Spanish Phonology and Pronunciation Flashcards

Which of the following Spanish words is stressed on the last syllable (oxytone/aguda)?

Answer: camión

'Camión' ends in a nasal consonant 'n' but carries a written accent, indicating stress on the final syllable, making it an aguda word.

In Spanish phonology, the phoneme /b/ and the phoneme /v/ are considered:

Answer: Allophones of the same phoneme

In standard Spanish, /b/ and /v/ are allophones of the same phoneme; there is no phonemic distinction between them.

Which statement correctly describes the Spanish vibrante simple (tap) [ɾ] versus the vibrante múltiple (trill) [r]?

Answer: They are separate phonemes: 'pero' (but) vs. 'perro' (dog)

The tap [ɾ] and trill [r] are distinct phonemes in Spanish, as shown by minimal pairs like 'pero' (but) and 'perro' (dog).

A Spanish word ending in a consonant other than 'n' or 's' is naturally stressed on the:

Answer: Last syllable

Spanish orthographic rules state that words ending in a consonant other than 'n' or 's' carry natural stress on the final syllable (aguda rule).

The Spanish consonant represented by the letter 'j' (as in 'jota') is phonetically described as a:

Answer: Voiceless velar fricative

The Spanish 'j' is pronounced as a voiceless velar fricative [x], produced by airflow friction at the back of the mouth with no vocal cord vibration.

In Spanish, the phenomenon where a final vowel of one word merges with the initial vowel of the next word in speech is called:

Answer: Sinalefa

Sinalefa is the blending of a final vowel of one word with the initial vowel of the following word into a single syllable in Spanish speech.

Which Spanish vowel system characteristic distinguishes it most sharply from English?

Answer: Spanish vowels are pure and monophthongal without gliding

Spanish has five pure, monophthongal vowels that do not glide or change quality throughout their duration, unlike English vowels which tend to diphthongize.