NOTES TO TRANSCRIPTION PASSAGES

1. Keys to the ‘Alice’ transcriptions which feature as ‘Activities’ in Practical

Phonetics and Phonology are to be found in separate files numbered
Transcription Passage 1, Transcription Passage 2, etc. Extra passages for
transcription have also been provided on this website (see file Extra
transcription passages (orthographic), together with keys in separate files
labelled Transcription Passage A, Transcription Passage B, etc.).

2. We have assumed a relatively careful style of pronunciation at a fairly slow rate of
delivery, but with full use of weak and contracted forms. Note that we have
normally indicated contracted forms wherever possible, i.e. was not as
/!vPym<s.
rather than the alternative
/v?y
!mPs.
'only shown explicitly in Passages
3 and 7).



3. Apart from the exceptions noted below, we have normally shown only one
possibility and not a range of variants. However, a great deal of variation is in fact
possible, especially in terms of stress, location of intonation group boundaries and
the use of weak forms.

4. In a few cases, alternative pronunciations have been indicated at the foot of the
transcription. More detail on individual words is to be found in the Longman
Pronunciation Dictionary (Wells 2000, 2nd edn; 2008, 3rd edn), henceforth LPD.
For basic information, see the ‘Brief Transcription Guide’ in Practical Phonetics
and Phonology, pp. 22-5.

5. Potential elisions have been indicated by means of italics, e.g. and had just begun
to dream .?m
g?c
!cYUrs
a?!fUm
s?
!cqh9l.-Note that and is shown throughout as
.?m.-

6. In almost all cases, the sequences /?n/ and /?k/ can be replaced by syllabic
consonants /m</and /l<.. See further the section on syllabic consonants in the LPD.
7. Linking r is placed between the words concerned, e.g. and here Alice began
.?m
!gH?
q
!zkHr
a?!fzm..
8. In NRP, there is frequently the possibility of free variation between /H/ and /?/ in
unstressed syllables. For instance, prefixes such as pre-, be-, de-, re-, etc. are
shown here with /?/ rather than /H/, e.g. began .a?!fzm., but note that the
alternative with /H/ is perfectly acceptable .aH!fzm.. In many other words there is
similar variation in unstressed syllables, e.g. impossible. We’ve indicated this
variation in Transcription passage 3, but not shown it elsewhere. If in doubt,
consult the LPD.