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Class:
PART 1
Write the answer below each question.
b/metathesis
c/epenthesis
d/aspiration
a/greenhouse
a/assimilation of voicing
PART 2
Please read the questions provided with four choices, marked A, B, C, and D in this
reading paper. Then, on your answer sheet, tick the correct box for the letter that
corresponds to the answer you have chosen.
A . [ t] B. [ d] C. [dʒ] D. [tʃ]
2. Which of the following symbols corresponds to the following phonetic description: voiceless alveolar
stop?
A. [ ] B. [ m ] C. [ t ] D. [ d ]
3. Which of the following segments corresponds to the following phonetic description? long low back
vowel
A. [ i: ] B. [ɔ: ] C. [ u: ] D. [ a: ]
4. How many segments are there in the sound sequence [ˈti:tʃɪŋ] teaching?
A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 7
5. Which of the following phonetic variations may happen to the lateral [ l ] in this
7. Which of the following assimilatory processes may happen to the voiced alveolar stop [g] in this
context: My grandfather has a dog
A. [ɔ: ] B. [ a: ] C. [ i: ] D. [ u: ]
A. [ i: ] B. [ e ] C. [ɪ ] D. [æ ]
11. Which of the following assimilatory processes that may happen to the alveolar [ t ] in
this context: [' kredit ka:d ] credit card?
A. [ t ] may be deleted before the velar [ k ]
B. [ t ] may be aspirated before the velar [ k ]
C. [ t ] may be velarized before the velar [ k ]
D. [ t ] may become syllabic before the velar [ k ]
14. Which of the following phonetic variations may happen to the first alveolar [ t ] in this context: Let
me do it [let mi: du: ɪt ]?
A. [ e ] B. [ i: ] C. [ u: ] D. [ʊ ]
16. Which of the following is the phonetic transcription of this form “handkerchief”?
A. [ˈhændkətʃɪf ] B. [ˈhæŋkətʃɪf ]
C. [ˈhæŋdkətʃɪf ] D. [ˈhænkətʃɪf ]
A. the tongue
B. the lips
C. the velum
D. the ears
20. Which of the following statements is incorrect?
21. Which of the following groups contains a segment that differs in place of articulation from the other
segments?
A. [ k, w, n, g ] B. [ t, d, n, s ]
C. [ p, m, w, b ] D. [ t, d, z, n ]
24. Which of the following assimilatory processes occurs to the voiceless alveolar [ t ] in this
context [dɪdnt ju: ] didn’t you?
A. [ t ] is aspirated before palatal [ j ] B. [ t ] is palatalized before palatal [ j ]
C. [ t ] is deleted before palatal [ j ] D. [ t ] is velarized before palatal [ j ]
25. Which of the following statements is incorrect?
A. An allophone is a predictable phonetic variant of a phoneme
B. An allophone is an abstract unit
C. An allophone is a phonetic realisation or variant of a phoneme
D. An allophone is uttered in speech
26. Which of the following statements is correct?
When two or more sounds never occur in the same phonemic context or environment they
are said to be
A. allophones of a phoneme B. different phonemes
C. identical segments D. in free variation
27. Which of the following phonetic variations the voiceless alveolar [ t ] may have in this context (in
terms of American pronunciation) [ ˈlɪtl] litle?
A. [ t ] may be deleted
B. [ t ] may become glottal stop
C. [ t ] may become voiced flap
D. [ t ] becomes aspirated
A. [ i: ] B. [e] C. [æ] D. [ I ]
A. [ʃ ] B. [s ] C. [z ] D. [ʒ ]
pronunciation of utterances.
B. The phonemic representation of utterances shows what speakers know about the
abstract underlying phonology.
C. The phonemic representation of utterances shows the finer points of the sounds or
segments in pronunciation
D. The phonetic representation of utterances shows the non-distinctive features of the
sounds.
33. Which of the following groups contains a segment that differs in manner of articulation
A. [ , ð, s, z ] B. [ w, r, j, l ]
C. [ p, b, z, d ] D. [ t, d, g, p ]
34. Which of the following assimilatory processes may occur to the sound sequence [ hɒt pə
ˈteɪtəʊ ] hot potato?
35. Which of the following is the correct stress pattern of this word “grasshopper”?
A. [ˈɡrɑːshɒpə(r)] B. [ɡrɑːsˈhɒpə(r)]
C. [ˈɡrɑːsˈhɒpə(r)] D. [ˌɡrɑːsˈhɒpə(r)]
causes explosion
C. consonants produced with the lowering of the soft palate
D. produced with an initial stop then with a slow separation of the tongue to make
friction
1. Phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish meaning. For
example, the /p/ in “pat” and the /b/ in “bat” represent different phonemes. An allophone
is a variant of a phoneme that does not change meaning and occurs in specific phonetic
contexts. For example, the aspirated [pʰ] in “pin” and the unaspirated [p] in “spin” are
allophones of the phoneme /p/ in English.
2. A minimal pair consists of two words that differ by only one phoneme, demonstrating
that the two sounds in question are distinct phonemes in that language. For example,
“bat” and “pat” form a minimal pair. A minimal pair test is used to determine whether
two sounds are separate phonemes or allophones of the same phoneme.
3. Complementary distribution occurs when two allophones of a phoneme are found in
mutually exclusive phonetic environments. This means they never occur in the same
phonetic context. For example, the clear [l] and the dark [ɫ] in English are in
complementary distribution, with [l] appearing before vowels and [ɫ] at the end of words
or before consonants.
4. Free variation refers to situations where two allophones can occur in the same
environment without a change in meaning and the choice between them is up to
individual speaker preference. Examples include the pronunciation of the word “either”
as [ˈiːðər] or [ˈaɪðər].
5. Phenomena definitions and examples: a. Dissimilation: When two close or adjacent
sounds become less similar. Example: Latin “peregrinus” became Spanish “peregrino”. b.
Metathesis: The switching of sounds within a word. Example: The English word “ask”
sometimes pronounced as “aks”. c. Epenthesis: The addition of a sound to a word.
Example: The insertion of a [b] in the word “hamster” pronounced as “hampster”. d.
Aspiration: A burst of air that follows the release of a stop consonant. Example: The [p]
in “pin” is aspirated, [pʰ].
6. A lateral sound is produced by allowing the airstream to flow around the sides of the
tongue, like the English [l]. A central sound is produced with the airstream directed down
the center of the oral tract, like the English [t] or [d].
7. A nasal sound is produced with the velum lowered, allowing air to escape through the
nose, like [m], [n], and [ŋ]. An oral sound is produced with the velum raised, preventing
air from escaping through the nose, like most consonants and vowels.
8. An example of stress shift is the word 'record. When used as a noun, the stress is on the
first syllable: 'record. As a verb, the stress shifts to the second syllable: re’cord.
9. Stress patterns for compound words: a. greenhouse: The stress is on the first element
[ˈɡriːnˌhaʊs]. b. the White House: The stress is on the first element of the compound
[ˈwaɪt ˌhaʊs].
10. Examples of types of assimilation: a. Assimilation of voicing: The word “have to” is
often pronounced “hafta”, where the voiceless [f] influences the voiced [v] to become
voiceless. b. Assimilation of place of articulation: In the phrase “green park”, the [n] in
“green” may be pronounced with the lips as [m] to match the bilabial [p] in “park”. c.
Assimilation of manner of articulation: In the phrase “handbag”, the [nd] cluster may be
simplified to [mb], where the nasal [n] assimilates to the manner of the following [b].
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