Sound Drills
As a result of coarticulation of the plosives [p, t, k, b, d, g] with the lateral sonant [l] (either within a word or at word boundaries) the plosion is heard during the pronunciation of the sonant as the air stream passes along the sides of the tongue, lowered for the articulation of [l]. This phenomenon is known as lateral plosion (partial regressive assimilation).
e.g. plan, little, close, blow, I’d like, glance.
! 1) To pronounce the clusters correctly keep the tongue-tip pressed against the teethridge while articulating [pl], [tl], [kl], [bl], [dl], [gl].
! 2) In the clusters [pl], [tl], [kl] the sonant preceded by a voiceless consonant becomes a little bit devoiced (progressive assimilation affecting the work of the vocal cords).
Note: In modern English the pronunciation standards (especially in fluent speech) are characterized by the so called ‘glottal stop’ at the junction of a plosive consonant and a lateral or nasal sonant. The symbol of glottal stop is [?].
e.g. [litl] —> [li?l]
[mitn] —> [mi?n]
- Aspiration. Degrees of Aspiration.
- Sound Drills.
- 1. Practise different degrees of aspiration in the following words:
- In a department store
- Leisure
- Loss of Plosion.
- Sound Drills.
- 3. Practise the following fragments of connected speech focusing on loss of plosion.
- Nasal Plosion.
- Sound Drills.
- Duty of the student
- Lateral Plosion
- Sound Drills
- 1. Pronounce the following words and phrases observing lateral plosion.
- 2. Practise lateral plosion in connected speech.
- Fricative Plosion.
- 1. Pronounce the following words and phrases observing close coarticulation of plosive and fricative consonants.
- 2. Practise fricative plosion in connected speech.
- To a False Friend
- Making a Cake
- Alveolar consonants before [0, 8].
- Sound Drills
- 1. Practice the following words and phrases. Be sure to make the sounds [t, d, n, l, s, z] dental before [0] and [8]
- 2. Practise the clusters of alveolar consonants preceding [0, 8] in connected speech.
- Boiled Eggs
- Sonants
- General Remarks
- 1. Modifications of the length of English sonants.
- 2. The syllabic function of the sonants in English
- 3. Devoicing of the sonants.
- Consonant sounds that link words.
- Linking [r]
- Consonantal glides [w] and [j]
- Sound Drills.
- 1. Practise the linking [r], [w] and [j] at the junction of words. Be sure to make the glides [w] and [j] sound very short.
- 2. Practise linking at word-boundaries in connected speech.
- Rain dying out
- Combinations of consonants with [w]
- Sound Drills.
- 1. Practice the following words and phrases observing assimilation in the consonant clusters with [w]
- 2. Practise consonant clusters with [w] in connected speech.
- Consonant clusters with [r]
- Sound Drills.
- 1. Practice the following words and phrases observing assimilation in the consonant clusters with [r]
- 1) Complete devoicing of [r]
- 2) Partial devoicing of [r]
- 3) Double assimilation
- 2. Practise consonant clusters with [r] in connected speech.
- Airport announcements.
- Travelling by train.
- Absence of assimilation in some consonant clusters.
- No assimilation according to the place or manner of articulation of English consonants
- No assimilation according to the work of the vocal cords
- Sound Drills.
- 2. Practise the difficult consonant clusters in the following contexts. Observe absence of assimilation.
- Monday’s child
- The House That Jack Built
- A vacant seat