ASSIGNMENT

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HBET1203
ENGLISH PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY
SEPTEMBER 2019 SEMESTER
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SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION

1. Answer in English.

2. Number of words: 2500 – 3000 words excluding references.

3. Submit your assignment ONCE only in a SINGLE file.

4. Submit your assignment ONLINE.

5. Submission date: 4th November 2019 until 17th November 2019.

6. This assignment accounts for 60% of the total marks for the course.

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 ASSIGNMENT QUESTION

Natural speech has more than just sounds. It also has elements of connected speech
including assimilation, elision, and stress patterns.

Assignment tasks
Below is an excerpt from a famous novel followed by a phonetic transcription of the same
excerpt. The stress points are already given in the transcription. All you need to do is to
indicate the assimilations and elisions in the transcription.

How to do the task

1. Familiarize yourself with the excerpt by reading the Original excerpt.
2. Read the Transcribed excerpt. Read it again out loud.
3. Pay close attention to the stress patterns that has already been established by the
stress marks in the transcription.
4. Indicate the assimilations and elisions that happened in the the trasncribed
excerpt. Here is how you do this.
a. Copy and paste the Transcribed excerpt into a new document (MS-word).
b. Amend the spots of transcription where the assimilation or elision
happens. See the example below;
i. Original transcription: ðə praɪm ˈmɪnɪstə wɒz ˈsɪtɪŋ əˈləʊn. what
you have to do - ðə praɪm ˈmɪnɪstə wɒz ˈsɪtɪŋ əˈləʊn.

ii. Identify changes - unassimilated was is /wɔs/

iii. Please use https://ipa.typeit.org/ to write your transcriptions.

[Total: 60 marks]

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Original excerpt
It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a
long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of
meaning behind. He was waiting for a call from the President of a far distant country,
and between wondering when the wretched man would telephone, and trying to
suppress unpleasant memories of what had been a very long, tiring, and difficult week,
there was not much space in his head for anything else. The more he attempted to focus
on the print on the page before him, the more clearly the Prime Minister could see the
gloating face of one of his political opponents. This particular opponent had appeared
on the news that very day, not only to enumerate all the terrible things that had
happened in the last week (as though anyone needed reminding) but also to explain
why each and every one of them was the government's fault.
The Prime Minister's pulse quickened at the very thought of these accusations, for they
were neither fair nor true. How on earth was his government supposed to have stopped
that bridge collapsing? It was outrageous for anybody to suggest that they were not
spending enough on bridges. The bridge was fewer than ten years old, and the best
experts were at a loss to explain why it had snapped cleanly in two, sending a dozen cars
into the watery depths of the river below. And how dare anyone suggest that it was lack
of policemen that had resulted in those two very nasty and well-publicized murders? Or
that the government should have somehow foreseen the freak hurricane in the West
Country that had caused so much damage to both people and property? And was it his
fault that one of his Junior Ministers, Herbert Chorley, had chosen this week to act so
peculiarly that he was now going to be spending a lot more time with his family?
"A grim mood has gripped the country," the opponent had concluded, barely concealing
his own broad grin.
And unfortunately, this was perfectly true. The Prime Minister felt it himself; people
really did seem more miserable than usual. Even the weather was dismal; all this chilly
mist in the middle of July. . . it wasn't right, it wasn't normal. . .
He turned over the second page of the memo, saw how much longer it went on, and
gave it up as a bad job. Stretching his arms above his head he looked around his office
mournfully. It was a handsome room, with a fine marble fireplace facing the long sash
windows, firmly closed against the unseasonable chill. With a slight shiver, the Prime
Minister got up and moved over to the window, looking out at the thin mist that was
pressing itself against the glass. It was then, as he stood with his back to the room, that
he heard a soft cough behind him.
From: J.K. Rowling (2005). Harry Potter and th Half-Blood Prince.
https://www.bookscool.com/en/harrypotter.php

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Transcribed excerpt
ɪt wɒz ˈnɪərɪŋ ˈmɪdnaɪt ænd ðə praɪm ˈmɪnɪstə wɒz ˈsɪtɪŋ əˈləʊn ɪn hɪz ˈɒfɪs, ˈriːdɪŋ ə lɒŋ ˈ
miːməʊ ðæt wɒz ˈslɪpɪŋ θruː hɪzbreɪn wɪˈðaʊt ˈliːvɪŋ ðə ˈslaɪtɪst treɪs ɒv ˈmiːnɪŋ bɪˈhaɪnd.
hiː wɒz ˈweɪtɪŋ fɔːr ə kɔːl frɒm ðə ˈprɛzɪdənt ɒv ə fɑː ˈdɪstəntˈkʌntri, ænd bɪˈtwiːn
ˈwʌndərɪŋ wɛn ðə ˈrɛʧɪd mæn wʊd ˈtɛlɪfəʊn, ænd ˈtraɪɪŋ tuː səˈprɛs ʌnˈplɛznt ˈmɛməriz ɒ
v wɒt hæd biːn əˈvɛri lɒŋ, ˈtaɪərɪŋ, ænd ˈdɪfɪkəlt wiːk, ðeə wɒz nɒt mʌʧ speɪs ɪn hɪz hɛd
fɔːr ˈɛnɪθɪŋ ɛls. ðə mɔː hiː əˈtɛmptɪd tuː ˈfəʊkəs ɒn ðəprɪnt ɒn ðə peɪʤ bɪˈfɔː hɪm, ðə mɔː
ˈklɪəli ðə praɪm ˈmɪnɪstə kʊd siː ðə ˈgləʊtɪŋ feɪs ɒv wʌn ɒv hɪz pəˈlɪtɪkəl əˈpəʊnənts. ðɪs
pəˈtɪkjʊlər əˈpəʊnənt hæd əˈpɪəd ɒn ðə njuːz ðæt ˈvɛri deɪ, nɒt ˈəʊnli tuː ɪˈnjuːməreɪt ɔːl ð
ə ˈtɛrəbl θɪŋz ðæt hæd ˈhæpənd ɪn ðəlɑːst wiːk (æz ðəʊ ˈɛnɪwʌn ˈniːdɪd ˈrɪmaɪndɪŋ) bʌt
ˈɔːlsəʊ tuː ɪksˈpleɪn waɪ iːʧ ænd ˈɛvri wʌn ɒv ðɛm wɒz ðə ˈgʌvnmənts fɔːlt.

ðə praɪm ˈmɪnɪstəz pʌls ˈkwɪkənd æt ðə ˈvɛri θɔːt ɒv ðiːz ˌækju(ː)ˈzeɪʃ(ə)nz, fɔː ðeɪ wɜː
ˈnaɪðə feə nɔː truː. haʊ ɒn ɜːθ wɒz hɪzˈgʌvnmənt səˈpəʊzd tuː hæv stɒpt ðæt brɪʤ
kəˈlæpsɪŋ? ɪt wɒz aʊtˈreɪʤəs fɔːr ˈɛnɪˌbɒdi tuː səˈʤɛst ðæt ðeɪ wɜː nɒt ˈspɛndɪŋɪˈnʌf ɒn ˈ
brɪʤɪz. ðə brɪʤ wɒz ˈfjuːə ðæn tɛn jɪəz əʊld, ænd ðə bɛst ˈɛkspɜːts wɜːr æt ə lɒs tuː
ɪksˈpleɪn waɪ ɪt hæd snæpt ˈklɛnliɪn tuː, ˈsɛndɪŋ ə ˈdʌzn kɑːz ˈɪntuː ðə ˈwɔːtəri dɛpθs ɒv
ðə ˈrɪvə bɪˈləʊ. ænd haʊ deər ˈɛnɪwʌn səˈʤɛst ðæt ɪt wɒz læk ɒvpəˈliːsmən ðæt hæd
rɪˈzʌltɪd ɪn ðəʊz tuː ˈvɛri ˈnɑːsti ænd wɛl
ˈpʌblɪsaɪzd ˈmɜːdəz? ɔː ðæt ðə ˈgʌvnmənt ʃʊd hæv ˈsʌmhaʊfɔːˈsiːn ðə friːk ˈhʌrɪkən ɪn ðə
wɛst ˈkʌntri ðæt hæd kɔːzd səʊ mʌʧ ˈdæmɪʤ tuː bəʊθ ˈpiːpl ænd ˈprɒpəti? ænd wɒz ɪt
hɪz fɔːltðæt wʌn ɒv hɪz ˈʤuːnjə ˈmɪnɪstəz, ˈhɜːbət tʃɔ:lɪ, hæd ˈʧəʊzn ðɪs wiːk tuː ækt
səʊ pɪˈkjuːliəli ðæt hiː wɒz naʊ ˈgəʊɪŋ tuː biːˈspɛndɪŋ ə lɒt mɔː taɪm wɪð hɪz ˈfæmɪli?
"ə grɪm muːd hæz grɪpt ðə ˈkʌntri," ði əˈpəʊnənt hæd kənˈkluːdɪd, ˈbeəli kənˈsiːlɪŋ hɪz
əʊn brɔːd grɪn.

ænd ʌnˈfɔːʧnɪtli, ðɪs wɒz ˈpɜːfɪktli truː. ðə praɪm ˈmɪnɪstə fɛlt ɪt hɪmˈsɛlf; ˈpiːpl ˈrɪəli dɪd
siːm mɔː ˈmɪzərəbl ðæn ˈjuːʒʊəl. ˈiːvənðə ˈwɛðə wɒz ˈdɪzməl; ɔːl ðɪs ˈʧɪli mɪst ɪn ðə ˈmɪdl
ɒv ʤu(ː)ˈlaɪ. . . ɪt wɒznt raɪt, ɪt wɒznt ˈnɔːməl. . .
hiː tɜːnd ˈəʊvə ðə ˈsɛkənd peɪʤ ɒv ðə ˈmiːməʊ, sɔː haʊ mʌʧ ˈlɒŋgər ɪt wɛnt ɒn, ænd geɪv
ɪt ʌp æz ə bæd ʤɒb. ˈstrɛʧɪŋ hɪzɑːmz əˈbʌv hɪz hɛd hiː lʊkt əˈraʊnd hɪz ˈɒfɪs ˈmɔːnfʊli. ɪt
wɒz ə ˈhænsəm ruːm, wɪð ə faɪn ˈmɑːbl ˈfaɪəˌpleɪs ˈfeɪsɪŋ ðə lɒŋ sæʃˈwɪndəʊz, ˈfɜːmli
kləʊzd əˈgɛnst ði ʌnˈsiːznəbl ʧɪl. wɪð ə slaɪt ˈʃɪvə, ðə praɪm ˈmɪnɪstə gɒt ʌp ænd muːvd
ˈəʊvə tuː ðəˈwɪndəʊ, ˈlʊkɪŋ aʊt æt ðə θɪn mɪst ðæt wɒz ˈprɛsɪŋ ɪtˈsɛlf əˈgɛnst ðə glɑːs. ɪt
wɒz ðɛn, æz hiː stʊd wɪð hɪz bæk tuː ðə ruːm, ðæthiː hɜːd ə sɒft kɒf bɪˈhaɪnd hɪm.

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 ATTACHMENT
ASSIGNMENT RUBRIC

HBET1203 ENGLISH PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY/ SEPT 2019

Unsatisfactory / Max
Excellent Fair Low
Criteria Weightage No Response marks
4 2 1 0
Identificaton of Accurate recogniton of Recognition of assimilation Recognition of assimilation Recognition of assimilation
assimilations assimilation points. points is faulty with many points is very faulty with points is not done.
5 20
points missed. many points missed.

Identification of Accurate recogniton of Recognition of elision points is Recognition of elision points Recognition of elision
elision elision points. faulty with many points is very faulty with many points is not doner.
5 20
missed. missed points.

Recognition of Accurate recognition of Fair recognition of changes Poor recognition of changes No recognition of changes
changes made changes made: indicates made: indicates original and made: indicates original and made: Does not indicate
5 original and changes in changes words with some changes words with many original and changes in 20
words. missing points missed. missing points. words.

Total 15 60