Pronunciation and Prosody Overview

These flashcards cover key concepts related to prosody, vowels, weak forms, and pronunciation dynamics in English.

What does 'prosody' refer to in speech?

Prosody refers to the features of speech that can be added to individual sounds, especially in sequences, such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.

What is the meaning of the term 'suprasegmental'?

Suprasegmental refers to features of speech that are similar to those described by prosody, affecting more than one sound.

What are regular prosodic features?

Regular prosodic features include intonation, stress, rhythm, voice quality, loudness, and tempo.

What distinguishes full vowels from reduced vowels?

Full vowels are clear and pronounced vowels, while reduced vowels are shorter and less distinct, often found in unstressed syllables.

Give an example of a strong form of a function word.

An example of a strong form is 'and' pronounced as /ænd/.

Why is it important to learn weak forms in English?

Understanding weak forms is crucial for comprehending native speech, as they make spoken English more fluent and natural.

What happens to weak forms when they occur at the end of a sentence?

Weak-form words may switch to their strong form when they appear at the end of a sentence.

How does the pronunciation of 'the' change in different contexts?

'The' may be pronounced /ðə/ before consonants and /ðiː/ before vowels.

What happens to auxiliary verbs in negative forms regarding weak forms?

In their negative forms, auxiliary verbs usually do not have weak pronunciations and may differ in vowel sounds.

What is meant by 'centralisation' in weak forms?

Centralisation refers to the tendency of unaccented sounds to be pronounced with a more central position in the mouth, usually resulting in a schwa-like sound.