Facultad de Humanidades

Departamento de Lenguas Modernas

Profesorado de Inglés

Fonética y Fonología I

Clases prácticas

2020 (1er cuatrimestre)

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Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata

Facultad de Humanidades

Departamento de Lenguas Modernas

Profesorado de Ingles

Fonética y fonología inglesa I

Prof. Esp. Claudia Patricia Cosentino

Non-compulsory written assignments

Instructions for the transcriptions

1- Students should transcribe the texts assigned into phonetic script with the use of the pronunciation
dictionary. The first and second assignments are transcriptions .

2- Weak forms should be used as a rule, except when strong ones are required for special purposes.
Sometimes, gradation (i.e. the use of weak or strong forms) depends upon the speaker‟s choice.

3- Write on every other line and make clear symbols please.

4- Make moderate use of elisions, glottal stops and assimilations. This means that you will
not make every possible assimilation or elision, but that you will sometimes use them. Please mark
elisions with * and assimilations by means of _

5- Remember that the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) does not include capital letters or <c> as
symbols.

6- Always check the Phonetic Symbol List so as to make sure that all the symbols you use actually
belong to the International Phonetic Alphabet. Once you have finished, you should consult the
pronunciation dictionary and carry out self correction, but keep in mind that many words have more
than one accepted pronunciation.

7- Although these assignments are not a pre-requisite for passing the course, they are assignments
that the student is expected to hand in, the marks (passed/missing corrections) being part of the student´s
personal record or portfolio

8- Even if certain words may have many possible pronunciations, make sure you use
the first or second possibility, as some pronunciations that are shown are non-standard and thus not
used in RP.

9- Self-corrections must be shown using a different colour. Check keys when available.

10- A passing mark will be given to those assignments in which self-correction is clearly
shown. The number of mistakes does not matter, there is no top mark. The assignments should
include self- corrections .

11- The assignments should be handed in to your instructor on the dates shown below. Students may
submit assignments to the instructor through other mates. 1

1
Adapted from an exercise created by Prof. Esp. Ma. Laura Sordelli (2013)
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Instructions for the dictations

The third and fourth assignments are dictations. These are the instructions you should follow:

- Listen to the dictation.

- Write it on the computer ( it is advisable to listen to each exchange twice or three times). Dictations
that are not transcribed on the computer won´t be accepted!!!

- Listen to it once more to check,

- Print it .

- Correct it using the key. (You have to hand in the dictation with the corrections).

Note: to write the dictation on the computer you will need to download the IPA- fonts. Here you have to
link to download them: http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/fonts.htm

1) 1st Non-compulsory assignment: Famous movie quotes from all times

Deadline: Week of April 15th

2) 2nd Non- compulsory assignment : Outlander(2014) s01e01 Episode script

(fragment)
Deadline: Week of April 29th

3) 3rd non-compulsory assignment: Dictation nº 1

Deadline: Week of June 3rd

4) 4th non-compulsory assignment: Dictation nº 2

Deadline: week of June 17th

 The assignments should be submitted to Prof. Cosentino in your Wednesday

class.
 The documents with the texts to transcribe and links for the dictations will be
uploaded in Facebook.

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UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE MAR DEL PLATA
FACULTAD DE HUMANIDADES
DEPARTAMENTO DE LENGUAS MODERNAS
PROFESORADO DE INGLES
FONETICA Y FONOLOGIA I
Prof. Esp. Claudia P. Cosentino

ACTIVITIES FOR THE PRACTICE LESSONS

GENERAL OBJECTIVES

By means of these activities the students will be able to:

 Recognize and differentiate the features of the different English vowels and diphthongs
and the general features of consonants.

 Identify the different English vowels, diphthongs and consonants in order to control their
production, monitor themselves and diagnose errors.

 Apply theoretical aspects to practical situations in which they will come up against certain
pronunciation problems in the production of vowels , diphthongs and consonants.

 Recognize and differentiate outstanding features of vowels , diphthongs and consonants, in

order to contribute to the building- up of their sound-discrimination mechanism.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

The students will be able to

 Identify and understand the phonemic features of the English vowels, diphthongs and
consonants.

 Produce English vowels, diphthongs and consonants accurately in informal situations.

 describe English vowels and diphthongs formally

 describe English consonants according to the general classification of consonants

 Engage themselves in communicative situations while practicing the English vowels,

diphthongs and consonants.

 Practise auditory and visual discrimination of sounds by watching a video or listening

to a song.

 take part in communicative situations in which they will have to summarize what
they have watched.

 Read a piece of discourse written in phonetic script.

 Find and recognize assimilations and elisions

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 Identify instances of weak and strong forms and produce them accurately.

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 Phonetics and Phonology I
PhD. Sofía Romanelli

Hotel California by The Eagles

(1) Read the lyrics of the song “Hotel California” by The Eagles and fill in the
gaps with one of the three options.

(2) Listen to the song and check your answers.

(3) Identify the minimal pairs in each triplet (a, b, and c), if any.

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Some rules of good transcriptional practice2
1 A unit of sound in the phonological system of a language (known technically as a phoneme)
must be represented by a single symbol, whatever variations may occur in spelling; e.g. <k, c,
ck, q(u)> and an element of <x> all represent the one English consonant phoneme /k/.

2 Capital letters are not used for English phonemes; since <n> and <N> (etc.) are pronounced
identically, they must be represented by a single symbol, e.g. /n/.

3 Homophones – pairs (or sets) of words with the same pronunciation despite diff erent
spellings – must be transcribed with the same symbols, e.g. Mick’s, mix.

4 Th e apostrophe must not be transcribed, since it is not pronounced: Mick’s /m  k s/ ; Philip’s

/f  l  p s/.

5 A single letter may represent two phonemes in transcription; each of those phonemes
requires its own symbol; e.g. <x> (in six) /ks/.

6 A double letter may represent a single phoneme; in transcription that single phoneme must
be represented by a single symbol; e.g. <ss> in miss /m  s/ ; <pp> in snippet /s n  p  t/.

7 A letter may be redundant as far as pronunciation is concerned: if a letter represents ‘silence’,

it must not have a corresponding symbol in the transcription of a word, e.g. <w> in wrist /r  s t/.

8 Word spaces are retained as in orthography, even when there is no ‘space’, or silence, in
pronunciation. Note that the phrase snip it is pronounced identically to the single word snippet.
However, word spaces are preserved to aid reading: / t/.

9 A letter may represent two (or more) quite distinct phonemes, each of which must be
transcribed distinctively; e.g. <c> may represent /k/ as in crib (= /k r b/) or /s/ as in cent (/s e n
t/); <x> may represent /ks/ as in except ( /ek s p t/) or /gz/ as in exempt (= /z m p t/).

10 Two words spelt identically but pronounced diff erently – these are called homographs –
need to be transcribed diff erently; Celtic, incense.

11 Degrees of syllable strength need to be marked, especially in words of more than one
syllable, polysyllabic words; incense (an aromatic substance) // and incense (to enrage)
//.

12 Alternative pronunciations in a single accent must be respected and corresponding

alternative transcriptions acknowledged: exit may be either // or //; exist may be either
/ / or //.

2
Taken from Tench, P. (2011) Transcribing the sound of English. A phonetics workbook for words and
discourse. CUP.
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 Strong and Weak Forms (Gradation)
The form in which a word is pronounced when it is considered in isolation is called
citation form. At least one syllable is fully stressed and has no reduction in the vowel
quality. But in connected speech, many changes may take place. Some smaller words
such as and, to, him may be considerably altered. They will usually be completed
unstressed, the vowel may be reduced to or may disappear altogether, and one or
more consonants may be dropped or altered. Thus and in its reduced form may be
pronounced or or .

Many words are like and in that they seldom maintain their citation form in
?pronunciation. There is a strong from, which occurs when the word is stressed, and a
weak form, which occurs when the word is in unstressed position.

In ordinary, typical, informal colloquial speech, it is usually the lexical items or content
words – the nouns, verbs, adjectives and most adverbs – that are given prominence by
assigning them their full stress pattern. On the other hand, the grammatical items –
prepositions, conjunctions, determiners, pronouns and auxiliary and modal verbs – are
„de-stressed‟ unless they become important in a given message. Many of these
grammatical items are short monosyllabic words which can be said quickly in any case.

In our practice of weak and strong forms in English, we will concentrate on the
grammatical items and begin with the prepositions

1) Prepositions
Strong forms are used for emphasis or contrast and when they occur at the end of
clauses:

Where are you flying to nd travelling from ?

Which hotel are you staying at ?
How long are you going for ?

But in ordinary prepositional phrases, they are usually unstressed and are pronounced
with a weak form

I‟m flying to Glasgow

on Monday
from  Gatwick
with  a budget airline
staying at  the „Old Barn‟
in  the city centre
for the weekend.

Notice that the vowel in some prepositions changes to a weak vowel, like from
and at , but in others like on, with, in it does not.

*
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In the case of to, the vowel changes to the neutral vowel / if a consonant follows
immediately, or to the weak vowel  before a vowel:

To go 
To add 

*
In the case of for, the vowel changes to the neutral vowel, but a „linking / r /‟ is added
as liaison before a following vowel.

For you /

For Ann 

Now try these examples:

 Flying to _______ San Francisco from _______ Birmingham staying at _______

the „Old Castle‟ for _______ two weeks.

 Flying to _______ LA () from _______ Manchester staying at _______

the „Old Lodge‟ for ________ a few days.

*
The preposition of has a strong form:  for emphasis, contrast and at the end
position of a clause, e.g.

What‟s he thinking of ?

and a weak form when unstressed e.g.

Thinking of his holidays.

Transcribe:

What does his plan consist of ______ .

A week of _____ sun in the south of ______ Spain, then climb to the top of ____ the
Rock of _____ Gibraltar then a month of _____ hiking along the coast of ____ North
Africa.

The weak form is also often pronounced with / v / elided, reducing it to 
Historically, this is what has happened in telling the time, e.g. 2 o’clock 
for the older 2 of (the) clock. It is also what has happened in phrases like a cup of tea
becoming a cuppa .

Popular spellings of kind of and sort of as kinda, sorta display the same observation.

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You sort of  try. It‟s kind of nice.

Transcribe the following in two ways

a cup of ________ / ________ coffee at 11 o‟_____ clock.

a cup of ________ / ________ tea at 4 o‟_____ clock.
a pint of ________ / ________ beer at 8 o‟ _____ clock.
a packet of ________ / ________ crisps at the end of _____ / _____ the day.

*
None of the other prepositions have special weak forms with a change of vowel, no
matter whether they are stressed or unstressed. E.g.

We‟re going through  France. I said we‟re going through  France, not to
 France and we‟re going for  two weeks, not in  two weeks. And you
need to check your passport before , not after.

Transcribe:

Single to ______ Liverpool please.

The 8.25 for ______ Manchester will be leaving from ______ Platform 1.
Change at _____ Crewe for _____ all stations to _____ Liverpool Lime Street.
We apologize that there‟ll be a delay of _____ ten minutes.

2) Conjunctions
The most common conjunction is and. As we have already noted, its full form is
 and its most frequent weak form is or sometimes / n /. The strong form
would be used in sentences such as „I want money and happiness, not money or
happiness‟.
*
The conjunction or usually remains unchanged when unstressed, except in a few set
phrases. When a genuine choice or alternative is being offered, the conjunction remains
as with the possibility of / r / liaison as in : choice or  alternative
Notice the full form in:

Brown bread or ______ white.

Tea or _____ coffee.
With or _____ without.

But in set phrases like one or two, the conjunction may be reduced to . Compare:

How long are you staying? Two or three days.

Well, is it two or three days.
Well, when we‟ve more or  less finished.
*
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Similarly, with nor.

He‟s not staying, and nor  are you.

A day or  two is neither here nor  there.

*
The conjunction but  is weakened to when unstressed. In these it is
unstressed:

The weather will be dry but  cold.

Wet but ____ mild.
Warm at first, but ____ cold later.
You should be all right, but ____ take an umbrella just in case.

The conjunction as  is weakened to when unstressed

They were as snug as ____ a bug in a rug.

As ____ warm as ____ toast.
As ____ dry as ____ possible.

As at the beginning of an utterance is usually strong: As  I came to work today

The conjunction because has a strong form  and a weak form when
unstressed:
. At the beginning of an utterance, it is usually strong:

Because  it‟s raining, we‟ll stay inside.

We can go out now, because  it‟s stopped.

The weak form can be further weakened to a single syllable:  popularly spelt as
cos:

Let‟s go out, cos  it‟s stopped raining.

The weak forms of because are valid too in the phrasal preposition because of.

We stayed in because  of  the rain.

We stayed in cos  of  the rain.

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 *

The word that is usually pronounced in a weak form  when it operates as a
relative pronoun or conjunction, as in:

The weather that  was forecast.

They said that _____ it would be wet.
Now that _____ it‟s stopped ...

The word that is usually pronounced in its strong form  as a demonstrative
adjective or pronoun

It rained throughout that  day.

So that  was that 
It was that  wet.

Transcribe

That ______ man said that _____ all that _____ rain that _____ fell yesterday was
enough to fill that _____ reservoir that _____ we saw.

Finally, the conjunction than is usually pronounced in its weak form 

Wetter than yesterday.

More rain than _____ ever.
Rather go abroad than _____ stay here.

None of the other conjunctions have special weak forms with a change of vowel; they
are transcribed with a stress mark if they are stressed, and without it if unstressed:

I said if 
if  you like.
While  it‟s raining let‟s play Monopoly.
Let‟s play Monopoly while  it‟s raining.

3) Determiners
The determiners that have special weak forms are the definite and indefinite articles
and the possessive adjectives.

The definite article the has a special strong form: , as in:

Spain is the  place for sun.

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It also has an ordinary strong form: as in:

The definite article is the . (This is one of only two occasions in Southern
English Standard Pronunciation („RP‟) when the neutral vowel is stressed.)

It also has two weak forms:  before consonants,  before vowels, as in:

The definite article.

The  articles.

Transcribe the following:

The weather __________ The umbrella __________

The rain __________ The ice __________
The morning __________ The afternoon __________
The night __________ The evening __________
The hotel __________ The hour __________
The usual __________ The unusual __________

*
The indefinite articles have strong forms:  before consonants, before
vowels.

I said an  egg, not half a dozen.

At least you‟ve a drink, even if it‟s not what you ordered.

The corresponding weak forms are and 

Transcribe

a coffee __________ an ice-cream __________

a banana __________ an apple __________
a hostel __________ an inn __________
a useful thing __________ an ugly scene __________

*
The word some is used for indefiniteness with mass nouns like milk. Its strong form is
 and its weak form is or sometimes. The strong form is used when
it functions as a definite pronoun and when it has other meanings, e.g.

Say if you need some 

 Some  people complained. (= but not all)
I was away for some time. (= a considerable length of time)
It‟s some fifty miles north. (= approximately)
Some car you‟ve bought! (= impressive)

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Otherwise the weak form is normally used.

I need some more milk.

I‟ve got some friends coming. (= an indefinite amount)

Transcribe these phrases with both the strong and the weak forms

I‟ve got some _______ letters to write.

Mom made a cake yesterday. I ate some _____ but Jane ate the rest!
Some _____ man at the door is asking to see you.
There‟s some _________ eggs in the fridge.
That was some _______ speech you made!

Any and many have the same form in both stressed and unstressed situations:

I haven‟t had any  sugar.

I haven‟t had any  / sugar.
They‟ve been many  times.
I don‟t have many  ideas.

But there is the possibility of weak forms in common phrases: and  as in

I haven‟t any  left.

How many  do you need.

The demonstrative adjectives are this, that , these , and those
. They do not change in unstressed positions: it is in this respect that it is
important to distinguish between that as a conjunction which regularly weakens to
and that as a determiner that remains in its strong form.

(NB: some speakers may use as a weak form of this in the expressions this
afternoon/ evening/ morning)

The possessive adjectives are my , your , his, her, its ,
our , their  and whose . Strong forms are used for emphasis or
contrast. My and their do not normally have a weak form:

Hey, that‟s my  sun cream, my _____ towel, my _____ place.

Our is often weakened to , with / r / liaison:

We‟re off on our  holidays.

20
Our  Father
Our island /

Your is often weakened to , with / r / liaison – hence its popular spelling as yer

Off on your holidays, are you?

On your  bike? On your  own?

His and her have weak forms with / h / elision if immediately preceded by a word.

What‟s his  name? I don‟t know his  name.

What‟s her  name? I don‟t know her  name.

If they begin a new utterance, the / h / is usually pronounced.

His  name is Paolo.

Her  name is Michaela.

Most titles are stressed:

Mr  Smith Mr  Evans

Mrs  Smith Miss Smith
Ms Simpson Ms Smith (NB the only other occasion
for .)

But some other monosyllabic titles are often unstressed:

St  Andrew.
Sir Winston Sir Anthony

4) Pronouns
The subject pronouns are I , you , he , she , it , we  and
they ; the object pronouns, where different, are me  him , her
, us and them . The relative pronoun is who , and the
possessive pronouns are mine , yours , his , hers , ours
 (or ), theirs and whose . These strong forms are used
for emphasis or contrast; there are weak forms for many of them in unstressed positions.
However, the possessive pronouns are not normally used in unstressed positions.

The weak forms of he, she, we, me all take a weak vowel 

He  told me , so we  know she  is going to Spain.

The weak forms of us and them take the neutral vowel /

21
They told us  that you saw them  on their way.

A special case arises with let’s  as distinct from let us . Compare let’s
go and let us go.

The weak forms of he, him, her and who tend to „suffer‟ / h /-elision unless they begin
a new utterance. E.g.

He  has heard, but does he understand.

Well, I told him 
Will he  let her  know.

You, is weakened to or even – like your - to , especially in comment phrases
like you know, you see; but also consider:

Are you  going today.

We‟ll see you there.

5) Auxiliary verbs
The auxiliary verbs be, have and do and their various forms are used in verb phrases to
indicate aspect, emphasis and contrast, and to operate negative and interrogative
functions. There are strong forms and weak forms for each verb. Each of these verbs
also acts as a full, lexical verb, in which case, they will normally be pronounced in their
strong forms, e.g.

To be  or not to be 

To have  and to hold.
To do  or die.

As auxiliary verbs, they are stressed for emphasis or contrast, but are unstressed
otherwise:

To see and be  seen. You won’t be  seen.

To fight and to have  fought. You must have fought.
Do  take a seat. Where do  I sit?

Be

Strong forms are used at the end of a clause , in short answers or when they form part
of a question tag. E.g.

Was she at home? Yes she was 

Where they were is none of your business.
You‟re not going to talk to her, are you?
Are ju a student? Yes I am /
22
He isn´t English, is /he?

Am is weakened to  after a consonant, e.g. Where am I staying?

and to / m / after a vowel, e.g. I‟m / m / staying here.

Are is weakened to , e.g. All the boys are going

with / r / liaison, e.g. All the boys are  invited

Are may be weakened to / r / following a vowel:

You‟re invited 

They‟re invited 

Is is weakened in a way parallel to the morphological variations of the < -es > inflection

James is  going, and Janice is  too ( after sibilants)
John‟s  going, and Claire‟s / z / thinking about it. (/ z / after other voiced sounds)
Jack‟s / s / going, but Elizabeth‟s / s / not. (/ s / after voiceless sounds)

Was is weakened to 

Sarah was going too, and so was Mary.

Were is weakened to , with possible / r / liaison.

None of them were  going, even though they were  all invited.

I‟ve been  invited already.

Been is weakened to 

Just think, we‟ve all been  invited

*
Have

23
Strong forms are used at the end of a clause , in short answers, when they form part of a
question tag or when have is a lexical verb E.g.

Have you seen him lately? Yes, I have 

Well, if you have then why didn‟t you tell him I was coming?
Tony hasn‟t done it, has he?
They hadn´t gone, had  they?
They have a dog
She has / to do it

Have, has, had „suffer‟ / h / elision in their weak forms unless they begin new
utterances:

Have  you seen it.

Has  he seen it.
Had  they seen it.

Otherwise the weak forms retain the neutral vowel after a consonant, but lose it after a
vowel:

Yes, I‟ve / v / seen it, and the boys‟ve  seen it too.
Yes, he‟s / z / seen it, and Janice‟s  seen it too.
Yes, they‟d / d / seen it, and the girls‟d  seen it too.

Has also follows the morphological variations of the < -es > inflection, like is:

James‟s gone 

John‟s gone / z /
Jack‟s gone / s /

*
Do

Strong forms are used at the end of a clause , in short answers, when they form part of a
question tag or when do is a lexical verb E.g.

Does she want to come? Yes, she does 

I know she does  but did you ask her?
You don‟t say much, do you?
I do  my homework every day.
I do  believe in God. ( Enphatic use of do)

Do is weakened to  or :

24
Do  they believe in God.
Do you believe too.

However, the form is not used before a vowel. Eg What do Ann and Jay study?

Does is weakened to :

Does  he believe too?

6) Modal verbs
Modal verbs add degrees of a sense of likelihood, necessity and possibility to the verb
phrase. They include

can  and could 

may  and might 
shall  and should 
will  and would 
must  and ought 

They are pronounced in their strong form when stressed, especially for emphasis or
contrast:

Can  you speak Spanish? I can  and I will 
But what about Catalan? I would if I could 

May, might and ought do not have special weak forms when unstressed, but the other
modal verbs do.

She can speak Spanish quite well.

She could  have said that in Spanish for you.
We shall  see if she can 
They should tell her to come.
How will  they know you‟re going.
We would  have to tell them.
She must  at least be given a chance.
Yes, she must  be given the chance at least.

Will and shall are both regularly reduced to  or ; and would and should to / d /
or ; thus the semantic differences between them are lost.

We‟ll / l / see tonight.

If she‟d / d / talk in Spanish, that‟d  help us a lot.
25
Otherwise, Paul‟ll  try.

All these modal verbs take the strong form at the end of a clause, in short answers or
when they form part of a question tag. E.g.

A: I can do it. B: I know you can but I‟m not sure if I want you to do it.
We mustn‟t allow that, must we?
Would you go? Yes I would 

7) Just, Not, So, There

The first three of these words figure regularly in all kinds of phrases and idioms, and no
doubt it is because of their frequency that they have acquired weak forms, in addition to
their strong forms.

They‟ve just  arrived, just  this minute.

Not  bad, but they‟ll be so  tired.
Oh, we‟re not so  bad, thank you. We weren’t  held up anywhere;
just  glad to be back

There has a special weak form in existential clauses, in contrast to locative senses:

It was nice being there  but there‟s  no place like home.

26
27
 Phonetics and Phonology I
PhD. Sofía Romanelli

Recognizing English pronunciation features: weak and strong forms

Lesson objectives:

 Identify weak and strong forms in connected speech

 Use these features in connected speech

 Raise awareness about weak and strong forms

Episodes (season 1, episode 2)

PRE-WATCHING

Activity 1

Objective: Activate knowledge about the setting, characters, problems,

outcomes, etc.
Time: 20 minutes approx.

(a) Read the first part of Episodes’ plot summary from www.imdv.com:

“British writer-producers Beverly and Sean Lincoln (Tamsin Greig and Stephen
Mangan), have a wonderful marriage and a hit TV series to their credit. Things couldn't
be better. Until Merc Lapidus (John Pankow), a Hollywood network executive, gushes
over their series at a gala”.

(b) Predict what happens after the gala. Think about these questions:

What does Merc offer Beverly and Sean?

What do they soon find out about their show and Hollywood?
Which are the problems that they encounter?
How do Beverly and Sean react to these problems? Do they react
differently?
28
(c) Watch Episodes’ official trailer
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4yH0mI-yJs) (3:10’) and check your
predictions.

(d) Discuss your answers with your classmates.

WATCHING

Scene “As a courtesy”

Activity 2

Objective: Activate background knowledge and make predictions.

Time: 15 minutes approx.

(a) In pairs, anticipate questions related to the title of the scene, “as a
courtesy”. Think about the participants, the act of courtesy, feelings of the
participants (enthusiasm, reluctance, willingness, indifference, etc.)

(b) Watch the scene (1:22’)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXQcgCHADEM) and check with your
partner if your questions were answered.

Activity 3

Objective: Recognize weak and strong forms in connected speech and reflect on
their use.
Time: 25 minutes approx.

(a) Watch the scene again and complete the blanks in phonetic script using
weak and strong forms when suitable. Use the prompts as a guide.

Sean: ____ (preposition) the erudite, verbally dexterous headmaster of

an elite boys' academy, _____ (pronoun – verb) suggesting Joey?
Carol: Look, ____ (pronoun – verb) probably wrong for it.
Beverly: Probably?

29
 Andy: He is very funny.
Carol: He really ____ (verb).
Andy: I even liked ___ (pronoun) in that monkey movie.
Myra: What monkey movie?
Carol: Please, just take the meeting ____ (preposition) a courtesy. For
Merc. He really wants to get Matt over here to the network, and so far,
____ (demonstrative) is the only project he's interested in doing.
Sean: Matt LeBlanc wants to ____ (verb) our show?
Carol: Are you kidding? Dying ____ (preposition). He saw it when he
____ (verb) in England, shooting a movie. Huge fan.
Sean: Really?
Beverly: So what?
Carol: So? ____ (auxiliary verb) I tell Merc you'll take the meeting? It's
one lunch ____ (pronoun) know, as a courtesy.
Sean: Yeah, fine, fine. We'll we'll take the meeting.
Carol: Awesome. Also Merc wanted me to pass on a little invitation. He's
_____ (verb) a dinner party ____ (preposition) his house on Saturday
night, and he'd love you guys to come.
Beverly: ____ (preposition) a courtesy.
Andy: It's a very big deal. I've never been to his house.
Myra: I've driven past it.
Sean: Please tell Merc we would love to come. We ____ (auxiliary verb,
negative) wait.
Carol: Aww. Kisses to you, too.

(b) Account for the use of weak and strong forms in each case, and discuss it
with the whole class.

Activity 4

Objective: Raise consciousness about the use of weak and strong forms in
connected speech.

Time: 20 minutes approx.

30
(a) In pairs, take turns to read the dialogue out loud, paying special attention
to weak and strong forms.

(b) Listen to your partner as she/he reads and assess whether she/he uses
weak and strong forms when suitable. Register the cases where she/he finds it
difficult to use these forms.

(c) Compare the difficulties you both had and discuss why you used the wrong
form and how you could produce it right.

Scene “Lush in Kauai”

Activity 5

Objective: Use key words and images to predict the content of the scene

Time: 15 minutes approx.

(a) Use the words and images below to predict what the next scene is going to
be about:

Party - wife – lovely - blind – fish – Kauai - vacation

(b) Watch the scene “Lush in Kauai”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqPW8O6zigo&t= 16s) (1:25’) and confirm
your predictions. Discuss with your classmates if your predictions were
fulfilled.

Activity 6

Objective: Identify weak and strong forms in connected speech

31
Time: 15 minutes approx.

(a) Watch this scene again but now listen carefully to the use of weak and
strong forms in each of the seven utterances. Choose one option from each
triplet:

1. Beverly:
a) 
b) 
c) 

2. Sean:
a) 
b) 
c) 

3. Jamie:
a) 
b) 
c) 

4. Merc:
 
 
 

5. Merc:
a) 
b) 
c) 

6. Beverly:
a) 
b) 
c) 

7. Merc:
a) 
b) 
c) 

32
(b) Account for your choice in each case, and discuss it with your classmate.

Activity 7

Objective: Use weak and strong forms in a structured communicative Activity.

Time: 40 minutes approx.

(a) Role play a similar telephone conversation as the one in the scene “as a
courtesy”. The conversation is about your new boss and a lunch invitation to get
to know him/her better. In pairs, play one of these roles:

Speaker A: You have to tell Speaker B that he/she’ll have a new boss. You know
he/she will be shocked by the unexpected news. Try to talk him/her into
accepting a lunch invitation to get to know his/her boss better.

Speaker B: You have just received the unexpectedly shocking news from
Speaker A that you will have a new boss. Show your surprise and shock, and
decide whether you accept or turn down the invitation to have lunch with your
boss.

IMPORTANT: Both speakers should include in their speech the weak forms of
the words FOR, AS, DO, TO, and HAVE, and the strong forms of the words
WAS, DO, HIM, CAN, and AT. The former words were used in their strong form
in the scene “as a courtesy” while the latter ones were used in their weak form.
So you have to reverse the use of these forms now. Also, use other instances of
these forms when suitable.

(b) Share your conversation with the whole group.

POST-WATCHING

Activity 8

Objective: Raise awareness about students’ recognition and production of weak

and strong forms.

Time: 15 minutes approx.

33
(a) Reflect on the pronunciation of characters:

Even though characters use different accents (i.e., General British and General
American), do they use weak and strong forms similarly? Or, is the use of weak
and strong forms particular of one of these accents?

(b) Reflect on your ability to identify and produce weak and strong forms:

Which were the most useful activities in your opinion? Why?

Do you think you have improved the recognition of weak and strong forms?

Do you think you have improved the production of weak and strong forms?

Is this feature of English pronunciation difficult for you? Why?

Do you think you sound more natural when you use weak forms?

(c) Share your opinion with the whole class.

(HOMEWORK)

Transcribe the dialogue of the scene “as a courtesy” into phonetic script.
Exchange your transcription with your partner and correct it. Pay particular
attention to weak and strong forms.

ONLINE resources for students to keep on working at home

Tutorial (video) on weak and strong forms and exercises:

https://www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/weak-forms
english?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww. google.com%2F

More exercises:

https://www.thoughtco.com/weak-and-strong-forms-1211975

https://elt.oup.com/student/project3rdedition/level2/unit3/pronunciation/exe
rcise1?cc=us&selLanguage=en (Listen and repeat)

34
Phonetics and Phonology I
Prof. Esp. Claudia P. Cosentino

REVISION ACTIVITIES ON THE ENGLISH VOWELS

1) ORGANS OF SPEECH

a) Label the organs of speech in the diagram below and look up the
appropriate pronunciation in the dictionary.
b) Which organs are missing?
c) Which of them are movable? Which organs are not shown in the diagram?
d) Which are the most important ones? Account for your answer.

35
d) Complete the following paragraphs about the Vocal Folds.

The Vocal Folds have several functions and possible positions

 When they remain open, …………………………flows through the

glottis, as when we breathe, or when we produce a …………………..
sound, e.g.: ………………………..

 When the vocal folds are brought together tightly, no air can pass
through them. This is what we do when we are trying to pick up a heavy
weight; when the vocal folds are then opened suddenly, the air bursts out
with a sort of coughing noise. This sudden release is called the
………………………. [….]

 If the vocal folds are brought together quite …………………………., the

air from the lungs forces them apart for a moment, and they then return
to the closed position; these two steps are repeated over and over. This
rapid process of vibration produces …………………………, which is
heard in ………………………….. sounds such as all
……………………….., and /…./, /…./, /…./, etc.

2) THE ENGLISH VOWELS.

a) List the aspects to be taken into account when describing a vowel formally..
Explain them in your own words orally.

 …………………………………………………………………………………..

36
  ………………………………………………………………………………….
 ……………………………………………………………………………………
 …………………………………………………………………………………..
 …………………………………………………………………………………..
 …………………………………………………………………………………..
 …………………………………………………………………………………..
 ……………………………………………………………………………………
 ……………………………………………………………………………………

3) ACTIVITIES FOR RECOGNITION AND PRODUCTION OF THE

ENGIISH VOWELS

a) Write the following minimal pairs in ordinary spelling













b) Now listen to the instructor and tick the word you hear.

b) Read these sentences aloud and then write them in ordinary spelling













37
Which is the odd vowel in each group? Account for your answer

/ / 
/
 

 


Which of the following words are pronounced with ? Transcribe them

into phonetic script.

Pitch - beat -sick - village - weep - Eden - pretty - exist - debate

f) Which of the following words are pronounced with ? Transcribe them into
phonetic script..

son - love - gone - cough - trouble - rung - cotton -should -done

g) Which of the following words are pronounced with /u: /? Transcribe them into
phonetic script.

Luke - full - soup -crook - rule - too -broke -bull - root - move- good

h) Which of the following words are pronounced with / /? Transcribe them into
phonetic script.

Mad - Mary - Harry -glad - lap – marry - pearl - massed - drank

38
Complete the following charts about the following vowel sound characteristics

   


Voice

Type of release
(oral / nasal) due
to position of
soft palate
Part of the
tongue used in its
production
Height of the
tongue

Tension of the
tongue

Shape of the lips

Length

Spelling-to-
sound rules

Phonological
distribution

39
     

Voice

Type of
release (oral /
nasal) due to
position of
soft palate
Part of the
tongue used
in its
production
Height of the
tongue

Tension of
the tongue

Shape of the
lips

Length

Spelling-to-
sound rules

Phonological
distribution

40
    

Voice

Type of release
(oral / nasal) due
to position of
soft palate
Part of the
tongue used in its
production
Height of the
tongue

Tension of the
tongue

Shape of the lips

Length

Spelling-to-
sound rules

41
   
 
Voice

Type of release
(oral / nasal) due
to position of
soft palate
Part of the
tongue used in its
production
Height of the
tongue

Tension of the
tongue

Shape of the lips

Length

Spelling-to-
sound rules

Phonological
distribution

42
 Phonetics and Phonology I
PhD. Sofía Romanelli

Red Riding Hood and the Wolf by Roald Dahl (Revolting Rhymes)

A. PRE-TASK (speaking, listening for global and specific comprehension, pronunciation)

1. In pairs, discuss the following question:

In which way do you think Dahl’s version of Little Red Riding Hood will be different from the
original?

Listen to “Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” by Roald Dahl, performed by Karen Bartke
https://audioboom.com/posts/208877-little-red-riding-hood-and-the-wolf-by-roald-dahl-performed-
by-karen-bartke and check your answer to question 1, that is, identify the differences between
Dahl’s version and the original.

2. Listen to the poem again and complete the final rhyming words in Red Riding Hood and
the Wolf:
As soon as Wolf began to ________
1.
That he would like a decent __________,
He went and knocked on Grandma's
____________.
When Grandma opened it, she _________
The sharp white teeth, the horrid __________,
And Wolfie said, ``May I come ___________?''
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
``He's going to eat me up!'' she cried.
And she was absolutely ____________.
He ate her up in one big _____________.
But Grandmamma was small and ___________,
And Wolfie wailed, ``That's not ___________!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!''
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
``I've got to have a second helping!''
Then added with a frightful leer,
``I'm therefore going to wait right here
Till Little Miss Red Riding _________
Comes home from walking in the __________.''
He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
(Of course he hadn't eaten those).
He dressed himself in coat and ___________.
He put on shoes, and after __________
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then she said,
``What great big ears you have, Grandma.''
2.
``All the better to hear you with,'' the Wolf replied.
``What great big eyes you have, Grandma.''
said Little Red Riding Hood.
``All the better to see you with,'' the Wolf replied.
He sat there watching her and ___________.
He thought, I'm going to eat this ___________.
Compared with her old Grandmamma
She's going to taste like caviar.
Then Little Red Riding Hood said, ``But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.''
``That's wrong!'' cried Wolf. ``Have you forgot
To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?
Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway.''
The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers .
She aims it at the creature's ________
And bang bang bang, she shoots him ________.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, ``Hello, and do please ____________
My lovely furry wolfskin ________.''

43
 3. Classify the words you used to complete the poem (exercise 3) into the following sound
categories:

       

B. TASK (controlled practice, speaking and pronunciation)

4. In pairs, write a stanza that could be part of the story using the pair of words classified in
exercise 4. (16 words is enough)
Or

Complete the 1st part of the poem with pair of words that have the sounds used in exercise 4,
but not the same

words

As soon as Wolf began to ________ He ran around the kitchen yelping,

1. A
That he would like a decent __________,
He went and knocked on Grandma's
____________.
When Grandma opened it, she _________
The sharp white teeth, the horrid __________,
And Wolfie said, ``May I come ___________?''
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
``He's going to eat me up!'' she cried.
And she was absolutely ____________.
He ate her up in one big _____________.
But Grandmamma was small and ___________,
And Wolfie wailed, ``That's not ___________!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!''
1. B
``I've got to have a second helping!''
Then added with a frightful leer,
``I'm therefore going to wait right here
Till Little Miss Red Riding _________
Comes home from walking in the __________.''
He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
(Of course he hadn't eaten those).
He dressed himself in coat and ___________.
He put on shoes, and after __________
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then she said,

C. POST-TASK (evaluation)

5. Read out the stanza you invented or the 1st part of the poem in pairs.

6. Assess your performance and your partner’s.

44
SCRIPT
As soon as Wolf began to feel
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
And Wolfie said, ``May I come in?''
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
``He's going to eat me up!'' she cried.
And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And Wolfie wailed, ``That's not enough!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!''
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
``I've got to have a second helping!''
Then added with a frightful leer,
``I'm therefore going to wait right here
Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
Comes home from walking in the wood.''
He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
(Of course he hadn't eaten those).
He dressed himself in coat and hat.
He put on shoes, and after that
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then she said,
``What great big ears you have, Grandma.''
``All the better to hear you with,'' the Wolf replied.
``What great big eyes you have, Grandma.''
said Little Red Riding Hood.
``All the better to see you with,'' the Wolf replied.
He sat there watching her and smiled.
He thought, I'm going to eat this child.
Compared with her old Grandmamma
She's going to taste like caviar.
Then Little Red Riding Hood said, ``But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.''
``That's wrong!'' cried Wolf. ``Have you forgot
To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?
Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway.''
The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head
And bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, ``Hello, and do please note
My lovely furry wolfskin coat.''
Roald Dahl, Revolting Rhymes
http://ace.home.xs4all.nl/Literaria/Txt-Dahl.html
45
46
47
48
49
Phonetics and Phonology I
Prof. Esp. Claudia P. Cosentino

TRANSCRIBE THE FOLLOWING EXTRACTS INTO PHONETIC SCRIPT.

REMEMBER TO USE WEAK FORMS WHENEVER POSSIBLE AND STRONG
FORMS WHENEVER SUITABLE.

1) Just across the Charles river from Boston is Cambridge, american´s most famous
student town. Cambridge is sometimes called the birthplace of american
intelectual life. It has the nation´s oldest university, Harvard University, founded
in 1636. Cambridge remains a center of intelectual life, especially since it´s also
home to M.I.T. , the Massachussetts Institute of Technology. Harvard has an
excellent reputation in many fields, M.I.T. is a leader in science and technology.
Students attending Harvard and M.I.T. come from around the world . Harvard
alone has students from ninety countries. Since one fourth of the people in
Cambridge are students, it´s not surprising that Cambridge has many bookstores,
shops, restaurants, coffee houses and clubs.

2) Snow White and the seven dwarfs

Snow White slaved from early morning until late at night, scrubbing and cleaning the palace floors,
washing the dishes, sewing and mending the queen´s clothes. As she worked, she would sing so
sweetly that the birds would come to listen to her voice.While she worked, Snow White dreamed
beautiful daydreams about a handsome prince. Some day, she knew, he would come and carry her off
to his castle in the clouds. It seemed to the wicked queen, as she watched Snow White, that the
princess grew in loveliness as each day passed. And indeed, though Snow White wore ragged
clothes, her beauty was plain to see. At last came the day the queen had been dreading. “ Mirror,
mirror on the wall, who is the fearest of us all? . “ She said. And the mirror replied.“Her lips blood red,
her hair like night, her skin like snow, her name Snow White!!” The angry queen called her huntsman
to her “ Take the princess into the forest and bring me back her heart in this jeweled box”.

3) “Tina, it`s time to get up!!” her mother was shouting from the kitchen. “I´ve already called
you three times!! Why haven`t you gotten up?” Tina didn`t move. She lay under the bedding
and waited. Then she heard her father`s feet on the stairs. “Come on Tina, your mother said it
was time to get up!!” He walked around the room and then looked under the bed “Hey Tina,
where are you?” he laughed. “Have you forgotten to wake up?” Tina lay under the bedding

50
 and tried to make herself as small as possible. Then something amazing happened. She really
did become smaller and smaller. Soon she was absolutely tiny. “That`s incredible!! I´ve just
become really tiny!!” Tina thought. “I´m taking off the bedding” her father said. Bright light
shone in Tina´s eyes, and she flew up in the air to the ceiling. She looked down on her father.
“Hi dad!!! I´m up here!!”

4) The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is an American horror drama television series based on the comic
book series of the same name. Sheriff deputy Rick Grimes, awakens from a coma
discovering a world overrun by zombies, commonly referred to as "walkers". Grimes
reunites with his family and becomes the leader of a group he forms with other
survivors . He tries to help this group of people, find a place to live, and get food.
Together they struggle to survive and adapt in a post-apocalyptic world filled with
walkers and opposing groups of survivors, who are often more dangerous than the
walkers themselves. Much of the series takes place in and around Atlanta, Georgia and
Alexandria, Virginia. The Walking Dead premiered in the United States on October 31,
2010, exclusively shown on cable television channel AMC and internationally on Fox
International Channels.
Adapted from www.imdb.com plot summaries.

5) Extract from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by J.K. Rowling

“…… “ Harry” , Said Lockhart, his large white teeth gleaming in the sunlight as he
shook his head. “ Harry, Harry, Harry “
Completely nunplussed, Harry said nothing.
“ When I heard- well, of course, it was my fault. Could have kicked myself”
Harry had no idea what he was talking about. He was about to say so when Lockhart
went on, “ Don´t know when I´ve been more shocked. Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well,
of course, I knew at once why you´d done it. Stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, Harry.”
It was remarkable how he could show every one of those brilliant teeth even when he
wasn´t talking.
“ Gave you a taste for publicity, didn´t I?” said Lockhart. “Gave you the bug . You got
into the front page of the paper with me and you couldn´t wait to do it again. “
“ Oh, no, Profesor, see- “

51
“ Harry, Harry, Harry, “ said Lockhart, reaching out and grasping his shoulder. “ I
understand. Natural to want a bit more once you´ve had that first taste- and I blame
myself for giving you that , because it was bound to go to your head- but see here young
man, you can´t start flying cars to try and get yourself noticed. Just calm down, all
right? Plenty or time for all that when you´re older. Yes, yes, I know what you´re
thinking! „It´s all right for him, he´s an internationally famous wizard already!‟ But
when I was twelve, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now. In fact, I´d say I was
even more than a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven´t they? All
that business with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!” He glanced at the lighting scar on
Harry´s forehead. “ I know, I know- it´s not quite as good as winning Witch Weekly´s
Most-Charming-Smile Award five times in a row, as I have- but it´s a start, Harry, it‟s a
start. “…..”

52
 Phonetics and Phonology I
PhD. Sofia Romanelli
EXTRA PASSAGES FOR TRANSCRIPTION

A. Does getting fat protect from fat?

Everyone knows that obesity is bad for your health. Packing on the pounds,
we’re told, leads to all sorts of medical problems: high cholesterol, insulin
resistance, greater risk of diabetes and heart disease. But researchers at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center see things a little differently.
In a paper in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and
Metabolism [see http://bit.ly/bKaP33], they argue that being fat can actually
protect us from these disorders.

The scientists [Robert Unger and Philipp Scherer] don’t deny that we eat too
much, especially high-calorie foods chock full of carbs and fats. In the past, that
sort of overindulgence, and over-nutrition, used to be reserved for royalty. But
now, the scientists note, “bad calories are so cheap that anyone can afford to get
overweight.” But obesity, they say, is the body’s way of storing fats where they
belong: in fat tissue. That metabolic sequestration actually protects other organs
from the harmful effects of fat.

The trouble comes when people who are larger-than-life continue to consume
excess calories. That’s when the fat winds up where fat’s not supposed to
go…triggering insulin resistance and its complications. So you might be able to
get away with the supersized fries. But only if you haven’t already supersized
yourself.
—Karen Hopkin

[The above text is an exact transcript of this podcast.]

[You can listen to the podcast at

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/does-getting-fat-protect-
against-fa-10-03-09/]

B. How quickly does my tea become pee?

28 February 2017

Question
Steve - I always seem to go for a pee within thirty minutes of drinking a cup of
tea. And when I’m using the toilet I often say to myself is that the same cup of
tea I’m getting rid of. How much of that drink was absorbed into my body? So, if
I go for a pee within an hour of drinking a cup, is it the same liquid I’m getting
rid of?

Answer

53
Ricky Nathvani put this question to David Wheeler from University College
London.
David - When we drink a cup of tea, the components of the tea will be absorbed
from the intestines into the body. So, for example, the water from the tea will be
absorbed, the proteins and fats from the milk will be absorbed and the sugar, if
we added it to the tea, will be absorbed. These different components are then
distributed to different parts of the body and the bloodstream.
Ricky - OK. So the tea gets out of our digestive tract through the intestines and
into the bloodstream, but how does the tea actually become pee?
David - The fluid is critical, obviously, for normal health and the fluid balance in
the body is tightly regulated by the kidneys. So if when Steven drank the cup of
tea he didn’t really need the extra fluid, then the kidneys could get rid of that
fluid fairly quickly. We could think of this as a bathtub full of water with an
overflow. If we add another jug of water to the bath, then some of the water in
the bath will go down the overflow pipe. Now this may not be not be the same
water that we’ve just added in, but it will be from the same pool of water that
we’ve just added the jug to.
Ricky - Aha. So if your blood is like a bathtub with a capacity for carrying a
certain amount of water, then adding in too much will cause it to spill over when
it’s in the kidneys and make urine. Although it’s difficult to say how much of
that came from the new water, or the water that was already there before you
drank your tea, some parts of your tea could leave your body within thirty
minutes. Thanks for clearing that up for us David. And with all this talk of
peeing - I think I have to go.

[You can listen to the podcast at

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/qotw-how-quickly-
does-my-tea-become-pee]

C. Revolting Rhymes

24 November 2016

Based on the much-loved children’s book written by Roald Dahl and

illustrated by Quentin Blake, Revolting Rhymes takes the classic
fairy tales of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, The Three Little
Pigs, Jack & the Beanstalk and Cinderella, then mixes them together
and serves them with a mischievous twist.

54
The first film sees young Snow White and Red Riding Hood become lifelong
friends as Snow White takes on the might of the wicked Queen, whilst Red is
called home to deal with a pair of hungry wolves - one who’s eaten her grandma
and then dressed in her clothes, while the other can’t help himself from eating
some unsuspecting pigs.

In the second film Jack grows up with his heart set on next-door neighbour
Cindy. She has her eye turned by the eligible Prince at the ball, and Jack gets
distracted by a giant beanstalk at the bottom of his garden. Will they find true
love?

Overarching both films, our narrator, a big bad wolf, has all the answers as well
as a story of his own to tell.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/revoltingrhymes

55
Phonetics and Phonology I

Prof. Esp. Claudia P. Cosentino

VIDEO SESSION: The Big Bang Theory

(scene from season 6 , episode 04)

PART 1
1. Pre- watching activities

1.1. Read the description of Sheldom Cooper and his relation with the other
characters that appear in the scene you are going to watch. Together with your
partners spot the mistakes in the script and correct them. Then take terms to
read it out loud. Do not forget to monitor your partners´and your own
performance.














3
Domeneering in a proud manner, dictatorial
56

Adapted from http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0064640/bio

1.2. Now using the information of the description you have just read and the
pictures below predict what the scene is going to be about.( 5)

1.3.Now read the first part of the dialogue and use the prompts to complete the
missing vowel in the words in phonetic script and try to guess the word.

Scene: The apartment

Sheldon: You know, I am very ….---…………..(short front close vowel) that I won‟t
be able to celebrate Howard‟s accomplishment tonight.
Amy: Me, ….---( long back rounded vowel). But we‟ll see him tomorrow.
Sheldon: Yes, it‟s just that in all the years I‟ve known him, he‟s never had the
opportunity to receive my ---…………… ( front open vowel). I was excited to see the
look on his face when it finally happened.
Penny: You‟re ---………………….. ( central open vowel)
Sheldon: I know.
Leonard: All right, Pictionary. What are the teams?
Penny: How about boys ….---…..(long central vowel) girls?

57
Sheldon: Oh, that hardly seems fair. But I guess any team that I‟m not on has a decided
disadvantage.
Penny: Once again, unbelievable.
Sheldon: Yeah, once again, I know.
Penny: All right, round one. Here.
Sheldon: Got it.
Penny: Okay. Ready, set, go.
Amy: Uh, …---…( back rounded open vowel)? Uh, window?
Leonard: Batman. Batman and Robin. Uh, Wonder Twins plus the monkey. Wonder
Twins plus the monkey and Batman.
Amy: Uh, gift? Uh, Present!
Penny: Present! Yeah!
Sheldon: Oh, Leonard. Now, how …---…(unaccented central vowel) you not get that?
Leonard: In what universe is that a present?
Sheldon: It‟s not a present, it‟s …---( front tense close mid vowel)present. Look. There‟s
you and me. There‟s Penny and Amy. We‟re playing Pictionary. In the present.
Penny: Oh, my God, we‟re gonna kill them.

2. While- watching activities

Now watch the scene of the show to check your choices.

PART 2

1. While- watching activities

1.1.Watch the second part of the scene and spot examples of words pronounced with:

 Tense back vowels

 Lax front vowels.
 Central vowels
 

1.2. Check your findings with your mates.

2. After-watching activities ( 30)

2.1. Which of Sheldon´s characteristics, included in the description of ex. 1, are

portrayed in this scene?

58
2.2.Transcribe the dialogue into phonetic script and practice it with a partner.

3. Follow up activities

3.1. Discuss in groups stating your opinions on one of the following options :

 Sheldon´s personality.
 The show The Big Bang Theory
 The scene you have just watched

3.2. Write a short paragraph, to be read in class, stating your opinión. There should be a
predominance of words pronounced with:

 Group 1: front tense vowels

 Group 2: lax back vowels
 Group 3: central vowels
 Group 4: 


    


59
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cruttenden, A.( 2008) Gimson´s Pronunciation of English.Revised by
Alan Cruttenden. 7th Ed. London: Arnold.
Bowler, B. (2005) Time saver pronunciation activities. Essex:Scholastic.
Dauer, R.M. ( 1993) Accurate English. A Complete Course In Pronunciation.
New Yersey:Prentice Hall Regends.
Giegerich, H.J.( 1995) English Phonology. Cambridge: Cup.
Hancock, M.(1996) Pronunciation Games. Cambridge: Cup.
The big bang theory. Season 6 . Episode 04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8lMW0MODFs
The big bang theory. Season 6 . Episode 04. Script
https://bigbangtrans.wordpress.com/series-6-episode-04-the-re-entry-minimization/
The big bang theory. Sheldon´s description Adapted from
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0064640/bio
Recamàn, M.I. ( 1998) Englich Phonetics: Segmentals, Editorial Advice Book Shop.
Roach, P.( 1991) English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge: CUP.
Yallop,C & J. Clark.(1999) An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology.
Massachussets: Blackwell Publishers.
Tench, P. (2011) Transcribing the sound of English. A phonetics workbook for words
and discourse. CUP.
Underhill, A. (1994)Sound Foundations. Heinemann.
Vaughan Rees, M. (2002) Test your pronunciation. Essex: Pearson Education limited.
Wells, J.C.(2009) Pronunciation Dictionary. London: Longman.

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