04 - TRAP 2

10 - STRUT 3
05 - START 4
06 - LOT 5
07 - FORCE 6
09 - GOOSE 7
08 - FOOT 8
02 - KIT 9
01 - FLEECE 10
12 - SCHWA 11
03 - DRESS 12
11 - NURSE 13
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key –TRAP


1. (also )
2. (also )
3. (also )
4. (also )
5. 
6. 

TRAP  DESCRIPTION

1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively short, but it can be lengthened before
voiced consonants
4. Degree of opening Just above open
5. Part of the tongue Fully front
6. Lip shape Unrounded: neutrally open
7. Tongue tension Lax (it’s a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – STRUT


1. 
2. (also )
3. 
4. (also )
5. 
6. (also )

STRUT  DESCRIPTION

1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively short
4. Degree of opening Just above fully open
5. Part of the tongue Centralised back (modern) or central (traditional)
6. Lip shape Unrounded: neutrally open
7. Tongue tension Lax (it’s a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – START


1. (also )
2. 
3. 
4. (also )
5. 

START DESCRIPTION
1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively long (slight pre-fortis clipping so as not
to confuse it with , Cf. CART - CUT).
4. Degree of opening Fully open
5. Part of the tongue Between centre and back
6. Lip shape Unrounded: neutrally open
7. Tongue tension Tense (it isn’t a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – LOT


1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. (also )


LOT  DESCRIPTION

1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively short
4. Degree of opening Just below open-mid
5. Part of the tongue Fully back
6. Lip shape Rounded: slight open lip rounding
7. Tongue tension Lax (it’s a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – FORCE


1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 

FORCE   DESCRIPTION

1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively long
4. Degree of opening Just below mid-close (modern)- Between mid-close and mid-
open (traditional)
5. Part of the tongue Fully front
6. Lip shape Rounded: medium lip rounding
7. Tongue tension Tense (it isn’t a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – GOOSE


1. 
2. 
3. 
4. (also )
5. 
6. (also )

GOOSE   DESCRIPTION

1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively long
4. Degree of opening Just below close
5. Part of the tongue • Centralised monophthong  or diphthong 
• Fully back before velarized lateral: 
6. Lip shape Unrounded (modern)- Rounded (traditional),
7. Tongue tension Tense (it isn’t a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – FOOT


1. 
2. 
3. 
4. (also )
5. (also )

FOOT  DESCRIPTION

1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively short
4. Degree of opening Just above close-mid
5. Part of the tongue Centralised back
6. Lip shape Unrounded (modern) – closely rounded (traditional)
7. Tongue tension Lax (it’s a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – KIT

Don’t worry about /s, z/ yet! You will learn when to use each as the course develops.
However, try to keep in mind a list of very common words, such as the verb “to be”, etc. For
the time being, whenever there is <ss> /s/ is present 99% of the times.

1.  Before  the nasal sound is  so that both

are produced at the back of your mouth.
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 

KIT  DESCRIPTION

1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively short
4. Degree of opening Just above close-mid
5. Part of the tongue Centralised front
6. Lip shape Unrounded: loosely spread
7. Tongue tension Lax (it’s a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – FLEECE

1. 
2. 
3. 
4.  Weak grammar words tend to drop 
5.  provided they are not preceded by silence.
Italics show optional elisions (i.e. droppings).
6. 
Before  the nasal sound is  so that both
are produced at the back of your mouth.

FLEECE   DESCRIPTION

1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively long
4. Degree of opening Just below close
5. Part of the tongue Just behind fully front
6. Lip shape Unrounded: spread
7. Tongue tension Tense (it isn’t a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – SCHWA

There’s no hard and fast rule to predict

1.  chunks. They’re largely each speaker’s choice.
On average, there’s 7 syllables per chunk.
2. 
3. 
4. 
The spelling <ng> at the end of a morpheme
5.  are pronounced , without .
1. (also ) 
The weak word and normally drops 
6.  provided it’s not followed by silence.

SCHWA DESCRIPTION
1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively short
4. Degree of opening Between open-mid and close-mid
5. Part of the tongue Centre
6. Lip shape Unrounded: neutral
7. Tongue tension Lax
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – DRESS
1. (also )
2. 
3. (also )
4. (also )
5. (also )
6. 

DRESS  DESCRIPTION

1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively short
4. Degree of opening Just above open-mid
5. Part of the tongue Fully front
6. Lip shape Unrounded: loosely spread
7. Tongue tension Lax (it’s a checked vowel)
 Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2020

Key – NURSE
1. (also )
2. (also )
3. 
4. (also )
5. 

NURSE DESCRIPTION
1. Voicing Voiced
2. Nasal resonator Shut off – oral sound
3. Relative length Relatively long (slight pre-fortis clipping so as not to confuse it with , Cf.
FOREWARD – FOREWORD ).
4. Degree of opening Between mid-open and mid-close
5. Part of the tongue Central
6. Lip shape Unrounded: neutrally spread
7. Tongue tension Tense (it isn’t a checked vowel)