Transcribing The Sound Of English

Do you have a fear of transcription? Are you daunted by the prospect of learning and handling unfamiliar symbols? This workbook is for students who are new to linguistics and phonetics, and offers a didactic approach to the study and transcription of the words, rhythm and intonation of English. It can be used independently or in class and covers all the pronunciation details of words, phrases, rhythm and intonation. Progress is deliberately gentle with plenty of explanations, examples and 'can't go wrong' exercises. In addition, there is an associated website with audio recordings of authentic speech, which provide back-up throughout. The audio clips also introduce students to variations in accents, with eleven different speakers. Going beyond the transcription of words, the book also ventures into real discourse with the simplification systems of colloquial English speech, rhythm and intonation.

Students studying for English degree at a French university will almost certainly find that their curriculum includes a course in English phonetics, usually in the first of second year of their studies. This will include acquiring a certain degree of proficiency in phonemic transcription. This book does not replace such a course, but these students will find it an invaluable aid in acquiring the necessary skills.

This book will serve to help learners transcribe the sounds of English by means of the International Phonetic Alphabet and use phonetic transcriptions of words in dictionaries. It will be of special interest to university students of linguistics and phonetics, since transcription skills will give them a clearer, more systematic picture of English pronunciation and spelling. Because the book assumes no prior knowledge of phonetics, it can be used by anyone looking to improve their pronunciation. In this regard, it will benefit especially those readers who speak English as a foreign language. They will find a rich collection of exercises focusing on a variety of pronunciation phenomena. These exercises feature common fixed expressions such as spitting image; thus, in addition to learning to use the transcription alphabet, learners can also enrich their vocabularies. This handbook is designed for work in the classroom, but thanks to its presentation of solutions and explanations of relevant problems, it can also be used in individual study.

British English Phonetic Transcription provides an accessible introduction to phonemic, phonetic and intonational transcription with a focus on British English. Featuring exercises, revision tasks and recordings to help students gain hands-on practice, the book takes a learning-by-doing approach and ensures students gain practice using each new symbol or concept introduced before moving on to the next. Consisting of three parts, the book covers: transcribing individual words, including consonants, vowels, primary stress, secondary stress, syllabic consonants and inflections; transcribing phrases and sentences, including liaison, weak forms, elision and assimilation; transcribing intonation, including the structure of English intonation and recognising pitch patterns. Ideally suited as a standalone workbook or for use alongside American English Phonetic Transcription, British English Phonetic Transcription is key reading for undergraduate students of linguistics as well as anyone teaching or learning English as a foreign language.

A manual for investigators, teachers of English phonetics and theoreticians. The focus is on transcriptional procedures with an original emphasis on Southern British pronunciation, but since adapted this to the needs of a broader readership.

Have you ever been confused by the fact that the words 'though' and 'bough' are pronounced differently, or frustrated by the realisation that 'hint' and 'pint' don't rhyme? It is well known that the spelling system of English is notoriously unhelpful as an indicator of how to pronounce English words. Spoken and written representations of English are mutually inconsistent, making it difficult to interpret the 'logic' of the language. Learning to transcribe English phonetically, however, provides an accurate visual interpretation of pronunciation: it helps you to realise what you actually say, rather than what you think you say. English Transcription Course is the ideal workbook for anyone wishing to practice their transcription skills. It provides a series of eight lessons, each dealing with a particular aspect of pronunciation, and introduces and explains the most important features of connected speech in modern British English - such as assimilation, elision and weak forms, concentrating on achieving a relaxed, informal style of speech. Each lesson is followed by a set of exercises which allow for extensive practise of the skills learnt in both current and previous chapters. Students can check their progress with the 'model' answers provided in the appendix.

Reproduction of the original: The Sounds of Spoken English by Walter Rippmann