REVISION FOR PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY

EXAM​
A. TEST FORMAT
I. TEST FORMAT
Time allowance: 60 minutes
Part Number of questions Format
Part 1: Practical questions 10 multiple choice Choose the best answer by
(5pts) questions circling A, B, C or D.
Part 2: Theoretical 2 review questions Answer the questions by
questions (5pts) writing down your
understanding of phonetic
and phonological
phenomena.

B. SAMPLE TEST​

PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY

Time: (60’)
(Materials are not allowed)
I. Choose the best answer by circling A, B, C or D (5 marks)
1. Which of the following symbols that corresponds to each of the following description:
voiced labiodental fricative consonant?
A. [ f ] ​ ​ B. [ w ] ​ ​ C. [ ð ] ​ ​ D. [ v ]
2. Which of the following words contains a palato-alveolar affricate consonant?
A. rouge​ ​ B. stage​ ​ C. season ​ ​ D. beige
3. Which of the following groups contains a segment that differs in voicing from the
other segments?
A. [z, d, θ, b ]​ B. [ m, n, ŋ, ð ]​ C. [ w, j , r, l ]​ D. [ b, d, g, z ]
4. A speaker said: “You’re always late.” Which intonation pattern is used in this
statement?
A. Take-off​ ​ B. Dive​ ​ C. Glide-Up​ ​ D. Glide-Down
5. In which compound word, the primary stress goes on the second element?
A. Full moon​​ B. Car ferry​ ​ C. Farm house​ D. Bedroom
6. What does the sound /l/ become in the words ‘well’, ‘still’?
A. Velarized​ ​ B. Nasalized​ ​ C. Dentalized​​ D. Devoiced
7. What phonetic aspect occurs in the words “white man’’?
A. Assimilation​ B. Elision​ ​ C. Linking ​ ​ D. Stress group
8. Which one takes place elision?
A. Good dad​ ​ B. Collect ​ ​ C. Nine nights​ D. Comment
9. Which of the following words contains a velar nasal consonant?
A. lame​ ​ B. barn​ ​ C. reign​ ​ D. anger
10. In which word does linking occur?
A. Nice sugar​​ B. Rose shop​​ C. Put on ​ ​ D. Bad boy
D. REVISION CONTENT
Part 1: Practical Questions
1. Which of the following symbols that corresponds to each of the
following description: voiced labiodental fricative consonant?
A. [ f ]​ B. [ w ] ​ C. [ ð ] ​ D. [ v ]
2. Which of the following words contains a palato-alveolar affricate consonant?
A. rouge ​ B. stage ​ C. season ​ D. beige
3. “Pass, goose, scarce, patience, and dose” all contain a(n)….
A. palatal ​ B. plosive ​ C. alveolar ​ D. affricate
4. Which of the following words doesn’t contains a back, low, neutral, long vowel?
A. heart ​ B. guard ​ C. draught ​D. rough
5. Which of the following groups contains a vowel that differs from the others?
A. [i, e, æ]​ B. [æ, a:, ɒ] ​ C. [u:, ɒ, ɒ:] ​D. [i:, a:, ɒ:]
6. Which of the following groups contains a centring diphthong?
A. various ​ B. load ​ C. nation ​ D. sleight
7. In which word /d/ become voiceless?
A. Big dog ​ B. Good dance ​ C. Ten durians ​ D. Right duck
8. In which word, the vowel becomes shorter?
A. Need ​ B. Neat ​ C. Heal ​ D. Dean
9. What does the sound /l/ become in the words ‘well’, ‘still’?
A. Velarized ​ B. Nasalized ​ C. Dentalized ​ D. Devoiced
10. Which word has different stressed syllable from the others?
A. Precise ​ B. Sincere ​ C. Polite ​ D. Happy
11. The 4 words below contain the sound /əʊ/. Which word has the stress on this
sound?
A. Follow ​ B. Bonus ​ C. Narrow ​ D. Borrow
12. Which list of verbs has the same rule of stress. What is the rule?
A. Protest, inform, invent B. Enter, travel, agree
Rule: The accent usually falls on the last syllable in two-syllable verbs.
C. Settle, marry, succeed D. Answer, equal, design
13. In which word does linking occur?
A. Nice sugar B. Rose shop C. Put on ​ D. Bad boy
14. Assimilation takes place in the 4 groups of words below. Which is NOT the
assimilation of place of articulation? (read aloud the answer)
A. Should win ​ B. Ten men C. Might come ​ D. Good night
15. Linking occurs in the 4 choices (A, B, C, D). Which one needs to add sound /j/ as
linking (intrusion)?
A. My uncle B. Do it ​ C. Go in ​ D. How about
16. In which word does dentalization occur?
A. Breath time ​B. That thing C. Cloth shop ​ D. Tenth hat
17. Which one has NO elision?
A. Left knee ​ B. Cooked potato ​ C. Lots of money ​ D. Five vans
18. Assimilation occurs in the words ‘main gate’. What is the rule e?
A. Alveolar + velar → velar B. Alveolar + bilabial → bilabial
C. Nasal + plosive→ plosive D. Alveolar + palatal → palate-alveolar
19. A speaker said: “You’re always late.” Which intonation pattern is used in this
statement?
A. Take-off B. Dive ​ C. Glide-Up ​ D. Glide-Down
20. If you want to greet and say thank you in an unexpected way, you normally uses
the ……………….
A. Take-off B. Glide-Up ​ C. Dive ​ D. Glide-Down
21. When there are five important words in a statement with Glide-down, which
important word has the fall?
A. the first important word B. the second & third important word
C. the fourth important word D. the fifth important word
22. A speaker said: “You’re sure to go with me?” Which intonation pattern is used in
this statement?
A. Take-off ​B. Dive ​ C. Glide-Up ​ D. Glide-Down
23. A speaker said: “What a nice surprise!” Which intonation pattern is used in this
statement?
A. Take-off ​B. Dive ​ C. Glide-Up ​ D. Glide-Down
24. A speaker said: “You’ll miss the next train.” Which intonation pattern is used in
this statement?
A. Take-off ​ B. Dive ​ C. Glide-Up ​ D. Glide-Down
25. Which affix when being added changes the stress of the original word?
A. _ment ​ B. _less ​ C. _ful ​ ​ D. _ic
26. In which compound word, the primary stress goes on the second element?

A. Full moon ​ B. Car ferry ​ C. Farm house ​ D. Bedroom

27. Which word has different stressed syllable from the others?
A. Introduce B. Determine ​ C. Recommend ​ D. Entertain
28. In which word, vowel /e/ become nasalized?
A. Met ​ B. Tenth ​ C. Reng ​​ D. Necessary
29. In which word, /g/ is devoiced?
A. ghost ​ B. dog ​ C. get ​ ​ D. guarantee
30. In which words, the sound /l/ and /r/ become devoiced?
A. cry, collect ​ B. place, price ​C. try, skill ​ ​ D. rhino, play
31. “chemist, ghost, chaos, gallery” all contain a(n)…. at the beginning of the word.
A. velar ​ B. fricative ​ C. labio-dental ​ D. affricate
32. Which of the following groups contains a segment that differs in voicing from the
other segments?
A. [z, d , θ, b ] ​ B. [ m, n, ŋ , ð ] ​ C. [ w, j , r, l ] ​ D. [ b, d, g, z ]
33. Which of the following groups contains a segment that differs in manner of
articulation from the other segments?
A. [ θ, ð, s, z ] ​ B. [ w, r, j, l ] ​ C. [ p, b, k, d ] ​D. [ t, d, g, p ]
34. Which of the following symbols that corresponds to each of the following
description: central, mid, neutral, long vowel?
A. /ə:/ ​ B. /ə/ ​ C. /ʌ/ ​ ​ D. /a:/
35. Which of the following symbols that corresponds to each of the following
description: front, low, unrounded vowel?
A. /æ/ ​ B. /e/ ​ C. /i/ ​ ​ D. /ɒ:/
36. Which of the following descriptions characterizes /e/?
A. central, mid, unrounded vowel B. front, mid, unrounded vowel
C. front, mid, rounded vowel D. back, low, unrounded vowel
37. A speaker said: “Have you posted the photos on Facebook yet?” Which intonation
pattern is used in this statement?
A. Take-off ​B. Dive ​ C. Glide-Up ​ ​ D. Glide-Down
Part 2: Theoretical Questions
1.​ What is the difference between the oral sounds and the nasal sounds? Backup
your answer with examples.

In the process of making sounds, at the uvula if the soft palate is raised, blocking off the
nasal tract, the airstream can only go into the oral tract and go out of the mouth, then we
have oral sounds.

Examples of oral sounds:

●​ /p/ as in "pat"
●​ /b/ as in "bat"
●​ /t/ as in "tap"
●​ /d/ as in "dog

In the process of making sounds, if the air-stream is blocked somewhere in the oral cavity
but the soft palate is lowered so that the air-stream can get into the nasal tract and get out
through the nostrils, then we have nasal sounds.

Examples of nasal sounds:

●​ /m/ as in "map"
●​ /n/ as in "nap"
●​ /ŋ/ (ng) as in "sing"

2.​ What is the assimilation? Backup your answer with examples.

Assimilation is the process which takes place when one sound adapts itself to become
similar to a neighbouring sound in one or more aspects. In other words, assimilation is
the influence of one phoneme upon another neighbouring phoneme, so that they become
more alike.
Assimilation may occur across word boundaries or between words, across morpheme
boundaries or within a morpheme or a word.
Examples of Assimilation
Input: [ɪnpʊt]
Handbag: [ˈhændbæɡ]
3.​ How can we understand the diphthongs and triphthongs? And what are the
diphthongs and triphthongs? Backup your answer with examples.

Dipthongs are ‘gliding vowels’, where one vowel sound glides into another one, as
a result of the lips or tongue moving. A dipthong is a change in vowel quality,
whose sound changed within the same syllable.

Examples of diphthongs in English:

1.​ /aɪ/ as in "tie" or "high"

2.​ /aʊ/ as in "cow" or "now"
3.​ /ɔɪ/ as in "boy" or "toy"

Tripthongs are the most complex English sounds of the vowel type. A tripthong is
a glide from one vowel to another and then to a third, all produced rapidly and
without interruption.

Examples of triphthongs in English:

1.​ /aɪə/ as in "fire" or "tire"

2.​ /aʊə/ as in "hour" or "tower"
3.​ /eɪə/ as in "player" or "layer"

4.​ What is the elision? Backup your answer with examples.

Elision is the disappearance of sounds in speech. Under certain circumstances,

sounds disappear. A phoneme may be realized as zero or have zero realization.

Examples:

●​ Next day [nɛks deɪ]

●​ Camera [ˈkæmərə]
●​ I am [aɪm]

5.​ What is the difference between the voiced sounds and voiceless sounds? Backup
your answer with examples.
Voiced sounds are produced when the vocal cords vibrate. When you place your fingers
on your throat while producing these sounds, you should feel a buzzing sensation due to
the vibration.

Examples of Voiced Sounds:

1.​ /b/ as in "bat"

2.​ /d/ as in "dog"
3.​ /g/ as in "go"
4.​ /v/ as in "van"

Voiceless sounds are produced without the vibration of the vocal cords. The vocal cords
remain apart, allowing air to flow freely through the glottis without causing the cords to
vibrate.

Examples of Voiceless Sounds:

1.​ /p/ as in "pat"

2.​ /t/ as in "tap"
3.​ /k/ as in "cat"
4.​ /f/ as in "fat"

6.​ What is the linking between sounds? Backup your answer with examples.

Linking between sounds is the phenomenon in which the last consonant of the previous
word is connected with the same initial consonant of the next word or the initial vowel of
the next word. Besides, the linking can happen to the final vowel of the previous word
which is linked w/ the vowel of the next word w/ the intrusive semi-vowel or
approximants.

Example: "go away" (Pronunciation: [ɡoʊ əˈweɪ] or [ɡoʊ wəˈweɪ] )

11. What is a phoneme? Distinguish allophones and phonemes. Backup your

answer with examples.
A phoneme is the smallest segment of sound which can distinguish two words.
Example: /k/ in "cat" vs. /g/ in "gat".

Distinguishing Phonemes and Allophones

a/ Phonemes:Distinct units of sound that can change the meaning of a word.

Example: /p/ and /b/ in "pat" vs. "bat" (changing /p/ to /b/ changes the meaning of the
word).

b/ Allophones:Variations of a phoneme that do not change the meaning of a word.

Example:/p/ in "pin" vs. /p/ in "spin" are both allophones of the phoneme /p/.

7.​ State the basic English tunes (name them, give their definitions and examples)
a/ The falling tune- The glide down.
The falling tune is the intonation pattern consisting of a fall in the voice from a fairly
high pitch to a very low one.
Example: "I'm going to the store.\"

b/ The first rising tone - The glide up:

The glide up is the intonation pattern consisting of a rise at the end of a sentence but the
tune starts at a high pitch. The glide up can be used for: Most yes/no questions; a
statement intended as a question; a polite request; a casual greeting
Example: Can you help me?

c/ The second rising tune - The take off:

The intonation pattern that ends w/ a rise in the voice like the Glide up but any words or
syllables before the rise are low. The take-off can be used for: a grumbling statement; an
echoing question
Example: You are always late.

d/ The falling-rising tune - The dive:

The intonation pattern consisting of a fall from a rather high pitch to a low one and then a
rise to about the middle of the voice. The dive can be use for: a list of thing; correcting
things; with “before/when” phrase; alternative question A or B.
Example: Would you like strawberry or banana?