American Accent Quiz - Test Your Skills

What happens to the /l/ sound in General American when it appears before vowels?

Which phenomenon refers to the realization of [t̠] as [ʔ] in certain words?

What is the quality of the GOAT vowel in General American compared to General British?

Which of the following is true regarding the medial [n̠t̠] sequence in General American?

How is the GB pronunciation [aɹ] in 'necessary' pronounced in General American?

The [d̠] sound in General American is tapped or flapped primarily in the same context as which sound?

Which of the following BATH words demonstrates the use of the TRAP vowel in General American?

When the STRUT vowel occurs before /ɹ/ in General American as in 'hurricane', what sound(s) is (are) used?

What is one characteristic of the sequence [t̠ⁿn̠̩] , as in 'cotton', in the accent of General American?

What does the term 'degree of darkness' refer to in relation to the /l/ sound?

In which word [t̠] is NOT tapped in General American?

General American Accent

Considered a range of accents, not a single one
Lacks marked social, ethnic, and regional features (e.g., north, northeast, south)
Also known as Broadcast or Network English

Consonant Sounds

Similar consonant system to General British English (GB)
Few distributional and realizational differences
Rhotic accent: /r/ is pronounced as [ɹ] or a retroflex [r]
/t/ is voiced [t] or tapped [ɾ] between vowels or after unstressed vowels
/d/ is tapped [ɾ] in the same contexts as /t/
Examples of homophones: need and kidding; rider and writer; metal and medal

Reduced Sounds

Medial [nt] is reduced to [n] (e.g., internet)
Yod is dropped after voiceless dental [θ] and alveolar consonants [t, d, s, z, n] (e.g., studio)

/l/ Sound

Mostly velarized [ɫ]
Dark /l/ before vowels, but very dark elsewhere
After aspirated stops, /l/ may be realized as [!]

Vowel Sounds

R-colored vowels (also called "rhotacized" vowels):
- Articulated while curling the tongue to a post-alveolar or retroflex position.
- /r/ sound merges with the vowel.
Examples of r-colouring: [ɝ], [ɚ], [ɔr], [ɑr], [ʊr], [ɔr]
Example words: first, fever, fear, fair, far, for, fire
Distinction between vowel sounds may not always be noticed in speech
Vowel sounds in words like merry, marry, Mary, vary, they are pronounced as ['mɛri]

Other Relevant Features

Yod coalescence at word boundaries (e.g., don't you, did you)
H-dropping in weak forms that are not utterance-initial (e.g., 'him', 'he', 'her')
The GOAT vowel is more back and rounded than in GB English (e.g., boat, ago)
The TRAP vowel is used in all BATH words instead of PALM in GB English (e.g., bath, laugh, chance,ask)
Some speakers merge sounds

Test your knowledge on the features of the General American accent, including its consonant and vowel sounds. Explore how reduced sounds function within this accent and understand the nuances that differentiate it from other English accents. This quiz is essential for linguistics enthusiasts and students alike.