Review questions and tasks. 1. Name 4 components of English pronunciation.

1. Name 4 components of English pronunciation.

2. What is RP? Who speak it in Britain?

3. Why is RP considered a teaching norm?

4. What is good pronunciation?

5. How should one develop inportant phonetic skills?

Unit 3

Section 1

Make a careful study of the text below and pick out the terms related to phonetics.

Organs of Articulation

To understand how speech sounds are produced one must have some knowledge of the organs of articulation (=organs of speech) and their work.

The organs of speech are divided into 2 groups: activeand passive.

Active organs of articulation are movable; they change their position when we speak. They are as follows:

a) the lungs providing air for sounds; b) the vocal cords which produce voice;

c) the tongue which is the most flexible organ of articulation (it can move in the horizontal or vertical directions and change its shape which influences the sound quality); d) the lips affecting very considerably the shape of the mouth cavity as they can take various positions (they can be pressed firmly together or kept apart, neutral, rounded or protruded); e) the soft palate with the uvula which directs the air stream either to the mouth or to the nasal cavity; f) the lower jaw regulating the gap between the upper and lower teeth.

Passive organs of speech (the teeth, the teeth/alveolar ridge, the hard palate, the walls of the resonators ( i.e.the mouthandthe nasal cavities) do not move - they just form an obstruction for the air stream and serve as points of articulation.

The sounds are produced in the following way. The air stream passes from the lungs into the windpipe, then it comes to the larynx containing the vocal cords. The vocal cords are two elastic folds with the opening between them (called the glottis). They may be kept apart or brought together. If the tense vocal cords are brought together, the air stream is forced between them and makes them vibrate. In this way voiced sounds are produced. When the vocal cords are kept apart, voiceless sounds are produced, as the air stream passes between them freely and no vibration is felt. There is one more state of the vocal cords which results in the glottal stop, a kind of ‘click’ (a ‘coughing’ sound). The glottal stop is produced when the vocal cords are brought together and then opened suddenly by the air stream. On coming out of the larynx the air stream passes through the pharynx and then goes either through the nasal or mouth cavity (it depends on the position of the soft palate). The soft palate with the uvula can move. If it is lowered, the air passes through the nose and nasal sounds are produced. If it is raised and contacts the back wall of the pharyngal cavity, the air stream is directed into the mouth giving rise to oral sounds.

Being aware of the process of sound formation and production will help a learner to better understand the principles according to which the sounds are classified.

Section 2

[e]

(front, mid (narrow variant), unrounded, short)

I. Observe the position of the lips and the tongue for the sound [e]. Read the words

in the columns. Pay attention to the positional length of [e].

pen pet [ı - e] pin - pen

bend best pig - peg

dead deaf tin - ten

lend left sit - set

stem step chick - cheque

bread breath bill - bell

Thames test bin - Ben

II. Read the sentences. Follow the tonetic marks.

1. Well said. Хорошо сказано.

2. The engine went dead. Мотор заглох.

3. Mel meant to get ahead. Мэл хотела добиться успеха

4. Meg’s getting very deaf. Мэг совсем глохнет.

5. Len said he never slept well. Лен сказал, что всегда

плохо спит.

6. Success went to Ned’s head. Нэд упоен успехом.

7. Deb expects to get ready next Wednesday. Деб полагает, что будет

готова в следующую среду.

III. Observe the correct pronunciation of the rhythmic groups and the vowel [e].

She 'sells eggs.| She 'sells 'hens’ eggs.| She 'sells the 'best 'hens’ eggs.|

She 'sells the 'best 'hens’ 'eggs 'every `Wednesday.| She 'sells the 'best

'hens’ 'eggs 'every 'Wednesday in the market.||

IV. Match the following English idioms, proverbs and sayings with their Russian

equivalents. Make up situations to illustrate their usage.

1. All is well that ends well. a. избранные, элита

2. Good health is above wealth. b. сохранять спокойствие

3. the jet set c. Все хорошо, что хорошо кончается.

4. a dead end d. письмо, не дошедшее до адресата

5. in one’s element e. Здоровье лучше богатства.

6. to keep a level head f. размять ноги

7. stretch one’s legs g. усложнять, сгущать краски

8. dead letter h. как рыба в воде (в своей стихии)

9. make heavy weather of i. безвыходное положение, тупик

V. Practise the pronunciation of the following rhyme and learn it by heart.

Grizzly bear

by Mary Austin

If you ever, ever, ever, meet a grizzly bear,

You must never, never, never, ask him where

He is going,

Or what he is doing.

For if you ever, ever, dare

To stop a grizzly bear,

You will never meet another grizzly bear.

VI. Practise saying the tongue twisters. Observe the correct articulation of [ e ].

1. Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.

2. Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.

3. Of all the felt I ever felt,

I never felt a piece of felt

Which felt as fine as that felt felt,

When first I felt that felt hat’s felt.

4. [e – i:] The net is neat

This is a neat net.

Ned has not a neat net.

Section 3

I. Test. Tick the words you recognize in the sentences you hear.

1. a) pin; b) pen

2. a) pig; b) peg

3. a) tins; b) tens

4. a) sit; b) set

5. a) Jinny; b) Jenny

6. a) picked; b) pecked

II. Listen to the dialogue and learn it by heart.

An Expensive Holiday

Eddie: Hello, Ellen! Hello, Ben! Hello, Jenny!

Ben: Hello, Eddie. Have a cigarette.

Eddie: Thanks, Ben.

Ellen: Help yourself to whisky.

Jenny: It’s on the shelf.

Ben: How did you spend your holiday, Eddie?

Eddie: I went to America with a friend.

Everybody: Well!

Ellen: We’re all jealous.

Ben: Was it expensive?

Eddie: Yes. Very. I’ve spent everything.

Jenny: Haven’t you any money left?

Eddie: Yes, Jenny. Ten pence!

III. Conversational practice.

Statements and special questions usually have a falling tune at the end (æ).

General questions usually have a rising tune at the end ( ä ).

Practise the dialogue, using the following place names:

Kent, Venice, Belgium, Denmark, Edinburgh, Mexico, Helsinki, Delhi, Belfast.

-How did you spend your æ holiday, …?

-I went to æ …

-Was it exäpensive?

-Yes. Very.