Surprises in the post office

Mrs. Smith: This parcel smells, Mrs Jones.

Mrs. Jones: Something’s written on it.

Mrs. Smith: What does it say?

Mrs. Jones: It says: This parcel contains six mice.

Mrs. Smith: Pooh!

Mrs. Jones: Listen! What’s in this sack?

Mrs. Smith: It’s making a strange hissing noise.

Sack: (hisses) Sssssssssssssssss!

Mrs. Jones: Mrs. Smith! It’s a sack of snakes!

Mrs. Smith: So it is! And what’s in this box, Mrs. Jones?

Mrs. Jones: It’s making a buzzing sound.

Box: (buzzes) Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Mrs. Smith: These are bees!

Mrs. Smith: A parcel of mice! And a sack of snakes! And a box of bees!

This is very surprising.

Mrs. Jones: It’s amazing. This isn’t a post office, Mrs. Jones. It’s a zoo!

II. Practise reading aloud:

The smile of a snake

She speaks slowly, and smokes special, expensive cigarettes. As she steps upstairs, her long skirt sweeps over her silver slippers. She is small and smart and sweet-smelling. Her skin is like snow. “You have stolen my heart!” I once said stupidly, and she smiled. But when she smiled she smiled the smile of a snake.

Review questions and tasks:

1. What phonetic phenomenon is called accommodation?

2. Enumerate the main types of accommodation in English. Give your examples.

3. Analyze the words given below and state the type of accommodation in them: conduct, morning, sell, meat, tube, sink, who, lord, cool.

UNIT 6

Section 1

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

Reduction of Consonant Clusters (Elision)

As speech speeds up, sounds are likely to be left out, or elided. This is especially so when clusters of consonants occur. Indeed, some sequences are impossible to articulate naturally without elision (try, for example, «Henry the Sixth’s three advisers»).

Elision is the dropping of a sound or sounds either within a word or at a junction of words in rapid colloquial speech.

The reduction of some consonant clusters was established long ago. For example, some consonants were dropped in certain phonetic contexts (the initial [w, k, g], e.g. write [raıt], know [n∂u], gnat [næt]; the medial [t,d] in a cluster of three consonants, e.g. listen [lısn], soften [s fn], Wednesday ['wenzdı]; the final [b] in the cluster [mb], e.g. lamb [læm], dumb [dÙm]).

In present-day English the reduction of clusters continues to take place in rapid colloquial speech:

1) the plosives [t,d] in the clusters [-st, -ft, -∫t, -nd, -ld, -zd, -ðd, -vd] in final position when followed by a word with an initial consonant are often dropped:

last time ['lα:s 'taım], mashed potatoes ['mæ∫ p∂'teıt∂uz], next day ['neks 'deı],

old man [∂ul 'mæn];

2) word final clusters of plosives or affricates + [t, d] [-pt, -kt, -t∫t, -bd, -gd, -d d]

may lose the final alveolar plosive when the following word begins with a

consonant: kept quiet ['kep 'kwaı∂t], lagged behind ['læg bı'haınd];

3) the alveolar [t] of the negative –n’t is often reduced before a consonant:

e.g. You mustn’t do it [ju 'mÙsn `du:ıt];

4) [t, d] between two other plosives are never heard:

locked gate ['l k 'geıt], strict teacher ['strık 'ti:t∫∂];

5) [h] may be dropped in the words “have, has, had, he, him, his, her, who” when

they are non-initial and unstressed:

e.g. She gave him his breakfast [∫ı 'geıv ım ız `brekf∂st].

Tell him he is wanted ['tel ım ız `w ntıd]. (but: He’s wanted [hiz `w ntıd]).

*The reduction of consonant clusters is also typical of Russian colloquial speech

(сердце, солнце, поздно, чувствовать).

6) whole syllables may be elided, especially when there is a repeated consonant, as

in BrE pronunciation of “library ['laıbri:]”and “particularly” [p∂'tıkjuli:].

7) some words are especially prone to elision, such as “of” before consonants

(cup o’tea, lots o’people).

The elision of a boundary consonant in a cluster occurs in a very rapid speech, but is usually characterized as vulgarian.

e.g. He went away [hi 'wen ∂`weı].

I want to come [aı 'w n ∂ `kÙm].

Give me a cake ['gi mi ∂`keık].

The traditional orphographical rendering of such careless pronunciation (especially in American texts) is ‘I wonna come’, ‘gimme a cake’, ‘I gonna do it’, etc.

Section 2

[ ∫ ]

(constrictive fricative, forelingual, apical,palato-alveolar,bicentral,strong,voiceless)

[ ]

(constrictive fricative, forelingual, apical, palato-alveolar, bicentral, weak, voiced)

I. Observe the position of the tongue for the sounds [∫ ] and [ ]. Read the words

in the columns.

sheep fish ocean measure mirage vision

shoe wash revolution treasure rouge confusion

show bush social leisure garage genre

II. Read the sentences. Follow the tonetic marks.

1. She’s an accomplished musician. Она превосходный музыкант.

2. Why should she be so sure? Откуда у неё такая уверенность?

3. Ashley is a shy fish. Эшли застенчив.

4. She was shaking in her shoes. Она дрожала от страха.

5. Shut up shop. Кончайте работу.

6. I wish Marcia were not so shilly-shally. Как жалко, что Марсия так

нерешительна.

7. Sherwood is on a fishing expedition. Шервуд зондирует почву.

8. She shouldn’t like to make any rash Она не хотела бы делать поспешные speculations. выводы

9. Measure for measure. Мера за меру.

10. She wears Parisian rouge. У неё парижская косметика.

11. Your casual allusion caused confusion. Твой случайный намёк вызвал

замешательство.

12. It’s a pleasurable occasion. Это приятное событие.

13. I don’t usually see visions. Я не страдаю галлюцинациями.

14. She watches television usually, not Она смотрит телевизор регулярно,

occasionally. не от случая к случаю.

15. After much persuasion he took a decision. После долгих убеждений он

принял решение.

16. He has an unusual vision of a point. Он необыкновенно легко

схватывает суть дела.

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

equivalents. Make up situations to illustrate their usage.

1. on reflection a. слабый, невыразительный

2. wishy-washy b. подумав

3. hush-hush show c. не в форме

4. out of condition d. волк в овечьей шкуре

5. a wolf in sheep’s clothing e. совершенно секретно (шутл.)

6. Eat at pleasure, drink with measure f. делать поспешный вывод

7. jump to conclusion g. Ешь вволю, пей в меру.

IV. Pronounce the tongue twisters in the quickest possible way. Observe the

correct articulation of [ s ], [∫ ] and [ ].

1. Six selfish shellfish.

2. She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

The shells she sells are surely seashells.

So if she sells shells on the sea shore,

I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

3. What is a pleasure? Children? Treasure?

Work or leisure? All to measure.

Buy a television and be sure on this occasion

You’ll get your pleasure without measure.

Section 3

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

1. a) Sue’s; b) shoes

2. a) ass; b) ash

3. a) puss; b) push

4. a) sack; b) shack

5. a) seats; b) sheets

6. a) save; b) shave

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

A Special Washing Machine

Mrs. Marsh: Does this shop sell washing machines?

Mr. Shaw: Yes. This is the newest washing machine, madam.

Mrs. Marsh: Is it Swedish?

Mr. Shaw: No, madam. It’s English.

Mrs. Marsh: Please show me how it washes.

Mr. Shaw: Shall I give you a demonstration? Here are some sheets and shirts.

You put them in the machine. You shut the door. And you push this

button.

Mrs. Marsh: The machine shouldn’t shake like that, should it?

Mr. Shaw: Washing machines always shake, madam. Ah! It’s finished now.

Mrs. Marsh: But the sheets have shrunk, and so have the shirts.

Mr. Shaw: Do you wish to buy this machine, madam?

Mrs. Marsh: I’m not sure.

III. Conversational practice.

a) Practise this conversation using the list of words below. Observe the correct

pronunciation of the sounds at word junction.

Customer: Does this shop sell *Swedish shampoo?

Shop assistant: Yes. We have some special *Swedish shampoo on this shelf.

*French champagne *Finnish shorts *Polish shirts

*Irish sheets *Turkish sugar *Spanish shoes

b) When somebody says “ Thank you” for doing something, we sometimes say

“It’s a pleasure”. Practise this answer.

Example: A: Thank you for lending me your television.

B: It’s a pleasure.

1. Thank you for mending my television.

2. Thank you for lending me your measuring tape.

3. Thank you for lending me “Treasure Island”.

4. Thank you for letting me use your garage.

5. Thank you for letting me drive your Peugeot.

6. Thank you for letting us watch your television.