Understanding and Teaching the Pronunciation of English.pdf

It’s not absolutely necessary for learners to pronounce the
$ap [ɾ] or the glottal stop [Ɂ] allophones of /t/, but they
need to understand them when they hear them. And in
normal American English speech, they will hear them often.

A third allophone of /t/ occurs when /t/ comes before /r/.
In this case, /t/ sounds very much like /ʧ/. The tongue is
moving farther back in the mouth toward the hard palate,
getting ready to say /r/, so the /t/ is also pulled a little
farther back. This happens naturally through the process of
assimilation, a sound change in which one sound becomes
more similar to a sound that comes before or after it. This
happens naturally and doesn’t need to be speci!cally taught.

Light and dark /l/: The consonant /l/ is traditionally said to
have two allophones: “light” or alveolar /l/ (with the symbol
[l] ) and “dark,” or velarized /l/ (with the symbol [ɫ]), each
occurring in di"erent positions:

• [l] (light /l/) is found at the beginning of a syllable,
  especially before front vowels, in words like light, left,
  and believe. It is pronounced with the tongue touching
  the alveolar ridge and the sides of the tongue open.


• [ɫ] (dark /l/) is found at the end of syllables and before
  back vowels, in words like low, ball, and pool. It is also
  pronounced with the sides of the tongue open, but with

4.8 ALLOPHONES OF VOICELESS STOPS4.8 ALLOPHONES OF VOICELESS STOPS4.8 ALLOPHONES OF VOICELESS STOPS4.8 ALLOPHONES OF VOICELESS STOPS

/p/

pʰ paanˈppear When /p/ comes at the beginning of a word or the beginning of a stressed syllable, it’s aspirated.

/p/

p ssppotring When /p/ comes after /s/ or at the beginning of an unstressed syllable, it’s unaspirated.

/p/

p° stolipp When /p/ is at the end of a word, it’s often unreleased. The lips come together, but don’t open.

/t/

tʰ taoˈttpend When /t/ comes at the beginning of a word or the beginning of a stressed syllable, it’s aspirated.

/t/

t ssttandring When /t/ comes after /s/, it’s unaspirated.

/t/

t° capastt

When /t/ is at the end of a word, it’s often

unreleased. The tongue blocks the air, but it

doesn’t open.

/t/

ɾ ˈˈciwatyter

When /t/ comes between vowels, before an

unstressed syllable, it’s a voiced +ap. It sounds like

a quick /d/.

/t/

ʔ ˈˈbusentttonence

When /t/ comes before an unstressed syllable /ən/,

it can become a glottal stop—a sound like the

beginning of a cough.

/t/

ʧ tenraintry Whenlike /ʧ^ /./t/ comes^ before /r/, it^ sounds almost^

/k/

kʰ kcryite When /k/ comes at the beginning of a word or the beginning of a stressed syllable, it’s aspirated.

/k/

k sskcreamy When /k/ comes after /s/ or at the beginning of an unstressed syllable, it’s unaspirated.

/k/

k° simarckk

When /k/ comes at the end of a word, it’s often

unreleased. The back of the tongue closes, but it

doesn’t open.

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