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A:
O
O:
U
see [sI:]
bit [bIt]
ten [ten]
cat [kt]
arm [A:m]
hot [hOt]
saw [sO:]
pull [pUl]
u:
2
@:
@
eI
@U
aI
aU
two [tu:]
but [b2t]
fur [f@:]
ago [@"g@U]
age [eIdZ]
home [h@Um]
time [taIm]
how [naU]
OI
boy
[bOi]
I@
near
[ni@]
e@
pair
[pE@]
U@
sure
[SU@]
aI@
aU@
tired
["taI@d]
flower
["flaU@]
For practical purposes students are required to know and use phonemic (or broad) transcription.
This marks only the relevant features of sounds (i.e. it is used for rendering only the phonemes of a
language) and is especially suitable for learning the correct pronunciation. This is the transcription
most pronunciation charts (e.g., in dictionaries) are based on. It does not normally make use of
additional symbols (diacritics), except for the ones mentioned in this section. By contrast, phonetic
(or narrow) transcription, marks all features of soundsrelevant, irrelevant and those resulting from
the acoustic environmentand includes a wide range of diacritical signs. This course will occasionally
rely on phonetic transcription (e.g., in the context of studying allophones).
The chart provided here has been adapted after the Oxford Students Dictionary.
Consonants
p
pen
[pen]
bed
[bed]
tea
[tI:]
T
D
s
did
[dId]
kit
[kIt]
z
S
Z
get
[get]
fall [fO:l]
voice [vOIs]
thin [TIn]
then [Den]
see [sI:]
zoo [zu:]
she [SI:]
vision ["vIZ@n]
how [haU]
tS
dZ
m
chin
July
[tSIn]
[dZU"laI]
man
[mn]
no
sing
[sIN]
leg
[leg]
l
r
red
[n@U]
[red]
Semivowels
j
w
yes [jes]
wet [wet]
b)
c)
The two symbols are equivalent and render the same vowel phonemes.
However, in some more recent transcriptions there appears to be a preference
for the former. Use whichever you want, but use them consistently (i.e. do
not alternate them in one and the same transcription), e.g., put [pUt] or [put].
d)
e)
[e@] The sounds these symbols render are phonetically different (because the nuclei of these diphthongs are distinct). Nevertheless, some pronunciation charts fail to consider this, most of them preferring the latter for
its simplicity. In addition to this, there is a tendency to realize the respective
diphthong as an allophone whose nucleus coincides loosely with the monophthong (vowel No. 3 [e]). This is not, however a generalised phenomenon. The
ambiguity is enhanced by the fact that the nucleus of the allophone [E@] does
not fully coincide with the qualities suggested by the cardinal vowel. Until
agreement is reached, you can reliably use the symbol [E@] for transcriptions
of SBE.
[E@] vs.
[@] vs. [@:] These two symbols should never be confused, as they represent
different phonemes that stand in a peculiar relation of complementary distribution (unstressed vs. stressed syllables, respectively). You should use
whichever is the case depending on the phonetic environment and the pronunciation of the words, e.g., never [nev@] but prefer [prIf@:].
3. Diphthongs and triphthongs are long composite vowel sounds, but in English their
component vowels are short. As a result, it is useless and inappropriate to mark
any of their constituents as long. Thus, [E@:] or [a:U] are incorrect transcriptions
(the correct ones being [E@], respectively, [aU]).
4. Special care should be taken in using the symbol [ j]. This stands for a semivowel
which is restricted in distribution to initial and prevocalic positions in a syllable,
e.g., you [ ju:] or tune [tju:n]. Therefore it cannot be used for the glide [i] in
diphthongs and triphthongs. Such renderings are incorrect: [a j] [ej] [a j@]. The
correct symbols in these cases are [aI] [eI] [aU]. Note that in English, unlike in
Romanian, diphthongs and triphthongs do not contain semivowels! For the same
reason, the semivowel [w] cannot be used as the nucleus of the diphthong [U@] or
as a glide in [aU] and [aI@]. Therefore, such transcriptions as town [tawn] or flower
["flaw@] are incorrect.
5. Some non-native speakers (esp. the German and Hungarian) should be attentive
to the pronunciation and transcription of words containing the sounds [v] and [w].
They are different phonemes, the former being a labio-dental voiced fricative (a
consonant), while the latter is a bilabio-velar semivowel (a gliding voiced sound).
6. Foreign speakers should make sure they do not confuse the following voiceless
voiced consonantal pairs: [ S ] [Z], [tS ] [dZ], [T] [D]. Refer to their descriptions in
the table of English consonants and consult a dictionary if you have doubts about
using them in words.
7. Do not confuse [N] and [n]. They are both nasals, but the former is velar, the latter
is alveolar. Consider the peculiar contexts for using the velar consonanti.e. only