Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Jrg Strssler

English Phonemic Transcription

It is important to understand the difference between a narrow transcription and a broad one.
The term narrow is applied to a transcription which contains a certain amount of phonetic
detail: the narrower a transcription is, the more phonetic detail it contains and the more
diacritic signs and special symbols it requires. This kind of transcription is a phonetic
transcription and is placed between square brackets ( [...] ).
A broad transcription shows an absence of phonetic detail. The broadest transcription
contains only phonemes. It is referred to as a phonemic transcription and is written between
slants ( /.../ ).
In dictionaries (and in dictations) it is common usage to use a phonemic transcription with the
added symbols for vowel length ( 9 ) , primary stress ( ! ) and secondary stress ( $ ), and the
diacritic for syllabic consonants (as in m and k ).
Transcription of consonants:
English has the following consonant phonemes:

stops:

Voiceless

Voiced

p as in 'pea'
t as in 'tea'
k as in 'key'

b as in 'bee'
d as in 'do'
g as in 'go'
l as in 'map'
m as in 'nap'
M as in 'hang'

nasals:

fricatives:

f as in 'fat'
S as in 'thin'
s as in 'sip'
R as in 'ship'
g as in 'hat'

v
C
z
Y

affricates:

sR as in 'chin'

cY as in 'gin'

approximants:

liquids:
glides:

as in
as in
as in
as in

'vat'
'that'
'zip'
'measure'

k as in 'led'
q as in 'red'
i as in 'yet'
v as in 'wet'

Some hints for transcribing consonants:

1.

The main difference to listen for is whether the consonant is voiced or voiceless.

2.

The following consonant letters have (nearly always) their usual English sound values:
p, b, t, d1, k, m, n, l, r, f2, v, z, h, w (1 except certain past and past part.- ending
__ed)
(2 except in <of> / Pu / )

Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

3.

The remaining consonant letters and the vowel letters have no unique sound value:
letters

phonemes

examples

/ s, k / , always voiceless

ck
g

/k/
/ g, cY , Y / , always voiced

qu
s

/ kw /
/ s / or / z /

cellar / s /
club / k /
access / ks /
pick / k /
get [ g ]
age / cY /
beige / Y /
queen
sign, basis, / s /
please, realise / z /

th

x
4.

Jrg Strssler

/ Y / in some words of French

origin
/ S / or / C /; All the function
words (articles, prepositions,
pronouns, adverbials) except
through and thorough have a
voiced th-sound / C /.
A lot of content words have a
voiceless th-sound / S /,
especially in initial and final
position. In median position
<th> is often voiced.
/ ks /

measure, vision / Y /
with, thy, they, then / C /

thin, thigh, bath / S /

mother, father / C /
box / aPjr /

Relationship between .Y+R+cY+sR / phonemes and letters:

phoneme

letters

examples

Y
R
cY
sR

g, s
sh, ti, ssi
j, g, dg
ch, tch, tu

beige, measure, vision / Y /

fish, station, expression / R /
judge, age /cY /
teacher, butcher, nature / sR /

5.

Plural-, genitive- and 3rd person singular ___s:

/ r / after voiceless sounds
cats, tips, kicks
/ y / after voiced sounds
pens, cars, songs
/ Hy / after sibilants (r+y+R+Y )
kisses, dishes, boxes

6.

past- and past participle ___ed:

/s/
after voiceless sounds
/ c / after voiced sounds
/ Hc / after / d / and / t /

7.

sipped, kicked
sinned, followed
mended, sorted

In British English (RP) an / r / is only transcribed in front of a vowel.

Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Jrg Strssler

Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Jrg Strssler

Transcription of vowels:
English has the following vowel phonemes:

short vowels:

long vowels:

diphthongs:

H as in 'pit'
d as in 'pet'
z as in 'pat'
U as in 'cut'
P as in 'pot' (US: @9)
T as in 'put'
? as in 'potato', 'upper'

h9 as in 'key'

dH as in 'bay'
`H as in 'buy'
NH as in 'boy'
?T as in 'low'
`T as in 'how'
H? as in 'here'
d?3 as in 'there'
T? as in 'moor'

@9 as in 'car'
N9 as in 'core'
t9 as in 'coo'
292 as in 'cur'

some dictionaries use ?9

US: nT
US: H_
US:d_
US:T_

some dictionaries use D?

Some hints for transcribing vowels:

1.

The main difference to listen for is whether the vowel is long or short.
The symbols for the long and the short form are always different, as the phonemes
differ in quantity as well as in quality.

2.

In diphthongs we use the lower case / a / / `H+`T /, originally to make life easier
for the printers, before they used computers.

3.

The phoneme / ? / can only occur in unstressed syllables.

Books with phonetic transcripts:

The English department has only one book with texts and their transcriptions. Although it
does not use the latest version of the IPA, the texts are very useful to practise transcribing.
It is on the presence shelf.
Buck, Timothy (1968): Modern Phonetic Texts for foreign students of English. Mnchen:
Hueber.
( [ER 401] ;on presence shelf)
Lecumberri, M. Luisa Garcia and John A. Maidment (2000): English Transcription Course,
London: Arnold.
(ordered for the department library)
To practice transcriptions of single words, you can always take a good dictionary.
Other books (neither in the English department nor in the ZB):
Morris-Wilson, Ian (1984): English Phonemic Transcription. Oxford: Blackwell.
Abercrombie, D. (1964): English Phonetic Texts. London: Faber and Faber.
OConnor, J.D. (1948): New Phonetic Readings from Modern English Literature. Bibliotheca
Anglicana, vol. 9. Berne: Franke.
OConnor, J.D. (1971): Advanced Phonetic Reader. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
OConnor, J.D. (1973): Phonetic Drill Reader. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tagliavini, Carlo 1968): Testi in trascrizione fonetica. Bologna: Riccardo Ptron.
Windsor, Lewis J. (1977): People Speaking: Phonetic Readings in Current English. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.