I.

Introduction
Written exercises
1/ Give three different names that have been used for the accent usually used for
teaching the pronunciation of British English.
1. BBC (BBC Pronunciation)
2. RP (Received Pronunciation)
3. GB (General British)
2/ What is the difference between accent and dialect?
Accent is concerned with pronunciation differences only., while dialect refers to
all language variation including grammatical and lexical factors.
3/ Which word is used to refer to the relative strength of a syllable?
Stress
4/ How many sounds (phonemes) do you think there are in the following words?
a) love /lʌv/: 3 sounds
b) half /hɑ:f/: 3 sounds
c) wrist /rɪst/: 4 sounds
d) shrink /ʃrɪŋk/: 5 sounds
e) ought /ɔ:t/: 2 sounds

II. The production of speech sounds

Written exercises
1/ On the diagram provided, various articulators are indicated by labelled arrows
(a-e). Give the names for the articulators.
a) Soft palate or velum
b) Alveolar ridge
c) Front of tongue
d) Hard palate
e) Lower lip
2/ Using the descriptive labels introduced for vowel classification, say what the following
cardinal vowels are:
a) [u]: Close/ back/ rounded
b) [e]: Close-mid/ front/ spread
c) [a]: Open/ front/ spread
d) [i]: Close/ front/ spread
e) [o]: Close-mid/ back/ rounded

3/ Draw a vowel quadrilateral and indicate on it the correct places for the following
English vowels:
a) æ b) ʌ c) ɪ d) e

4/ Write the symbols for the vowels in the following words:

a) Bread /e/ b) rough /ʌ/ c) foot ̸ʊ/ d) hymn /ɪ/

e) pull /ʊ/ f) cough /ɒ/ g) mat /æ/ h) friend /e/

III. Long vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs

Written exercises
1/ On the vowel diagram provided, indicate the
glides for the diphthongs in the following words:
a) fright /fraɪt/
b) home /həʊm/
c) clear /klɪəʳ/
d) cow /kaʊ/

2/ Write the symbols for the long vowels in the following words:
a) broad /ɔ:/ d) learn /ɜ:/ g) err /ɜ:/
b) ward /ɔ:/ e) cool /u:/ h) seal /i:/
c) calf /ɑ:/ f) team /i:/ i) curl /ɜ:/

3/ Write the symbols for the diphthongs in

a) tone /əʊ/ d) way /eɪ/ g) hair /eə/
b) style /aɪ/ e) beer /ɪə/ h) why /aɪ/
c) out /aʊ/ f) coil /ɔɪ/ i) prey /eɪ/

IV. Voicing and consonants

Written exercises
1/ Write brief descriptions of the actions of the articulators and the respiratory
system in the words given below. Your description should start and finish with
the position for normal breathing. Here is a description of the pronunciation of
the word ‘bee’ bi: as an example:
Starting from the position for normal breathing, the lips are closed and the
lungs are compressed to create air pressure in the vocal tract. The tongue
moves to the position for a close front vowel, with the front of the tongue
raised close to the hard palate. The vocal folds are brought close together
and voicing begins; the lips then open, releasing the compressed air. Voicing
continues for the duration of an i: vowel. Then the lung pressure is lowered,
voicing ceases and the articulators return to the normal breathing position.
Words to describe: (a) goat; (b) ape.
a) goat
Starting from the position for normal breathing, the back of the tongue is raised to form a
closure against the velum. The lungs are compressed to produce air pressure in the vocal tract
and the vocal folds are brought together in the voicing position. The vocal folds begin to
vibrate, and the back of the tongue is lowered to allow the compressed air to escape. The tongue
is moved to a mid-central vowel and then moves in the direction of a closer, backer vowel: the
lips are moderately rounded for the second part. The tongue blade is raised to make a closure
against the alveolar ridge, the vocal folds are separated and voicing ceases. Then the
compressed air is released, the lips return to spread shape and the articulators return to the
normal breathing position.
b) ape
Starting from the position for normal breathing, the tongue is moved slightly upward and
forward, and the vocal folds are brought together to begin voicing. The tongue glides to a
slightly closer and more central vowel position. Then the lips are pressed together, making a
closure, and at the same time the vocal folds are separated so that voicing ceases. The lips are
then opened and the compressed air is released, while the tongue is lowered to return to the
normal breathing position.

2/ Transcribe the following words:

a) bake /beɪk/ d) bought /bɔ:t/ g) bored /bɔ:d/
b) goat /ɡəʊt/ e) tick /tɪk/ h) guard /ɡɑ:d/
c) doubt /daʊt/ f) bough /baʊ/ i) pea /pi:/

VII. Nasals and other consonants

Written exercises
1/ List all the consonant phonemes of the BBC accent, grouped according to
manner of articulation.
Plosives: p t k b d ɡ
Fricatives: f θ s ʃ h v ð z ʒ
Affricates: ʧ ʤ
Nasals: m n ŋ
Lateral: l
Approximants: r w j

2/ Transcribe the following words phonemically:

a) sofa /'səʊfə/ c) steering /'stɪərɪŋ/
b) verse /vɜ:s/ d) breadcrumb /'bredkrʌm/
e) square /skweə/ g) bought /bɔ:t/
f) anger /'æŋɡə/ h) nineteen /naɪn'ti:n/

3/ When the vocal tract is in its resting position for normal breathing, the soft
palate is usually lowered. Describe what movements are carried out by the soft
palate in the pronunciation of the following words:

a) banner /'bænəʳ/: The soft palate is raised for the ‘b’ plosive and remains raised for ‘æ’. It is
lowered for ‘n’, then raised again for the final ‘ə’.
b) mid /mɪd/: The soft palate remains lowered during the articulation of ‘m’, and is then raised
for the rest of the syllable.
c) angle /'æŋɡl/ : The soft palate is raised for the ‘æ’ vowel, then lowered for ‘ŋ’. It is then
raised for the ‘ɡ’ plosive and remains raised for the ‘1’.

Chart of English consonant phonemes

IX. Strong and weak syllables
Written exercise
The following sentences have been partially transcribed, but the vowels have been left blank.
Fill in the vowels, taking care to identify which vowels are weak; put no vowel at all if you
think a syllabic consonant is appropriate, but put a syllabic mark beneath the syllabic consonant

1. A particular problem of the boat was a leak

ə pə'tɪkjələ 'prɒbləm əv ðə bəʊt wəz ə li:k
2. Opening the bottle presented no difficulty
'əʊpnɪŋ ðə bɒtl prɪ'zentɪd nəʊ 'dɪfɪklti
3. There is no alternative to the government’s proposal
ðər ɪz nəʊ ɒl'tɜ:nətɪv tə ðə 'ɡʌvnmənts prə'pəʊzl
4. We ought to make a collection to cover the expenses
wi ɔ:t tə meɪk ə kə'lekʃn tə 'kʌvə ðə ɪk'spensɪz
5. Finally they arrived at a harbour at the edge of the mountains
'faɪnli ðəɪ ə'raɪvd ət ə 'hɑ:bər ət ði eʤ əv ðə 'maʊntɪnz