Contents

Preface xxxv

List of symbols xxxvi

Chart of the International Phonetic Alphabet xxxvii

1 Introduction 1

2 The production of speech sounds 9

3 Long vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs 19

4 Voicing and consonants 26

5 Phonemes and symbols 37

6 Fricatives and affricates 47

7 Nasals and other consonants 56

8 The syllable 68

9 Strong and weak syllables 77

10 Stress in simple words 88

11 Complex word stress 99

12 Weak forms 107

13 Problems in phonemic analysis 117

14 Aspects of connected speech 129

15 Intonation 1 144

16 Intonation 2 156

17 Intonation 3 164

18 Functions of intonation 1 177

19 Functions of intonation 2 186

20 Varieties of English pronunciation 196

Recorded exercises 206

Audio Unit 1: Introduction 207

Audio Unit 2: English short vowels 207

Audio Unit 3: Long vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs 209

Audio Unit 4: Plosives 211

Audio Unit 5: Revision 214

Audio Unit 6: Fricatives and affricates 216

Audio Unit 7: Further consonants 218

Audio Unit 8: Consonant clusters 220

Audio Unit 9: Weak syllables 222

Audio Unit 10: Word stress 224

Audio Unit 11: Complex word stress 226

Audio Unit 12: Weak forms 228

Audio Unit 13: Revision 230

Audio Unit 14: Elisions and rhythm 231

Audio Unit 15: Tones 233

Audio Unit 16: The tone-unit 234

Audio Unit 17: Intonation 236

Audio Unit 18: Intonation: extracts from conversation 237

Audio Unit 19: Further practice on connected speech 238

Audio Unit 20: Transcription of connected speech 239

Answers to written exercises 241

Answers to recorded exercises 253

Recommendations for general reading 263

Bibliography 267

Index 273