation.

3
Bowen, T & Marks, J (1992) The Pronunciation Book, London, Longman.
4
Wells, J (1990) Pronunciation Dictionary, London, Longman.
5
Jones, D (1978) An Outline of English Phonetics, Cambridge, CUP
 f) You don´t need a teacher to learn to pronounce a foreign language correctly.
All you need is a phonetics book and a dictionary.
g) The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a set of symbols representing
each end every sound of the English language.
h) “The corner occupied by Phonetics in the field of human knowledge is an
odd one-intensively cultivated, bit little visited. The ordinary person is
usually unaware it is there”6
i) “Being able to approach pronunciation teaching from different modalities
(auditory, visual, kinesthetic, tactile) is clearly advantageous”7
j) “Native language transfer plays a role in a learner´s acquisition of the sounds
of the second language, but it is only one piece of the puzzle”8
k) The IPA contains NO /c/ symbol or capitals letters.
l) One of the best tips for improving your phonetic transcription is to
transcribe passages into phonetics. However, such job is useless if the
pronunciation dictionary is not consulted.
m) RP (Received Pronunciation) is the standard pronunciation we shall be using
in this course.
n) You must always have your Phonetic Symbol Key List handy when you start
transcribing in phonetics in order to familiarize with the symbols.
o) Having passing marks in phonetic dictations makes no sense if you do not
reproduce the correct symbols when speaking.
p) This course is particularly concerned with Articulatory Phonetics (the
branch of Phonetics concerned with the speech mechanism) rather than with
acoustic phonetics.
q) “Relaxation is a very useful tool to help learners leave the rest of the world
behind, reactivate their sense of discovery, investigate a new world of

6
Abercrombie, D (1967) Problems and principle in Language Study, London, Longman
7
Acton, W (1997) “Seven suggestions of highly successful pronunciation teaching”, The Language Teacher
Online, Online at http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/97/feb/seven.html
8
Celce-Murcia,M (1996) Teaching Pronunciation, Cambridge, CUP:
 sounds , and mobilize all their resources. It also improves articulation and
voice quality”9
r) “I have long believed in the rule that listening and pronunciation work are
two sides of the same coin-the coin being „the spoken language‟ “10
s) “There is a tendency for us to focus on production as the main problems
affecting our learners. Most research, however, shows clearly that the
problem is more likely to be reception-what you don´t hear you can´t say”11

3-Terminology
Look at the examples of the use of phonetic and phonological terms and then complete
the statements about them.

1- Phonetics v Phonology
Examples
 The fact that /z/ is a voiced sound is a phonetic characteristic.
 The fact that /n/ is nasal is a further phonetic feature.
 From the phonetic viewpoint, /p/ is a plosive phoneme.

 The difference between “pin” and “bin” is phonological.

 In English, no word starts with the // phoneme, which is a phonological
statement.
 From a phonological perspective, Spanish presents a higher proportion of vowel
sounds than English (43,49% v 39.21%).

Statements
-“The ……………of a language concerns the concrete characteristics (articulatory,
acoustic, auditory) of the sounds used in languages, while……………concerns how sounds
function in a systemic way in a particular language”12

9
Laroy, C (1995) Pronunciation, Oxford, OUP:
10
Cauldwell, R (2004) “The two-sides rule in teaching listening comprehension “, DevelopingTeachers.com,
online at http://www.speechinaction.com/
11
Dalton, D (1997) “Some techniques for teaching pronunciation”, The Internet TESL Journal, vol. III, n°1.
Online at http://www.aitech.ac.jp/-iteslj/
12
Cruttenden, A (1994) Gimson´s pronunciation of English,, London, Edward Arnold.
-The study of the production of sounds is called…………….., while……………… refers
to the way in which sounds function in a given language.

-“……………..tends to be a more general discipline, in that it is concerned with speech

sounds without reference to their function or role in any particular language …………….,
on the other hand, tends to be more particular, in that it is usually concerned with the
patterning of sounds in a particular language”13

-Articulatory ……………..is the branch of phonetics we focus at/on in this course

“…past traditions of pronunciation teaching (…) have predominantly adopted a

…………… rather than a ……………….. (…) We have in other words, tended to
concentrate too much on achieving accurate pronunciation on sound segments and have not
paid enough attention to the way these sounds work together as a functional sound
system”14

-“Although the capacity to produce human vocal noises (…………..) is general to all
human beings, their organization into phonemes (………………) is particular to each
language…”15

-“The study of speech sounds is partitioned between two distinct but related disciplines,
……………. and……………. Both terms come from the Greek word meaning sound, and
there is a fair degree of overlap in what concerns the two subjects”16

2- Speech sounds: Vowels v Consonants

Examples
-During the production of /i: /, /e /, / /, /u /, / u: /, / /, /  /, //, //, /, /  / and // the
air issues in a continuous stream through the pharynx and mouth.
-….. …………. are voiced.
-When uttering //, /  /, /  /, /e/, /i:/ and // there is no obstruction or narrowing which
would result in audible friction.

-During the production of /f/, /v/, /s/ and /z/ there is audible friction.
-/p/, /s/ and /t/ are voiceless consonants
-During the production of /b/, /l/ and /r/ the air finds an impeded passage through the mouth
-/m/, /n/ and // are nasal sounds ( i.e. the air does not pass through the mouth)
-Vowel /:/ pronounced in the usual manner can be heard at a greater distance than /p/ or /f/
pronounced in the usual manner.

13
Ortiz Lira H & Finch D (1982) op cit
14
Taylor, David ( 1999 ) “English pronunciation and the teaching of English to speakers of other languages:
what do teachers need to know? Towards a pedagogical Phonetics and phonology”. Online at …….
15
Ortiz Lira & Finch (1982) op.cit.
16
Spencer, A (1996) Phonology, Oxford, Blackwell.


Statements
-From the acoustic viewpoint, ……………… are more sonorous than …………………..
-During the formation of …………….., the vocal chords are in vibration, the air issues
freely through the pharynx and mouth finding no obstruction which may cause audible
friction.
-………………… include voiceless sounds, also those sounds in the production of which
the air has an impeded passage through the mouth, the air does not issue through the mouth
or there is audible friction.

3- Laryngeal features:Voiced v Voiceless

Examples
-/e/, /u/ and /u:/ are voiced, i.e. the vocal folds vibrate.
- /z /, / / and /d/ are voiced, which means that the vocal folds are in vibration.
-Semivowels /j/ and /w/ are voiced

-/p/, /t/ and /k/ are voiceless consonant, and /b/, /d/ and /g/ are their voiced
counterparts.
-There is no vibration of the vocal folds when /s/, /f/ and /k/ are produced.
-The vocal chords come into close contact and consequently they vibrate when /z/, /v/
and /g/ are produced.

Statements

-Regarding voicing, the English vowels, diphthongs and semivowels are ………………
-Some English ……………… are voiced while others are ……………..
-When producing………………consonants, the vocal chords do not vibrate whereas for
the production of ……………. sounds they do as they come into contact.

4- Breath effort: Fortis v Lenis

Examples
-/s/ and /z/ are distinguished not only by the presence or absences of voice but also by
the degree of breath and muscular effort involved in their articulation.
- /p/ and /t/ are voiceless and thus fortis consonants.
 - /b/ and /d/ are voiced and thus lenis.
-According to the degree of muscular effort involved, //, / k / and / / are fortis
sounds.

Statements
-“Those English consonants which are ………..tend to be articulated with relatively
weak energy, whereas those which are ……….. are relatively strong”17
-The terms “………..”/“voiceless” and “…………”/”voiced” do not refer to the same
phonetic feature and are not synonyms.
-The terms “………….” and “lenis” are antonyms.

5- Noise component: Obstruent v Sonorant

Examples
/p/,/t/,/p/,/b/,/k/,/g/ are obstruent consonants, while /m/,/n/ and // are sonorants.
/ /, // and /z/ are obstruent while /l/, /r/, /w/ and /j/ are sonorants

Statements

-The classification of sounds into “obstruent” and “sonorant” refers to noise component
or resonance.
-Plosives, fricatives and affricates are ……………, while voiced nasals, approximants
and vowels are sonorant.
-When producing …………..sounds the constriction impeding the airflow is sufficient
to cause noise.

6- Manner of articulation (stricture) v Place of articulation

Examples
-During the production of /n/ the state of the air passage is blocked, the sound issuing
through the nose, that is why /n/ is a nasal consonant.
-When /l/ is uttered, the tongue blocks the air passage, the air escapes through one or
two sides of the mouth, the resulting sound being lateral.
-When producing /f/,/v/,/s/ and /z/ two organs approximate to such an extent that the
airstream passes between them with friction.

17
Gimson
-The place of articulation of bilabial consonants /p/,/b/ and /m/ being the upper and lower
lips.
-During the production of velar consonants /k/ and /g/ the place of articulation is the soft
palate or velum.
-The point of articulation of alveolar consonants /t/, /d/, /l/, /n/, /s/ and /z/ is the alveolar or
teeth-ridge.

Statements
-…………. and ……………. of articulation should not be confused as they refer to
different features of consonants.
-………..of articulation refers to the state of the air passage at the time of the
production of the sound. In English the different manners of articulation are: affricate,
…………., trill, tap, ……………., ……………. and approximant.
-………………of articulation refers to the points at which consonants are articulated, in
English there are eleven places: ……………., labiodental, dental,………………, post-
alveolar, retroflex, palato-alveolar, palatal, ……….., uvular and glottal.

7- Speech sounds: Allophone v Phoneme

Examples
-Phoneme /p/ has many different variants depending on the position in the word.
-Phonemes /p/ and /b/ make the difference between words such as “pin” and “bin”

-The allophone [t] is an aspirated variety of phoneme /t/ when occurring initially
in accented position as in “Tom”.
-Allophone [ m] is the way n is realized when occurring before dental sounds, such is
the case of the word “infant”.
-There are seven different allophones for phoneme /k/.

Statements
-An …………….. is “A variant of a phoneme. The allophones of a ………….. form a
set of sounds that (1) do not change the meaning of a word, (2) are all very similar to
one another, and (3) occur in phonetic contexts different from one another-for example,
syllable initial as opposed to syllable final”18

18
Ladefoged, P (1989) A Course in Phonetics, New York, Harcourt Brace.
 -A/n………………..is “the smallest contrastive phonological unit which can produce a
difference in meaning”19
-While………………operate at a phonetic level, ………………operate at a
phonological level.
-“Each variety of the phoneme /p/ is called an allophone of /p/, and is written by a
phonetic symbol written inside square brackets”20

8-Gradation: Strong v Weak

Examples
-He told me that I was slow./ ………………………………………………….
/
-Are you coming or not?/
…………………………………………………………………
/
-I´ve been waiting for ages / ………………………..
/

-What are you looking at? / ……………………..

/
-He really doesn´t know what to do/ …………………….
/
-I asked her to come, not them / …………………..
/

Statements
-As a rule, …………forms are preferred, although sometimes it is up to the speaker to
choose.

19
Ortiz Lira, H & Finch, D (1982) A Course in English Phonetics for Spanish Speakers, London, Heinemann.
20
Stockwell. R & Bowen, D (1965) The sounds of English and Spanish, Chicago, The university of Chicago
Press.
 -Some verbs, pronouns and prepositions have two or more different pronunciations
(……………and …………….forms) , all of which are shown in the pronunciation
dictionary. Such phenomenon is known as…………….
-………………………..are used when there is an implied contrast or emphasis.
-While …………forms usually bear weak, unprotected vowels such as schwa, /i/ or /u/,
…………………..forms show strong vowels such as // and / /

4- Common problem areas

4.1 Classification of Vowels

Suggested readings:
-Cruttenden, A (1995) Gimson´s Pronunciation of English, London, Arnold.
-Finch,D & Ortiz Lira,H (1982) A Course in English Phonetics for Spanish Speakers,
London, Heinemann.
-Jones, D (1968) An Outline of English Phonetics, Cambridge, CUP
-Roach, P (1991) English Phonetics and Phonology, Cambridge, CUP.

1) Identification/consolidation
-Underline the information related to VOWELS alone.

-The tongue remains almost flat inside the mouth, almost in a resting position.
-If the position of the tongue is high, then the sound is close, but if the position of the
tongue is low, the sound is open21.
-The air issues in a continuous stream during its production, there being no obstruction
or narrowing.
-The most important aspects of the quality of these sounds is tongue height,
frontness/backness, and lip rounding22 .

21
Malmberg, B (1986) La Fonética, Buenos Aires, Eudeba.
-The soft palate is lowered.
-There is no noise component while this sound is made.
- The vocal chords do not vibrate.
-The friction is audible.
-These sounds are tense when they are long.
- The air does not issue through the mouth.
-There is an impeded passage through the mouth.
-They can be heard at a grater distance than other sounds.
-During the production of these sounds the breath effort is strong.
-They are shorter finally or before a voiceless sound.
-The air is forced outwards when making this sound.
-They are classified according to place and manner of articulation.

Phonological and phonetic features of VOWELS: ..…………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………

2- Classification

“Say over the vowels symbolized /i:/, // /, /e/ and //, ; whatever may be the precise
values as you pronounce them, it should be clear to you that your tongue starts in a
fairly high position for /i:/ and moves lower for each of the others (your jaw will
probably be opening too, to help the tongue move down). We say that /i:/ is a HIGH
VOWEL, while // is fairly LOW. The terms CLOSE and OPEN are equivalent to

22
Spencer, A (1996) Phonology, Oxford, Blackwell.
high and low respectively.
Compare your vowels /e/ and //, it may help if you silently alternate the two mouth
positions. You should become that in /e/ you are using a part of your tongue that is
well forward in your mouth; for //, however, the part of the tongue used is much
further back within the mouth. Here, then, is a second dimension for the description of
tongue position in vowels. You´ll find that /i/ and /i:/ also use the front part of the
tongue, while /u:/ and /:/ use the back part like //. So vowels can be FRONT or
BACK, independently of whether they are high or low. (…)
Some rounding of the lips is usual in the English vowels we are writing //, /:/, //
and /u:/, whereas all the others are said with unrounded lips”23

- What three dimensions in VOWEL CLASSIFICATION does Ashby

provide?
- Can you try to describe /i:/ according to Ashby´s perspective?
- Have you got enough information to describe the other vowels
mentioned in the excerpt?

3) Hypothesis building/checking
 What further aspects of vowel classification do other phoneticians consider
as well?
 Are they essential for a complete description of vowel sounds or just
complementary?
 Write down all the features of vowels which are necessary for a thorough
description.
 Are consonants, diphthongs and semivowels classified just like vowels?
Explain.

23
Ashby, P (1995) Speech Sounds, Routledge, New York.
 ………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………

4) Cross-language exploration

 Compare Spanish and English vowels regarding number and spelling-to-

sound rules.
 Is any Spanish vowel exactly the same as any English one?
 In what way are the five Spanish vowels different from their near
equivalents in English?
 Read the following passage and compare vowel description in both
languages.

DEFINICIÓN FONÉTICA DE UNA VOCAL

“Para definir una vocal hay que tener en cuenta:1) su modo de articulación: alta,
media o baja; 2) su lugar de articulación: anterior, central o posterior; 3) acción del
velo del paladar: oral u oronasal ; 4) acción labial : labializada o deslabializada; 5)
su intensidad: tónica o átona; 6) su caracterización acústica: aguda, neutra o
grave.” 24

.......................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................

24
Quilis & Fernández (1982) Curso de Fonética y fonología españolas, Madrid, Miguel de Cervantes.
 .......................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................

5) Reconstruction/deconstruction
Draw a mouth diagram showing tongue positions for vowels /i: / and // and attempt
an accurate description without looking at your notes. Consider all the features
mentioned in the previous points and use visual and tactile aids.

………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………….

6) Reference training
Complete the following chart showing the description of the twelve English vowels
with the help of the RP English vowel quadrilateral.
VOWEL TONGUE HEIGHT PART OF T ADD A FURTHER
RAISED HIGHEST FEATURE
1) 
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)

7) Contextualization
Is this topic within the realm of “Phonetics” or “Phonology”? Explain.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
8) Justification
 How do you know that the vowels you produce are voiced?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………….
 Can you measure the distance between the roof of your mouth and tongue
in order to determine vowel height?
 ………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
 “So vowel sounds are generally learnt auditorily, by listening and imitation.
Consonant sounds, on the contrary, are produced with some kind of light
contact between the articulators and can therefore be taught in both
articulatory and auditory terms”25 Explain.

………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………

References
Ashley, P (1995) Speech Sounds, New York, Routledge.
Avery, P & Ehrlich, S (1997) Teaching American English Pronunciation, Oxford, OUP
Barba, Julieta (2010) “Ejercicios de Fonética y Fonología” (Ficha de cátedra de Gramática)
Facultad de filosofía y Letras, UBA.
Blythe, T et cols. La enseñanza para la comprensión: Guía para el docente
Bolitho, R & Tomlinson, B (1995) Discover English, Oxford, Heinemann.
Catford, J (1988) A practical introduction to Phonetics, New York, Harcourt Brace.
Celce-Murcia , M (1996) Teaching pronunciation, Cambridge, CUP.
Cauldwell, R (1998) “Faith, hope & Charity: the vices of Listening Comprehension”, The
Language Teacher, vol.22, n° 7
Cruttenden, A ( 1994) Gimson´s Pronunciation of English, London, Edward Arnold.
Gilbert, Judy (2009) Clear Speech (Student´s book), Hong Kong, CUP.
Knowles, G (1987) Patterns of spoken English, London, Longman.
Ladefoged, P (1989) A Course in Phonetics, New York, Harcourt Brace.
Laroy, C (1995) Pronunciation, Oxford, OUP.

25
Ortiz Lira & Finch (1982), op.cit.
Litwin, E (2000) Las configuraciones didácticas. Una nueva agenda para la enseñanza
superior, Buenos Aires, Paidós.
Makarova, V (1997) “Discovering Phonetics”, The Language Teacher Online 21.3, online
at http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/97/mar/phonetics.html
Malmberg, B (1986) La Fonética, Buenos Aires, Eudeba.
Perkins, D (1997) Escuelas inteligentes, Buenos Aires, Gedisa.
Perkins, D (2010)….
Quilis & Fernández (1982) Curso de fonética y fonología Españolas, Madrid, Miguel de
Cervantes.
Spencer, A (1996) Phonology, New York, Blackwell.
Stone Wiske, M (1999) Enseñanza para la Comprensión, Buenos Aires, Paidós.
Tishman, Perkins & Jay ( 1998) Un aula para pensar, Buenos Aires, Gedisa.
Trask, R (1996) A dictionary of Phonetics and Phonology, New York, Routledge.
Vitanova, Gergana & Miller, A (2002) “Reflective practice in pronunciation teaching”, The
Internet TESL Journal, vol.8, n°1. Online at http://iteslj.org/Articles/Vitanova-
Pronunciation.html
Wells J (1990) Pronunciation Dictionary, London, Longman.
Williams & Burden Psychology for language teachers, Cambridge, CUP.
Willis, D & Willis, J (1996) “Consciousness raising activities”, in Willis & Willis (eds.)
Challenge and Change in Language Teaching, Oxford, Heinemann.
Wrembel, Magdalena (2001) “Innovative approaches to the teaching of practical
Phonetics”,
Wright, T & Bolitho, T (1993) “Language awareness: a missing link in language teacher
education?”, ELT Journal, vol. 47, n° 4.
Acknowledgments: Mg Pedro Luchini (UNMdP), Mg María Emilia Pandolfi (ISP Dr
Joaquín V González), Jurgen Danke (University of Marburg, Denmark), Maria Alicia
Maldonado (INSP Santa Fe), María Luisa García Lecumberri (Universidad del País Vasco),
Darío Barrera-Pardo (Universidad de Barcelona)