ENGL 202
Prof. G. Steinberg
Phonetics Exercise

Look at the following sets of nonsense words (in the IPA).  Pronounce each set several times at normal conversational speed.  How do the words "feel" in your mouth?  Which word in each set is easiest to say?

  A B
Set 1 [wambi] [wanbi]
Set 2 [plimd] [plind]
Set 3 [sunpi] [sumpi]
Set 4 [bonti] [bomti]

Most people find that the "easier" words are 1A, 2B, 3B, and 4A.  What is it about the sounds in these words that makes them easier for most people to say?


Give the phonemic transcription (in the IPA) for the following words as pronounced in Standard American English.
 

poor

per

pure

spook

pike

peak

one

zoo

bath

joke

nine

yet

run

gap

cap

bat

pot

bead

biscuit

icon

trolley

photograph

nation

incarceration

little

hangman

breath

cloth

crashes

curves

caps

annoy

outset

bought

strong

fish

prayers

their

revision

vantage

pint

punt

pontoon

arrange

discrepancy

gotcha

examine

lax

exterminate

delegate

quite

twin

xylophone

zippers

length

fly

flew

personal

peculiar

competitive

rules

natural

radar

bottle

constraints

know

pools

walk

views

ingredient

indiscrete

carrier

abrasive

fault

jeans

isolation

European

occurs

minimal

worthiness

bomb

bridges

final

suite

coordination

saw

sigh

hierarchical

places

obstacles

dip

depth

movement

Freud

claws

doesn't

other

obnoxious

aqueduct

spatial

ear

suggestions

order

turquoise

dual

peer

par

pick

spark

pack

already

vine

azure

sue

choke

sing

was

bet

pet

bit

foot

about

make

chord

yoghurt

decision

phonograph

ration

garage

pickle

once

clothes

this

curses

calves

cats

iodine

automobile

rough

courage

wishes

they're

water

twist

point

pant

pinto

phonetics

articulation

night

deer

exaggerate

excise

larynx

delicate

weather

twine

xenophobic

height

frowned

flow

flay

pedigree

unique

persecute

initially

national

alphabet

button

syllables

adjective

pulls

wok

invariable

inspiring

closed

zealous

buoyant

bowling

sulk

types

possessive

illusory

student

good

debt

under

obituary

expressions

dungeons

say

so

structure

phrases

relations

dope

deep

transformation

Marx

pause

poltergeist

untruthful

field

question

sentence

annuity

definitions

value

royal

plural

pyre

pore

poke

speak

pork

thought

bathe

fine

ship

mouse

have

lose

dot

tot

bed

but

bite

out

guilt

receipt

precision

philosophy

rational

incomprehensible

hangnail

wanton

breathe

these

cures

cans

cantankerous

autonomy

cough

stout

courageous

acoustics

there

warfare

turn

paint

pent

pounce

sidekick

pronunciation

sounds

tract

exacting

example

exasperate

quiet

whether

zone

zipper

nasalization

round

flaw

emporium

pilgrimage

proper

acute

classes

neutral

alphabetical

butter

introduction

constituency

talk

balk

incorrect

impression

compounds

inaugural

asphalt

neither

glitch

Chinese

evasive

illusion

wisdom

solemn

tired

people

suitable

predicate

diagram

see

sew

gullible

oracles

wage

dupe

auxiliary

generates

clause

paws

describe

ambiguous

aquarium

inquiry

hurricane

wonderful

front

universal

inclusive

vowel


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