Pronunciation and Spelling
Sounds of English
Consonants
Vowels
Causes of Change in Pronunciation
100

When did English spelling consistently follow the way a word was spoken?

In Old English in the days of Anglo-Saxons 1,000 years ago.

100
How many sounds does English use?
More than 40 sounds
100
p, b, m, and w are all called
labials.
100
How many vowel sounds in spoken English are there?
at least 12
100
What is "assimilation"?
Neighboring sounds become more like each other, for example, the /p/ in "cupboard" blended into the /b/.
200
What did George Bernard Shaw wish to point out with the word "ghoti"?
The irregularity of English spelling. "Ghoti" is meant to be "fish."
200
Why do many letters in the English represent more than one sound?
Because there are over 40 sounds in English and only 26 letters.
200
Why are f/v/s/z all called fricatives?
Because they make shh sound caused by friction.
200
Are there any voiceless vowels? If so, what are they?
No, they are all voiced.
200
What is dissimilation?
Neighboring sounds become less like each other. For example, in the word "diphthong" the /f/ sound in ph changed to the /p/ sound.
300
What phenomena occurred mainly in the 15th and 16th century?
The Great Vowel Shift
300
What is a phonem?
One meaningful sound.
300
What is the difference between voiced and voiceless consonants?
There is no vibration of the vocal chords with voiceless consonants.
300
What are two vowels combined called? An example would be the word "boy."
A diphthong or glide.
300
What is simplification?
When consonant clusters are reduced so that one consonant becomes silent. For example, "knight" or "Christmas."
400
What role did Norman scribes and early printers play in the mismatch between spelling and pronunciation?
They changed the spelling of the words according to what they considered "accurate."
400
How many consonant sounds are there in most English accents?
24
400
Give an example of voiced consonant and an unvoiced consonant that are both labials.
b and p
400
What is the difference between American and British speakers when it comes to the pronunciation of the word "poor"?
The British do not pronounce the final r.
400
What is elision?
When whole syllables are dropped in frequently used words. For example, "family" is pronounced "famly".
500
How many letters in the English alphabet convey the 24 consonant sounds?
21.
500
How are "stops" different from "fricatives"?
Stops make a plosive, abrupt sound. Fricatives make a long, hissing sound.
500
Where is the tongue positioned to produce the sound /i/?
High and front.
500
When a native speaker mistakenly says "for my brother and I", thinking this is the correct way to say it, this is called ____________.
Hypercorrection
M
e
n
u