Transcription Practices

Question 1

ASPIRATION

Answer 1

Voiceless stops are aspirated at the beginning of a stressed syllable.

Optional:

a. at the beginning of a syllable with secondary stress.
b. word-finally.

(pin, tin, cot, apart, across)

Question 2

ADVANCED ARTICULATION

Answer 2

Velars have more forward articulation before front vowels.

key, geese

Question 3

UNRELEASED STOP ARTICULATION

Answer 3

a. A stop is not released before another stop articulated at the same place.
b. A stop has inaudible release before a stop articulated at a different place (=overlapping articulation or double articulation).
c. Word-final stops may have inaudible release.

(hotdog, clipboard, sick girl; apt, act; mop, cat, sack)

Question 4

DENTAL ARTICULATION

Answer 4

Alveolars become dental before dental consonants.

eighth, width, tenth, health

Question 5

VELARIZATION

Answer 5

The alveolar lateral approximant [l] becomes velarized word-finally or before another consonant in the same syllable.

(feel, tilt)

Question 6

OBSTRUENT DEVOICING

Answer 6

Obstruents (stop, fricatives and affricates) become devoiced word-finally.

(cab, mad, beg, maze, leave, judge)

Question 7

FLAPPING

Answer 7

Alveolar stops [t] [d] ([n]?) are articulated as flaps between vowels if the first vowel is stressed.

(rider, Betty)

Question 8

LIQUID AND GLIDE DEVOICING

Answer 8

Liquids and glides become devoiced when preceded by a syllable-initial voiceless stop. (play, cry, cue, twin)

(play, cry, cue, twin)

Question 9

NASAL ASSIMILATION

Answer 9

Nasals may become homorganic to the following consonant.

emphasis, inferior, input, uncle

Question 10

RETROFLEX ARTICULATION

Answer 10

Alveolar stops become retroflex when followed by a rhotic approximant which, in turn, will also have a retroflex articulation.

(train, drain)

Question 11

SLLABIC NASALS AND LIQUIDS

Answer 11

Nasals and liquids become syllabic word-finally when preceded by a consonant.

(kitten, little)

Question 12

LATERAL RELEASE

Answer 12

Alveolar stops are laterally released before an alveolar lateral approximant.

(fiddler)

Question 13

LATERAL ONSET

Answer 13

The alveolar stops following the alveolar lateral approximant will have a lateral onset.

(build)

Question 14

NASAL RELEASE

Answer 14

Stops are nasally released before a nasal of the same place of articulation.

(loudness)

Question 15

NASAL ONSET

Answer 15

Stop consonants following a nasal of the same place of articulation will have nasal onset (the articulatory closure for the nasal is not released).

(went)

Question 16

GLOTTALIZATION

Answer 16

The alveolar voiceless stop becomes glottalized when followed by a syllabic nasal.

(kitten)

Question 17

NASALIZATION

Answer 17

Vowels become nasalized before a nasal in the same syllable.

(pen)

Question 18

VOWEL LENGTHENING

Answer 18

Vowels are long before a voiced consonant in the same syllable and word-finally.

NOTE: we only mark length before voiced obstruents in the same syllable!

Vowels are half-long before a devoiced obstruent in the same syllable.

[ two triangles]
[ one triangle]

(ladle, bee)

Question 19

LABIALIZATION

Answer 19

Consonants are pronounced with labialization before a rounded vowel or the labiovelar glide.

[ superscript w]

(boot)

Question 20

FRONT VOWEL RETRACTION

Answer 20

Front vowels become retracted before the velarized lateral approximant in the same syllable.

[_]

(feel)

Question 21

GLOTTAL FRICATIVE VOICING

Answer 21

The voiceless glottal fricative becomes voiced between two vowels.

(ahead)

Question 22

RHOTACIZATION

Answer 22

Vowels (both monophthongs and diphthongs) become rhotacized (=rhotic) when followed by a rhotic approximate in the same syllable.

(bird, car, fear, lard)

Question 23

AFFRICATE PRONUNCIATION

Answer 23

An alveolar stop plus an homorganic fricative will be pronounced as an alveolar affricate.

(cats, leads)

Question 24

ASSIMILATION PHENOMENA

Answer 24

ATTENTION:

Observe the assimilation phenomena! (e.g., the assimilation in voicing in words such as rubbed, redcap, nagged, etc.)