Phonetics and Phonology (B&A Pronunciation)

Palatoalveolar, affricates, voiceless 

Palatoalveolar, affricates, voiced 

Labiodental , fricatives, voiceless 

Labiodental, fricatives, voiced 

Dental, fricatives, voiceless 

Dental, fricatives, voiced 

Alveolar, fricatives, voiceless

Alveolar, fricatives , voiced 

Palatoalveolar, fricatives, voiceless 

Palatoalveolar, fricatives, voiced 

Glottal, fricatives, voiceless 

Bilabial, nasal, voiced 

Alveolar, nasal, voiced 

Velar, nasal, voiced 

Alveolar, laterals, voiced 

Postalveolar, frictionless continuant, voiced 

Bilabial, semi-vowels, voiced 

Palatal, semi-vowels, voiced 

• Auslautverhärtung
• german does not allow consonants at the end of words! (phonotactiv restriction in german)
  • d → t
• Germans tend to apply final devoicing to English
• this way homophones (words that sound alike, but should not) are produced

I bet I had a bad bat in bed.

/aɪ bet aɪ hæd ə bæd bæt ɪn bed./

• short vowels are weakened to ǀəǀ or ǀɪǀ in unstressed syllables
• you need no stress mark, if the word is stressed on the first syllable
• Schwa is never stressed
• primary stress: '
• secondary stress: ,
• when the 3rd syllable is stressed, the first one is always as well

• Bsp.:
  • about     ǀəˈbaʊtǀ
  • hotel    ǀhoʊˈtelǀ
  • father   ǀˈfɑːðərǀ
  • information    ǀˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃənǀ
  • communication    ǀkəˌmujuːnɪˈkeɪʃənǀ

• Depending on which part of the word is stressed, the stress shift can distinguish word classes

• bsp.:
  • content (adj.) ǀ kənˈtentǀ
  • content (noun) ǀ ˈkɑːntənt ǀ
• bsp.:
  • produce (vb.) ǀ prəˈdjuːs ǀ 
  • produce (n.) ǀˈprɑdjuːs ǀ 
• bsp.:
  • addict (vb.) ǀ əˈdɪkt ǀ
  • addict (n.)  ǀ ˈædɪkt ǀ

• there is an upper class tendency in RP to substitute the diphthong ǀʊəǀ with the monophthong ǀɔːǀ

• <sure>  ǀʃʊəǀ → ǀʃɔːǀ
• <poor>  ǀpʊəǀ → ǀpɔːǀ
• <cure>  ǀkʊəǀ → ǀkɔːǀ

Yod-dropping is another accent feature, in which the /j/ sound is omitted entirely from some words wherein it is retained in other accents.

• juː vs. uː
• news:
  • RP ǀ njuːz ǀ
  • GA ǀ nuːz ǀ
• duke:
  • RP ǀ djuːk ǀ
  • GA ǀ duːk ǀ 
• this is optional in GA

• ǀɜːǀ vs. ǀɝːǀ
• in RP the r is not pronounced , it is pronounced in GA so in GA it is r-colored
• Bsp.: <Where were you?>    ǀweər wɜː juːǀ  vs.  ǀweər wɝːr juːǀ

• in order to decide whether a word begins with ǀθǀ or ǀðǀ you have to know if it is a function word or a content word
• interdental fricatives a the beginning of function words are always voiced!
  • this, they, them, their, there, that, the, than, then
  • ǀðɪs, ðeɪ, ðem, ðeər, ðæt, ðə, ðæn, ðenǀ
• interdental fricatives a the beginning of content words are always voiceless!
  • think ǀθɪnkǀ, thanks ǀθænksǀ, throw ǀθroʊǀ, thorough ǀθɑːroʊǀ, thorn ǀθɔːrnǀ
• if before vowel (mainly voiced)
  • weather ǀweðərǀ, father ǀfɑːðərǀ, mother ǀmʌðərǀ
  • exeption: words of Greek and Latin origin have ǀθǀ before vowel (method ǀmeθədǀ, author ǀɔːθərǀ, sympathy ǀsɪmpəθɪǀ)
• if at the end of words, you just have to know! (bath ǀbɑːθǀ, bathe ǀbeɪðǀ, wrath ǀrɑːθǀ, scythe ǀsaɪðǀ) 

• in RP final r is never pronounced (exept when the nest word begins with a vovel - avoiding hiatus!)
  • there is ǀðeər‿ɪzǀ, far away ǀfɑːr ‿əˈweɪǀ
• no linking-r in GA
• Intrusive-r: having a linking-r where there shouldn't be one