INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HOCHIMINH CITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

COURSE ASSIGNMENT

Course: Phonetics and Phonology

Course Code: 2111411
Class Code: 420300269310
Group: 310-E
Group Members and Signatures:
1. Bạch Hoài Thu - 23696651 -
2. Mai Duy Thanh - 23696001 -
3. Nguyễn Minh Thiện - 23695001 -
4. Nguyễn Nhật Tiến - 22716101 -
5. Phạm Quỳnh Trang - 23693531 -
6. Phạm Thị Mai Trang - 23698841 -

Ho Chi Minh City, 2021

Tasks

1/ Transcribe phonemically individual word in the given sentence, putting the

words in separate lines. Then give the number of sounds in each word. (1 mark)
Why: 2
Did: 3
His: 3
Best: 4
Friends: 5
Refuse: 5
To: 2
Help: 4
Him: 3

2/ Describe the vowels in each one-syllable word. (1 mark)

• "why" => y /#/ : diphthong
• "did" => i /1/ : near-close near-front unrounded vowel
• "his" => i /1/ : near-close near-front unrounded vowel
• "best" => e /ɛ/ : open-mid front unrounded vowel
• "to" => o /u/ : close back rounded vowel
• "help" => e /ɛ/ : open-mid front unrounded vowel
• "him" => i /1/ : near-close near-front unrounded vowel

3/ Describe the consonants in each one-syllable word. (1 mark)

• "why" => w /w/ : voiced labio-velar approximant
• h /h/ : voiceless glottal fricative
• "did" => d /d/ : voiced alveolar plosive
• "his" => h /h/ : voiceless glottal fricative
s /z/ : voiced alveolar fricative
• "best" => b /b/ : voiced bilabial plosive
s /s/ : voiceless alveolar fricative
t /t/ : voiceless alveolar plosive
 • "to" => t /t/ : voiceless alveolar plosive
• "help" => h /h/ : voiceless glottal fricative
l /l/ : voiced alveolar lateral approximant
p /p/ : voiceless bilabial plosive
• "him" => h /h/ : voiceless glottal fricative
m /m/ : voiced bilabial nasal

4/ Write the maximum phonological structure of an English syllable. Then

analyze the structure of the one-syllable words in the given sentence. (1 mark)

Pre- Initial Post- Vowel Pre- Final Post- Post-

initial initial final final1 final2
Why w #
his h ɪ z
best b e s t
to t U
help h e l p
him h ɪ m

5/ Transcribe the given sentence, using the appropriate form (weak or strong).
(1 mark)
Why his best friends refuse to help him ?
/w#/ /h1z/ /best/ /frendz/ /r1fjUz/ /tU/ /help/ /h1m/ ?

6/ Put the sentence stress marks and divide the given sentence up into feet,
using a dotted vertical line as a boundary symbol. (1 mark)

1 2 3 4 5
=QWhy did his =best =friends re =fuse to =help him?

7/ Give 3 examples including 1 noun, 1 adjective, 1 verb for each type of stress.
Stress marks are also included for illustration and brief explanation. (1.5 marks)
Stress in Simple Words
1. Simple 2-syllable words
• Noun: problem /pr4bl9m/
• Adjective: selfish /self1S/
• Verb: forgive /f9g1v/
2. Simple 3-syllable words
• Noun: refusal /r1fjUzl/
• Adjective: positive /p4z9t1v/
• Verb: deliver /d1l1v9(r)/

Stress in Complex Words

1. Prefixes
- Prefixes do not affect the stress of polysyllabic words:
• Noun: cover /k6v9(r)/ => recovery /r1k6v9ri/
• Adjective: capable /keip9bl/ => incapable /1nk$p9bl /
• Verb: approve /9prUv/ => disapprove /-d1s9prUv/
2. Suffixes
- Suffixes carrying the primary stress themselves:
• Noun: refuge /refjUJ / => refugee /-refjUJ/
• Adjective: Vietnam /-vIetnAm/ => Vietnamese /-vIetn9mIz/
• Verb:
- Suffixes that do not affect stress placement:
• Noun: friendly /frendli/ => friendliness /frendlin9s/
• Adjective: care /k&(r)/ => careless /k&l9s/
• Verb: hard /hAd/ => harden /hAdn/
- Suffixes that influence stress in the stem:
• Noun: response /r1sp4ns/ => responsibility /r1-sp4ns9b1l9ti/
• Adjective: photo /f!t!/ => photographic /f!t9gr`f1k/
• Verb:
Stress in Compound Words
1. Compound Nouns
 • bedroom /bedrUm/ /bedr3m/
• toothbrush /tU8br6S/
• airport /&pOt/
2. Other Compounds
• old-fashioned /-!ldf`Snd/
• well-known /weln!n/
• hard-working /-hAdw+k1ŋ/
Stress in Word-class Pairs
• permit /p+m1t/(N) /p9m1t/(V)
• frequent /frIkw9nt/(A) /frikwent/(V)
• present /preznt/(N,A) /pr1zent/(V)

8/ Give 3 examples including illustration and brief explanation for each type of
assimilation, elision and linking. (1.5 marks)

Assimilation
1. Regressive Assimilation
- A sound is influenced by the sound that follows it:
• Example : “Bad guy” /b`d ɡ#/ → /b`g ɡ#/ (The /d/ sound changes
to /ɡ/ to match the voiced velar /ɡ/ sound that follows.
• Example : “Last call” /l`st kɔːOl/ → /l`sk kOl/ (The /t/ sound changes
to /k/ to match the following unvoiced velar /k/ sound.)
• Example : “Ten boys” /ten b%z/ → /tem b%z/ (The /n/ sound changes
to /m/ to match the bilabial /b/ sound that follows.)
2. Progressive Assimilation:
- A sound influences the following sound:
• dogs /dɒgz/ (the final /s/ sound of "dog" becomes voiced (/z/) to
match the voicing of /g/)
• hats /h`ts/ (The final /s/ sound remains unvoiced because /t/ is also
unvoiced)
• moves/ mUvz/ (The final /s/ becomes voiced (/z/) to match the voicing
of /v/)
3. Assimilation of Manner: The manner of articulation of a consonant
changes to match the adjacent sound.
 • -Example: “Input” /ˈ1n.p3t/ →/ ˈ1m.p3t/ (The /n/ sound changes to /m/ to
match the bilabial manner of /p/.)
• -Example: “Handbag”/ˈh`nd.b`g/ → /ˈh`m.b`g/ (The /n/ sound changes to
/m/ to match the bilabial manner of /b/.)
• -Example: “Cupboard” /ˈk6b.9rd/ → /ˈk6p.9rd/ (The /b/ sound becomes a /p/
to match the unvoiced manner of /k/.)
4. Assimilation of Place: The place of articulation of sound shifts to match
the place of the following sound.
• Example: “green park” /ɡriːn pɑːk/ becomes /ɡriːm pɑːk/. The /n/ sound
changes to /m/ to match the bilabial /p/.
• Example: “sun bathe”: /s6n b$5/ may become /s6m be$5/, with /n/
changing to /m/ to match the /b/ sound.
• Example: “phone book”: /fo3n b3k/ can be pronounced as /fo3m b3k/, with
/n/ changing to /m/ to match the /b/ sound.
5. Assimilation of Voicing: A voiceless sound becomes voiced or vice
versa, influenced by a neighboring sound.
- Example: “have to” /h`v t9/ becomes /h`f t9/, where the voiced /v/
becomes voiceless /f/ because of the following voiceless /t/.
- Example: “asked them”: /`skt 59m/ can become /`skt 9m/, where the voiced /ð/
(th sound) is dropped and leaves a voiceless transition.
- Example: “has to”: /h`z tU/ can be pronounced as /h`s tU/, where the voiced /z/
becomes voiceless /s/ before the voiceless /t/.

6. Coalescent Assimilation: When two sounds combine to form a new

sound.
• Example: “did you” /dɪd juː/ becomes /dɪdʒuː/.
• Example: “this year” /51s j19/ becomes /51sS19/.
• Example: “what you” /w4t j9/ becomes /w4tSu9/.
Elision
 1. Weak vowels disappear in unstressed syllables
• Example: potato pHt$t93
• Example: today tHd$
• Example: tonight tN#t
2. Loss of medial consonants in complex consonant clusters
• Example: don’t know d9n(t)=n93
• Example: recently =rIsn(t)li
• Example: looked back l3k(t)b1k
3.Omission of /h/ in weak form of pronouns
• Example: ask her Ask (h )9
• Example: call him kOl (h) 1m
• Example: send her send (h) 9
4.Loss of /v/ in /9v/
• Example: kind of him k#nd 9 h1m
• Example: lots of money l4ts 9 m6ni
• Example: sort of clothes sOt 9 kl935z
5. Between weak forms of auxiliaries and modal auxiliaries
• Example: you are = you’re / j39(r)/
• Example: she would = she’d / SId/
• Example: we will = we’ll / wIl/
Linking

1. Consonant - Vowel Link: Consonant-Vowel Link occurs in connected

speech when a word ending in a consonant is followed by a word starting
with a vowel, causing the consonant to blend seamlessly into the
beginning of the second word.

• Example: come in / k6m 1n/

• Example: stop it /st4p 1t/
• Example: pass out / pAs a3t/
2. Consonant - Consonant Link: Consonant-Consonant Link connects the
final consonant of one word with the initial consonant of the next, often
leading to the omission of a medial consonant, especially if it is a plosive.
Native English speakers tend to drop these consonants, resulting in a
smoother flow of speech, while non-native speakers who articulate every
sound may sound foreign-accented. When a word ends in a stop consonant
and is followed by another consonant, the final consonant is usually not fully
released, as the tongue or lips transition directly to the articulation of the
following consonant.

• Example: good day / g3d d$/

• Example big game / b1g g$m/
• Example fast food / f`st fUd/
3. Vowel - Vowel Link: Vowel-Vowel Link refers to the phonological
phenomenon where two vowels are connected, especially when a word or
syllable ends with a tense vowel or diphthong and is followed by another vowel.
In such cases, a glide /j/ is inserted if the first vowel is /iː/, /aɪ/, or /eə/, and a
glide /w/ is added if it ends in /uː/, /əʊ/, or /aʊ/.
Linking r: linking /r/ is the articulation of the final /r/ sound of a word when it
precedes another word
• Example: over 93v9 over it 93v9r 1t
• Example: there 5e9 there is 5e9r 1z
• Example: here h19 here are h19r 9
Intrusive r: Intrusive /r/ occurs when an /r/ sound is inserted between two
vowel sounds across word boundaries, even if there is no written /r/.
• Example: formula A fOmj9r A
• Example: media Event =mIdi9r 1=vent
• Example: idea exchange #=d19r 1ks=tSe1nd2
Intrusive j: Intrusive /j/ refers to the addition of the glide /j/ when a word ends
in a vowel sound, specifically /iː/, /eɪ/, or /ɔɪ/, followed by another word starting
with the semi-vowel /j/.
• Example: say jit se1 jit
• Example: be jable bI j =$b9l
• Example: the jend 5I jend
Intrusive w: Intrusive /w/ is a linking phenomenon where a glide /w/ is
inserted when a word ends in a vowel sound, particularly /uː/, /əʊ/, or /aʊ/,
followed by another word starting with the semi-vowel /w/.
• Example: go out g93 wa3t
• Example: do all dU wOl
• Example: how is ha3 w1z
4.Vowel-Semi-vowel link: A vowel can be linked to a semi-vowel when a
word ends in a vowel sound (/iː/, /uː/, /eɪ/, /əʊ/) and is followed by a word
starting with a semi-vowel (/j/ or /w/). In this case, the final vowel and the
semi-vowel are pronounced together as a single extended vowel sound.
• Example: be yourself bi jO=self
• Example: say yes se1 jes
• Example: do we dU wI