Phonetics - 12-05-2025

Rules for pronouncing /r/ in received pronunciation:

1. If r occurs word initially, it is ALWAYS pronounced. (room, road, really, rude, right, writing)

2. If r occurs word-finally, then it is not pronounced. Teacher, daughter, father, never.

3. If r occurs word medially before a vowel, then the /r/ is pronounced. Broad, bring, bright, brother, tree, destroy, marry.

4. If r occurs word medially before a consonant, then it is not pronounced: hard, word, bird, bored, guard.

5. Double consonants are one sound.

rabbit

marry

carry

worry

sorry

Miss

Zawawi

Provide a full description to the following vowels:

/ɜ:/ Front, mid, unrounded, long vowel.

/ɒ/ Back, mid, rounded, short vowel.

/ɔ:/ Back, mid, rounded, long vowel

/ʌ/ Central, low, neutral, short vowel.

/ə/ Central, mid, neutral, short vowel

/ɪ/ Front, high, unrounded, short vowel

/æ/ Front, low, unrounded, long vowel

/ʊ/ Back, high, rounded, short vowel.

Zawawi

Study the following words and identify and describe the vowel in each and every one of them.

1. Moon: /u:/ back, high, rounded, long vowel

2. Man: /æ/ front, low, unrounded, long vowel.

3. Stamp: /æ/ Front, low, unrounded, long vowel

4. Glad: /æ/ Front, low, unrounded, long vowel.

5. sent: /e/ Front, mid, unrounded, short vowel

6. nerd: /ɜ:/ Front, mid, unrounded, long vowel.

work, bird, burn.

Zawawi

What are the main parameters that we use to describe vowels:

1. Shape of the lips

- unrounded, neutral and rounded.

2. Position of the tongue - horizontally

Front, central and back

 and vertically - High, mid and low

3. Duration

Long and short

Zawawi