Phonetics Question Bank

Apuntes

Phonetics Question Bank 1. What are phonemes? How are they shown in transcription? Give examples. Phonemes are sounds that can change the meaning of words. They are shown in transcription with slant brackets e.g., / r / or / ɛ / . 2. What are segments? Segments are vowels and consonants. 3. Why is it important to achieve a pronunciation that can be easily understood? (1) can be understood without any difficulty (2) doesn ’ t irritate or distract the listeners 4. What is a minimal pair? Give 2 examples using phonetic transcription of vowel contrasts and 2 of consonant contrasts in different positions. A pair of words distinguished by a single phoneme Examples: Vowel Contrasts : ● [i ː ] vs [ ɪ ] in sheep [ ʃ i ː p] - ship [ ʃɪ p] ● [ ɪ ] vs [ æ ] in it [ ɪ t] - at [ æ t] Consonant Contrasts : ● /p/ vs /t/ in rip [r ɪ p] - rit [r ɪ t] ● /d/ vs /l/ in dove [d ʌ v] - love [l ʌ v] 5. What are allophones? Give exam...