Varieties

Question 1

Pronounciation models

Answer 1

“Indicate the direction in which we want to move” - (Schmitt)

= target varieties
- how do you want to speak?
- how do you need to speak?

Question 2

Defining Received Pronunciation

Answer 2

• Accent associated with standard British English
  “Public school English”
• First described in 1917 by Daniel Jones
  Received “is used here in the sense generally accepted as proper”
• generally: spoken in the south east of England
• was never spoken by more than 4% of British population
  > more common: modified RP or near RP
• high prestige worldwide

Question 3

Defining General American

Answer 3

• Also know as ‘Network English’ (Skandera/Burleigh)
• First described as General American in 1920s
• Most prestigious accent of General American, but connection to social class less prominent
• accent has no regional or social features

Question 4

Traditional features of RP

Answer 4

• TRAP-BATH split
• in a number of cases, <a> is pronounced as BATH instead of TRAP</a>
• e.g.: example, grass, demand, mask
• non-rhotic accent
• /r/ is pronounced only before vowels
• arrive /əraɪv/ and intro /ɪntrəʊ/
• But heart /hɑːt/ and square /skweə/

Question 5

Developing features of RP

Answer 5

• centring diphthong /eə/ is replaced by /ɛː/ (e.g. fair /feə/ becomes /fɛː/)
• centring diphthong /ʊə/ is replaced by /ɔː/ (e.g. sure /ʃʊə/ becomes [ʃɔː])
• unstressed [i] in word-final position (traditionally: KIT)
  > happy /hæpi/
• L-vocalisation of dark [ɫ] (/mɪlk/ becomes [miʊk]

Question 6

Received Pronunciation (RP) - non-rhotic

Answer 6

• usually, a post-vocalic <r> is not pronounced (exceptions exist)</r>
• NURSE-vowel: /ɜː/
• 3 centring diphthongs: /ɛə, ʊə, ɪə/

Question 7

General American (GA) -rhotic

Answer 7

• every <r> is pronounced, after vowels in word-final position as well as before consonants</r>
• NURSE-vowel: /ɝː/
• no centering diphthongs
• GOAT-vowel pronounced as /oʊ/
• know /noʊ/ (RP /nəʊ/)
• toad /toʊd/ (RP /təʊd/)

Question 8

Features of GA

Answer 8

• /ɒ/ does not exist
• instead, /ɑː/ is or /ɔː/ are used
• Cot-CAUGHT merger
  > e.g. pot, dog, coffee
• Yod-dropping (e.g. news > /nuːz/, suits > /suːts/

Question 9

t-voicing -RP vs GA

Answer 9

RP: no t-voicing
- voiceless /t/ is used
- /ˈbʌtə/

GA: t-voicing
- voiced alveolar flap /t̬/
> transcribed as a voiced sound
- after stressed vowel and before vowel
- after stressed /n/ or /r/ and before vowel
- /ˈbʌt̬ər/

Question 10

LOT-vowel
- RP vs. GA

Answer 10

RP: /ɒ/
GA: /ɑː, ɔː/

Question 11

BATH-vowel
- RP vs. GA

Answer 11

RP: /ɑː/
GA: /æ/ before voiceless fricatives (+exceptions)

Question 12

GOAT-vowel
- RP vs. GA

Answer 12

RP: /əʊ/
GA: /oʊ/

Question 13

Tuesday / new
- RP vs. GA

Answer 13

RP: Tuesday and new, etc. include /j/
GA: /j/ is (often) dropped after /t,d,n/ as in new or Tuesday

Question 14

Stress
- RP vs. GA

Answer 14

sometimes differences in stress:
RP: /əˈdrɛs/
GA: /ˈædrɛs/