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Consonant Clusters in English

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 Consonant Clusters in English

Mohammed Jasim Betti

Dept. of English, College of Education for Humanities,
University of Thi-Qar

A prevailing characteristic of the English syllable is that of consonant

clusters (or consonant sequences) (and vowel clusters). By consonant
clusters or sequences, it is meant the occurrence of more than one
consonant together without an intervening vowel. Such clusters are
distributed initially, medially and finally depending on the positions they
occupy in the English syllables:

1. Initial Position

i. Two or three English consonants might occur initially.

Two-consonant initial clusters in English are of two groups:

a. /s/ is followed by one of /p, t, k, f, m, n, l, w, j/:

spy /spai/

sleep /sli:p/

small /smo:l/

speak /spi:k/

b. One of /p, t, k, b, d, g, f, Ɵ,, v, m, n, h/is followed by one of /r, l, w,

j/. Not necessarily that all these constructions occur (/pw, pl/do not
occur):

/p/+/l, r, j/:

play /plei/ pray /prei/ pure /pjuə/

t+/r, w, j/:

try /trai/ twice /twais/ tune /tju:n/

/k/ + /l, r, w, j/:

climb /klaim/, cry /krai/

quite /kwait/ cure /kjuə/

/b/ + /l, r, j/:

blow /blou/ beauty / bread /bred/

beauty /bju:ti/

/d/ + /r, w, j/:

dwell /dwel/ dress /dres/

duty /dju:ti/

g + /r, l/:

glass /gla:s/ green /gri:n/

from /from/

/f/ +/l, r, j/:

few /fju:/ fly /flai/

/Ɵ/ + /r, w/: through /Ɵru:/ thwart /Ɵwa:t/

/ʃ/ + /r/: shrank /ʃra:ŋk /

/v/ + /j/: view /vju:/

/m/ + /j/: /mjuzik/

/n/ + /j/: news /nju:z/

/h/ + /j/: huge /hju:dЗ/

Initial three-consonant clusters

These clusters in English include the following:

/spr/: spread /spred/

/str/: street /stri:t/

/skr/: screw /skru:/

/spj/: spurious /spjuriəs/

/skw/: square /skweə/

/skj/: skewer /skjuə/

/stj/: stupid /stju:pid/

/spl/: splendid /splendid/

2: Medial Position

In medial position, the English syllable might have two, three or four
consonant clusters:

Two-medial clusters:

Under /Λndə:/ rested /restid/

until /Λntil/ richness/ritʃnes/

unless /Λnles/ finger /fiŋgə:/

Three-medial clusters:

Extend /ekstend/ Pointless /pointles/

endless /endles/ hungry /hangri/

Hundred /handrid/ restless /restles/

export /ekspo:t/ angry /Λŋgri/

Four-medial clusters

A few medial clusters are found in English:

Promptly /promptli/ explain /eksplein/

extract /ekstra:kt/ exclaim /ekskleim/

3. Final Position

In final positions, there might be a range from 2-7 clusters in words and
between words:
Final-two clusters:

a. stop + stop:
slept /slept/ fact /fa:kt/

rubbed /rabd/ drugged /dragd/

great care /greit keə/ bad cold /ba:d ko:ld/

b. Stop + nasal:

Whiteness /waitnes/ sadness /sa:dnes/

Good night /gud nait/ red nose /rednouz/

Excitement /eksaitmənt/ ripeness /raipnis/

c./t/ or /d/ + /1/:

middle /midl/ battle /ba:tl/

huddled /hΛdld/ pedals /pedlz/

titles /taitlz/ at last /Λt la:st/

d. Consonant +/s, z, t,d/:

cups /kΛps/ cats /ka:ts/

proved /pru:vd/ banged /bandƷd/

lapsed /la:pst/ rests /rests/

e. Consonant +/Ɵ/:

eighth /eitƟ/ breadths /bredƟs/

twelfth /twelfƟ/ thirteenth /Ɵə:ti:nƟ/

ninth /nainƟ/ fifth /fifƟ/

f. /1/ + consonant:

helps /helps/ milks /milks/

shelves /ʃelvz/ bulged /bΛldƷd/

belts /beltz/ filmed /filmd/

g. Nasal + consonant:

punched /pΛntʃt/ revenged /rivendƷd/

Final-three clusters

Best man /best ma:n/ help me /help mi:/

Nice tune /nais tju:n/ long skirt /lo:ŋ skə:t/

tall tree /to:l tri:/ loud cry /laud krai/

Final-four clusters

Next Sunday /nekst sΛndei/ fifth floor /fifƟ flo:/

Vast scale /va:st skeil/ long street /loŋstri:t/

small square /smo:1 sqwə:/ good student /gud stju:dənt/

Final-five clusters

Milk's free /milks fri:/ acts stupidly /a:k stju:pidli/

Bent spring /bent sprinŋ/ that's splendid /ða:ts splendid/

Mixed sweets /mikstswi:ts/ bent screw /bent skru:/

Final-six clusters

Next spring /nekst sprinŋ / hinged screen /hiŋd skri:n/

Final-seven clusters

The text's stupid /ðeteksts stjupid/

She tempts strangers /ʃi tempts streiŋəz/

REFERENCES

Al-Hamash, K. I. (1977). A Practical Course in English Phonetics for

Speakers of Arabic. Baghdad: Al-Risaafi Printing Press.

Al-Hamash, K. I. (1979). English Phonetics and Phonology. Baghdad:

Al-Rassafi Printing Press.

Fromkin, V. and Rodman, R. (1981). An Introduction to Language. New

York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Gimson, A. C. (1985). An Introduction to the Pronunciation of

English. 3ed Ed. London: Edward Arnold.

Hayman, L. M. (1975). Phonology: Theory and Analysis. New York:

Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Jones, D. (1978). An Outline of English Phonetics. rpt. Cambridge: CUP.

O'Connor, J. D. (1988). Better English Pronunciation. Tenth Printing.

Cambridge: CUP.

Roach, P. (1988). English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course.

Cambridge: CUP.

Stageberg, N. C. (1981). An Introductory English Grammar. 4th Ed. New

York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Symbols for phonemes

/i/ as in ‘pit’ pit
/e/ as in ‘pet’ pet
/a/ as in ‘pat’ pat
/Λ/ as in ‘putt’ pΛt
/o/ as in ‘pot’ pot
/u/ as in ‘put’ put
/ə/ as in ‘about’ upper’
/ei/ as in ‘bay’ bei
/ai/ as in ‘buy’ bai
/oi/ as in ‘boy’ boi
 /iə/ as in ‘peer’ pio
/eə/ as in ‘pear’ peo
/uə/ as in 'doer' duə
/P/ as in ‘pea’ pi:
/t/ as in ‘toe’ tau
/k/ as in ‘cap’ kap
/f/ as in ‘fat’ fat
/Ɵ/ as in ‘thing’ 0iŋ
/s/ as in ‘sip’ sip
/ʃ/ as in ‘ship’ ʃip
/h/ as in ‘hat’ hat
/m/ as in ‘map’ map
/n/ as in ‘nap’ nap
/ŋ/ as in ‘hang’ haŋ
/tʃ / as in ‘chin’ tʃin
/i:/ as in ‘key’ ki:
/a:/ as in ‘car’ ka:
/o:/ as in ‘core’ ko:
/u:/ as in ‘coo’ ku:
/ə:? as in ‘cur’ kə:
/ou/ as in ‘go’ gou
/au/ as in ‘cow’ kau
/b/ as in ‘bee’ bi:
/d/ as in ‘doe’ dau
/g/ as in ‘gap’ gap
/v/ as in ‘vat’ vast
/ð/ as in ‘this’ ðis
/z/ as in ‘zip’ zip
/Ʒ/ as in ‘measure’ meƷə
/1/ as in ‘led’ led
/r/ as in ‘red’ red
/j/ as in ‘yet’ jet
/w/ as in ‘wet’ wet
/dƷ/ as in ‘gin’ dƷin

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