ELSA ELSA Pronunciation & Phonetics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which word pair demonstrates the voiced/voiceless consonant contrast?
- pat / bat (Correct answer)
- cat / car
- man / men
- sit / set
Correct answer: pat / bat
'Pat' begins with the voiceless /p/ and 'bat' with the voiced /b/, illustrating a voiced/voiceless consonant contrast.
Question 2: In the word 'button,' the second syllable contains which special sound?
- A syllabic /n/ (Correct answer)
- A long /o/ vowel
- A voiced /d/
- A schwa followed by /t/
Correct answer: A syllabic /n/
In casual American English, 'button' is often pronounced with a syllabic /n/ in the final syllable, with no distinct vowel.
Question 3: Which word contains the /θ/ sound (as in 'think')?
- three (Correct answer)
- tree
- free
- fee
Correct answer: three
The word 'three' begins with the voiceless dental fricative /θ/, the same sound at the start of 'think.'
Question 4: What is the term for the slight puff of air produced after the /p/ sound at the start of 'pot' in English?
- Aspiration (Correct answer)
- Elision
- Assimilation
- Liaison
Correct answer: Aspiration
Aspiration is the puff of air that follows voiceless stops like /p/, /t/, and /k/ at the beginning of stressed syllables in English.
Question 5: Which is an example of vowel reduction to a schwa /ə/ in connected speech?
- The word 'and' pronounced as /ənd/ in fast speech (Correct answer)
- The word 'cat' keeping its full /æ/ sound
- The word 'see' lengthened for emphasis
- The word 'big' with a long /ɪː/ vowel
Correct answer: The word 'and' pronounced as /ənd/ in fast speech
Unstressed function words like 'and' commonly reduce to a schwa /ə/ in natural connected speech.
Question 6: Which word has the same vowel sound as the underlined letters in 'b_ir_d'?
- heard (Correct answer)
- hard
- hared
- hoard
Correct answer: heard
Both 'bird' and 'heard' contain the stressed mid-central r-colored vowel /ɜːr/ in American English.
ELSA ELSA Pronunciation & Phonetics 2
Which word pair demonstrates the voiced/voiceless consonant contrast?