Test questions on the theoretical phonetics
III course, Module II
1. There are 3 varieties of educated American speech
2. How many types of syllables are there in English?
3. ________is also called “scientific” and it is used in lectures, seminars,
conferences.
4. __________is typical of a country with one national language.
5. English is the national language of____________.
6. Conversational is used in ___________.
7. General American is spoken in___________.
8. Show the nucleus in the word "rain".
9. _________is also called “familiar” and it is used in everyday
communication of friends, relatives, well-acquainted people.
10.How many styles of intonation are there in any communication
11.________is typical of a country with 2 national languages.
12.There _________types of English are spoken in the English-speaking world,
they are _______and _______.
13.What consonant is articulated with retroflexion in General American?
14.Some words have stress in General American whereas in RP the stress may
be elsewhere.
a) first syllable e.g [ 'mægazin ]
b) third syllable e,g [ mæga'zi:n ]
c) second syllable e.g. [ mæ'gazi:n ]
d) none of them
15.What is a tempo?
16.Speech timbre is ….
17.What is intonation?
18.What is voice?
19.Some sound alternations are traced to the phonetic changes in earlier periods
of the language development and are known as …
20.… is a powerful means of communication. It has a great potential for
expressing ideas and emotions.
21.The falling tone is marked with:
a) \
b) /
c) |
d) =
22.Individual speech of members of the same language community is known
as:
23.Sounds, vowels and consonants are…
a) segmental units
b) suprasegmental units
c) polysuprasegmental units
d) all of them
24.Sound changes, which are the result of the historical development of the
language.
a) historical assimilation
b) reciprocal assimilation
c) mutual assimilation
d) coalescent
25.An articulatory similarity of two sounds, which is based on similar
articulatory work of the speech organs.
a) mutual assimilation
b) dissimilation
c) homogeneity
d) assimilation
26.A passage of small width or length.
a) Narrowing
b) Plosion
c) Obstruction
d) Elision
27._______ is frequently used, for example, by university lecturers,
schoolteachers, or by scientists in formal and informal discussions.
28._____ is typical of the English of everyday life.
29._____ is made resort to by political speech-makers, radio and television
commentators, participants of press conferences and interviews, counsel and
judges in courts of law, etc.
30._____ is generally acquired by special training and it is used, for instance, in
stage speech, classroom recitation, verse-speaking or in reading aloud
fiction.
31._______ is used, for instance, by radio and television announcers when
reading weather forecasts, news, etc. or in various official situations.
32.Complete the definition: _______socially accepted variety of a language.
a) national pronunciation standard
b) second language
c) mother tongue
d) lingua franca
33.Researches distinguish …. forms of RP
a) 3
b) 4
c) 2
d) 5
34.Transcribe the words. Split them into syllables: “moustache”
35. Find the correct pattern for this word? “counted”
a) CVCCVC
b) CVCVC
c) CVVCVC
d) CVVCC
36.Find the word with the different vowel sound
a) Group
b) Would
c) Could
d) Should
37.Circle the word in which letter L is silent
a) Folk
b) Follow
c) File
d) Fold
38.Find the odd-one-out.
a) Lost
b) Coast
c) Post
d) Rose
39.Which of the following is NOT a real British accent?
a) Devonic
b) Geordie
c) Brumie
d) Scouse
40.The "standard" British accent, often associated with royalty and members of
the educated elite, is often called by what name?
41.Which accent often turns "cannot" into "cannae"?
a) Scottish
b) Welsh
c) Yorkshire
d) West country
42.According to the original definition, where is the Cockney accent spoken?
43.Identify the definition of assimilation
a) a general term in phonetics for the process by which a speech sound
becomes similar or identical to a neighboring sound
b) slight degree of nasalization
c) qualitative and quantitative weakening of vowels
d) complete loss of sounds
44.Identify the process of accommodation
a) a general term in phonetics for the process by which a speech sound
becomes similar or identical to a neighboring sound
b) slight degree of nasalization
c) qualitative and quantitative weakening of vowels
d) complete loss of sounds
45. Try to define the reduction.
a) a general term in phonetics for the process by which a speech sound
becomes similar or identical to a neighboring sound
b) slight degree of nasalization
c) qualitative and quantitative weakening of vowels
d) complete loss of sounds
46. Press reporting and broadcasting is very close in its manner to this type of the
style.
47. This style is often called "oratorial".
48. Any language regularly used for communication between people who do not
share a native language is -----
49. Intonational style can be heard on the stage
50. ___________ can be defined a socially accepted variety of a language
established by a codified norm of correctness.
51. ____ is the dialectical unity which characterizes the speech continuum.
52. Standard national pronunciation is sometimes called___
a) orthoepic norm or literary pronunciation
b) national variant
c) Cockney accent
d) Kent accent
53. English English, Welsh English, Scottish English and Northern Ireland English
belong to:
54. Which RP forms do you know?
55. Which popular terms are used for RP accent?
56. Where is spoken the Eastern type of American English?
57. Where is used the Southern type of American pronunciation?
58. What form of speech is the General American?
59. Try to define the coda in the word 'stands' (IPA: /stændz/)
60. Try to find onset in the word "splat".
