Phonetics Notes PDF

RP (Received Pronounciation) – Received Pronunciation (RP) is a prestigious accent of British English, often associated with the southern regions of England and historically linked to the educated upper class. It is characterized by its non-rhotic nature, meaning the "r" sound is not pronounced at t...

RP (Received Pronounciation) – Received Pronunciation (RP) is a prestigious accent of British English, often associated with the southern regions of England and historically linked to the educated upper class. It is characterized by its non-rhotic nature, meaning the "r" sound is not pronounced at the end of words or syllables, such as in "car" or "father." RP features distinct vowel sounds, including the long /ɑː/ in "bath" and the diphthong /əʊ/ in "goat." This accent is also known for its clear articulation, with minimal reduction of syllables and little use of connected speech features like elision or assimilation, which are common in more casual accents. RP remains the standard in many British pronunciation guides and is used in formal speech, broadcasting, and acting. IPA – Features symbols that cover the sounds of most spoken languages. Photo Rhoticity – Rhoticity refers to the pronunciation of the "r" sound in a language or accent. In rhotic accents, the "r" is pronounced in all positions, including at the end of words, such as in "car" or "river." Non-rhoticity – Non-rhoticity is the characteristic of accents in which the "r" sound is not pronounced when it occurs at the end of a syllable or word. In non-rhotic accents like Received Pronunciation (RP), the "r" in words like "car" or "father" is typically not heard. Non-rhotic English varieties – Non-rhotic English varieties are accents where the "r" sound is not pronounced at the end of syllables or words. Received Pronunciation (RP), many varieties of British English, and Australian English are examples of non-rhotic accents. phoneme – A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish words. For example, the "b" in "bat" and the "p" in "pat" are different phonemes because they differentiate meaning. phone – A phone is any distinct speech sound, regardless of whether it changes the meaning of words. Phones represent the physical realization of sounds, whereas phonemes are the abstract units of sound. Vowels in unstressed syllables – Vowels in unstressed syllables are often pronounced more weakly or less clearly compared to stressed vowels. In RP, this may result in the use of a schwa /ə/ sound in words like "sofa" or "banana" where the unstressed syllables are pronounced with a more centralized, neutral vowel sound. Basic British-American vowel differences – Basic British-American vowel differences refer to the distinct pronunciations of certain vowels in British and American English. For example, the vowel in the word "bath" is pronounced as /ɑː/ in British English (RP) but as /æ/ in American English. dipthongs – Diphthongs are complex vowel sounds that begin with one vowel sound and glide into another within the same syllable. For example, the vowel sound in "coin" /ɔɪ/ is a diphthong, starting with the /ɔ/ sound and moving to /ɪ/. tripthongs – Triphthongs are complex vowel sounds that consist of three vowel sounds in one syllable, typically involving a glide between three different vowel sounds. An example in British English is the sound in "fire" /aɪə/, where the tongue moves through three distinct positions in one syllable. Vowel Sounds and Their Example Words  1. /iː/ – This is a long "ee" sound, like in "see" or "bee." It’s pronounced with a long, steady sound. a. Examples: see /siː/, tree /triː/, sheep /ʃiːp/, leave /liːv/, meet /miːt/. 2. /ɪ/ – This is a short "i" sound, like in "sit" or "hit." It’s shorter and quicker than /iː/. a. Examples: sit /sɪt/, hit /hɪt/, bit /bɪt/, fit /fɪt/, milk /mɪlk/. 3. /uː/ – This is a long "oo" sound, like in "too" or "food." It is pronounced with rounded lips. a. Examples: too /tuː/, food /fuːd/, school /skuːl/, moon /muːn/, move /muːv/. 4. /ʊ/ – This is a short "u" sound, like in "put" or "foot." It is pronounced with slightly rounded lips. a. Examples: put /pʊt/, foot /fʊt/, good /gʊd/, book /bʊk/, look /lʊk/. 5. /æ/ – This is a short "a" sound, like in "cat" or "bat." It is pronounced with the mouth open wide. a. Examples: cat /kæt/, bat /bæt/, hat /hæt/, man /mæn/, hand /hænd/. 6. /e/ – This is a short "e" sound, like in "get" or "bed." It’s pronounced with the tongue mid-position. a. Examples: get /get/, bed /bed/, head /hed/, met /met/, pet /pet/. 7. /ə/ – This is the schwa sound, a very short, neutral vowel sound often used in unstressed syllables. a. Examples: sofa /ˈsəʊfə/, banana /bəˈnɑːnə/, about /əˈbaʊt/, mother /ˈmʌðə/, support /səˈpɔːt/. 8. /ɑː/ – This is a long "a" sound, like in "car" or "father." It’s pronounced with the mouth open and the tongue back. a. Examples: car /kɑː/, father /ˈfɑːðə/, star /stɑː/, calm /kɑːm/, heart /hɑːt/. 9. /ʌ/ – This is a short "u" sound, like in "cup" or "sun." It’s pronounced with the tongue slightly raised. a. Examples: cup /kʌp/, sun /sʌn/, luck /lʌk/, bus /bʌs/, run /rʌn/. 10. /ɔː/ – This is a long "or" sound, like in "thought" or "law." It’s pronounced with the tongue back and rounded lips. a. Examples: thought /θɔːt/, law /lɔː/, door /dɔː/, more /mɔː/, floor /flɔː/. 11. /ɒ/ – This is a short "o" sound, like in "hot" or "cot." It’s pronounced with the mouth open and the tongue back. a. Examples: hot /hɒt/, cot /kɒt/, pot /pɒt/, dog /dɒg/, clock /klɒk/. 12. /ɜː/ – This is a long "er" sound, like in "bird" or "heard." It’s pronounced with the tongue mid- position and lips relaxed. a. Examples: bird /bɜːd/, heard /hɜːd/, word /wɜːd/, third /θɜːd/, girl /gɜːl/. 13. /ʊə/ – This is a diphthong that starts with /ʊ/ and moves to /ə/, like in "tour." a. Examples: tour /tʊə/, sure /ʃʊə/, pure /pjʊə/, cure /kjʊə/. Diphthongs (Gliding Vowel Sounds) 14. /eɪ/ – This diphthong starts with /e/ and glides to /ɪ/, like in "day." a. Examples: day /deɪ/, say /seɪ/, play /pleɪ/, face /feɪs/, great /greɪt/. 15. /aɪ/ – This diphthong starts with /a/ and glides to /ɪ/, like in "eye." a. Examples: eye /aɪ/, buy /baɪ/, tie /taɪ/, smile /smaɪl/, high /haɪ/. 16. /ɔɪ/ – This diphthong starts with /ɔ/ and glides to /ɪ/, like in "boy."  a. Examples: boy /bɔɪ/, toy /tɔɪ/, joy /dʒɔɪ/, noise /nɔɪz/, coin /kɔɪn/. 17. /əʊ/ – This diphthong starts with /ə/ and glides to /ʊ/, like in "go." a. Examples: go /gəʊ/, no /nəʊ/, show /ʃəʊ/, road /rəʊd/, home /həʊm/. 18. /aʊ/ – This diphthong starts with /a/ and glides to /ʊ/, like in "now." a. Examples: now /naʊ/, how /haʊ/, house /haʊs/, about /əˈbaʊt/, out /aʊt/. Triphthongs (Three Vowel Sounds Together) 19. /ɪə/ – This triphthong starts with /ɪ/, glides to /ə/, like in "near." a. Examples: near /nɪə/, here /hɪə/, idea /aɪˈdɪə/, dear /dɪə/, fear /fɪə/. 20. /eə/ – This triphthong starts with /e/, glides to /ə/, like in "air." a. Examples: air /eə/, care /keə/, fair /feə/, share /ʃeə/, bear /beə/. Tips for Recognizing Phonemes in Words /iː/ and /ɪ/: Long "ee" vs. short "i." Think of "see" (/iː/) vs. "sit" (/ɪ/). /uː/ and /ʊ/: Long "oo" vs. short "u." Think of "too" (/uː/) vs. "foot" (/ʊ/). /æ/: Short "a" like in "cat." /e/: Short "e" like in "bed." /ə/: Schwa, the lazy, unstressed sound, found in many words. /ɑː/: Long "a" like in "car." /ʌ/: Short "u" like in "cup." /ɔː/: Long "or" like in "law." /ɒ/: Short "o" like in "hot." /ɜː/: Long "er" like in "bird." Weak forms of words In English, certain function words (such as articles, prepositions, conjunctions, and auxiliary verbs) are often pronounced in a "weak form" when they are unstressed in a sentence. Weak forms are characterized by a reduced, quicker pronunciation compared to their strong forms, which are used when these words are stressed. For example, the word "and" is pronounced /ænd/ in its strong form, but in its weak form, it is pronounced /ənd/ or /ən/. Similarly, "to" can be pronounced /tuː/ when stressed, but /tə/ in the weak form. These weak forms are a natural part of connected speech in English and help make speech more fluid and efficient. Understanding weak forms is essential for sounding more natural in English and for listening comprehension, as they occur frequently in everyday speech. Key Features of Received Pronunciation (RP) RP is considered a prestigious accent and has historically been associated with the British elite and educated speakers. It’s still widely used in broadcasting, formal settings, and as a standard for teaching English pronunciation. In RP, intonation (the rise and fall of pitch) is often more varied, helping to convey meaning in a way that is more formal or structured compared to other British accents. RP speakers tend to articulate consonants clearly, and the final consonants are not softened, unlike in some other accents, where elision (omission of sounds) is common. Weak Forms of Function Words Function words (like "and," "but," "of," "to," "for," etc.) often undergo weakening when they are unstressed in a sentence, making them harder to hear. For example: o "Can" – /kæn/ in its strong form (when stressed), but /kən/ in weak form (when unstressed). o "Have" – /hæv/ in its strong form, but /əv/ in weak form. o "The" – /ðə/ when unstressed, and /ðiː/ when stressed (e.g., "the book" vs. "the best one"). Purpose of weak forms: They make spoken English faster and smoother, especially in connected speech, helping avoid unnecessary stress on function words. Phonetic Symbols and Examples IPA symbols represent individual speech sounds (both consonants and vowels). Familiarize yourself with the most common IPA symbols used in English pronunciation and know how to pronounce them. Ensure you can differentiate between long vowels (e.g., /iː/ in "see") and short vowels (e.g., /ɪ/ in "sit"). This difference is critical in many words. Practice the sounds of diphthongs (gliding vowel sounds, e.g., /eɪ/ in "say," /aʊ/ in "how") and triphthongs (three vowel sounds together, e.g., /ɪə/ in "near"). Rhotic vs. Non-Rhotic Sounds A key thing to note is that RP is non-rhotic, meaning that the "r" sound is not pronounced at the end of words. Compare RP with an accent like General American English (GA), which is rhotic and pronounces the "r" in words like "car" (/kɑːr/ in RP vs. /kɑr/ in GA). In RP, you may link the "r" sound when a word ending in "r" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, e.g., "car engine" might be pronounced with a linking /r/ sound: "car engine" /kɑːr ˈɛnʤɪn/. Pronunciation of Some Common Words "Schedule" in British English (RP) is pronounced /ˈʃedjuːl/ (with a /ʃ/ sound, like in "sh"), but in American English, it’s pronounced /ˈskedʒuːl/ (with a /sk/ sound). "Advertisement" in RP is pronounced /ədˈvɜːtɪsmənt/, but in American English, it’s usually /ædvəˈtaɪzmənt/. Recognizing Sounds in Words When looking at words, recognize the vowel sounds and think about whether they are long or short. Diphthongs and triphthongs often appear in more complex vowel sounds, so practice identifying the initial vowel sound and the direction it glides toward. For example: o /aʊ/ in "how" and "now" is a diphthong where the tongue starts in the "a" position and moves toward the "ʊ" sound. o /eɪ/ in "say" starts with an "e" sound and glides to an "ɪ" sound. Intonation and Stress Patterns in RP Stress patterns are very important in English, and the placement of stress in a word or sentence can change the meaning. For instance: o The noun "record" is stressed on the first syllable (/ˈrɛkɔːd/), while the verb "record" is stressed on the second syllable (/rɪˈkɔːd/). o In RP, stress tends to fall on the more important words in a sentence (usually content words like nouns, main verbs, adjectives, and adverbs), while function words (articles, prepositions, conjunctions) are often unstressed. Intonation patterns in RP typically rise and fall in a controlled, deliberate way, adding clarity and emphasis to key ideas in speech.