Regions AO2 - Additional Knowledge

Question 1

What is phonetics?

Answer 1

The study of speech sounds

Phonetics involves understanding how speech sounds are produced, transmitted, and perceived.

Question 2

How do accents reveal local and regional identities?

Answer 2

Differences in pronunciation can indicate geographical origins and social backgrounds

Specific vowel sounds and pronunciation patterns are often associated with particular regions.

Question 3

What is a well-known pronunciation difference between northern and southern British accents?

Answer 3

Northern speakers pronounce ‘bath’, ‘grass’, and ‘dance’ with a short vowel, while southern speakers use a long vowel

This distinction can indicate a speaker’s regional identity.

Question 4

What does phonological variation refer to?

Answer 4

Differences between accents that manifest in various forms

This includes pronunciation features, connected speech processes, and intonation patterns.

Question 5

What is an example of a localized pronunciation feature in accents?

Answer 5

Articulation of certain consonant or vowel sounds

Local accents may exhibit unique pronunciations that vary even within the same geographic area.

Question 6

True or False: The term ‘Yorkshire accent’ refers to a single accent.

Answer 6

False

There are several different types of accents within Yorkshire, such as Sheffield, Hull, and Leeds accents.

Question 7

What are some broad descriptors used for accents?

Answer 7

Northern accent, Welsh accent

These terms can help categorize accents within larger geographic areas.

Question 8

Fill in the blank: Speakers in the north and Midlands use a vowel with _______ lips in words like ‘cup’, ‘love’, and ‘under’.

Answer 8

rounded

This contrasts with southern speakers who use a more neutral lip position.

Question 9

What does it suggest if a speaker pronounces ‘bull’, ‘full’, and ‘pull’ to rhyme with ‘cull’, ‘gull’, ‘hull’, and ‘skull’?

Answer 9

They are likely from the north or Midlands

This pronunciation pattern is characteristic of northern and Midlands accents.

Question 10

What is connected speech?

Answer 10

The way certain sounds are pronounced in particular combinations of words or phrases

Connected speech can lead to variations in pronunciation that are specific to certain accents.