Consonants.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 460.

Vowels

1. There is no strict division of vowels into long and short in GA.
2. Classification of vowels according to the stability of articulation is the most controversial subject in GA. Some diphthongs are treated in GA as biphonemic combinations. The inventory of GA diphthongs varies from 3 to 12 phonemes.
3. Causes different interpretations of diphthongs and vowel length in GA is the pronunciation of [r] sound between a vowel and a consonant or between a vowel and a silence: turn, bird, star.
4. One more peculiar feature of pronunciation of vowels in American English is their nasalization, when they are preceded or followed by a nasal consonant. Nasalization is often called an American twang. It is incidental and need not be marked in phonetic transcription.
5. GA front vowels are somewhat different from RP. Vowels [i:], [i] are distributed differently in GA and RP. In words like very, pity GA has [i:] rather than [i]. In word final position it is often even diphthongized. Vowel [e] is more open in GA.
6. There are 4 mixed or central vowels in GA [ ] , [ ], [ ], [a]. They differ markedly from RP vowels in articulation and distribution.
7. The 3 RP vowels [ ], [ ], [a:] correspond to only 2 vowels in GA – [a] and [ae]. This combined with the articulatory differences between RP [ ] and GA [ ] and a difference in vowel distribution in many sets of words makes it very complicated.

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.
3. GA [r] is articulated differently from RP one. The impression is 1 of greater retroflexion (the tip of the tongue is curled back further than in RP).
4. The “wh” spelling is represented in GA by [ ] sound.
5. The sonorant [j] is usually weakened or omitted altogether in GA between a consonant and [u:] as in the words: news, student, suit.