English Transcription Course

Front Cover
Routledge, Mar 18, 2014 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 160 pages
Have you ever been confused by the fact that the words 'though' and 'bough' are pronounced differently, or frustrated by the realisation that 'hint' and 'pint' don't rhyme? It is well known that the spelling system of English is notoriously unhelpful as an indicator of how to pronounce English words. Spoken and written representations of English are mutually inconsistent, making it difficult to interpret the 'logic' of the language. Learning to transcribe English phonetically, however, provides an accurate visual interpretation of pronunciation: it helps you to realise what you actually say, rather than what you think you say.

English Transcription Course is the ideal workbook for anyone wishing to practice their transcription skills. It provides a series of eight lessons, each dealing with a particular aspect of pronunciation, and introduces and explains the most important features of connected speech in modern British English - such as assimilation, elision and weak forms, concentrating on achieving a relaxed, informal style of speech. Each lesson is followed by a set of exercises which allow for extensive practise of the skills learnt in both current and previous chapters. Students can check their progress with the 'model' answers provided in the appendix.
 

Contents

Introduction
1
Symbols and terminology
5
Transcription hints
11
Stress rhythm and weak forms
17
Sandhi r
33
Consonant syllabicity
40
Elision
47
Assimilation
55
Glottaling
64
Further practice
71
Answers to exercises
80
Glossary
Bibliography
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About the author (2014)

Maria Lecumberri, J. A. Maidment

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