Rhotic vs Non-rhotic

• <r> is always pronounced in front of vowels, BUT…

• In some varieties of English, <r> is not pronounced after vowels.
• British English is a non-rhotic variety : <r> is not pronounced after vowels
• American English is a rhotic variety : <r> is pronounced after vowels.
• Compare <board> in British and American English.
• Important fact : the presence of an <r> has an impact on the preceding vowel.
• Compare <cat> and <cart> ; <bid> and <bird>
• In L1, we only transcribe in British English
A particularity of British English :
The linking /r/
• If a word ends in an <r>, and the next word starts with a vowel, a linking /r/
will be pronounced

• It’s getting better and better.

• /ɪts ˈgetɪŋ ˈbetər‿ən ˈbetə/
• My sister is late.
• /maɪ ˈsɪstər‿ɪz ˈleɪt/
(more on this later this semester)
 Pronunciation of <th>
• Di cult sound for French speakers, as it does not exist in French.
• Some people even have di culty even hearing dental fricatives.
• Let’s test your ear. Listen to these words and write down the symbol for the
rst consonant.

• To practice : in front of a miror, pronounce <zen> <then> (/ˈzen/ /ˈðen/)

• you should see your tongue between your teeth when pronouncing /ð/
• Also practice with unvoiced consonants : <sing> <thing> (/ˈsɪŋ/ /ˈθɪŋ/)
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<n> and its two pronunciations
• At the begining of a syllable, <n> is always pronounced /n/, BUT…
• before a velar plosive, <n> is pronounced /ŋ/, because it is easier : your mouth
stays in the same position for <n> and <k> or <g>

• think → /ˈθɪŋk/
• linguistics → /lɪŋˈgwɪstɪks/
• Note the di erence between <sin> and <sing> : /ˈsɪn/ /ˈsɪŋ/
• <g> is silent at the end of words (other example : /ˈlɒŋ/)
• if su x -er is added to a verb (the person who performs the action), <g> remains
silent : /ˈsɪŋ/ → /sɪŋə/

• BUT, if -er is the mark of the comparative form, <g> is pronounced :

/ˈlɒŋ/ → /ˈlɒŋgə/
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