EE Pronunciation Varieties MOCK TEST Answer Sheet A/20pts/1a The author of Accents of English, 1982: J.C. Wells 1b The author of Sociophonology, 1998: John Honey 2 Match phonetic terms and their definitions: A continuant, B liaison, C fricative, D pitch, E schwa, F velum. C A consonant in which the vocal tract is narrowed sufficiently to cause turbulent air flow. E The central vowel /ə/, found in great abundance in casual English. F The soft palate. A A consonant that may be prolonged indefinitely rather than having the finite duration of a stop. B Linking, or, the strategy of using the final sound of one word to initiate the following. D The relative musical tone of an utterance. 3 Transcribe the modern (innovated) EE pronunciations of the terms obscure [ɒpsˈkjɔː] variety [vəˈraːəti] vodka or gin [vɒdkəʳɔːˈdʒɪn] Buddha images [ˈbʊdəʳɪmɪdʒɪz] 4 Which English linguist propagates the inclusion of innovations into official transcriptions of RP? Who is his follower at this department? Professor clive Upton at Leeds University; Miroslav Ježek 5 State what the urban accents spoken in the following towns are called: Birmingham=Brummie, Liverpool=Scouse or Liverpudlian, Newcastle upon Tyne=Geordie, Glasgow=Glaswegian 6 Which accent in England has a Celtic substratum and gives a sing-song impression? Welsh 7 Which is the only accent of English where schwa can be stressed? That of New Zealand What is the schwa here an allophone of? Of the /ɪ/ 8 What would you say are the biggest differences between Scottish and Northern Irish English? A special rising whining tone; a more rounded /r/, sometimes clear /l/, slovenliness. 9 What does the Cockney diphthong shift consist in? Complete the chain: /i:/ > /eɪ/ > /aɪ/ > /ɔɪ/ 10 Characterize the accent of Eire (Irish Republic). /ɒ/=/ʌ/ and vice-versa, clear /l/, dark /r/, t-opening, th-stopping. B/10pts/Match the origins of speakers with the numbers of their recordings reading “Please call Stella“. 1 Glasgow, Sc 2 Kilkenny, Eire 3 Strabane, NI 4 Leeds, W Yorkshire 5 Camberley, Surrey C/20pts/ 1 2:46, played once, 5pts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PWSJH02krs A stand-up comedian recalls practising his father’s language. a) The comedian’s name (T.N.): Trevor Noah b) Where he spent the first two decades of his life: South Africa c) The two official languages of that country: English, Africaans d) The language of his father: German 2 2:04, played once, 5 pts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkmUktJ94jg You´ll hear a professional recording of a monologue in which a woman speaks about a trauma she has suffered, in quite a pronounced accent. a) Localize her accent: Yorkshire b) The kind of trauma she has suffered: rape 3 1:54, played once, 5 pts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkmeoYKYctw You’ll hear a commercial advertizing an outdoor wooden floor maintenance product. Decide about the accent and give reasons. What is the key expression for “terrace floor“? New Zealand. Extremely close vowes, /e/ becoming /ɪ/ and /ɪ/ becoming a schwa. 4 1:36, played once, 5pts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsUvcjk8J5c A report on losses and strays on a sheep farm. Localize the accent and give evidence. NI. The county of Derry is in Northern Ireland. Specific intonation, clear L’s, rhotic but not like in the Scottish accent and neither like in Eire.