• Dark [] (l) is used (Л всегда твёрдая)

• Initial [p,t,k] are usually non-aspirated]

• [Х] (русская Х) is used in

Loch – [lх]

Caught – [kxt]

• Ing  [in]

Shilling

Dancing

• A specific Scottish feature is a pronunciation [r] [r]

Through  [[ru:]

Of all the 3 types of English Pronunciation in the British Isles the literature standard language may have differences which are manifested in the pronunciation of … typical and local dialects.

Лекция 4

To weaken – слабеть

To omit – опускать

To vocalize – произносить звонко, озвончать

Resemblance – сходство

To involve – затрагивать

Distribution – распределение

Intervocalic – согласный между двумя гласными

American English Pronunciation

1. Differences concerning consonants

2. Differences concerning vowels

3. Differences concerning intonation

4. Differences concerning stress

The starting point of the American standard was the English language of the 17^th century. Now we speak of the national variant of English in the USA – American English. English and American people hate each other. “You know the Americans and the English are 2 different people separated by common language.

There are certain varieties of educated American speech. In the USA 3 main types of cultivated speech are recognized:

• The Eastern type

• The Southern type

• The Western type (General American)

General American pronunciation is known to be the pronunciation standard of the USA.

Reasons:

1. GA is the form of speech by radio and TV.

2. Mostly used in scientific, cultural and business intercourse

3. The prevailing form of speech and pronunciation

The peculiarities:

The differences mainly concern the pronunciation of individual consonants:

• The articulation of [r] is one of the most typical characteristic features

Right

River

Write

Crime

Sister

Rose

[r] is articulated differently from RP. The impression is one of greater retroflection. The tip of the tongue is curled back further than in RP.

• The differentiation of the light [l] doesn’t exist in GA. In all positions dark “l” is used

Look

• Intervocalic [t] consonant is most normally may be voiced. The result is neutralization of the distinction between voiceless [t] and voiced [d]

RP GA

Latter [ltə] [ldə]

Ladder [ldə] [ldə]

The vowel before a voiced consonant is a bit shorter.

• In some words [t] may be omit (dropped out)

Twenty – [tweni]

Little – [lil]

Winter – [winə] and winner – [winə] sound identically.

• Some American speakers make a clear distinction between “wh” and “w”

In RP:

Where – ware

Which – witch

In GA:

Where – [hw]

Which – [hw]

• The consonant [j] is usually weakened or even omitted altogether between a consonant and vowel [u:]

RP GA

Suit [sju:t] [su:t]

Knew [nju:] [nu:]

News [nju:s] [nu:z]

Student [stju:dent] [stu:dent]

• The sound [] is vocalized into [] in final unstressed syllable ending with “-ion”, “-ia”

Excursion

Version

Asia

exception: depression and information

• Like in RP [h] has an independent phonetic value. The American English pronouns and auxiliary verbs normally lose this sound.

He would have hurt him if he had had his gun with him.

[ev] [im] [is] [im]

• Nasality – “American Twang” – is a common characteristic of American English although it’s treated by some phoneticians as a defect of American speech. It is limited to vowels adjacent to [m], [n] and []. The preceding vowel becomes nasal, but the vowel [] and the diphthong [α] are nasalized in any position

Man

Now

About

Long

Song

Matter

The differences concerning vowels:

• [] is frontier and longer than that in RP

A black cat sat on a mat, and rapidly ate a fat rat.