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 Contents

List of Exercises vii

Contents of Audio CD xi

Preface xiii

UNIT 1 Laying the Foundation 1 10 Diphthongs 77

A Focus on Pronunciation 78
1 Thinking About the English Phonology System: Pronunciation 83
Syllables and Sounds 2
The Syllable 2
11 Rhotic/Controlled /r/
Parts of a Syllable 3
Types of Syllables 10 Diphthongs 84
Phonology and Phonetics 12 Pronunciation 87
Dialects and Accents 15
12 Term Review and
2 English Orthography 17 Practice 89

3 Paying Attention to Sounds 24

UNIT 3 Consonants 99
4 Term Review and Practice 29 13 Overview 100
Consonants and Vowels 102
Classification of Consonants 102
UNIT 2 The Vowel System 39 Voicing 103
Place of Articulation 104
5 Overview 40 Manner of Articulation 105
Characteristics of Vowel Sounds 42
Types of Vowels 44
14 Stop‐Plosives 112
The Vowel Quadrilateral 44
A Focus on Pronunciation 112
Pronunciation Notes 120
6 Monophthongs: Front Vowels 46
15 Fricatives 121
7 Monophthongs: Back Vowels 52 A Focus on Pronunciation 121

8 Monophthongs: Front and Back 58 16 Affricates 131

A Focus on Pronunciation 58 A Focus on Pronunciation 131
Allophonic Variations 59
Practice 61
17 Nasals 139
Pronunciation Notes: Dialectal Variations 67

18 Liquids 147
9 Central Vowels 71
Symbols for the Mid‐Central Vowels in Stressed
Syllables 71 19 Glides 157
Symbols for the Mid‐Central Vowels in Unstressed A Focus on Pronunciation 162
Syllables 74
Pronunciation Variation of Central Vowels 75 20 Term Review and Practice 164

v
vi Contents

UNIT 4 Transcription: The Details 183 Appendix 229

21 Overview of Transcription 184
Transcribing Speech 184 References 233

22 Stress 194
Glossary 235
Vowels in Stressed and Unstressed Syllables 194
Two‐Syllable Words 195
Stress Changes with the Addition of Prefixes and Answer Key 237
Suffixes 197
How to Decide which Syllable has the Primary
Stress? 200 Index 263
Reduction of Vowels to Schwa in Unstressed
Syllables 214
Noticing Vowel Alternations with Changes in Stress
Patterns 216
The Impact of Morphophonemic Changes on Stress and
Vowel/Consonant Changes 218
 List of Exercises
Chapter Exercise Name Chapter Exercise Name

1 1-A Counting Syllables 3 6-C Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:

1-B Distinguishing Consonants in a Words with /i/ 47
Word in Reference to the Vowel 6-D Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
Sound 4 with /ɪ/ 48
1-C Focus on Consonants: Identifying 6-E Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
Onsets and Codas 5 Words with /ɪ/ 48
1-D Finding Words with the Same Coda 6 6-F Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
1-E Finding Words with the Same Onset 6 with /e/ 49

1-F Creating Syllable Trees 8 6-G Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:

Words with /e/ 49
1-G Finding Words That Rhyme 9
6-H Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
1-H Identifying Syllable Parts 9 with /ɛ/ 50
1-I Determining Syllable Type: Open 6-I Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
versus Closed 11 Words with /ɛ/ 50
1-J Determining Syllable Type: Simple 6-J Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
versus Complex 12 with /æ/ 51

2 2-A Finding Consonant Sequences and 6-K Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
Digraphs 20 Words with /æ/ 51

3 3-A Counting Sounds in Words 24 7 7-A Sorting by Vowel Sound 52

3-B Making Comparisons: Numbers of 7-B Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words

Sounds in Words 27 with /u/ 53

3-C Counting Sounds: Find the Errors 27 7-C Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
Words with /u/ 53
4 4-A Sorting Words by Number of 7-D Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
Syllables 30 with /ʊ/ 54
4-B Manipulating Onsets and Codas 31 7-E Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
4-C Counting Sounds in Words 32 Words with /ʊ/ 54
4-D Making More Comparisons: Number 7-F Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
of Sounds in Words 33 with /o/ 55
4-E Reversing Sounds in Words 34 7-G Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
Words with /o/ 55
4-F Sorting Words by Number of
Sounds 34 7-H Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
with /ɔ/ 56
4-G Applying Terms: Finding Words 35
7-I Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
4-H Applying Syllable Terms: What’s on
Words with /ɔ/ 56
the Line? 36
7-J Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
4-I Syllable Talk: Matching Terms with
with /ɑ/ 57
Definitions 36
7-K Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
4-J True‐False 36
Words with /ɑ/ 57
4-K Identify the Term 37
8 8-A Common Bonds 61
5 5-A Tuning into the Vowel Sounds in 8-B Identify the Vowel 61
Words 40
8-C Working with the Vowel
6 6-A Sorting by Vowel Sound 46 Quadrilateral 62
6-B Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words 8-D Identifying the Vowel
with /i/ 47 Changes 63
vii
viii List of Exercises

Chapter Exercise Name Chapter Exercise Name

8-E Vowel Classification Practice: 13-C Determining the Voicing of
Creating Words 64 Consonant Sounds 103
8-F Identifying the Vowel in Words 65 13-D Determining Place of
8-G Reading IPA Symbols 66 Articulation 104
13-E Determining Manner of
9 9-A Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words Articulation 108
with /ʌ/ 72
9-B Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
14 14-A Common Bonds 112
Words with /ʌ/ 72 14-B Decoding Phonetic Symbols 115
9-C Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words 14-C Writing Words with Phonetic
with /ɝ/ 73 Symbols 115
9-D Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols: 14-D Solving Word Equations 116
Words with /ɝ/ 73 14-E Writing Word Equations 117
9-E Challenge: Two‐Syllable Words with 14-F State the Change 118
Central Vowels 75 14-G Creating Minimal Pairs (Onset) with
Stop‐Plosive Sounds 118
10 10-A Sorting Words with Diphthongs 77
14-H Creating Minimal Pairs (Coda) with
10-B Identifying the Correct Symbol for
Stop‐Plosive Sounds 119
Diphthongs 81
14-I Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
10-C Counting Sounds in Words 81
with Sequences 120
10-D Decoding Phonetic Symbols:
14-J Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
Phonemic Diphthongs 82
Words with Sequences 120
10-E Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
Phonemic Diphthongs 82 15 15-A Common Bonds 123
15-B Decoding Phonetic Symbols 123
11 11-A Sorting Words by Vowel Sounds 84
15-C Writing Words with Phonetic
11-B Identifying the Correct Symbol for Symbols 124
Controlled /r/ Diphthongs 86
15-D Solving Word Equations 125
11-C Decoding Phonetic Symbols:
15-E Writing Word Equations 126
Controlled /r/ Diphthongs 87
11-D Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols: 15-F State the Change 127
Controlled /r/ Diphthongs 87 15-G Creating Minimal Pairs (Onset) with
Fricatives 127
12 12-A Find What Is Asked 90 15-H Creating Minimal Pairs (Coda) with
12-B Counting Sounds 91 Fricatives 128
12-C Compare/Contrast Phonetic 15-I Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
Characteristics of Vowels and with Sequences 129
Diphthongs 91 15-J Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
12-D Odd One Out 92 Words with Sequences 130
12-E Identifying the Vowel Sound 93
16 16-A Common Bonds 132
12-F Vowel Change‐Up 94 16-B Decoding Phonetic Symbols 132
12-G Identifying the Vowel 95 16-C Writing Words with Phonetic
12-H Judge the Transcription 96 Symbols 133
12-I What’s the Word? 96 16-D Solving Word Equations 133
12-J Decode the Symbols 98 16-E Writing Word Equations 134
16-F State the Change 135
13 13-A Onset Comparison 100
16-G Creating Minimal Pairs (Onset) with
13-B Coda Comparison 101
Obstruents 136
 List of Exercises ix

Chapter Exercise Name Chapter Exercise Name

16-H Creating Minimal Pairs (Coda) with 19-H Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
Obstruents 137 with Sequences 163
16-I Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words 19-I Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols:
with Sequences 137 Words with Sequences 163
16-J Writing Words in Phonetic
20 20-A Identifying Common Bonds 165
Symbols: Words with
Sequences 138 20-B Odd One Out 166
20-C Provide the Sounds That Are
17 17-A Common Bonds 139 Requested 166
17-B Decoding Phonetic Symbols 139 20-D How Are the Onsets Different? 167
17-C Writing Words with Phonetic 20-E How Are the Codas Different? 168
Symbols 140
20-F Decoding Phonetic Symbols 169
17-D Solving Word Equations 141
20-G Focus on Interdental Fricatives 169
17-E Writing Word Equations 142
20-H Differentiating Between the
17-F State the Change 143 Interdental Fricatives 171
17-G Creating Minimal Pairs (Onset) with 20-I Finding the Palatal Glide /j/ 172
Nasals and Obstruents 143
20-J Focus on Nasal Consonants 172
17-H Creating Minimal Pairs (Coda) with
20-K Follow the Clues 174
Nasals and Obstruents 144
20-L Follow More Clues 175
17-I Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words
with Sequences 145 20-M Explain the Changes 175
17-J Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols: 20-N Identify More Changes 176
Words with Sequences 146 20-O Counting and Indentifying Sounds in
Words 177
18 18-A Common Bonds 147
20-P Identify the Third Speech Sound in
18-B Decoding Phonetic Symbols 147 Words 178
18-C Writing Words with Phonetic 20-Q Find the Words That Are
Symbols 148 Requested 179
18-D Solving Word Equations 149 20-R More or Less 180
18-E Writing Word Equations 151 20-S Mind Your Manners 180
18-F State the Change 153
21 21-A Vowel Sounds with Velar Nasal 186
18-G Creating Minimal Pairs (Onset)
with Liquids, Nasals, and 21-B Identifying the Velar Nasal in
Obstruents 153 Singleton and Sequence Contexts 186

18-H Decoding Phonetic Symbols: Words 21-C Select the Correct Transcriptions 187
with Sequences 154 21-D Transcription Practice: Velar
18-I Writing Words in Phonetic Symbols: Nasal 187
Words with Sequences 155 21-E Transcribing Words with Bound
Morphemes /s/, /z/, /əz/ or /t/,
19 19-A Common Bonds 157 /d/, /əd/ 188
19-B Decoding Phonetic Symbols 157 21-F Transcription Practice: Velar Nasals
19-C Writing Words with Phonetic and Bound Morphemes 190
Symbols 158 21-G Transcription Practice: Glides 191
19-D Solving Word Equations 158 21-H Determining the Correct
19-E Writing Word Equations 159 Transcription 191
19-F State the Change 160 21-I Judge the Transcription 192

19-G Creating Minimal Pairs (Onset) with 21-J Decode Symbols: What’s the
Sonorants and Obstruents 161 Word? 193
x List of Exercises

Chapter Exercise Name Chapter Exercise Name

22-N Identifying Stress Patterns In

22 22-A Odd One Out: Stress Patterns 196
Two‐Syllable Words 209
22-B Transcribing The Suffix –ing /ɪŋ/ 198
22-O Identify the Correct
22-C Identifying –y and –ly Suffixes That Transcription 210
Would Use /ɪ/ 199
22-P Identifying the Syllable That Is Not
22-D Transcription Practice: –y and –ly Stressed 211
Suffixes 199
22-Q Sorting U.S. States by Stress
22-E Sorting Words by Stress Patterns 201 Patterns 212
22-F Transcription Practice: /ɚ/ in Final 22-R Determining Which Syllable
Unstressed Syllables 202 Receives Primary Stress 213
22-G Transcription Practice: Schwa in 22-S Transcribing Stress Changes 220
Suffixes 202
22-T Select the Most Reasonable
22-H Transcription Practice: Unstressed Transcription from the Choices
First Syllables 203 Provided 221
22-I Transcription Practice: Syllabic 22-U Sorting Words by Stress
/l/ 204 Pattern 223
22-J Two Syllable Central Vowel Sort 204 22-V Determining Which
22-K Sorting Words by Stress Syllable Receives Primary
Pattern 206 Stress 224
22-L Where’s the Stress? 208 22-W Transcription Practice: Schwa in
22-M Judge the Accuracy of the Unstressed Syllables 225
Transcription 208 22-X What’s the Word? 227
 Contents of Audio CD
41 Tracks; Total play time 56 minutes, 42 seconds
Track Contents Time
1 Transcription practice set 1: Front/back monophthongs in isolation 1:24
2 Transcription practice set 2: Front/back monophthongs in CV/VC syllables 1:26
3 Transcription practice set 3: Front/back monophthongs in CV/VC syllables 1:25
4 Transcription practice set 4: All monophthongs in CVC syllables 1:26
5 Transcription practice set 5: Phonemic diphthongs in simple syllables 1:28
6 Transcription practice set 6: All monophthongs and phonemic diphthongs in simple syllables 1:24
7 Transcription practice set 7: Controlled /r/ diphthongs in simple syllables 1:28
8 Transcription practice set 8: All vowels in simple syllables 1:23
9 Transcription practice set 9: Stop‐plosives in simple syllables 1:22
10 Transcription practice set 10: Fricatives/affricates in simple syllables 1:25
11 Transcription practice set 11: All obstruents in simple syllables 1:22
12 Transcription practice set 12: All sonorants in simple syllables 1:20
13 Transcription practice set 13: Prevocalic sequences 1:19
14 Transcription practice set 14: Postvocalic sequences 1:19
15 Transcription practice set 15: Pre‐ and postvocalic sequences 1:23
16 Examples of coarticulation 1:00
17 Examples of alveolar flap/tap :37
18 Examples of glottal stop for intervocalic /t/ :28
19 Examples of /l/ productions 1:15
20 Examples of velar nasal with and without /g / :41
21 Introduction to stress: Vowels in stressed and unstressed syllables 1:26
22 Compound words :31
23 Stress patterns in nouns and verbs 1:04
24 Sample sentences with nouns and verbs :49
25 Exercise 22‐A 1:57
26 Exercise 22‐E 1:14
27 Exercise 22‐F :47
28 Exercise 22‐G :41
29 Exercise 22‐H :51
30 Exercise 22‐I :40
31 Exercise 22‐J 1:29
32 Exercise 22‐K 2:39
33 Exercise 22‐L 1:29
34 Exercise 22‐N 1:53
35 Exercise 22‐P :52
36 Exercise 22‐R 1:43
37 Reduction of vowels to schwa in unstressed syllables 1:32
38 Exercise 22‐S 2:15
39 Exercise 22‐U 1:35
40 Exercise 22‐V 1:24
41 Exercise 22‐W 4:33

xi
This page intentionally left blank
 Preface
About This Workbook
If 10 professors who taught the undergraduate phonetics
courses at their respective universities came together, each
of them would approach the acquisition of phonetics and
subsequent transcription skills differently. I recall my own
phonetics course, taken more than 30 years ago, taught
by a professor in broadcasting (although I was majoring
in communication disorders). We spent 50 minutes, three
times per week, transcribing words spoken by the profes-
sor. Pianissimo is one such word that has not left my mem-
ory bank!
My background in language and phonology, and my
research in phonological awareness and early literacy
skills, have informed the way I teach my own phonetics
course. I treat learning the International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA) in much the same way as children learn to read.
Awareness of sounds needs to be addressed prior to learn-
ing which symbols are used to represent those sounds.
Additionally, conventions of the written symbol system
need attention. Because the foundation for the IPA is
sounds, it is imperative that the nuances in the pronuncia-
tion of sounds also are emphasized.
The primary focus of this workbook is to prepare
students to be able to transcribe speech phonetically by
increasing their awareness and knowledge about the
English sound system, their knowledge of how individual
sounds are formed, and their understanding of how sounds
combine to form words. This workbook presents an active
learning tool for individuals studying articulatory phonet-
ics and English pronunciation skills. Its goal is to provide
a “sound” foundation from which transcription skills can
develop. This workbook is not the “typical” phonetics
workbook. Using this workbook will provide students with
a sufficient foundation needed to learn to attend to sounds
in words so that learning and applying a new symbol sys-
tem will be a successful experience for them. Because one
of its goals is to provide a sound foundation from which
transcription can build, this workbook slows down the
learning process so that students have an opportunity to
develop the skills and strategies they need before they are
required to use them.
In order to learn and use the IPA for transcribing
speech, students must attend to the sound structure of the
language. Becoming aware of the sounds of English pho-
nology can be challenging because a typical student has not
paid attention to individual sounds since mastering reading
and spelling. Although we hear language on a daily basis in
the form of conversation, television programs, music, etc.,
and encounter print on a daily basis by reading, texting,
etc., we give minimal attention to the particular sounds in
the overall message because our ability to process speech
and print is very rapid and automatic. This automaticity,
however, can disrupt adult students from attending to the
sound system of their language as they are faced with the
task of learning a symbol system that is based solely on
what sounds are heard. Since becoming competent in lit-
eracy, we have learned to bypass the auditory channel and
solely focus our attention on the visual forms of words.
Van Riper and Smith (1979) refer to this as being “eye-
minded” rather than “ear-minded.” For adult students,
who are about to learn about the English sound system and
acquire a new symbol system (IPA), attention needs to shift
back to the auditory and kinesthetic characteristics of those
sounds (i.e., return to being ear-minded). Learning to apply
the IPA when transcribing speech will eventually require a
balance of being both ear-minded and eye minded.
I have learned a great deal from my students over the
past 15 years. My students have taught me that they need
repeated exposure to the symbols in order to use them
accurately and efficiently. Some students encounter diffi-
culty isolating sounds and matching them to a new sym-
bol. Without a solid foundation, these students encounter
difficulty with subsequent transcription skills and clinical
application remains problematic. Other students seem to
be able to match sounds to the IPA symbols with ease, yet
they do not always have a solid understanding of articu-
latory phonetics for efficient and effective application in
clinical situations. In order to be able to accurately tran-
scribe the speech of others, students need to learn about
how sounds are formed, how those sounds change in dif-
ferent contexts, what symbols represent those sounds, and
what rules guide the use of those symbols.
Because of these issues, this workbook is based on a
“meta” approach to learning. Meta skills require that con-
scious attention be given to a specific entity apart from
understanding the meaning. To be meta requires knowl-
edge to become explicit, rather than implicit. Becoming
explicitly aware of the phonological structure of our lan-
guage is a cognitive task and one that requires focused
attention, active learning, a great deal of practice, and a fair
amount of reflection. Additionally, increasing awareness
of the orthographic system is needed in order to effectively
shift our attention to the sounds on which that system is
based. The content in this workbook is presented in such a
way that students have to think about sounds in an explicit
manner. Information is presented in order to create cogni-
tive dissonance in students so that they are encouraged to
make sense from what is presented to them. My goal is to
have the individuals who use this workbook think about
xiii
xiv Preface
the sounds of the English language as they never have in
the past. My primary aim throughout this workbook is to
design exercises for students to become reacquainted with
the English sound system through discovery. As they com-
plete the exercises, I would like for them to experience
“ah-ha” moments as they make sense of the phonological
system of English.
Explanation of Organizational
Framework
The overall presentation of information is deliberate,
explicit, and systematic to promote successful learning.
The first challenge it presents to students is to think about
sounds in the face of orthography (Unit 1). It then intro-
duces the vowels (Unit 2) and consonants (Unit 3) of the
English phonology system. Pronunciation information,
including allophonic, dialectal, and accent variations, are
included within each of these units. Lastly, the topics of
broad transcription and word stress are introduced (Unit
4). Most published texts provide these three levels (i.e.,
awareness, IPA symbols and articulatory phonetics infor-
mation, transcription) simultaneously, despite the fact that
most students do not learn these skills in that way. Most
instructors supplement existing phonetics workbooks with
additional practice material to insure student learning. It is
the aim of this workbook to systematically lead students
through each level separately so they are able to learn new
information on a firmer foundation.
The chapters within each unit lay the foundation,
provide the pertinent content, and then provide ample
practice for students to adequately learn the specifics
and meet the established goals. The exercises build upon
each other so that each student can learn solidly by taking
from what they have previously learned and applying the
knowledge to new material. This systematic approach to
learning provides a layering of information to scaffold stu-
dent learning. Along with a variety of practice exercises,
questions are posed to students to encourage them to think
about their sound system and reflect upon specific areas.
The final chapter in each unit provides a review of terms
(Units 1–3), a focus on pronunciation (Units 2 and 3), and
additional practice that elaborates and extends previous
exercises.
The first unit focuses on phonological awareness (i.e.,
awareness of syllables, onsets, rimes, and sounds) as well
as orthographic knowledge (i.e., knowledge about how
spoken language is represented in print) and introduces
students to basic terminology. It briefly presents the con-
cepts of phonology, phonemes, allophones, coarticulation,
assimilation, dialects, and accents and alerts students to
the impact these concepts may have on pronunciation and
perception. This unit lays the foundation for the informa-
tion and exercises that will be introduced in Units 2 and 3.
The focus then moves to the production of individual
sounds (articulatory phonetics) and the IPA symbols that
represent them. The second unit focuses on the vowel sys-
tem of the English language. Vowels are presented first
because, in my experience, students are challenged more
by vowels than consonants. Because the symbols for 16
consonant sounds are the same in the IPA and the Roman
alphabet, students can immediately be exposed to the vowel
symbols in the context of words. Unit 2 provides exercises
for the learner to focus on the specific characteristics that
help to distinguish vowels from each other. It details the
individual vowels in the vowel system: 14 monophthongs
(Chapters 6, 7, and 9), diphthongs (Chapter 10), and rhotic/
controlled-r diphthongs and triphthongs (Chapter 11).
Understanding the specific vowel characteristics within
the context of the vowel quadrilateral is emphasized in the
exercises presented in Chapter 8 so that students under-
stand the classification of monophthongs and come to
view the vowel quadrilateral as a useful tool in future clini-
cal decision making.
Unit 3 concentrates on the 25 consonant sounds in
the English language. How consonants are classified is
addressed first, and the introduction of voicing, place,
and manner of articulation is introduced through expe-
riential sorting exercises (Chapter 13). The six manner
classes serve as the organizational framework when indi-
vidual sounds are described and detailed (Chapters 14–19).
Each chapter presents the sounds within a specific man-
ner class, along with their characteristics. Once students
learn the characteristics of each sound, they will be able to
compare and contrast sounds with each other. For speech–
language pathology students, this will serve as a foundation
for understanding development, phonological patterns and
processes, and articulation errors. Included in each chapter
in this unit is pronunciation information (in the form of
allowable differences) that will help students understand
their own and others’ sound production in words. This will
be followed by exercises to practice the information for
consonant singletons. Students will be asked to (1) “read”
phonetic symbols to create a familiar word, (2) translate
the sounds in a word into phonetic symbols, (3) use an
“equation” of phonetic information to make words, and
(4) write a phonetic equation for presented words. The
consonant sounds in each manner class will then be intro-
duced in the context of consonant sequences. Two familiar
exercises (reading phonetic symbols to make words and
writing a word in phonetic symbols) will assist students in
focusing on the consonant sounds in sequences. Additional
exercises are included in the final chapter to provide addi-
tional exposure to sounds that are frequently problematic
for students.

Up until this point in the workbook, individual sounds
in single-syllable words were emphasized using broad pho-
nemic transcription. Unit 4 discusses phonetic transcription
and the role it plays in clinical application. Specific rules
when transcribing consonants and vowels are presented.
The role of stress in pronunciation and transcription is
introduced and elaborated. Exercises in reading phonetic
symbols as well as in transcribing words into symbols are
included to achieve the automaticity required for clinical
application. This unit serves as the basis for transcription
exercises that occur next in the training of speech–language
pathologists; that is, word productions are presented live or
via tape presentation, and students translate what they hear
into phonetic symbols. Practicing transcription in this way
is outside the scope of this workbook.
The supplemental audio CD that accompanies this
workbook serves several purposes. Fifteen practice tran-
scription sets are provided to assist the retrieval of the IPA
symbols upon hearing a nonsense syllable. Five tracks are
provided that demonstrate pronunciation notes. Half of
the content of the CD provides auditory models of content
and exercises from Chapter 22: Stress. Although listen-
ing to the CD is not required to complete the exercises in
Chapter 22, it will be helpful to students because stress is
difficult to detect when listening to one’s own speech.
Most of the pronunciations used in this book reflect
the author’s Midwestern (central Illinois) dialect. When
transcribing a word that is not presented orally, your pro-
nunciation patterns may differ. Be assured that differences
are not errors. Based on your own dialect, how you pro-
nounce specific sounds (especially vowels) may be dif-
ferent from those presented in the exercises. Please check
with your instructor for explanations of differences.
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Van Riper, C., & Smith, D. (1979). An introduction to General
American phonetics. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Preface xv
Acknowledgments
The exercises for this workbook grew out teaching CSD
215, “Clinical Phonetics” at Illinois State University. I
thank the approximately 100 students each year who chal-
lenge me to do my best work. I am grateful to my past
teaching assistants Beth Maher, Renee Moore, Kandace
Davis, and Melissa Griffin who helped me creatively
find ways for students to learn and practice the symbols
needed for transcription. A special thank you goes to my
present teaching assistant, Ashley Ciecko, who was a
constant in assisting me when this workbook was taking
shape over the past several semesters. Gratitude also goes
to Sarah Huey, Christi Patterson, Maggie O’Shea, and
Jessica Uhlir, who assisted in providing their viewpoints
and ideas as well as researching specific areas. Thanks
to the Pearson reviewers, Jean Andruski, Wayne State
University; Raymond Dalfonso, Kutztown University;
and Laureen O’Hanlon, California State University of
Sacramento. I am grateful to Elizabeth Harbers Warden
and Clare Maksimovich who knew nothing about pho-
netics but were careful proofreaders. A special thank you
also goes to Aaron Paolucci who recorded and produced
the audio CD and Connie de Veer, Mark de Veer, Gwen
de Veer, and Jeb Burris for their voices. This workbook
would not have been possible without the efforts of the
Pearson “team.” Many thanks to Steve Dragin and Karen
Mason for their leadership and support, and Carrie Fox and
Shylaja Gattupalli and their teams for their work with the
final production.
To the Student About to Embark
on This Sound Journey
I hope these exercises increase your awareness of how
complex and amazing speech sound perception and pro-
duction can be. Because this workbook is about sounds, it
is important for you to listen and feel your own pronuncia-
tions and listen and watch how others produce their sounds
in words, phrases, and sentences. The sounds in the words
used in the exercises, especially the vowel sounds, may
not reflect your own pronunciation. There is a great deal
of variability in how the vowels, and sometimes the con-
sonants, in words are produced. Be patient with yourself
as you learn to train your mind to focus on sounds. May
your travels be filled with many insights into what most
speakers take for granted!
This page intentionally left blank
UNIT

1 Laying the Foundation

Read the following groups of words aloud:
fear gear wear
meat sweat great
tough cough dough
perk cork work
chef shoe sure
who whoa white
While reading these words, you soon realize that the spellings you see do not
always reflect the sounds you hear.
As a student about to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), you
must think more about the sounds in the words you use than about their spellings.
To do this, you need to become reacquainted with the sounds of the English lan-
guage. Van Riper and Smith (1979) refer to this as becoming “ear-minded” rather
than “eye-minded.”
The goals for the first unit include:
● To reacquaint you with the sound make-up of words in the English language
● To assist you in differentiating between the sounds you hear and the letters
you see when looking at a word
● To introduce you to basic terminology that will be used throughout the
workbook
● To provide you with exercises to improve your attention to sounds in words
in order to prepare you to learn a new symbol system—the IPA
● To introduce you to the concept of coarticulation and how it influences your
perception and production of sounds in words and connected speech
● To introduce you to the concept of dialects and accents and how these influ-
ence your perception and production of sounds

1
CHAPTER
Thinking About the
English Phonology System:
1 Syllables and Sounds

P
honology refers to the sound system of a language. The phonological sys-
tem of a language consists of (1) the group of specific sounds used in that
language, (2) the permissible variations of those sounds when produced,
and (3) the particular rules for combining those sounds.
Two groups of sounds make up a phonology system: consonants and vowels.
Consonants are speech sounds produced as a result of air moving through the
vocal tract encountering some constriction or obstruction. The articulators (i.e.,
lips, front teeth, lower jaw, tongue, or the velum) close the vocal tract in some
way by interfering with, obstructing, or modifying the outgoing breath stream to
produce these types of sounds. As a result, consonants are referred to as closed
sounds. The consonants in a word can be by themselves (singleton) or in a series
(sequence). An example of a word with consonant singletons is bat; an example
of a word with consonant sequences is stops. When consonants are in a sequence,
each consonant sound retains its identity during pronunciation. Sequences can
occur within a syllable (cluster) or across syllables. Both sequences in the earlier
example of stops can be referred to as a cluster; however, the sequences in the
words basket and husband fall across syllables.
Vowels are speech sounds produced as a result of air moving through a rela-
tively open vocal tract. Although movement of the articulators (i.e., lips, tongue,
and jaw) changes the shape of the mouth, producing different vowel sounds, the
breath stream remains unimpeded. Vowels contain the most acoustic energy and
therefore are perceived as stronger sounds (as compared with consonants).
Consonants and vowels serve different functions in our sound system. Both con-
tribute to the clearness and intelligibility of speech. Because they are the most prom-
inent, vowels carry the intonation and prosody of our language. Consonants act as
dividing units, assisting in creating boundaries in words. Think about talking while
yawning or saying something with a pen in your mouth. Depending on the context,
the listener may still understand your message because of the intonation. What is
lacking, however, is the finer distinctions and clarity made by the consonants.

The Syllable
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation consisting of a vowel sound alone or a vowel
sound with the consonants that precede or follow it. There is only one vowel sound
in a syllable. When adjacent vowels are produced as separate sounds, separate
syllables are formed (e.g., helium, rodeo). An exception to this definition is when
a consonant can serve as the nucleus of a syllable. Only three consonants (i.e., m,
n, and l) can serve this role. This special circumstance will be explained in Unit 4.
2
 Thinking About the English Phonology System: Syllables and Sounds 3

Parts of a Syllable
Vowels
Vowels are essential to syllable formation. A syllable must contain a vowel sound.
Each vowel serves as the nucleus of the syllable. Because a vowel sound has the
strongest acoustic energy, they are often referred to as the peak of the syllable.
Vowel = peak/nucleus

EXERCISE 1-A: COUNTING SYLLABLES

Say each word aloud and count the number of syllables you hear in the following words. Write the
correct number of the line that follows each word.

happy ________ catastrophe ________ sequential ________

alphabet ________ alligator ________ boys ________

retroactive ________ appropriate ________ introduce ________

imagination ________ ditches ________ oncoming ________

psychological ________ include ________ overwhelming ________

grounded ________ computer ________ spindle ________

unspeakable ________ spilled ________ unilateral ________

Return to your answers. The number of syllables = the number of vowel sounds you hear in each word.
Think of 20 more words. Say each word aloud and count the number of syllables in each.

SOMETHING TO There are many words that may be pronounced with different syllable
CONSIDER counts. Consider the following words: every, boundary, usually. Can you
say them two different ways? Think of other words that can be pronounced
Pronunciation with different syllable counts.
Variance

Consonants
Because the vowel sound is the nucleus of the syllable, consonants are described by
their relationship to the vowel. Prevocalic consonants (singleton or sequence) are
those consonants that come before the vowel. Postvocalic consonants (singleton or
sequence) are those consonants that come after the vowel. These two terms refer to
4 Chapter 1

the consonant placement within a syllable. When the word (rather than the syllable)
is the unit of pronunciation, the term intervocalic may be included. Intervocalic
consonants (singletons or sequences) are those consonants that are between vowels
in a word with two or more syllables.

EXERCISE 1-B: DISTINGUISHING CONSONANTS IN A WORD IN REFERENCE TO THE VOWEL SOUND

Say each word aloud. Classify the consonant sounds in each word in terms of their relationship to the
vowel.

Word Prevocalic Consonants Intervocalic Consonants Postvocalic Consonants

me
up
not
vase
skip
bend
helps
wagon
basket
consonants

Although the vowel is essential to syllable for-

REMINDER
Consonants within a syllable unit: Onsets are
prevocalic consonants; codas are postvocalic.
Singleton: consonant sound by itself
Sequence: two or more adjacent consonant
sounds; each consonant sound retains its
identity during pronunciation.
mation, consonants are not necessary. When con-
sonants are present in a syllable, they are defined
by their relationship to the vowel nucleus. The
consonant(s) that precede the vowel in a syllable
is/are termed the onset; the consonant(s) that fol-
low the vowel in a syllable is/are termed the coda.
Remember, consonant sounds can be alone before
or after a vowel (singleton), or two or more conso-
nant sounds can be adjacent to each other before or
after a vowel (sequence).
 Thinking About the English Phonology System: Syllables and Sounds 5

EXERCISE 1-C: FOCUS ON CONSONANTS: IDENTIFYING ONSETS AND CODAS

Say each of the following words aloud. Identify which consonant sounds/let-
ters make up the onset and which sounds/letters make up the coda. Be care-
ful—not all of the words will have an onset; not all of the words will have a
coda. Remember to focus on the sounds you hear when you pronounce each
word rather than the letters you see. Try not to be tricked by the spelling!

goat onset ________ coda ________

path onset ________ coda ________

snake onset ________ coda ________

try onset ________ coda ________

word onset ________ coda ________

bulb onset ________ coda ________

eight onset ________ coda ________

rips onset ________ coda ________

frost onset ________ coda ________

book onset ________ coda ________

own onset ________ coda ________

thread onset ________ coda ________

left onset ________ coda ________

if onset ________ coda ________

be onset ________ coda ________

6 Chapter 1

EXERCISE 1-D: FINDING WORDS WITH THE SAME CODA

Read the words in each row aloud; focus on the ending consonant sounds. Find
the two words in the row with the same coda. Cross out the word that does not
share the same coda with the other two. Remember to focus on the sounds you
hear when you pronounce each word rather than the letters you see.

picks fox cups

noise nose voice
bathe mouth bath
comb tub some
eyes less cheese
cape help deep
feud mud hoped
beige vague dog
sponge wrong arrange
slept hoped robbed
laugh stove leaf
licorice mustache research
box hunks sphinx
talked strict tagged
whisk wax flask

EXERCISE 1-E: FINDING WORDS WITH THE SAME ONSET

Read the words in each row aloud; focus on the beginning consonant sounds.
Find the two words in the row with the same onset. Cross out the word that does
not share the same onset with the other two. Remember to focus on the sounds
you hear when you pronounce each word rather than the letters you see.

the thaw thumb

chorus chore kite
honor horse who
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the words of one of the few clever commercials I had heard. I
stopped doing that when it began to sound idiotic—but then I started
asking myself: "Right about here wouldn't you like a beer?" and the
answer was almost beginning to be yes.
This led to my becoming cigarette-conscious. My mind flitted from
one slogan to another. Twenty thousand filter traps (or was it
40,000?). You can light either end. Protects the T-Zone. Independent
laboratory tests prove.... Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet. (I
wasn't even old enough to smoke when that one was current.) I'd
walk a mile for a Camel. Travels the smoke further. Wherever
particular people congregate....
Stop it, I told myself. You don't want a cigarette (wanting one). You
don't want a drink, Sam; they teetotalled you (but it was wearing off).
Why not go out to dinner tonight? (Medium rare, waiter; and lots of
mushrooms.) And then Mae—Mae, Mae! I wanted my cute little
pregnant wife, walking around flat-footed in her maternity blouse and
smiling secretly to herself over our burgeoning child.
It was right about here that the radio man dug out and started to play
an extremely associative song of Mae's and mine—Who's Your Little
Whoozis. And then I blacked out.
 13 (AUG. 3, SUN.)
I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last.
—Shakespeare

I wasn't in my cell any more. I was lying back in an armchair in a

large comfortable-looking room. There was one other person in it, a
kindly looking middle-aged man in another armchair next to a wall
under a painting of a country scene, with trees and cows and a sky
studded with tiny clouds.
"Hello," the man said. "I am Mox." He was wearing one of those
Monolithian cloaks. "How are you?"
I felt too weak to answer. I tapped my finger on the arms of the chair
and the effort made me terribly tired. I closed my eyes again.
"Lunch is about to be served," Mox said. "Perhaps you would care to
freshen up first? To shave?"
I opened my eyes and rubbed a hand over my cheeks. They were
pretty whiskery.
"How are you fixed for blades?" I said. Don't ask me why. One gets
conditioned.
"Amply," Mox said. He made a gesture with his left hand and
somebody in another woolen cloak came in with shaving equipment,
put it on a table at my elbow and went out, bowing.
I looked at the steaming bowl of hot water, the tube of shaving cream
(brush versus jar, I thought, remembering the old ad), the razor and
mirror. I looked in the mirror, expecting the worst. The beard was
pretty heavy and the cheeks under it looked more sunken than I'd
remembered. But my eyes were clear and my tongue looked normal.
"There will be no deleterious effects," Mox said. "You'll be good as
new after your lunch."
"Lunch? What time is it?"
He seemed to do a mental conversion before he replied: "Twelve-
seventeen P.M. Eastern Daylight Saving Time; 1617 Greenwich."
"And an hour later on the Rue de la Paix," I said. "I'll have the snails
and some Beaujolais." I was feeling light-headed.
"Interesting," he said, watching me with an encouraging smile.
"But irrelevant. I couldn't eat snails on an empty stomach. I just said
that because it rhymes. What have you got for American times?"
"Lamb chops," Mox said, looking at me closely now, "baked potato,
broccoli, tossed salad, strawberry shortcake and coffee. Or——"
"That's for me. Stop right there. Can I have it now and shave later?
I'm starved."
"Certainly. Without further ado." Mox raised his right hand again and
the same man came in, though he couldn't have seen the signal,
wheeling a tray. An almost overpoweringly delicious smell reached
my nostrils and I shivered a little in my chair.
Mox got up. "I'll leave you while you fall in," he said. I didn't answer
him, being busy taking the covers off the serving dishes. I suppose
he meant "fall to," which I did, with a will.
My curiosity returned as I appeased my appetite. Having wolfed
down the meat and vegetables with hardly a conscious thought, I
went through the salad in more leisurely fashion, rehearsing
questions to ask Mox. I positively dawdled over the cake and coffee,
it having just occurred to me that this could be the equivalent of the
doomed man's last meal.
"Look, Mox," I said when he came back. "Thanks all the same, but I
don't think I'll shave. Just give me my clothes and I'll go now. No;
don't bother. I'll go as I am. I don't live very far. Oh—and thanks for
the lunch."
Mox smiled and sat down. "You're a very amusing man, Mr. Kent.
We couldn't possibly let you go. We have great plans for you."
"Plans?" The well-being induced by the lunch began to seep away.
"Like what?"
"Details later. First we should discuss the terms of your employment.
The salary will be substantial, so there'll be no problem there, but
you might be interested in the fringe benefits, such as the size of
your paid-up life insurance policy, the beneficiaries...."
"Now, look. I haven't said I'd join your organization...."
"Ah, but you've already joined. We had planned to come to you, but
you saved us that trouble. You came to us voluntarily and have
already taken part in one of our minor missions—that of working for
the repeal of antiquated traffic laws."
"I did not. That wasn't me."
"Who would believe you? You previously espoused our cause on a
nationwide radio-and-television program."
"That wasn't me either, and you know it. I don't know how you did it,
but that double you rigged up isn't going to be able to get away with
it much longer."
"I think he can. You see, Sam, for all practical purposes that double,
as you call him, is you. There's nothing about you that he doesn't
know and everything he does or says is perfectly in character with
what you would do or say—presupposing one slight shift in
motivation. And you may be sure that adjustment has been made."
"You mean you've been picking my brains all the time you had me
cooped up in that cell?"
"You could put it that way. Not all the time, of course. Only while you
slept. We know as much about you as you do about yourself. More,
probably, because we've probed your subconscious as well as your
surface self-awareness."
"Oh yeah? What was my mother's maiden name?"
"Clemens," Mox said instantly. "Hence your full name, with its literary
if not strictly genealogical connection—Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Kent. You know you are not directly related to Mark Twain, of
course?"
"I was told I was," I said defensively. "Way back."
"Way, way back, perhaps," Mox said. "Not in any modern sense."
"That's no proof that you read my mind. There must be genealogical
tables...."
"Certainly. But there are no written records of the time you stole
money from the newsstand outside the candy store in Ozone Park."
"I never ..." I started to say before I remembered. I'd been about ten.
The way to do it was to scoop up the coins boldly on your way into
the store and hand them to the owner while buying a candy bar or a
roll of caps. Of course you palmed a dime or so on the way. I'd never
told anybody about it and I felt suffocated in shame.
"Or the seventy-five wingless flies in the mayonnaise jar," Mox said
relentlessly. "You were trying for a hundred, weren't you? But you got
sick to your stomach. Or the time you sold your brother's bicycle and
claimed it had been stolen. Or the college exams with the dates
written in your palm. Or...."
"Stop it! That's enough!"
"I don't condemn you, Sam. No one is wholly free of blame. I have
not mentioned these things to bring you pain but to prove to you that
the Monolithian Sam Kent is as aware of your potentialities as you
are yourself. He has done nothing you would not do, given the
proper conviction or opportunity."
I couldn't look at him. "Swiping a dime off a newsstand isn't the same
thing as betraying your country," I said miserably.
"It would depend, wouldn't it, on which was the greater good? If the
dime you stole bought a quart of milk for your family during the
depression when your father was out of work—if the candy store
man was obviously better off—if your country were Nazi Germany
——"
"The United States isn't Nazi Germany," I said. I could reject that
one, at least.
"True," Mox said. "But I said 'if.' You're a man of perception. You
don't need an overt act, such as six million deaths, to persuade you
that something is wrong. You see it every day in the news reports
that are your business—in the United Nations debates on nuclear
testing, in the reports on the strontium-90 in food, in the disfigured
Hiroshima women getting plastic surgery, in the perennial radiation
scares."
"Is that what you're up to?" I asked him. "You think we're going to
wipe ourselves out and you're altruistically going to preserve us?
You're going to step in and run our world for us because you think
we're not capable of handling our own affairs?"
"If necessary," he said.
"The end justifies the means, you think. You have no faith in our
ability not to commit suicide."
"Not as much as you seem to have. Look, Sam, we've got a job for
you to do and we'd like you to take it because you want to. It would
be better for all of us that way. But if you are reconsidering your
decision to volunteer, we have ways of conscripting you."
"Torture?" I tried to speak calmly. "Brainwashing?"
"Neither you nor anyone else will ever be tortured. As for the other,
we'd prefer that you washed your own brain of its misconceptions
about us. Try to realize that what we are trying to do—and what we
will do—is for your own good and for the good of all of us."
He was the soul of sincerity, this Mox. I was relieved about the
torture. I was even half tempted to believe the other things. But I
wasn't going to brainwash myself or anybody else.
On the other hand, I could let him think I'd been won over and bore
from within whenever I got the chance. The standard injunctions to
the prisoner of war were no longer name-rank-and-serial-number.
That had gone out after the lessons of the Korean war. The new
instructions were to lie. Tell them whatever they wanted to hear.
Confess to anything, no matter how outrageous. Embrace the enemy
with lies until he had no idea where the truth lay. I decided to try it,
but not so fast as to arouse suspicion.
"If I do volunteer," I said, after a period of what I hoped appeared to
be profound thought, "will I be able to see my wife?"
"Of course," Mox said, beaming at me.
"I'm more worried about her than I am about strontium-90," I said
ingenuously. "She's going to have a baby."
"How marvelous."
"Her name is Mae," I said. "We haven't been married long and this
will be our first child."
"Congratulations."
"A man's got to think of his family first," I said, pouring it on, "doesn't
he?"
"Absolutely."
"I mean it's all very well to expect every man to do his duty, but
where does that duty lie? We've signed a treaty of peace and
friendship with you, haven't we? Through the UN, I mean. And if
that's good enough for the President, I guess it's good enough for
me. Poor Mae. She must be worried to death. I've got to see her."
"And so you shall, Sam."
"That's all I ask. I volunteer. We've got to stop this ridiculous
experimentation with the very seeds of our own destruction." I was
washing the old brain with everything I had. "What's the job you have
for me?"
I hoped I hadn't overdone it. But Mox was beaming.
"I am happy to inform you," he said, "that the position is that of press
secretary to President Gouverneur Allison."
"My, you're home early," Mae said, giving me a kiss.
It wasn't a big, fat, oh-I'm-so-glad-to-see-you're-safe kiss. Not at all. I
looked at my watch: it was a little after 3 P.M. Early? Here it was
Sunday. Mae hadn't seen me since Thursday night and she said I
was home early. Had the Monolithians played a trick with time? Was
it only Friday afternoon?
"Listen, Mae," I said. "Did you watch your story today? What
happened after this girl with the amnesia walked into Dr. Kindfellow's
office, not realizing he was the very one she had fled a thousand
miles to avoid?" Mae watches this television serial come hell or high
water. It's one of her few vices.
"Silly," Mae said. "You know it's not on on Sunday. I thought you
wouldn't be home till six. We were just going to take our nap."
"You thought I wasn't going to be home till six? Is that what I told
you?" I was feeling my way, full of inklings and forebodings.
"Well, you usually get home at six when you're on the day shift—or is
it five-thirty on week ends when you drive right in? Anyway, you're
early. I'm glad. I guess we can skip our nap. Do you want to eat
early?"
All I wanted to do was get to the bottom of this. It was beginning to
be obvious that this double of me that the Monolithians whipped up
actually had been living in my house as well as doing my job. I
wanted to ask a dozen questions—but I couldn't without either giving
Mae a terrific shock or making her think I was out of my mind.
"No, I'll eat whenever it's ready. Listen, Mae—have I been acting
strange lately? I mean in the last couple days?"
"I've got some nice lamb chops for supper. Strange? Well, no
stranger than usual, Sam. I mean, you've been a little bit nutty ever
since the spacemen came. Naturally I've made allowances. I guess
it's a pretty big story and a person has to take sides the way you did
on that TV show."
"Oh, you saw that, did you?"
"Well, of course I did! You said only last night how the check will pay
for the play pen and the bathinette. Surely you remember that?"
"Sure I do," I lied. "It wasn't awfully much, I guess."
"Fifty dollars is what you said it was. It helps."
"Sure. What else did I say?"
"When?"
"Last night."
"You said—honestly, Sam, are you sure you're all right?—you said
we'd take an early vacation next year and go to Bermuda, all three of
us."
"Sure, Bermuda," I said. "Sure I'm all right. I'm sorry, Mae; I've been
a little confused ever since I got my new job."
"What new job? You didn't tell me that."
"No, I guess I didn't. It wasn't set until today. I'm leaving World Wide.
I'm going to be press secretary to the President."
Mae did a double take—or at least a double blink—and said without
more than a second's hesitation: "Isn't that wonderful!"
"I guess so," I said.
"What do you mean you guess so? It's marvelous! Of course you did
say once you didn't think much of Gov. I think you said he doesn't
have a brain in his head. Isn't that the way you put it?"
"I may have made some such remark," I said. "Such a thought has
crossed my mind. But now I'm in a position to help him. I may even
be able to put a thought or two into his head. I'll be the chief factotum
of the White House mimeograph machines—the disseminator, if not
molder, of executive policy. Then there's the big old unsneezable fact
that it pays a fast eighteen thousand a year."
Mae's eyes went sort of glazy and I could see her trying to divide
that mentally by 52. "That's a lot, isn't it?" she said finally. "Now we
can afford to replace that storm window that fell out last winter and
maybe repaper the nursery."
"We can take care of the storm window, anyway. It's the least we can
do for whoever rents the place when we move to Washington."
"Oh—of course. I forgot we'd have to move to Washington."
"I don't see any way out of it. It's a little too far for commuting."
 14 (AUG. 4, MON.)
They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the dance?
—The Mock Turtle

My appointment with Frij was for one P.M. Mox had telephoned on
Sunday night and told me about it. He didn't say who Frij was. He
merely gave me the address and the room number and hung up.
Frij had an office on the thirty-ninth floor of a building on Fifth Avenue
in the forties. He had, in fact, the entire penthouse. A small plaque
on the front door said simply: PEERLESS PROMOTIONS.
I rang the bell.
The door opened and a tall gray-haired man grabbed my hand.
"I'd know you anywhere, Sam. Come in, old man. Frij is the name.
Frij by name but warm by nature. Like a drink?"
I suppose he was punning on the British nickname for a refrigerator.
"Not right now, thanks," I said.
Frij wore a dark, pin-stripe suit, a plaid waistcoat and bow tie. He
looked about forty-five. He was solidly built, like a football player
gone only slightly to pot. He nodded and half closed one eye.
"Very smart," he said. "I admire your restraint. Sit down, old man."
He indicated a deep leather chair on the visitor's side of the huge
wooden desk. He dropped himself into a swivel chair on his side,
leaned back and propped his feet on a corner of the desk, which was
clear of everything except two telephones and three animal figurines
made of heavy-looking black plastic. I recognized two of them. One
was an elephant and the other was a donkey. I couldn't figure out the
third, which was bigger than either of the others. It must have been
some kind of Monolithian animal.
It seemed to be up to me to say something, so I said, "Nice place
you have here. Quite a view." And so it was. The Empire State
Building loomed up to the south and Rockefeller Center to the north.
The third set of windows gave a good view of the Hudson River.
"Without a peer," Frij said. "Peerless, in a word. Peerless
Promotions. That's us. My name, I've decided after considerable
thought, will be Addison Madison. What do you think of it, old man?"
I thought very little of it but I pretended to turn it over in my mind. "It's
got class," I said finally. To myself I thought, With a capital K.
"Exactly," Addison Madison-Frij said. "That's what they want—class.
Frij is too alien-sounding for their ears. They must have something
that inspires confidence."
"Confidence in what, if I may ask?"
"Ask by all means. That's what I want you to do. Ask and criticize
and suggest. This thing must roll, on all sixteen. It must purr, like the
contented kitten. Or is it cow? I need you, old man, I tell you frankly.
The closest kind of collaboration is necessary if we are to achieve
our objective." He took his feet off the desk and sat up purposefully
in his chair. "If you follow me."
"Not entirely," I said. "What exactly are you promoting? Public
acceptance of Monolithia?"
"Secondarily," he said, giving me a sincere, old-school-tie look.
"President Allison primarily. Through him, us. Didn't Mox brief you?"
"Only briefly. I thought you were going to fill in the gaps."
"That I will," Frij said. "But in good time. First lunch. Then there's the
cocktail party. Both excellent gap-fillers. There's no urgency at all."
He rang and a girl came in. A pretty girl, about five-feet-four and
black-haired, wearing horn-rimmed glasses and carrying a notebook.
"Joy," he said, "put down in your book that you're to take Mr. Kent to
lunch and keep him occupied until it's time for the party. Joy, Sam.
Sam, Joy Linx. That's all for now, Sam. See you at the party."
I followed Joy out, not unwillingly.
At her desk she took a manila envelope from a drawer and counted
out two hundred dollars. "I'm an old-fashioned girl, Mr. Kent," she
said. "You take me out to lunch." And she pushed the bills over to
me.
"What's this?"
"Expense money. There's more when that runs out."
"Want me to sign for it?"
"No. That's petty cash; it's off the books already."
We took a cab to the Algonquin and sat next to each other on the
leather couch along one wall and had Scotches and made small talk
about the waiter with the two-foot-high pepper grinder and the old
Thanatopsis and Inside-Straight Society that used to meet there.
Joy Linx spelled her last name for me, emphasizing that it had no "y,"
and took off her glasses. She said to call her Joy. You can say all
you want about glasses not hiding a girl's beauty, but Joy was much
more of a looker without them. "I'm near-sighted," she said, "and
they're heavy."
"I approve," I said. "How long have you been with Peerless
Promotions, Joy?"
"With the aliens, you mean? You can speak frankly. They hired me
last Friday and I started today. How about you, Mr. Kent?"
I told her to call me Sam, but decided not to say, as I was tempted
to, that I wasn't sure I was with the aliens, exactly, even though I was
on their payroll. "I started today, too, officially," I said. "It's been very
pleasant work so far. Another Scotch?"
"Just one more," she said, and we smiled at each other a bit stiffly
and tentatively.
I ordered the second round and the lunch, trying not to look at the
prices. They were academic, of course, considering the expense
money in my pocket, but I couldn't help contrasting this with my
hectic lunches at World Wide—often a sandwich brought down from
the cafeteria and eaten on the desk with a cup of office-brewed
coffee—total cost under half a dollar.
I risked telling Joy about this. You never know what kind of reception
such a sad little anecdote may have and I was relieved when she
laughed with genuine understanding.
"I used to do the same thing," she said. "Only I brought my own
sandwich. I liked egg salad on whole wheat."
"I'm a liverwurst and swiss cheese on rye man myself. With lettuce
and mustard. Who were you with before Peerless?"
"A theatrical agency. I had some far-fetched dream of becoming an
actress by association one day."
"You've certainly got the looks for it."
"Thanks, Sam, but I'm afraid my only talent lies in being a secretary."
I made some gallant reply, then asked what she did, exactly, for Frij
—alias Addison Madison.
"Isn't that a scream of a name?" Joy said. "So far all he's told me is
that I'm to be his Girl Friday—I guess he picked that up when he was
studying his role. And to take you out to lunch. It's a fine job." Joy
looked straight at her plate of beef au jus and said, "I suppose you're
married."
"Yes," I said, looking at my scallops.
"Just like to get the facts. I'm divorced, myself. Incompatibility. Linx is
his name. I kept it because it's more euphonious, professionally, than
Kaplan."
"I see."
"I wish you much better luck, Sam."
"Thanks," I said, and almost told her Mae was pregnant. For some
reason I didn't. I don't think it was entirely because I was reluctant to
compare her unhappy state with my excellent one. Joy was a very
pretty girl indeed. "Thanks," I said again, and left it at that. "How
about another drink?"
"Okay." She looked up and smiled. "Forgive the personal history."
"Not at all." I got the waiter's eye and ordered, and a bus boy took
away the plates. "Tell me about this cocktail party. Who all's
coming?"
"Some of everybody, I gather. Everybody who is anybody, that is."
"Oh? Big names?" I didn't know anything about the social life of the
aliens, come to think of it. So far all I was familiar with was their
public appearances, in a news sense, and their cloak-and-dagger
intrigues, such as locking me up in that air-conditioned dungeon.
"The biggest," Joy said. "You'll see. They've been mingling like mad."
"What for, I wonder."
"Your guess is as good as mine. Ten times better, probably."
"Will you be going to the party?"
"Yes. In my Girl Friday capacity. Wearing my glasses, so I can
recognize people across the room, and seeing that Addison Madison
shakes hands with everybody."
"How about shaking hands with me now, just in case you're too busy
later?"
"I won't be," Joy smiled. But she put her hand in mine. I neglected to
give it back right away.
Then the drinks came and after a while Joy put her glasses on and
we took a cab back to the office. She sat on her side and I sat on
mine and we talked about the weather. It was hot.

The party had got to the point where everybody seemed to be talking
at once. Enough liquor had been consumed for the initial
tentativeness to have worn off and the Monolithians were no longer
standing apart as they had been at the beginning. It was impossible
to tell who was from where, except that the women were all from
Earth, presumably, and I heard several variations on the question
"Are you one of Them or one of Us?"
The din of the talk, the overworked air conditioners and the
mechanics of barkeeping made every conversation a private one
within its own area, even though it was carried on at the top of the
voice.
"I'm one of us," I shouted to a short, stout martini fellow who
cornered me in an alcove where I'd gone to put out a cigarette. "Sam
Kent, World Wide." I'd forgotten for the moment that I'd resigned.
"John Blobber," the martini said. "I'm with the Yarbutta people."
That's what it sounded like. "Good name, Sam. Sam Clemens, Sam
Goldwyn, Sam Spade. Lots of people named Sam. Sam Levene,
Sam Behrman—good American name."
"I never thought it wasn't, Mr. Yarbutta," I told him, trying to edge
away.
"No. John Blasher," he said, approximately. "I'm with the Yollawa
people."
"Oh, sure. I guess I've heard about them."
"Make tunsleys," he said, waving his glass dangerously in my
vicinity. "Business very good, at the moment, thanks to the
Monolithians." He set his glass down on the little wooden table that
held the ashtray I'd sought out, knocked on the wood and picked up
his glass. "Sam F.B. Morse—great inventor. Sam Lincoln, great
preshident."
"I think you've got that last one wrong," I said, backing off. "Fellow
named Abe, he was, I believe. Look, Mr. Blasher, you just reminded
me—I've got to see Abe Copeless about that story in Hammerslam
this morning. You know the one I mean."
I left him nodding in polite confusion. At the bar I got a fresh Scotch
and turned around to find myself trapped in a group playing Real
Names.
"You with the Scotch," a red-haired woman said. "You can't go till you
tell us who Archibald Leach is."
"Cary Grant," I said instantly out of my storehouse of copy-reader's
lore. I tried to go, but the woman put a hand on my drinking arm and
said, "Oh, this is one we've got to keep. I'll bet you don't know Joe
Yule, Junior."
"Why, madam," I said, "everyone knows Mickey Rooney."
"This man is a gem," the woman—she was a gin and tonic—said.
"Arlington Brugh?"
"S. Arlington Brugh," I corrected. "Robert Taylor. Now may I go?" I
smiled, so she wouldn't think my rude question was rude.
"Not a chance, my dear boy. You're an absolute fount. Irwin, give him
that one that stumped us before." Irwin was a tall, lean Screwdriver.
"Lucille LeSueur," he said defiantly, wrinkling an eyebrow.
"Joan Crawford," I told him instantly.
The gin-and-tonic lady shrieked with glee—"That's right! We all
guessed Lucille Ball. How do you do it?"
"It's really very simple," I said modestly. "You see, I'm their lawyer
and they have no secrets from me."
"I doubt that very much," the third Real Names player said frostily.
He was a Bloody Mary and I figured it served him right. "James
Stewart," he said, as if he were playing the ace of spades. "Let's see
you get out of that."
"You're doing it backwards," the gin lady said reprovingly.
"No, I'm not," the Bloody Mary man insisted.
"No, he's not," I said, lifting my Scotch and her arm for a sip. "That's
Stewart Granger. And Charles Pratt is Boris Karloff and Rita
Hayworth is Margarita Cansino, and Roy Rogers is Leonard Slye
and—if you will unhand me, my good woman—Frederick Bickel is
Fredric March."
"Don't let him get away," she shrieked. "He's priceless!"
But I did get away. I weaved my way among clusters of people who
were making sounds of our time touching on Lorca, Kerouac, Glenn
Gould, Lenny Bernstein, Brendan Behan, Sinatra, Astaire, Gielgud,
Philip, Kennedy, Marlon, Ingrid, and Marilyn, and found myself cheek
by jowl with my old friend Eurydice Playfair, who used to be a
newspaperwoman herself.
My Real Names ploy, which I had been savoring along with my
umpteenth Scotch, turned to ashes as it recalled itself forcibly to me
that I was no better than dear Riddie, having sold out to the aliens
myself.
"Dear boy!" she said. "Where have you been keeping yourself?"
"Between you and me, Riddie," I said, "between the devil and the
deep blue tax collector, up to just about now. Can I get you a drink?"
This is one way of vanishing. You just don't come back from the bar.
It's understandable at such a conclave. But Riddie was not to be put
off that easily.
"I'm well fixed, Samuel, my old," she said, waving three-quarters of a
bourbon on the rocks at me. "What I want to know is who's running
the store, now that Kent and double-you double-you have phfft? Not
old pinchpurse Hyatt, surely?"
"I have put all those mundane cares behind me," I said in an attempt
to be sprightly. "Greater things are afoot."
"How very true," she said. Riddie was dressed to the hilt in a lamé
thing that clung to her well-preserved curves. "I'm delighted you've
got yourself a handhold. There's room enough for all."
"Listen, Riddie," I said, "I know you can't tell the Monolithians without
a scorecard, they're so assimilable, but what the good hell is the
object of all this? For what greater gain is the tab being picked up?
What's the deal, old pal? Spill, will you?"
"You're too suspicious, Sam. This is conviviality rampant. We drink
and be merry and ask not the reason why. Live, man! Pluck the
daisies while you may. How is Mae, by the way?"
"Just fine," I said. "Just absolutely fine. That's an interesting
philosophy you have there, about plucking."
Riddie gave me a close look. "How many have you had, my friend?
How about a sandwich?"
"Don't worry," I told her. "I'm not going to disgrace anybody. I've had
three, is all." Besides miscounting I was ignoring the three I'd had at
lunch with Joy Linx.
"Well, maybe," Riddie said. She acknowledged a high sign from
somebody (an alien?) at the other side of the room and said quickly,
"Don't worry about a thing. If you have any problems, just take them
to Mox or Frij. Or me. I've got to run now, Sammy."
And she was off.
I made for the farther bar across the room, where I'd spotted Joy
Linx.
Joy had changed from her severe lunchtime suit into a low-cut black
satin which matched her hair and did all kinds of things for her figure.
I cannot tell a lie and say I hadn't noticed this figure heretofore, but
hadn't had the opportunity to notice it to such advantage. Bee-lining,
I reached her side.
"Your recent acquaintance presents his compliments," I said, "and
don't you look lovely."
Joy smiled hello and said, "You look just the same as at the
Algonquin, which is all one could ask. Do you know Mr. Masters? Mr.
Kent, formerly of World Wide—Mr. Masters of Hollywood and all
over."
Everybody knew Spookie Masters, the comedian, singer, dancer,
dramatic actor and husband of beautiful women.
"Not personally," I said, shaking hands, "but I'm a long-time fan. How
do you do."
"It's a pleasure, Kent," Masters said. "Joy tells me she's taken the
vows and joined the Martians. I envy her. Their coming is probably
the most exciting thing that's happened since the wheel."
"They're a pretty lively bunch, all right," I said. "I don't know where
it's all going to end, but it should be fun while it lasts."
"They sure beat the beatniks," Spookie Masters said, and I
remembered that he'd been on a beatnik and bongo drums kick for a
while. "I've got half a mind to take out a card myself. Who's the head
alien, Joy? Where do I get the poop?"
"I think you're pulling my leg, Spookie," she said ("Love to," he said),
"but if you're serious I'll speak to Frij. Just what is it you'd like to do?"
"Oh, just be an altar boy. Sit at the feet of the high priests and absorb
their philosophy. I did that in Tibet once and I've never got over it.
There's something more to life than chasing the old dollar. I've
learned that much."
This Spookie Masters was a pretty charming guy. He was about
forty, maybe five-feet-ten, and slender. Not handsome, but honest-
faced.
A sort of cult had grown up around him. Spookie Masters was more
than a million-a-year (net) entertainer. He was, to innumerable
moviegoers and TV fans, a way of life. They'd followed his career
from his beginning as a poor boy whose father had died in the
electric chair. They knew about his several marriages to, and
subsequent divorces from, some of the world's most glamorous
women. They'd followed his rise to fame and plunge to obscurity and
his comeback.
They knew about his coterie of big-name hangers-on, and they
parroted the group's own special language. They marveled that his
intimates and admirers included not only the mayor of a big city, the
head of the philosophy department of an Ivy League university, the
president of one of the world's biggest industries and the pretty sister
of a reigning queen, but that he also had plenty of time for people
who rode in subways and went to ball games and boxing matches.
Spookie usually dressed like a prince, but when the whim took him
he got into sport shirt, dungarees and sneakers and lounged through
the streets, keeping in touch, as it were, with the life he'd known
before fame struck. He'd browse in book stores, talk to panhandlers