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money: The
symbol i represents the same vowel
phoneme as the symbol iː. We use i in unstressed syllables and iː in stressed syllables. This
distinction isn't very helpful for TEFL purposes and learners should simply
treat the two symbols as the same. Because we are using two different symbols
for one phoneme, this means our transcription isn't truly phonemic (phonemic
transcription = one symbol for each phoneme).
doesn’t:
Although function/grammatical words are generally unstressed in English,
negative contractions such as couldn’t
(and don’t, won’t, can’t shouldn’t, etc.) are usually stressed.
Although /t/ isn’t usually elided when
it is preceded by /n/ (e.g. in bent nail
/ˈbent ˈneɪl/, front door /ˈfrʌnt ˈdɔː/),
the negative contractions, because of their high frequency, are an exception
and their final /t/ can be elided before both consonants and vowels (e.g. I couldn’t say /aɪ ˈkʊdn̩ ˈseɪ/. He didn’t ask /hi ˈdɪdn̩ ˈɑːsk/.), but
not before a pause. This is much more common in the case of disyllabic negative
contractions (e.g. didn’t, doesn’t, haven’t, hasn’t, hadn’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, etc.). In the case of
monosyllabic negative contractions (won’t,
can’t), elision of /t/ is only usual
in rather casual speech.
Phonemically, the final syllable of doesn’t is /ən(t)/. When this syllable
is preceded by /z/, however, the schwa /ə/ often isn't pronounced. Instead the
articulators move directly from the position for /z/ to the position for /n/.
This is relatively easy to do because /z/ is a fricative, a category of sound
which involves making a very narrow stricture in the vocal tract. It is possible,
therefore, for the articulators to move from such a position to the complete
closure required for /n/ (accompanied by the lowering of the soft palate to
allow air to escape out through the nose) without passing through the position
for a vowel and thereby avoiding an intervening schwa /ə/.
Note that in English, syllabic /n/ is
not a phoneme in its own right, but merely a special way of realising the
syllable /ən/. This means that when we use a special symbol [n̩] for it in
transcription, it makes our transcription non-phonemic (because we are now
using more than one symbol for each phoneme and introducing a special symbol to
show a particular phonetic detail).
The syllabic /n/ of doesn’t undergoes assimilation, changing from /n/ to /m/ because
the immediately following word begins with /m/. The consonant /n/ is a voiced alveolar nasal and /m/ is a voiced bilabial nasal. The change from /n/ to
/m/ is a change of place of articulation (not of voicing or of manner of
articulation). The place of articulation of the nasal changes to bilabial
because the following consonant is bilabial (/m/ = a voiced bilabial nasal). It
is usual for /n/ to change its place of articulation to that of an immediately
following consonant, becoming /ŋ/ before velar consonants (/k/ or /ɡ/) or /m/
before bilabial consonants (/p b m/).
you:
The symbol u represents the same
vowel phoneme as the symbol uː. We
use u in unstressed syllables and uː in stressed syllables. This
distinction isn't very helpful for TEFL purposes and learners should simply
treat the two symbols as the same. Because we are using two different symbols
for one phoneme, this means our transcription isn't truly phonemic (phonemic
transcription = one symbol for each phoneme).
happy:
The symbol i represents the same
vowel phoneme as the symbol iː. We
use i in unstressed syllables and iː in stressed syllables. This distinction
isn't very helpful for TEFL purposes and learners should simply treat the two
symbols as the same. Because we are using two different symbols for one
phoneme, this means our transcription isn't truly phonemic (phonemic
transcription = one symbol for each phoneme).
I’ve:
When unstressed, as it usually is, auxiliary have has the weak form /v/ when preceded by the pronouns I, you,
we or they. The weak form combines with these pronouns to form the
contractions I’ve /aɪv/, you’ve /ju(ː)v/, we’ve /wi(ː)v/ and they’ve
/ðeɪv/.
million: Words which have
final /iən/ can also be pronounced /jən/.
dollars: Plural
s has three pronunciations depending
on the sound at the end of the noun:
- /ɪz/ after /s z ʃ ʒ ʧ ʤ/
- /s/ after the remaining voiceless consonants
- /z/ after vowels and the remaining voiced consonants.
The same pattern applies to third person
singular s, possessive s and the contraction of is.
but:
When unstressed, as it usually is, the conjunction but has the weak form /bət/.
was:
When unstressed, as it usually is, was
has the weak form /wəz/.
as:
When unstressed, as it usually is, as
has the weak form /əz/.
eight:
The final consonant of eight
undergoes assimilation, changing from /t/ to /p/ because the immediately
following word begins with /m/. The consonant /t/ is a voiceless alveolar plosive and /p/ is a voiceless
bilabial plosive. The change from
/t/ to /p/ is a change of place of articulation (not of voicing or of manner of
articulation). The place of articulation of the plosive changes to bilabial
because the following consonant is bilabial (/m/ = a voiced bilabial nasal).
It is usual for /t/ to change its place of articulation to that of an
immediately following consonant, becoming /k/ before velar consonants (/k/ or /ɡ/)
or /p/ before bilabial consonants (/p b m/).
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