Phonetics & general linguistics Flashcards
Which version of the phonemic chart do we use in our course?
The British English version, which has 44 unique phonemic symbols.
How are vowels produced?
Vowels are produced with no restriction to air flowing out the vocal tract, and with vibration of the vocal cords. We position our tongue (high, low & front, back) and spread or round our lips to produce vowel sounds.
Which three sections does the English phonemic chart contain?
The vowels are shown in the upper half; monopthongs in the upper-left side and diphthongs in the upper-right. The consonants are shown in the lower half.
Which vowels are in the monopthong part of the phonemic chart?
/iː/ - Fleece
/ɪ/ - Kit
/ʊ/ - Foot
/uː/ - Goose
/e/ - Dress
/ə/ - Bonus
/ɜː/ - Nurse
/ɔː/ - Thought
/æ/ - Trap
/ʌ/ - Strut
/ɑː/ - Palm
/ɒ/ - Lot
What is EFL?
EFL stands for “English as a Foreign Language”. We use the term EFL when learning a language that is not generally spoken in the surrounding community.
What is ESL?
ESL stands for “English as a Second Language”. We use the tern ESL when learning a language that is generally spoken in the surrounding community.
What does the term “language acquisition” mean?
The term “acquisition” describes the gradual development over time of ability in a language by using it naturally in communicative situations with others who know the language.
What does the term “language learning” mean?
The term “language learning” applies to a more conscious process of accumulating knowledge through analysis of features of a language, such as vocabulary and grammar, typically in institutional settings, with teachers.
Function words
Function words are unstressed within a sentence. Function words refer to:
- Prepositions
- The verb ‘be’
- Auxiliary verbs
- Articles
- Conjunctions
- Personal pronouns
Content words
Content words are stressed within a sentence. Content words refer to:
- Nouns
- Main verbs
- Adjectives and adverbs
- Question words
- Contractions with ‘not’
