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PART ONE Words

[]. So comfort  /kmfət/ in narrow transcription is [khfəʔth,khfəʔ];some verses /səm  vsəz/ is [sə  vsəz]. Similarly /n/ before /f, v/ alsobecomes labiodental; the articulation is ‘fronted’; inform,  in verse  /nfɔm/,/n  vs/ in narrow transcription are [fɔm], [  vs]. In these cases,

the fronting and backing are transcribed by a special phonetic symbol.In other cases, the fronting and backing are indicated by diacritics. /n/

in like manner becomes dental before /θ, ð/; fronting (in this case, towardsdental articulation) is transcribed by the diacritic []. Tenth, in there /tεnθ/, /n ðεə/ in narrow transcription are [thεn θ], [n  ðεə]. e consonants /k, DZ/are fronted from a true velar position in the direction of the palatal position

when followed immediately by front vowels, e.g. key, geese /ki/, /DZis/ are thustranscribed narrowly as [khi], [DZis]. On the other hand, they are backed froma true velar position when followed immediately by back open vowels, e.g. car,

 guard /kɑ/, /DZɑd/; in narrow transcription they become [khɑ], [DZɑd].

Rounding, or labialization, of consonants occurs immediately beforerounded vowels and /w/. e diacritic to show this is [w]. For example, soon,

twin /ʃun/, /twn/ are, in narrow transcription, [swun], [twwn].Fronting, backing and rounding are more or less automatic in English,

and so it is usually not felt necessary to indicate them. ey are included here

simply to alert you to their existence in case it should ever be necessary to

include them in a narrow transcription.

  *

Summary of allophones for each consonant

  Plosives

  /p/   voiceless bilabial

  [ph] aspirated (but with weaker aspiration in unstressed syllables)

  [p] unaspirated aer /s/ in a syllable-initial cluster

  [ʔp] glottal reinforcement in syllable-final position before a consonantor silence

  [p ] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant; optional

before silence  /pa/ [phai]; /spa/ [spa]; /mp/ [mʔph]; /mps/ [mʔps]; /mp ʃɒp/

[mʔp ʃɒʔph]

  /b/ voiced bilabial

  [b] voiced initially and between voiced segments  [b] devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence  [b] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant

  /ba/ [ba]; /bebi/ [bebi]; /nb/ [nb]; /bsənt/ [bsənth]

 

/t/ voiceless alveolar  [th] aspirated (but with weaker aspiration in unstressed syllables)

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CHAPTER 4  Allophones

  [t] unaspirated aer /s/ in a syllable-initial cluster  [ʔt, ʔ] glottal reinforcement or glottal replacement in syllable-final posi-

tion before a consonant or silence

  [t] voiced flap as an alternative between vowels

  [t] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant  [t] dental before dental consonants  [t] retracted before /r/

  /ta/ [thai]; /sta/ [sta]; /fυt/ [fυʔth]; /fυtpɑθ/ [fυʔphɑθ], [fυʔtphɑθ];/bεtə/ [bεtə]; /etθ/

  [eʔtθ]; /tra/ [tɹ̊a]

  /d/ voiced alveolar

  [d] voiced initially and between voiced segments  [d] devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence

  [d] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant  [d ] dental before dental consonants  [d] retracted before /r/

 

/da/ [da]; /md/ [md]; /mdnat/ [mdnaʔth]; /wdθ/ [wdθ]; /dra/[dɹa]

  /k/ voiceless velar

  [kh] aspirated (but with weaker aspiration in unstressed syllables)  [k] unaspirated aer /s/ in a syllable-initial cluster

  [ʔk] glottal reinforcement in syllable-final position before a consonantor silence  [k] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant  [k] advanced before front close vowels  [k] retracted before back open vowels

  /kand/ [khand]; /ska/ [ska]; /bk/ [bʔkh]; /bkbəυn/ [bʔkbəυn];/kip/

 

[khiʔph]; /kɑ/ [khɑ]

  /g/ voiced velar

  [DZ] voiced initially and between voiced segments  [DZ̊] devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence  [DZ] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant  [DZ ] advanced before front close vowels  [DZ] retracted before back open vowels

 

/DZa/ [DZa]; /nDZ/ [nDZ̊]; /rDZ bDZ/ [rDZbDZ̊]; /DZis/ [DZis]; /DZɑd/ [DZɑd]

  Nasals

  /m/ voiced bilabial

  [] labiodental before /f, v/  [m] elsewhere

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CHAPTER 4  Allophones

  [ʔtʃ] glottal reinforcement in syllable-final position before a consonantor silence

  [tʃ] elsewhere

 

/mtʃ/ [mʔtʃ]

 

/d/  voiced palato-alveolar/post-alveolar

  [dȢ̊] devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence  [dȢ] elsewhere

 

/hεdȢ/ [hεdȢ̊]

  Approximants

  /l/  voiced alveolar lateral

  [] velarized (dark) before a consonant except /j/ or before silence  [] dental before /θ, ð/

  [l] devoiced aer aspirated /p, k/  [l] elsewhere

 

/bl/ [b]; /bld/ [bd]; /bljən/ [bljən]; /wεlθ/ [wεθ]; /ple/ [ple]

 

/r/  voiced post-alveolar

  [ɾ] tap aer /θ, ð/  [ɹ] fricative aer /d/  [ɹ] devoiced aer aspirated /p, t, k/  [ɹ] elsewhere

 

/θri/ [θɾi]; /dra/ [dɹa]; /pre/ [pɹe]; /rεd/ [ɹεd]  (limited distribution – syllable-initial position only)

  /j/ voiced palatal

 

[̊] devoiced aer aspirated /p, t, k/  [ç] for /hj.../  [j] elsewhere

  /tjun/ [tjun]; /hjudȢ/ [çudȢ]  (limited distribution – syllable-initial position only)

  /w/ voiced labial-velar

 

[w] devoiced aer aspirated /p, t, k/  ([] for /hw../)  [w] elsewhere

  /kwin/ [kwin]; (/hwal/ [a])  (limited distribution – syllable-initial position only)

  Vowels

  ere are three processes that affect the articulation of all the vowels of English:nasalization, clipping and breaking; and two other processes that affect the

articulation of just the long vowels: smoothing and diphthongization.