PHONETICS

A. Introduction to Phonetics
B. English Sounds PHONETICS- I
C. English Pronunciation
D. Stress. Intonation & Pronunciation
E. Common Errors in Pronunciation
F. Silent and non-silent Letters
G. Syllables and Structure
H. Word Stress Rules
I. Spelling Rules and Words Often Misspelt

A. Introduction to Phonetics

Phonetics deals with the sounds of speech and it’s physical properties. As English is spoken by
people in almost every country, either as their mother tongue or as their second language,
there is no purity of it’s pronunciation. It is pronunciation that creates the right kind of impact
on the listener.
Phonetic Transcription:

Phonetic Transcription is a system of symbols used to represent the sounds of Spoken language.
The international Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a widely used standard for this purpose, with
symbols representing speech sounds. Phonetic Transcription is helpful for language learners
and linguist to understand and analyze pronunciation.
Resceived Pronunciation(RP):
Languages have different accents. They are pronounced differently in parts of the world. As
English is spoken worldwide, as first or second language, it has wide range of variation in
pronunciation and accent. But we need to follow a standard pronunciation. At present, the
accent normally chosen as the standard for people learning is the English spoken by the people
of South-East England. It is identified by the name Received Pronunciation (abbreviated as
RP). No-a-days, it is so referred as BBC pronunciation.
In Speech, Articulation involves pronouncing words clearly and distinctly, ensuring that the
listener can easily understand what is being said. It also includes the use of appropriate
intonation, pacing, and emphasis.

 All the sounds we make when we speak are the result of muscles, contracting and the
flow of air.
 The tongue, hard palate, soft palate, pharynx, lower teeth, upper teeth, lower lip, upper

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 lip, nose, larynx and alveolar ridge are the parts of mouth used in producing the sounds
when we speak.
 It is necessary to become familiar with the different articulators to understand how the
sounds of speech are produced by the articulators.
 For example, the tongue is in contact with the upper side front teeth, for sounds such as
/t/, /d/, /n/ the tongue touches the alveolar ridge.

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MCQ:

1. What is the main focus of phonetics?

a. Grammar and Syntax
b. Vocabulary and semantics
c. Sounds of speech and their physical properties
d. Writing and composition

2. Which factor can lead to incorrect pronunciation in English?

a. Having a diverse range of native speakers
b. Following the standard accent of South-east England
c. Lack of clarity in stress and intonation
d. Over emphasis on correct pronunciation

3. What is Received Pronunciation (RP)?

a. A regional accent from South-east England
b. Pronunciation influenced by native English Speakers
c. A phonetic study technique
d. The accent spoken by non-native English speakers

4. Which one of the following is NOT one of the articulators used in producing speech
sounds?
a. Nose
b. Pharynx
c. Hard palate
d. Vocal chords

5. For which sounds does the tongue typically touch the alveolar ridge?
a. /s/ and /z/
b. /t/, /d/, /n/
c. /p/, /b/, /m/
d. /f/ and /v/ ---------------

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 B. ENGLISH SOUNDS

As per the old school learning; there are 26 letters in English alphabet and five vowels and 21
consonants;
It is a misconception that there are twenty-six sounds in English language as there are twenty-
six letters in it. To get acquainted with the right English pronunciation and accent we need to
understand correctly the usage of sounds.
English sounds, also known as phonemes, are the distinct speech sounds that make up the
English language. English pronunciation relies on the precise articulation and combination of
consonant sounds and vowel sounds.
There are actually forty four sounds in English language even though there are only twenty six
letters in it. But indeed there are as many as twenty-four consonants and twenty vowel
sounds in English; out of these twenty vowel sounds, twelve are pure vowels and eight of
them are dipthongal glides.
In phonetics, when there is a glide from one vowel to another vowel sound, it is called a
dipthong. Apart from these twenty vowels there are twenty four consonant sounds.
For instance, pronounce the following words;
1.Cat 2.Keen 3.Occasion 4.Chemistry
Here the |k| sound is used for

C in cat
K in keen
Cc in occasion
Ch in chemistry
In English, different alphabet can give the same sound. It is also possible that the same alphabet
in English give different sounds in different words. For eg
Chemist and characters __ ch gives |k|

Whereas, Chest and Cheese ch gives |tf|

Therefore, alphabet is different from sounds,
To sum up, there are forty-four sounds. There are two types of sounds;

1) Vowel sounds

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2) Consonant soundsThere are 20 vowel sounds in English; out of these – 12 are pure vowels
and eight of them are diphthongal glides, that is a combination of two vowel sounds.

In phonetics, when there is a glide from one vowel sound to another vowel sound, it is called
diphthong

Apart from these twenty vowels there are twenty-four consonants.

 A vowel is a sound in spoken language, pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is
no build-up of air pressure at any point.
 A consonant is a spoken sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the
vocal tract.
Eg., /p/, /t/, /k/, /h/, /f/, /s/, /m/, /n/

 A consonant cluster in a word is a group of two or more consonants with no vowels in

between them.
Eg., black, bread, length, sixths, sightscreen

 Syllable: A syllable is a basic unit of spoken language, which consists of uninterrupted sound
that can be used to make up words. In other words, a syllable always has one vowel sound.
So a word has as many syllables as there are vowel sounds.
Eg., 2 syllables 3 syllables
A-go Syl-la-ble
Ho-tel dic-tion-ary
Free-dom re-la-tion
a-gree

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MCQ:

1. How many sounds are there in English?

a) 30
b) 44
c) 26
d) 50

2. How many vowel sounds are there in English?

a) 5
b) 12
c) 20
d) 15

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3. How many consonant sounds are there in English?
a) 24
b) 21
c) 19
d) 26

4. How many pure vowels (monophthongs) are there in English?

a) 5
b) 12
c) 8
d) 10

5. How many diphthongs are there in English?

a) 4
b) 6
c) 8
d) 10
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C. English Pronunciation

English pronunciation refers to the way spoken English sounds. English sounds, also known as
phonemes, are the distinct speech sounds that make up the English language. These sounds can
be categorized into two main groups: consonant sounds and vowel sounds. English
pronunciation can vary significantly among different English dialects and accents.

Phonetic Transcription: Phonetic transcription is a system of symbols used to represent the

sounds of spoken language. It’s valuable for studying pronunciation, language learning,
linguistic research. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a widely used standard, with
symbols representing speech sounds. Phonetic transcription is helpful for language learners and
linguists to understand and analyze pronunciation.
To get acquainted with the right English pronunciation and accent we need to understand
correctly the usage of sounds.
English has 44 phonemes, including 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds. Consonants consist of
stops, fricatives, affricates, nasals, and approximants, while vowels are divided into 12 pure vowels and
8 diphthongs. Pure vowels are singular sounds, and diphthongs are gliding sounds where the tongue

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moves between positions within a syllable. This variety explains why English spelling can be complex,
with more sounds than letters to represent them.

Consonant Sounds: Consonants are speech sounds produced by partially or completely

blocking the airflow in the vocal tract. English has a variety of consonant sounds, including:

1. Voiceless Stops: Voiceless stops are consonant sounds produced by blocking the airflow in
the vocal tract and then releasing it suddenly without vibrating the vocal cords. The voiceless
stops in English are:

1. /p/:
o Example: "pat," "spill," "cap"
2. /t/:
o Example: "top," "stay," "cat"
3. /k/:
o Example: "kite," "sky," "back"

In each case, the airflow is momentarily stopped by closing the lips or the tongue against the
teeth or the roof of the mouth, and then the sound is released without the vocal cords
vibrating.

2. Voiced Stops: Voiced stops are consonant sounds produced by blocking the airflow in the
vocal tract and then releasing it while the vocal cords vibrate. The voiced stops in English are:

o /b/: Example: "bat," "club," "robe"

o /d/: Example: "dog," "ladder," "bad"
o /g/: Example: "go," "bag," "frog"

In each of these sounds, the vocal cords are engaged during the articulation, creating a voiced
quality as the sound is produced.

2. Fricatives: Sounds produced by narrowing the airflow, creating friction. Examples include /f/
[as in “fish”], /s/ [as in “snake”], and /v/ [as in “very”].
3. Voiced and Voiceless Th: The “th” sounds in English are somewhat unique and are
represented by /0/ [as in think] for the voiceless sound and [as in this] for the voiced sound.
4. Nasal Sounds: These sounds are produced by allowing air to flow through the nasal passage
while blocking the oral cavity. Examples include /m/ [as in man], /n/ [as innet], and /n/ [as
in sing].
5. Liquids: Liquids involve a partial blockage of airflow but without the same friction as
fricatives. English has two liquid sounds: /l/ / [as in lip] and /r/ / [as in run]

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6. Glides: Glides are also known as semi vowels and include /j/ / [as in yes] an/w/ / [as in well].
Vowel Sounds: Vowels are speech sounds produced with an open vocal tract, and English has a
relatively large number of vowel sound. Some common vowel sounds in English include;
Vowel Sounds (20): Vowels in English are divided into pure vowels (monophthongs) and
diphthongs.
Pure Vowels (12):

These are singular, unchanging sounds. Examples include:

 Short vowels: /ɪ/ (as in "bit"), /e/ (as in "bed"), /æ/ (as in "bat"), /ʌ/ (as in "but"), /ɒ/ (as in
"cot"), /ʊ/ (as in "put")
 Long vowels: /i:/ (as in "see"), /ɑ:/ (as in "father"), /ɔ:/ (as in "saw"), /u:/ (as in "blue"), /ɜ:/ (as
in "bird")

Diphthongs (8):
These are gliding vowel sounds where the tongue shifts from one position to another within the
same syllable. Examples include:

 /eɪ/ (as in "say")

 /aɪ/ (as in "buy")
 /ɔɪ/ (as in "boy")
 /aʊ/ (as in "now")
 /əʊ/ (as in "go")
 /ɪə/ (as in "ear")
 /eə/ (as in "air")
 /ʊə/ (as in "tour")

This intricate system of sounds highlights why English spelling can be unpredictable, as there
are more sounds than there are letters to represent them!

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MCQ:

1. What are the two main categories of English sounds?

a. Nouns and Verbs
b. Consonant Sounds and Vowel Sounds
c. Stress patterns and intonation
d. Syllables and phonemes
.
.
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2. Which of the following is an example of a voiceless stop consonant sound in English?
a. /b/ [as in bat]
b. /d/ [as in dog]
c. /p/ as in pat]
d. /v/ [as in very]

3. What makes English ‘th’ sounds unique in phonetics?

a. They are voiced fricatives
b. They are nasal consonants
c. They involve glides
d. They are liquids

4. Which category of English sounds is produced with an open vocal tract?

a. Consonant sounds
b. Long vowels
c. Short vowels
d. Dipthongs

5. What are Dipthongs in English pronunciation?

a. Single vowel sounds
b. Combinations of consonants and vowels
c. Combinations of two vowels within the same syllable
d. Stress patterns in words
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