ENG 305 Homework 1 due Mon.

1/24

1. a. Create one sentence which violates a descriptive rule of English. This will be a string of
words which no native speaker would ever use, no matter how informally they were speaking.
Also write out a corrected version which follows descriptive rules. (2 pts)

The running is man

The man is running

b. Create one sentence which violates a prescriptive rule of English. This should be a sentence
which you’ve heard people say, but which an English teacher would mark wrong in an essay.
Write out a corrected or formalized version which no longer breaks the prescriptive rule. (2 pts)

I ain’t going to eat no breakfast.

I will not eat breakfast.

2. Symbols in writing can be arbitrary or iconic, as can visual signs and words. Consider the
smiley face :) and the exclamation point !. Explain whether each of these signs is iconic or
arbitrary, and make sure your answer defines these two terms in your own words. (4 pts)

The smiley face is Iconic because it represents an idea and action that is human nature and does
not need to be learned.
The excilamtion point is arbitrary because it is used in any situation and has to be learned.

3. Each of the 4 parts of this question asks for examples of English spelling irregularities. No
phonetic symbols are needed yet. (8 points)

a. List 2 English words which have the same vowel sound but spell it in 2 different ways.
a. Pair and Pear

b. List 2 words which have the same consonant sound but spell it in 2 different ways
a. Kite and cake

c. List 2 words that have the letter s in them but use it to represent 2 different sounds.
a. Process and soot

d. List 2 words that have the letter o in them but use it to represent 2 different sounds.
a. Avocado and opposition

4. Same or different? Compare the selected sounds in each pair of words below and indicate
whether they are the same or different. (8 points)

a.
 b. the first sounds in then vs. that: same or different?
a. same
c. the vowel sounds in head vs. had: same or different?
a. different
d. the first sounds in jump vs. gene: same or different?
a. same
e. the last sounds in wait vs. bite: same or different?
a. same
f. the vowel sounds in book vs. boot: same or different?
a. different
g. the first sounds in china vs. shame: same or different?
a. different
h. the last sounds in done vs. sung: same or different?
a. different

5. Write out the exact IPA symbol that corresponds to each featural description. Each answer
must be enclosed in square brackets. (5 points)
For example: voiced bilabial stop: [b]

a. voiceless interdental fricative [ᶿ]

b. voiced bilabial nasal [m]
c. voiced labiodental fricative [v]
d. voiceless alveolar stop [t]
e. voiced alveolar fricative [z]

6. Write out the featural description which corresponds to each symbol. Be sure to include all 3
characteristics (or in some cases, 4) for each consonant. Note that the features come in a
particular order: voicing, then place, then manner. Don’t just give random lists of features, but
list them in the proper order. (5 points)
For example: [h]: voiceless glottal fricative

a. [d] voiced alveolar stop

b. [f] voiceless labiodental fricative
c. [s] voiceless alveolar fricative
d. [n] voiced alveolar nasal
e. [ð] voiced interdental fricative

7. Write out the IPA phonetic symbols for the first and last sounds in each of the words below.
Not the letters, but the sounds that begin and end each word—and yes, they all start and end with
consonant sounds. (10 points)
For example, dog: [d, g]

a. vote [v,t]
b. moose [m,s]
c. this [ᶞ,s]
d. bane [b,n]
e. poem [p,m]