AmE Pronunciation Varieties MOCK TEST                                November 15, 2012

A/1a The author of Accents of English, 1982: ……………………………………………………………………….

1b The author of Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen, 2010: ………………………………………

1c The author of The Social Stratification of /r/ in NYC Dept. Stores, 1966: ……………………………

2 Match phonetic terms and their definitions:  A=      , B=       , C=       , D=       , E=
, F=       .

A assimilation, B palatalization, C approximant, D glottis, E dialect, F devoicing.

a)      A consonant in which the vocal tract is narrowed, but not enough to cause turbulent air
flow.

b)      The occurrence of a normally voiced consonant losing some or all of its voicing as happens
in Dutch and German to final voiced consonants.

c)      The fusion of two consonants into one.

d)      A regional variant of a language distinguished by pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar
from the standard form.

e)      The space between the vocal folds.

f)       The active upper position of tongue blade as occurs while pronouncing the semi-vowel /j/.

3 Transcribe the terms vowel:                     occur:                        occurrence:

4 Which variety of AmE does the abbreviation  AAVE stand for? What other expressions are used to
label it?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

5 The name of a British actor who has made a great success in a U.S. series about an unconventional
professional.

……………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6 What are the three most typical indicators of accents of the American south?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

7 What can you say about rhoticity in the Boston area? …………………………………………………………

8 What can you say about rhoticity in New York City? ………………………………………………………….

9 Which are the two overseas varieties based on AmE, two in Asia and one in the Pacific?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

10 Explain the difference between pidgin and creole and give examples.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A/Match the origins of speakers with the numbers of their recordings reading “Please call Stella“.

A …                             1 St. Anne´s Bay, Jamaica

B …                             2 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

C …                             3 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. / Macon, Mississippi,
U.S.A.

D …                             4 Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.A.

E …                              5 Manila, Philippines