Why IPA? The Need for a Phonetic Alphabet (fntks z f n !

)
DAS 135: Linguistics
Part 1:
1) Different letters can represent a single sound: to-too-two, threw -clue -shoe
2) A single letter can represent different sounds: dame, dad, father, call ,
village, many
3) A combination of letters may represent a single sound:
shoot , character, physics, either, deal, rough
4) Some letter have no sound in certain words:
mnemonic , whole, psychology, bough, lamb, ghost
5) Some sounds are not represented in the spelling. In many words, for example,
the letter u represents a y sound followed by a u sound:
cute, future, utility
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Referring to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), write the phonetic symbol
for the first sound of in each of the following words according to how you would
pronounce it.
1) judge: /
phone: /

2) psycho: /

3) easy: /

/ 4) pneumonia: /

/ 5)

6) contact: /

/ 7) think: /

/ 8) these: /

/ 9) cheese: /

/ 10) she: /

Referring to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), transcribe the following

words. Remember, youre transcribing the sounds you hear when you say the
word, not the letters themselves!
1) play:/______________/ 2) gnome: /______________/
3) crazy: /______________/
4) merry: /______________/

5) marry: /______________/

6) lit:

/______________/
7) let: /______________/
1

Try your hand at deciphering the phonetic alphabet. Write the following
sentence using our alphabet (the Roman alphabet):
fst de v krsms haldez nd s

n wz ayn brat

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Using the IPA to analyze students speech

You notice that an Arabic speaking student from Saudi Arabia pronounces the word /put/ as
/but/. What might be a possible explanation for the student pronouncing the word in this manner?
How might you explain the correct pronunciation of the word to the student?
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Part 2:
Directions: Its a new school year and you have a Spanish-speaking CLD
student who has only been in the U.S. for a few months in your class. You
overhear her saying:
/diys ar nat ip/ instead of /iyz ar nat tip/, reflecting the phonology of
her native language.
1) Write what the student is saying in standard English (not in IPA):
_________________________
2) Phoneme student is pronouncing: /______/ Native-like pronunciation:
/______/
Pronunciation suggestions for the student:
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2

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3) Phoneme student is pronouncing: /______/ Native-like pronunciation:

/______/
Pronunciation suggestions for the student:
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