Understanding and Teaching the Pronunciation of English.pdf

numbers clearly enough to hear that last /n/, especially when
the next word starts with /n/ or another sound that blends
with the /n/. Fortunately, there are other clues that
distinguish the -teen and -ty numbers. Here are two simple
clues to help students:

Word stress: The -ty numbers are always stressed on the
!rst syllable. The -teen numbers are usually stressed on the
last syllable. (But look at the section on variable word
stress at the end of Chapter 9 to see some exceptions. There
are always exceptions, aren’t there?)

The sound of /t/: Both forty and fourteen have the
phoneme /t/ in the middle, but because of the di"erence in
stress, /t/ sounds di"erent in each word. In -ty words, the
stress is before /t/, so it becomes the alveolar $ap [ɾ]. It’s
voiced, and it sounds like a quick /d/. In -teen words, the
stress is after /t/, so it doesn’t become a $ap. It sounds like a
normal, aspirated /t/. It’s voiceless, and it’s pronounced with
a slight pu" of air. (See Chapter 4 for more details about the
allophones of /t/.)

In real life, if you’re not sure what number you’ve heard, just
ask for clari!cation. Everybody does from time to time,
including native speakers, and nobody will mind.

Here’s a summary of the pronunciation di"erences between

numbers ending in -ty and -teen:

Type of number Stress pattern Sound of /t/

-ty words (e.g. 40) O o Flapped /t/

-teen words (e.g. 14) o O Aspirated /t/

Listen: 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90Listen: 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Listen: 13 14 15 16 17 18 19Listen: 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Compound adverbs

Compound adverbs are words made up of two separate parts

that function as adverbs. When these words tell location or

direction, they are normally stressed on the last part of the

word:

downˈtown northˈeast southˈwest

overˈseas downˈstairs outˈside

Reflexive pronouns

Re$exive pronouns are pronouns that refer back to the

subject of the sentence. They end in -self or -selves, and are

stressed on the last syllable:

myˈself himˈself ourˈselves themˈselves

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