Uzbekistan state world languages university

UZBEKISTAN STATE WORLD LANGUAGES UNIVERSITY

Academic year 2020-2021

FINAL WORK IN ENGLISH THEORETICAL PHONETICS

(SEMESTER V)

Name:_Urazbekova Maftunakhon ____ Date:20.01.2021__

Group: 311. Score:___________

Variant 8

Write answers to the theoretical questions.

1. What classes of vowels are distinguished by the horizontal movement of the tongue?

2. What is the difference between progressive and regressive assimilation?

3. What accentual tendencies in English do you know?

4. What do you understand by the syntactical-distinctive function of intonation?

5. Explain modifications of the syllabic structure of speech.

Answers:

1. According to the horizontal movement of the tongue English vowels are classified into front /i:, e, æ/ and the nuclei of the diphthongs /eI, Ə, aI/, front-retracted /I/ and the nucleus of the diphthong /IƏ/, mixed /ɜ:, Ə/, back-advanced /u, ʌ, ɑ:/ and the nuclei of the diphthongs /ou, uƏ/ and back /u:, ɔ:,ɔ/.

2. Assimilation is that the method of sound amendment wherever one sound is influenced or changed by various sounds. There are two types of assimilation:

1. Regressive assimilation

It occurs once the subsequentsound in a very word effects the preceding sound.

2. Progressive assimilation

It happens once the preceding sound influences the subsequent sound since the preceding sound is just toodominant.

3. Though word stress in English is named free, it is not really free of any accentual tendencies. There are obvious tendencies in English that regulate the accentuation of words to a certain extent.

Linguists, who have made a thorough study of English word stress, have agreed upon the existence of two main accentuation tendencies in English: the recessive tendency and the rhythmic tendency.

Due to the recessive tendency stress falls on the first syllable which is generally the root syllable (e.g. “ˈmother, ˈfather, ˈsister, ˈbrother, ˈready, ˈwindow”) or on the second syllable in words which have a prefix of no special meaning (e.g. , “beˈcome, inˈdeed, forˈgive, beˈhind”).

The recessive tendency in stressing words is characteristic of words of Anglo-Saxon origin, and the recessive tendency has influenced many borrowings (e.g. “ˈexcellent, ˈgarage”).

The second tendency in word stress is the so-called rhythmic tendency.

In the English language a considerable part of the vocabulary consists of monosyllabic words, some of which are stressed, others not.” This created the rhythmic tendency to alternate stressed and unstressed syllables. According to the rhythmic tendency, stress is on the 3rd syllable from the end in a great number of words (e.g. “ˈrecognize, ˈpossible, possiˈbitity”).

It is the usual way of stressing four-syllabled words. E.G., “poˈlitical, deˈmocracy, iˈdentify, comˈparison”.

In word with more than four syllables we very often find the influence of both the rhythmic and the recessive tendencies. E.g., “ˌindiˈvisible, ˌinefˈficiency, ˌphysiˈology, ˌphonoˈlogical”

In rapid colloquial style the two tendencies very often coincide as one of the vowels is elided. E.g. ˈterrit (o) ry, ˈdiction(a)ry.

The rhythmic tendency remains a strong one and it affects the accentual structures of a large number of words in modern English. Thus, in some polysyllabic words there is a tendency nowadays to avoid a succession of weak syllables, especially is these have /ə/ or /I/.

4. The distinctive function of intonation is realized in the opposition of the same word sequences which differ in certain parameters of the intonation pattern. Intonation patterns make their distinctive contribution at intonation group, phrase and text levels. Thus in the phrases:

If Anvar , arrives let me know at once (a few people are expected to come but it is Anvar who interests the speaker)

If —>Anvar arrives let me know at once (no one else but Anvar is expected to come) the intonation patterns of the first intonation groups are opposed. In the opposition I enjoyed it - I enjoyed it the pitch pattern operates over the whole phrase adding in the second phrase the notion that the speaker has reservations (implying a continuation something like 'but it could have been a lot better').

5. Alterations of the Syllabic Structure of Discourse Elision of vowels is closely associated with the method of decrease. Fair as diminishment, it is conditioned by the common inclination to deliver the feebly focused syllables with negligible articulatory exertion. Elision of a vowel is the leaving out of a vowel.

In English there are certain phonetic position in which the elision of a weakly stressed vowel does not affect intelligibility of speech. Moreover, instances of such elision are commonly used by RP speakers. A.C.Gimson notes that the elision of vowels can now be observed in the following phonetic position:

1) in post-nuclear positions in the sequence Consonant+ /ə/ + /r/+ weak vowel, e.g. ―preferable‖ /`prefrəbl/, ―temperature‖ /`temprətə/, ―territory‖ /ˈterItrI/,

―murderer‖ /ˈmɜ:drə/, ―nursery‖ /ˈnɜ:srI/, ―camera‖ /ˈkæmrə/, robbery /ˈrɔbrI/;

2) in post-nuclear position in the sequence Consonant +weak vowel + /l/ + weak vowel, e.g. ―easily‖ /ˈi:zlI/, ―carefully‖ /ˈkəflI/, ―novelist‖ /ˈnɔvlIst/, ―family‖ /ˈfæmlI/;

3) in pre-nuclear positions, /ə/ or /I/ of the weak syllable preceding the primary stress is apt to be elided in very rapid speech, e.g. ―police‖ /pli:s/, ―terrific‖ /ˈtrIfIk/, ―correct‖ /krekt/, ―believe‖ /bli:v/, ―direction‖ /drekn/, ―phonetics‖ /ˈfnetIks/, ―photography‖ /ˈftɔgrəfI/, ―suppose‖ /spouz/, ―perhaps‖ /præps/.

Elision of vowels may occur at word boundaries as well. The elision occurs in rapid colloquial speech when followed by linking /r/ + weak vowel,

e.g. ―after a while‖ /ˈɑ: ftərəwaIl/,

―as a matter of fact‖ /æ zəˈmætrəvˈfækt/,

―father and son‖ /ˈfɑ:ðrənˈsʌn/.

Numerous words, which are more often than not pitifully pushed in discourse, are too clouded and a few of the sounds that constitute them are omitted. In the event that the omitted sounds are vowels or syllabic sonorants, the syllabic structure of such words is adjusted.

E.g. ―I had‖ or ―I would‖ are often pronounced as /aId/,

―it is‖ as /Its/,

―he will‖ as /hi.l/,

―he is‖ or ―he has‖ /hi.z/,

―This is a fine day!‖ as /ðIssəˈfaIn `deI/.i