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Phonetics 1 - Exercise 4 Answers

1    British and American vowels

demand	RP , GA
faction	both
gas	both
Paris	both
nature	both
father	both
grass	RP , GA
park	both (GA )
exact	both
ask	RP , GA
many	both
dance	RP , GA
parent	RP , GA or
calm	both
top	RP , GA
ton	both
Bush	both
choose	both
walk	RP , GA
work	both (GA )
forest	RP , GA or
hollow	RP , GA
new	both (RP , GA )
possible	RP , GA
passable	RP , GA

2    Phonemes

If you listen carefully, you will hear that the l-sound in clam and the l-sound in glamour are pronouced differntly -
and yet dictionaries do not show this difference. Why do they not show it?
Answer:the differences are automatic and unconscious, and can be implied by rule; so they do not need to be shown.

Look up the words code and cold in Longman's Pronunciation Dictionary and explain the use of the arrow
in cold.
Answer:it indicates a change by automatic rule.

What is they name we have given for variations in the l and o in these words?
Answer:allophones (allophonic variation).

3    Vowel length

Group 1 short lax vowels	Group 2 long unclipped tense vowels	Group 3 clipped tense vowels
special cabbage many bread come stand blood	road blue same prize green third bead	shout price fate seek flute work break