Francisco Zabala - 2016 1Pre-fortis clipping Quantity is a relevant feature in English.. Vowels are classified into relatively long vowels and relatively short vowels.. In this section
Trang 1Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 1
Pre-fortis clipping
Quantity is a relevant feature in English Vowels are classified into relatively long vowels and relatively short vowels What is relative about their length? The former group are noticeably longer than the later
provided they occur in a similar context (e.g bin !aHm vs bean !ah9m.) In this section we will discuss the
factors that affect the length of vowels and sonorants
PRE-FORTIS CLIPPING is most evident when it affects a diphthong or long vowel, especially in stressed positions In this case, there is a reduction in the quantity of the vowel or the vowel-sonorant cluster when the syllable is closed by a fortis
they are final in a stressed open syllable, or when the syllable is closed by a lenis consonant The following diacritics show length distinctions: (1) fully long vowels take Z9\; (2) clipped long vowels take just one dot (Tench, 2011; Roach 2009)
Compare:
Lend Lent Send Sent Build Built
Vowel length is approximately the same in the following cases
Seat Sid Hoot Hood
Compare:
Although long vowels are reduced approximately by half, make sure you just clip one quarter of the length of @9 and 29 Remember that their quality is very similar to U and ? respectively, so work hard not to lose their contrast
Same quantity Similar quantity
The snapping of your fingers is the best unit to judge how clipped your sounds are If the syllable fits within the snapping, that’s clipped If it exceeds the snapping, that’s full length!
Trang 2Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 2
Activity 1:
Transcribe the following sentences phonemically Decide whether the shaded sections show pre-fortis clipping Use
of
vowels, or
1 The Lord saw Christ
2 Jane builds towers Jake built moats
3 Sheila sends her niece to a cheap school
4 Your house needs some paint, mate!
5 Steve likes beer His wife hates it
6 Stephen has just bought some coke
7 Mike is on a diet He can’t eat cheese, meat, or wheat
8 Jean is dreaming about her new beach resort
9 You might have a choice
10.Teach your child how to read and write
KEY:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Activity 2:
Transcribe the following text phonemically Decide whether the underlined sections show pre-fortis clipping Use
or
Joyce’s Routine
Joyce Price is a busy woman She wakes up at 5.30 a.m every day She gets up five minutes later, goes to the loo, has a shower and brushes her teeth She has breakfast while she listens
to Frank Fleet’s phone in show Then, she leaves for work Joyce is a maths teacher at school She starts her first class at 8 sharp She gets back home at half past seven in the evening She
marks her students’ papers, and cooks supper Grace and Mike, her best friends, usually come round at about 8 They love talking and laughing! After the guys leave, she goes to bed and watches Ellen’s show She’s fast asleep by midnight