VII. Varieties of English Pronunciation

Suggested Reading

Vassilyev, V. A. English Phonetics: A theoretical course: Доп. в качестве учебника для студентов и-тов и ф-тов иностранных языков / V. A. Vassilyev. – 1970 *.
Vassilyev, V. A. English phonetics: (A normative course): Пособие для студентов пед. ин-тов и фак. иностр. языков. – 1980 – 256 с.
Леонтьева, С. Ф. Теоретическая фонетика современного английского языка = A Theoretical cоurse of English Phonetics: [учебник для пед. вузов и ун-тов] / Леонтьева, Светлана Фёдоровна; С. Ф. Леонтьева. - М.: Менеджер, 2004. - 335, [1] c.
Leontyeva S.F. English Phonetics: A Theoretical Course. – M.: 2011
Sokolova M.A., Gintovt K.P. English Phonetics. A Theoretical Course. - М. 2008
Теоретическая фонетика английского языка: [учебник для вузов по направлению и специальности "Филология"] / М. А. Соколова, К. П. Гинтовт, И. С. Тихонова, Р. М. Тихонова. - 3-е изд.; стер. - М.: Гуманит. изд. центр ВЛАДОС, 2006. - 285, [1] c.
Шевченко, Т. И. Теоретическая фонетика английского языка: учебник: [по специальностям направления "Лингвистика и межкультурная коммуникация"] / Шевченко, Татьяна Ивановна; Т. И. Шевченко. - Изд. 2-е; стер. - М.: Высш. шк., 2009 (: Иваново: ОАО "Иванов. обл. тип."). - 191 с.
Шевченко, Т. И. Фонетика и фонология английского языка: Курс теоретической фонетики английского языка для бакалавров / Т. И. Шевченко. Дубна., Феникс+, 2011. – 256 с.

* The output data may vary.

I. Phonetics as a Science

1. Phonetics as a Science.

2. The Components of the Phonetic System of English.

3. Three Aspects of Speech Sounds (Physiological (Articulatory & Auditory), Acoustic and Functional Ph.) and Methods of their Investigation. Articulatory, Acoustic and Functional Ph.

4. The Correlation of Phonetics with Lexicology, Grammar & Stylistics.

5. The Correlation of Phonetics with physiology, anatomy, acoustics.

6. Divisions and Branches of Phonetics: General, Special, Historical, Descriptive, Comparative, Applied

II. Phonemes and Allophones

A. Articulatory Aspect of Speech Sounds

1. Organs of speech:

§ The direction of the air stream released from the lungs;

§ Three different states of the vocal cords;

§ The position of the soft palate;

§ The parts of the palate;

§ The parts of the tongue;

§ The active and passive organs of speech and their role in the sound formation.

The articulatory distinctions between vowels, consonants and sonorants/ sonants.

Consonants.

Principles of classification:

§ Work of the vocal cords and the force of exhalation;

§ Active organs of speech and the place of obstruction;

§ Manner of noise production and the type of obstruction;

§ Position of the soft palate.

Modern tendencies in the consonantal system of English.

Comparison of the English and Russian consonantal systems.

Differences in the articulation bases of the English and Russian consonants.

Vowels

Principles of classification:

§ Position of the tongue (the horizontal and vertical movements of the tongue);

§ Position of the lips;

§ Degree of the muscular tension of the articulatory organs;

§ Force of articulation at the end of the vowel;

§ length;

§ stability of articulation

§ Active organs of speech and the place of obstruction;

§ Manner of noise production and the type of obstruction;

Modern tendencies in the vocalic system of English.

Comparison of the English and Russian vocalic systems.

Differences in the articulation bases of the English and Russian vowels.

B. Functional Aspect of Speech Sounds.

1. The concept of the phoneme.

2. The definition of the phoneme from the viewpoint of distinctive oppositions. Types of phonological oppositions.

3. Distinctively relevant and distinctively irrelevant features of the phoneme. Invariant and variant.

4. Constitutive, distinctive, identificatory/recognitive functions of the phoneme.

5. Phonemes and allophones.

6. Types of allophones. The basis for allophonic differences.

7. Phonetic and phonemic/ phonological mistakes.

8. Three views on the problem of the identification of phonemes in different allomorphs of the same morpheme.

III. Modifications of the English Consonants and Vowels in Connected Speech.

1. Three stages in the articulation of an isolated speech sound.

2. Merging of stages. Interpenetration of stages.

3. Assimilation in English (CC transition).

A. Types of assimilation according to:

a) the time of realization – historical and living (diachronic and synchronic);

b) the pronunciation norm – obligatory and non-obligatory (established and accidental);

c) the direction of assimilation – progressive, regressive and reciprocal;

d) the degree of assimilation – partial, complete and intermediate/intermediary.

B. Articulatory aspect of assimilation.

Allophones due to assimilation affecting:

a) the place of obstruction;

b) the place of obstruction and the active organ of speech;

c) the manner of noise production;

d) the work of the vocal cords;

e) the position of the lips;

f) the position of the soft palate.

4. Accommodation in English (VC and CV transition).

Three main types: changes in

a) the vertical movement of the tongue;

b) the horizontal movement of the tongue;

c) labialization of consonants.

5. Alternation of sounds.

6. Elision. Tempo of speech. Styles of speech.

7. Assimilation in English as compared with Russian.

IV. Syllabic Structure of English Words. Syllable Formation and Syllable Division.

1. The Phonetic aspect of the syllable.

2. Different points of view on syllable formation and syllable division.

a) The expiratory, or chest pulse theory (R. Stetson);

b) The relative sonority theory (O. Jespersen);

c) The muscular tension, or the articulatory effort theory (L. Scherba);

d) The loudness theory (N. Zhinkin).

3. Types of juncture (open, close).

4. The structural aspect of the English syllables.

5. Structural differences of English and Russian syllables.

6. The functions of syllable formation and syllable division (constitutive, distinctive, identificatory).

V. Word Stress

The nature of English word stress

Phonetic aspects of word stress:

1) Articulatory aspects (muscular tension; time of articulation, or length; pitch changes and full articulation of sounds);

2) Auditory aspect (loudness, duration, pitch, prominence, sound quality);

3) Acoustic parameters of word stress (intensity, duration, frequency, formant structure).

Types of word stress in various languages (dynamic, musical, quantitative, qualitative).
The phonetic nature of word stress in English and in Russian.

Functional aspect of word stress (constitutive, delimitative, distinctive and identificatory, or recognitive).
Linguistically relevant degrees of word stress.
Placement of stress:

Types of word stress: free/ variable and fixed, constant and shifted;
Stress patterns of English words;
Factors defining the place and degree of word stress (semantic, historical; recessive, rhythmic, retentive tendencies).

Stress in simple, derived and compound words.
The relation between word stress and sentence stress.

VI. Intonation

1. Phonological aspect of intonation.

2. The definition of intonation in the works of Russian and foreign linguists.

3. Functions of intonation.

a. General phonological functions of intonation (constitutive, distinctive, identificatory or recognitive).

b. Particular phonological functions of intonation (communicative, syntactic or grammatical, logical, implicatory, attitudinal).

4. Intonation components and their functions.

5. Speech melody, or the pitch component of intonation:

a. The units of pitch component;

b. The phonological status of English terminal tones.

6. Sentence (utterance) stress:

a. The relations between utterance stress and word stress;

b. The types of utterance stress (US) (normal/ ordinary utterance stress nuclear, non-nuclear full stress, partial stress, logical, contrastive, emphatic);

c. Factors determining stress distribution in a sentence (semantic, grammatical, emphatic, rhythmic);

d. Functional aspect of utterance stress.

7. The temporal component (characteristics):

a. Tempo (the types of tempo; the functions of tempo);

b. Pauses (the pauses of tempo; the functions of pauses).

8. Rhythm (types of rhythm; the functions of rhythm; peculiarities of rhythm in English and Russian).

9. The peculiarities of timber, or voice quality.

VII. Varieties of English Pronunciation