English phonetics

9. What do you know about the Australian pronunciation?


Theme: The System of Consonant Phonemes.


1. What is the distinction between a vowel and a consonant sound? Explain the general principles of the classification of consonants.

2.What types of consonant phonemes may be distinguished according to the place of articulation? What types of consonant phonemes are distinguished on the basis of the manner of articulation? What pairs of consonant phonemes are distinguished according to presence or absence of voice?

3. What is a simple (double, complex) opposition?

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  Give the phonological oppositions (mainly single) of consonants according to the place of articulation.
  

4. What phonological oppositions exist between the English (and Uzbek) consonants according to the manner of production?
5. What allophonic variations of consonant phonemes are distinguished in English? What is the distinction between aspirated and nonaspirated allophones? Explain their distribution.


THEME: The System of Vowel Phonemes.


1. Explain the general principles of classifying vowels.
What classes of vowels are distinguished by the horizontal movement of the tongue? What classes of vowels are distinguished by the height of the tongue?
What vowels are rounded (and unrounded)?

2.What is the difference between checked and free vowels? Give the classification of English vowels according to the stability of their articulation?

3. Explain the phonematic value of vowel-length in English.

Is vowel-length a distinctive feature in English? What differences exist in the distribution of long and short vowels?

What is the relationship between the features long-short, tense-lax, free-checked?

4. Explain the phonological interpretation of English diphthongs according to the unit-theory. What is the main argument in the explanation of phonological status of diphthongs suggested by American linguists? What vowels are unstressed?

5.What do we mean by reduction?

What types of reduction may be distinguished?