Consonants

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 475.

1. The RP allophonic differentiation of [l] does not exist in GA. In all positions [l] is fairly dark.

2. Intervocalic [t] as in pity is most normally voiced. The result is neutralization of the distribution between [t] and [d] in this posi­tion, i.e. latter, ladder. The original distinction is preserved through vowel length with the vowel before [t] being shorter.

In words like twenty, little [t] may even drop out. Thus win­ner and winter, for example, may sound identical.

3. GA [r] is articulated differently from RP one. The impres­sion is one of greater retroflexion (the tip of the tongue is curled back further than in RP).

4. The "wh" spelling is represented in GA by [m] sound (or sometimes transcribed as [hw]. So most American speakers make a clear distinction between "wh" and "w" words: where — ware, which — witch.

5. The sonorant [j] is usually weakened or omitted altogether in GA between a consonant (especially a forelingual one) and [u:] as in the words: news [nu:z], Tuesday ['tu:zdi], student ['stu:dənt], suit [sat], tube [tab], stupid ['stu:pid], during ['du:rig].