Theoretical Phonetics: Examination Questions.

Part 1:

1. The subject of phonetics, its branches and connection with other linguistic disciplines and sciences.

2. The speech mechanism. Voice production.

3. Acoustic phonetics: the nature of sounds; types of sounds; their acoustic characteristics.

4. Phonetics and phonology. The phoneme, different approaches to its definition and functions.

5. Phonetic basis of English.

6. Segmental phonetics. Major categories of speech sounds on the phonetical and functional levels.

7. The system of English vowels. Principles of classification.

8. The system of English consonants. Principles of description and classification.

9. Syllabification. Approaches to the study of the syllable.

10. Syllable division: problems and approaches. Phonotactics.

11. Stress: its nature and functions. Degrees of stress.

12. Rhythmical organization of speech. The concept of rhythm.

13. Suprasegmentals: prosody and intonation.

14. Varieties of English on the British Isles. Received pronunciation (types and main features).

15. Received pronunciation and other varieties of British English (principal differences).

16. American English: varieties, origins, main features.

17. Australian English: varieties, origins, main features.

18. Canadian English: varieties, origins, main features.

19. The problems of phonostylistics.

20. Aspects of connected speech: quantity and quality of sounds, word boundaries, stress.

Part 2:

1. Stages of communication process.

2. Types of phonation (as caused by different states of glottis).

3. Acoustic characteristics of periodic sounds (graphical presentation).

4. Methods of phonological analysis: oppositions; relevant features.

5. Phoneme: allophones, free variants, neutralization.

6. Comparison of English and Russian articulation basis.

7. Problems in discriminating sounds of consonantal type and vowel type.

8. Types of transcription. IPA.

9. Word-division in English and in Russian: similar or different?

10. Affective syllabics: what and why?

11. Rhythm in English and other languages.

12. Accentual patterns of English words: main tendencies.

13. Prosodic features and components of intonation.

14. Functions of intonation.

15. Social and territorial varieties of English.

16. Main features of General American.

17. Main features of General Australian.

18. Main features of Canadian English.

19. Style-marking features in phonetics.

20. Sounds modifications in connected speech: assimilation, accommodation, reduction.

Part 3 – Practical tasks:

1. Speech organs.

2. English consonants: - describe a consonant;

- describe stages of articulation;

- define a consonant on the articulatory chart;

- define consonants according to the manner of articulation.

3. English vowels: - describe a vowel;

- place a vowel on a chart;

- draw a chart of 8 cardinal vowels;

- show minimum vowel systems.

4. Syllable division: - show syllable boundaries in words;

- demonstrate how syllable division affects pronunciation.

5. Stress: - put stress in words and explain the dominating stress tendency;

- put stresses in a phrase and explain the cases of stress shift;

- place stresses in a transcribed phrases according to the shown quality of sounds.

6. Connected speech: - point to and explain cases of sounds modification in a phrase.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 2731