KOLLOKVIUMI DOLGOZAT

(Fonolgia-Fonetika)

Ksztette: Szab Fanni (BA - Anglisztika)

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 References:

Siptr Pter, Kovcs Jnos: A-Z angol kiejts - tanknyv s gyakorlknyv (Corvina
Kiad, 2012)

Ndasdy dm: Background to English pronunciation (Nemzedkek Tudsa

Tanknyvkiad, 2006)

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 Introduction

This coursework aims to analyse and summarize the four given chapters which I presented
this semester. This writing highlights and offers deeper understanding to the reader about
the definitions, examples and tasks included in the book A-Z angol kiejts - tanknyv s
gyakorlknyv. The four chapters I will cover here are the following: Ways of
pronouncing the [h] sound; the silent h, Tense and lax vowels, Ways of spelling and
pronouncing the sound [e], and finally, Ways of spelling and pronouncing the sound
[e]. The chapters are analysed independently, combining both simplicity and great focus
on details. My aim was not only using the book to provide the definitions and examples,
but to combine my own opinion on English pronunciation with the authors comments.

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 Ways of pronouncing the [h] sound; the silent h

In the English language the letter h usually corresponds to the sound [h], which also
resembles the Hungarian pronunciation. This [h] sound is usually marked by the letter h
but in some cases it appears as the second element of digraphs. A digraph is a group of two
successive letters which represent a single speech sound, as ea in meat or th in path.
Further examples include: ch, kh, gh, ph, sh, th, rh; and these have nothing to do with the
sound [h], because together they form another speech sound, making the pronunciation of
this union different from the norm. We also have to mention that in the English language h
can occur only at the beginning of the words or at the beginning of a stressed syllable
inside the word, unlike in the Hungarian language. There are many cases when the letter h
is silent. Silent means that when we pronounce a certain word, the h appears only in
written form, but the sound [h] is not pronounced.
To decide whenever the h is silent or not, we need to consider some rules. There are three
distinct rules for this: when the h appears at the beginning of a non-stressed syllable inside
the word (e.g.: vehicle, rehabilitate), before a consonant (e.g.: John, Ahmed) or at the end
of the word (e.g.: yeah, ah, oh) the h is always silent. Further examples for silent h are the
following: exhaust, exhort, exhibit, Buddha. Task 23.2 demonstrates the distinction
between the standard pronunciation of the h letter and the digraphs, and also brings our
attention the silent h in the word forehead which rhymes to horrid if we pronounce it
correctly. Another important part of this topic is to understand the pronunciation of the
weak auxiliary forms which contain silent h. If there is an auxiliary starting with h (e.g.:
has) we pronounce the letter only if the auxiliary itself is stressed, or if its at the beginning
of a sentence. In everyday language the h is normally silent. For example in the sentence I
gave him a book. ([evm]) the words gave and him merge and the letter h becomes
silent. In cases where should, would, could, must etc. are combined with have, the h is also
silent ([dv], [wdv]). Task 23.4 brings our attention to the rules which determine in
which cases the h is silent. Of course in everyday language we arent able to pay attention
to these rules every time. It would make communication rough and the immediateness of
spoken text doesnt allow us to think about specific rules for too long.

23.4 introduces a task where we have to find all the silent consonants, referring back to
previous topics, offering a revision and a summarizing exercise for silent consonants.

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 Tense and lax vowels

This chapter introduces the distinction between tense and lax vowels. Tense and lax vowels
mean the two grouping of vowels which can be distinguished by the environment in which
they occur. In other words it means that one vowel corresponds to two or more different
sounds depending on where it occurs in a word and each of them falls into a category due
to position and pronunciation (they become either tense or lax).

To determine the typical position of the vowel we need to consider some rules. The vowel
is in the typical position of a tense vowel if: it is not followed by a consonant (e.g.: chaos,
she, apply), if it is followed by a single consonant plus a single vowel (this vowel can also
be a silent e) (e.g.: nation, recent, minus). In the other case, the vowel is in the typical
position of a lax vowel if: it is followed by more than one consonant (e.g.: letter, waggon,
picture), it is followed by the last consonant of the word (e.g.: forgot, but, ship).

If the word ends in a single consonant and we attach a suffix starting with a vowel, we
need to duplicate the consonant at the end of the word in order to keep it in the lax position
(e.g.: rag ragging, pet petter). Of course these cases are not identical with the words
written only with one consonant (e.g.: hoping from the word hope which in this case is in
the typical position of a tense vowel). The list of examples which are seen in 24.2 are a
bare introduction to 24.3 where the rules of consonant duplication are stated. Duplicating
consonants at the end of words is a necessary process in order to keep the lax position of
the vowels as mentioned earlier. No duplication is needed however, when the word-stem
ends in more than one consonant (e.g.: ask asked asking); when the consonant at the
end of the stem is a digraph (e.g.: dread dreaded); or when the vowel itself is non-
stressed (e.g.: enter entered). It has to be mentioned that there are exceptions considering
this last rule, one being the g at the end of the stem (e.g.: humbugging), and also in British
English the l (e.g.: travel travelling). These rules are only important in terms of written
forms since in speech these distinctions are not present duplicated consonants are
pronounced as single ones.

24.4 shows the actual sounds which we need to pronounce in each cases. According to the
previously covered rules, vowels in lax position are pronounced as it follows: [], [e], [ ],
[], [], []. Of course there are exceptions but these exceptions are cannot be deduced in
any way, and we need to be aware of the most important ones only.

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The same needs to be stated with tense vowels and the list of sounds which we pronounce
in case of them are the following: [e], [i], [a], [o], [u] or [ju ] (exception here is the
letter a at the end of the word, because that is always pronounced as: []). Exceptions are
also present here since one of the rules is not reliable. If the vowel is followed by a single
consonant and a vowel, the pronunciation cannot be deduced from the elements in all cases
(e.g.: demon and lemon share the same vowels and same consonants after the letter e, but
their pronunciation is different).

The examples have to be learnt individually but there are some rules which make our job
easier. In the case of the letter u, we can tell that in the majority of the cases, when it
occurs in the tense position, the pronunciation follows the typical tense pronunciation of u,
so it is pronounced as: [ju]. Exceptions are the following: the u in suburb is pronounced
as [], because sub- counts as an independent affix; the u in punish is also pronounced
as [], since the -ish suffix is one of the suffixes which causes the sound to follow the
pronunciation of a lax vowel.

In those words which has their primary stress on the third syllable from behind, the a, e, i,
o letters in the stressed syllable correspond to the pronunciation of lax vowels (a=[],
e=[e], i=[], o=[]) despite their position. It is, in other words, called trisyllabic laxing.
Examples contain the following words: agony, camera, family and so on. The u
according to the previously mentioned rules keeps its tense pronunciation (u=[u] or [ju]).

This tense-lax alternation is called vowel shift. Normally the form with the tense vowel is
the basic form, and the lax vowel appears in the derived word.

There are specific endings which can cause vowel shift such as: -ic, -id, -et, -it, -el, -ish.
The same applies to these words as in the previous case, so the tense vowel becomes lax
due to the ending (e.g.: democratic, mechanic, dogmatic, vanish, cherish, finish, planet,
merit, spirit).

Vowel shift also occurs if the stressed syllable is followed by graphically free u. This
rule is called pre-u laxing, and examples contain: manual, value, schedule and so on.

If the i/y is the stressed vowel itself and followed by a consonant + i + vowel, then a type
of vowel shift, so called CiV laxing occurs (e.g.: vision, idiot, Libya, Syria).

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Task 24.5 introduces a type of task which tests our knowledge of the previously mentioned
rules in terms of practice. This can be useful since pronunciation is a really important part
of every language, a basic tool which helps others to understand us better. Of course we
cannot think about the rules in an everyday conversation, but understanding the
pronunciation of words with common occurrence can help us highlight our
misconceptions.

Task 24.6 in my opinion is not really connected to the topic, but it is put there to have
something unconventional to read, focusing too much on the letter b and double t.

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 Ways of spelling and pronouncing the sound [e]

The sound [e] is one of the eight diphthongs in the English International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA). A diphthong is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the
same syllable. The sound [e] is pronounced similarly as the Hungarian word j. Of
course we cannot rely on such similarities when learning a language, but it acts as a
helping hand in such obvious cases.

In written text this sound is normally symbolized with the letter a, and as previously
mentioned [e] is the equivalent of the tense a (e.g.: make, lazy, population).

Other ways of spelling this diphthong include: ai/ay (aim, tail, hay, pay), ei/ey (weight,
veil, grey, obey), ea (break, great, steak), ae (Gaelic), ao, au (gaol, gauge), /e (caf,
fianc), et (at the end of the word) (bouquet, ballet).

As the chapter goes on, we gain further insight into the pronunciation of the written forms
of [e] (especially a, ai/ay and ei/ey) and we realise that [e] is merely the regular
pronunciation of these letters and letter combinations.

The possible pronunciations of the letter a in tense position are the following: regularly it
is [e]; [] when it is stressed and positioned at the end of the word and before silent h
(e.g.: papa, spa); [] in the word water; [] when laxing rules are present (e.g.: camera,
magic, vanish); [e] in words like any many.

The pronunciation of the letter a also differs in case of non-stressed stems: [] in words
like along, soda; [] with words ending in age (e.g.: image, village); [] or [ ] with
words ending in ate and ace (e.g.: delicate, private, preface).

The other regular written form of the sound [e] is ai/ay, and we need to consider the
possible pronunciation of this letter combination in order to understand the versatility of
the English language. This combination can also be pronounced as [] or [] if it occurs in a
non-stressed syllable (e.g.: mountain, fountain); [] in the word saint when it is used in
front of names. Exceptional pronunciations include: [a] in the word aisle; [] with
plaid; [e] with words like said, says.

The last letter combination which has to be mentioned here is ei/ey. As in the previous
cases the possible pronunciations are listed here: regularly it is [e] (e.g.: vein, reign); if it
occurs in a non-stressed syllable it is [] or [] (e.g.: foreign, sovereign). Exceptional

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pronunciations include: [a] as in eye, either, neither; [i] as in ceiling, deceit, receive;
[e] as in heifer, leisure.

Task 25.5 brings our attention to the possible written forms of this diphthong by asking us
the make rhymes. This is a really interesting task and certainly helps us understand the
basics of the possible ways of pronunciation and might broaden our vocabulary.

Section 25.6 introduces a slightly new topic in terms of stressing and how it is affected by
different suffixes. There are two basic groups of suffixes: neutral and non-neutral. Neutral
suffixes do not influence the place of stress. These suffixes are the following: -es
(recognises), -ed (executed), -ing (interesting), -ive (creative), -able/-ible (identifiable),
-er/-or (accelerator), -ize (nationalize), -ment (establishment), -ly (obligatorily), -ness
(appropriateness), -less (loveless), -ful (faithful). (We have to note that able is only
neutral if its added to already existing words, otherwise it is non-neutral if it is added to
bound stems (e.g.: probable, tolerable)). The other type which has to be mentioned is the
self-stressed suffixes. Self-stressed suffixes are one of the types of non-neutral suffixes and
they take the primary stress on themselves. The most common examples include: -aire
(questionnaire), -ee (refugee), -eer/-ier (career), -ese (Chienese), -ette (cassette), -ique
(unique), -oon (balloon).

The suffix al acts relatively different from the previously mentioned ones. It is called
weak suffix and it consists of one syllable with a weak vowel and as it is integrated into the
word, its presence may influence the placement of stress. (e.g.: original, arrival)

Words ending with ate has regular stressing: if the words they are attached to consist of
two syllables, the suffix is always stressed (e.g.: create, migrate). If they consist of three or
more syllables the primary stress falls on the third syllable from the back (congratulate,
investigate).

The task in 25.7 calls our attention on how to form words with the usage of different
suffixes and also helps us practice the stressing of words which can be useful in everyday
language.

If we attach the suffix ive to verbs ending in ate, the place of the stress doesnt change
but the pronunciation does: [et] usually becomes [t] (e.g.: operate [pre t] -> operative
[prtv]).

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There are exceptions in terms of stress which need to be mentioned: relate -> relative,
narrate -> narrative, alternate -> alternative, demonstrate -> demonstrative, indicate ->
indicative, interrogate -> interrogative.

Further tasks in 25.8 test our knowledge on forming words with different suffixes, testing
our vocabulary also and developing our pronunciation in connection with this topic.
Reading practice in 25.9 offers us a rather difficult text to deal with and summarize this
topic by containing all suffixes which are worthy to mention in one text.

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 Ways of spelling and pronouncing the sound []

This sound doesnt have a Hungarian equivalent but it can be compared to sounds such as
e but much wider. This sound is always symbolized by the letter a (the only exception
here is plaid). Just as the diphthong [e] is the equivalent of the tense a, [] is the
equivalent of the lax a.

The reading practice in 26.1 introduces the topic and challenges us to pronounce the []
sound correctly whenever it occurs. It is a good exercise to get the hang of the task,
although the text is relatively long and reading it fully can be tiring.

26.2 comes up with a list of words which give the Hungarian equivalents of English
words in terms on pronunciation. In my opinion this is not necessary to go through, since
Hungarian and English in this case has nothing to do with each other as the sound [e] in
Hungarian is a monophthong, while [] is a diphthong.

The next section deals with the possible pronunciation of the letter a when its lax.
Regularly it is [], but it can also be [e] (chamber), [] (after, dance, ask), [ ] before
double l at the end of the word (ball, fall, hall), [] after the letter w (wash, want).

After exemplifying every way of pronunciation, 26.4 offers a practice where we can test
our knowledge and test if we memorized the previous examples. It also lets us revise the
phonetic symbols if we havent been already familiar with them.

Task 26.5 states that rule which determines that if the vowel is followed by a single
consonant plus a single vowel they become tense is not reliable. It introduces a new rule
which helps us decide the pronunciation of the vowel. This rule is concerned with the
division of words. According to the rules of division the lax vowel falls into the same
syllable as the consonant which follows it (nat.ural), while in the case of tense vowels the
consonant falls into the following syllable (na.ture).

The next section changes the topic from lax and tense vowels to the weak form of have.
This form most commonly occurs after personal pronouns such as Ive, youve and in
these cases it is pronounced as [v], in other cases it is pronounced as [v]. The two
dialogues in 26.6 show us an example of the proper pronunciation of the weak have. The
second dialogue also points out the fact, that have to is not an auxiliary therefore it is
always used in the strong form.

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Finally, 26.7 deals with the intonation of declarative and directive sentences. It is a really
important topic to cover since the melody of the English language is unique and necessary
to learn in order to communicate effectively and naturally.

In English, declarative and directive sentences usually have falling intonation just like in
Hungarian. In statements the intonation also depends on the length of the sentence. In
relatively short sentences the intonation falls from high and usually starts on the tonic. In
phonology a syllable which carries a tone will be called a tonic syllable. (e.g.: The children
are dirty a\gain.). In case of longer sentences the intonation falls from low and it continues
to become gradually lower and lower. (e.g.: Hilary noticed a very peculiar object that was
lying on the \mantelpiece.).

The tasks below encourage us to practice the intonation of English declaratives and
directives, however it is not such an easy task as it seems. Intonation, such as rhythm,
pronunciation, grammar and many other things are important parts of the English language,
but I truly believe these can be obtained only with practice. These tasks may help us
highlight the most important things to focus on but cannot give us practical knowledge as
such. The melody of the language must be learnt by constant practice to get a natural and
satisfying result.

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