exercise English Phonology

1. © Karen Malcolm
Malcolm, K. (2010) Phasal Analysis. London: Continuum. 15
Chapter 3 Phonology
Phonology exercises
Note: IPA symbols may be downloaded to create a phonetic keyboard from the
Summer Institute of Linguistics web site: html, or more specifically:
http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&item_id=DoulosSIL_download
http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&id=UniIPAkeyboard
Once the Doulos SIL font and the IPA Unicode Keyboard are downloaded, for
the most part the phonetic symbols are available by pressing = or < followed by the
letter graph most closely related to the symbol.
p. 62 Exercise: IPA Transcription
Describe the phonological style of the following text (see Graphological Analysis of
the same text in Chapter 2 Answer Key) by transcribing the English graphs into IPA
symbols.
Text
‘Wanted: Men who can handle a real road machine. Dodge Challenger Rallye.
There are special men who develop an almost spiritual attachment to their cars. They
want a no-nonsense road machine that grabs a rough, winding stretch of road and holds
on. One that stays low and close to the road like a snake. For these men, Dodge builds
Challenger Rallye. A trim, taut, tough car that hugs every inch of road it goes over. Why?
Because of Challenger’s torsion bar suspension. No mushy coil springs for this car – only
responsive torsion bars and leaf springs will do. They combine to give you a firm, honest
ride all the time’ (Dodge, 1973)
p. 62 Exercise: Discovery Exercise
From the following list of transcribed words uttered by a 2-year-old boy, come up
with a description of where he is in terms of his phonological development as an
English speaker. In other words, determine what vowels and what blends of conso-
nants he avoids or misrepresents. It may be helpful to start this exercise by tran-
scribing each word as an adult speaker would say it, and then by comparing each
word with the boy’s version. Note the differences, and then, by looking at your IPA
consonant and vowel charts, decide what sounds he avoids, what sounds he over-
generalizes etc.
/ɪtəl/ = little
/kul/ = school
/hudʒ/ = huge

2. © Karen Malcolm
Malcolm, K. (2010) Phasal Analysis. London: Continuum.16
/noməs/ = enormous
/mezɪŋ/ = amazing
/bεti/ = better‘er’
/renz/ = raisins
/cəmputi/ = computer
/wɑti/ = water
/prɪsəs/ = Christmas
/kænəl/ = candle
/kəngin/ = kangaroo
/dotə/ = jyota
/bænænæ/ = banana
/bædʒæmi/ = pyjama
/lɑik/ = light
/lɑikin/ = lightening
/gləgz/ = gloves
/nænɪlæ/ = vanilla
/plɑbli/ = probably
/ələlənt/ = elephant
/ʃorʃi/ = horse
/ʃorʃipowə/ = horsepower
/ɑlwɑit/ = all night
/nunu/ = noodle
/tek/ = coke
/bɑu/ = brown
/ju/ = zoo
/təkəl/ = buckle
/lɪlolə/ = viola
/lɑiolɪn/ = violin
/lənɑni/ = lasagna
/pəgεti/ = spaghetti
/dʒænpæ/ = grandpa
/dʒæmæ/ = grandma
/səmɪn/ = something
/nəniənz/ = onions
/mungɪk/ = music
/kɑkəlædu/ = rooster
p. 64 Exercise: Stress and Feet
Bold the stressed syllables and divide the Dodge Challenger Rallye text into / feet /.
p. 64 Exercise: Phonological Rank Scale
a. Transcribe the following sentences into IPA.
b. Divide the words into syllables.

3. © Karen Malcolm
Malcolm, K. (2010) Phasal Analysis. London: Continuum. 17
c. Mark / bold the stressed syllables.
d. Divide the syllables into feet using single slashes /.
e. Determine the separate tone groups in each sentence, and enclose each with a double
slash //.
f. Mark whether the tone group is falling or rising or more complex.
E.g. ‘He went to the library.’
a. hi wεnt tu ðə lɑibrεri
b. hi wεnt tu ðə lɑi brε ri
c. hi wεnt tu ðə lɑilɑi brε ri
d. hi / wεnt tu ðə / lɑilɑi brε ri
e. and f. //hi / wεnt tu ðə / lɑilɑi brε ri// falling tone.
1. The little child wants his mommy.
2. Unfortunately, she forgot her homework.
3. The rush of wind left her breathless, and the temperature chilled her bones.
4. Are you measuring his shoulders, or shall I?
5. Andrew, will you get me my sweater?
p. 64 Exercise: Tonic Prominence and Tone Groups
Bold the tonic prominence and divide the Dodge Challenger Rallye text into // tone
groups//.

4. © Karen Malcolm
Malcolm, K. (2010) Phasal Analysis. London: Continuum.18
Phonology answer key
p. 62 Exercise: IPA Transcription
Wæn tɪd: mɛn hu kæn hæn dəl ə ril rod mæ ʃin. dɔdʒ tʃæ lɛn jʊr ræ li.
ðɛr ɑr spɛ ʃɪl mɛn hu di vɛ lɘp æn ɑl most spi rɪ tʃu əl æ tætʃ mɛnt tu ðɛr kɑrz.
ðe wænt ə no nɔn sɛns rod mæ ʃin ðæt græbz ə rəf wɑin dɪŋ strɛtʃ əv rod ænd
holdz ɔn. wən ðæt stez lo ænd klos tu ðə rod lɑik ə snek. for ðiz mɛn, dɔdʒ
bɪldz tʃæ lɛn jʊr ræ li. ə trɪm, təf kɑr ðæt həgz ɛ və ri ɪntʃ əv rod ɪt goz
o vər. hwɑi? bi kɑz əv tʃæ lɛn jʊrz tor ʃən bɑr səs pɛn ʃən. no mə ʃi koil sprɪŋz for
ðɪs kɑr – on li rɛs pɔn sɪv tor ʃən bɑrz wɪl du. ðe kəm bɑin tu gɪv ju
ə fʊrm, ɔ nɘst rɑid ɑl ðə tɑim.
p. 62 Exercise: Discovery Exercise
Avoids medial and final /r/; final ‘er’ he treats as /ɪ/; also adds indiscriminate in /ɪ/ in horse
and pajamas
Avoids initial /l/ and /s/, but not in lasagna
Avoids /ŋ/ in lightning
Avoids glides /hj/ in huge, /pj/ in computer, /nj/ in lasagna
Avoids fricatives /v/ for example, /gləgz/ for gloves, nænɪlæ/ for vanilla; /lɪlolə/ & /lɑiolɪn/
for viola & violin
/f/ in elephant; /θ/ in something
Replaces initial and medial /s/ with /ʃ/ or /g/, /z/ and /g/ with /dʒ/,
Replaces /w/ for /n/ in all night
Substitutes or undifferentiates stops: /d/ for affricate /dʒ/, /b/ for /p/, /k/ for /t/, /t/ for /k/, /t/
for /b/
Simplifies/changes consonant clusters /st/ for /s/, /n/ for /nd/, /pl/ for /pr/, /n/ for /dl/, /b/ for
/br/
Simplifies polysyllabic words by eliminating initial vowels, for example, /noməs/ for enor-
mous, /mezɪŋ/ for amazing
Simplifies polysyllabic words to mono or bisyllabic, for example, /kənɪn/ for ‘kangaroo’, /
renz/ for ‘raisins’, /plɑbli/ for probably
Replaces animal with animal sound /kɑkəlædu/ for ‘rooster’ (semantic change, most com-
plex phonologically)
p. 64 Exercise: Stress and Feet
Bold the stressed syllables and divide the Dodge Challenger Rallye text into / feet
/.
/Wæn tɪd: / mɛn hu kæn / hæn dəl ə / ril / rod mæ / ʃin./ dɔdʒ / tʃæ lɛn jʊr / ræ li./
* ðɛr / ɑr / spɛ ʃɪl / mɛn hu di / vɛ lɘp æn / ɑl most / spi rɪ / tʃu əl æ / tætʃ mɛnt tu ðɛr
/ kɑrz./
ðe / wænt ə / no / nɔn sɛns / rod mæ / ʃin ðæt / græbz ə / rəf / wɑin dɪŋ / strɛtʃ əv /
rod ænd /

5. © Karen Malcolm
Malcolm, K. (2010) Phasal Analysis. London: Continuum. 19
holdz ɔn /. * / wən ðæt / stez / lo ænd / klos / tu ðə / rod / lɑik ə / snek /. * For / ðiz
mɛn /, dɔdʒ/
bɪldz / tʃæ lɛn jʊr / ræ li /.* ə / trɪm /, təf / kɑr ðæt / həgz / ɛ və ri / ɪntʃ əv /rod ɪt /
goz
o vər. / hwɑi? / * bi / kɑz əv / tʃæ lɛn jʊrz/ tor ʃən / bɑr səs / pɛn ʃən./ no / mə ʃi / koil
/ sprɪŋz for /
ðɪs kɑr / – on li rɛs / pɔn sɪv / tor ʃən / bɑrz wɪl / du./ ðe kəm / bɑin tu / gɪv / ju
ə / fʊrm /, ɔ nɘst / rɑid ɑl ðə / tɑim./
p. 64 Exercise: Phonological Rank Scale
a. Transcribe the following sentences into IPA.
b. Divide the words into syllables.
c. Mark the stressed syllables (ignore the medium stresses in polysyllabic words).
d. Divide the syllables into feet using single slashes /.
e. Determine the separate tone groups in each sentence, and enclose each with a double
slash //.
f. Mark whether the tone group is falling or rising or more complex?
1. The little child wants his mommy.
a. ðə lɪtəl tʃɑild wɑnts hɪz məmi
b. ðə lɪ təl tʃɑild wɑnts hɪz mə mi
c. ðə lɪ təl tʃɑild wɑnts hɪz mə mi
d. e. and f. // ^ ðə / lɪ təl / tʃɑild / wɑnts hɪz / mə mi// falling tone
2. Unfortunately, she forgot her homework.
a. ənfortʃunetli ʃi forgɔt hʊr homwʊrk
b. ən for tʃu net li ʃi for gɔt hʊr hom wʊrk
c. ən for tʃu net li ʃi for gɔt hʊr hom wʊrk
d. /^ ən / for tʃu net li / ^ / ʃi for / gɔt hʊr / hom wʊrk
e. //^ ən / for tʃu net li // ^ // ʃi for / gɔt hʊr / hom wʊrk //
f. both falling tones
3. The rush of wind left her breathless, and the temperature chilled her bones.
a. ðə rəʃ əv wɪnd left hʊr breθles ænd ðə tempʊrətʃʊr tʃɪld hʊr bonz
b. ðə rəʃ əv wɪnd left hʊr breθ les ænd ðə tem pʊ rə tʃʊr tʃɪld hʊr bonz
c. ðə rəʃ əv wɪnd left hʊr breθ les ænd ðə tem pʊ rə tʃʊr tʃɪld hʊr bonz
d. / ^ ðə / rəʃ əv / wɪnd / left hʊr / breθ les / ^ /^ænd ðə / tem pʊ rə tʃʊr / tʃɪld hʊr
/ bonz /
e. // ^ ðə / rəʃ əv / wɪnd / left hʊr / breθ les // ^ //^ænd ðə / tem pʊ rə tʃʊr / tʃɪld hʊr
/ bonz //
f. both falling tones
4. Are you measuring his shoulders, or shall I?
a. ɑr ju meʒurɪŋ hɪz ʃoldʊrz or ʃæl ɑi
b. ɑr ju me ʒur ɪŋ hɪz ʃol dʊrz or ʃæl ɑi
c. ɑr ju me ʒur ɪŋ hɪz ʃol dʊrz or ʃæl ɑi
d. / ɑr ju / me ʒur ɪŋ hɪz / ʃol dʊrz / ^ / or ʃæl / ɑi /
e. // ɑr ju / me ʒur ɪŋ hɪz / ʃol dʊrz // ^ //or ʃæl / ɑi // both rising tones

6. © Karen Malcolm
Malcolm, K. (2010) Phasal Analysis. London: Continuum.20
5. Andrew, will you get me my sweater?
a. ændru wɪl ju get mi mɑi swetər
b. æn dru wɪl ju get mi mɑi swe tər
c. æn dru wɪl ju get mi mɑi swe tər
d. / æn dru /^ / wɪl ju / get mi mɑi / swe tər /
e. // æn dru // ^ // wɪl ju / get mi mɑi / swe tər // falling tone then rising tone.
p. 64 Exercise: Tonic Prominence and Tone Groups
Bold the tonic prominence and divide the Dodge Challenger Rallye text into // tone
groups //.
//Wæn tɪd:
// mɛn hu kæn / hæn dəl ə / ril / rod mæ / ʃin.
// dɔdʒ / tʃæ lɛn jʊr / ræ li.
//* ðɛr / ɑr / spɛ ʃɪl / mɛn hu di / vɛ lɘp æn / ɑl most / spi rɪ / tʃu əl æ / tætʃ mɛnt tu ðɛr / kɑrz.
//ðe / wænt ə / no / nɔn sɛns / rod mæ / ʃin ðæt
// græbz ə / rəf / wɑin dɪŋ / strɛtʃ əv / rod ænd / holdz ɔn
//. * / wən ðæt / stez / lo ænd / klos / tu ðə / rod / lɑik ə / snek
//. * For / ðiz mɛn /, dɔdʒ / bɪldz / tʃæ lɛn jʊr / ræ li
//.* ə / trɪm /, təf / kɑr ðæt
// həgz / ɛ və ri / ɪntʃ əv /rod ɪt / goz o vər.
// hwɑi?
// * bi / kɑz əv / tʃæ lɛn jʊrz/ tor ʃən / bɑr səs / pɛn ʃən.
// no / mə ʃi / koil / sprɪŋz for / ðɪs kɑr
// – on li rɛs / pɔn sɪv / tor ʃən / bɑrz wɪl / du.
// ðe kəm / bɑin tu / gɪv / ju ə / fʊrm /, ɔ nɘst / rɑid ɑl ðə / tɑim.//
Review of phonological analysis
Analysis
Preparation
Find a few words that describe your first impressions of the phonological character
of the text, write them down, and put them aside for later. Make notes about any pre-
liminary thoughts, hypotheses concerning the phonological character of the text.
Description
1. Make a phonemic transcription of the text using the IPA symbols. Transcribe the dis-
course as the encoder manifests it, if spoken. If written, transcribe the discourse as if you
were the encoder.
2 a. Mark the strong and weak syllables in the text (bold the strong syllables, or use an
accent).
b. Divide the text into phonological feet (strong beat comes first – use a single slash
between feet).

7. © Karen Malcolm
Malcolm, K. (2010) Phasal Analysis. London: Continuum. 21
c. Divide the text into tone groups (use double slash), remembering that punctuation
often signals tone group boundaries in prose, and line spacing often signals tone group
boundaries in poetry.
3 a. If the text is spoken, or written to be spoken (dramatic dialogue), note any evalua-
tive colouring given to the text, e.g. irony, sarcasm, angry, etc.
b. Note variations in dynamic range and tempo, e.g. softly, quickly.
c. Try to describe, and map the pacing of the text; explain how phonological choices
have created this pacing, and begin thinking about the effects of such phenomenon. See
prosodic mapping #6.
d. Note any meaningful use of silence in the text.
4. If appropriate, particularly if the text is a poem, or resembles one, as is sometimes the case in
advertising. This step may be omitted if the text has no resemblance to poetry.
a. Describe any noticeable rhymes or rhythms.
b. Note any rhetorical devices pertaining to phonology, e.g. alliteration (a repetition of
consonants), assonance (a repetition of vowels).
5. Information structure, coherence, mode
a. Underline the tonic prominence in each tone group (strong syllable in the foot where
there is greatest pitch change).
b. Identify the tones as rising, falling or other.
c. Under tonic prominence in each tone group write New, and write Given under earlier
part of tone group (if the information unit is marked, reverse this order).
d. List the phonological features of the text that add coherence to it.
e. If the text is spoken list non-verbal sounds that characterize this mode.
6. Prosody
a. Attempt to construct a prosodic map of the entire text, following the guidelines of
conversational analysts (cf. Couper-Kuhlen, E. and Selting, M. 1996).
Contextualization
Situation – Describe the relevant field, personal and functional tenor and mode of this communi-
cative event between interactive participants and any represented participants.
Register – Identify the register of the text, whether literary or non-literary.
Are the phonological features of the text a function of the register?
What phonological nuances make your text unique in terms of its register?
Purpose – Identify the purpose of this text.
How does phonological information develop this purpose?
Strategies: Does the phonological style have any relationship to the strategies
chosen?
Metafunctions
Describe how the phonological choices highlight particular metafunctions.
i. Experiential – What phonemes, feet, tone groups add information to the experience
that is developed in this text?
ii. Interpersonal – Describe how the encoder’s choice of tone, dynamic range, pacing, and
evaluative colouring reveal the relationship between encoder and decoder.

8. © Karen Malcolm
Malcolm, K. (2010) Phasal Analysis. London: Continuum.22
iii. Textual – Is the text spoken spontaneously or non-spontaneously as monologue, dia-
logue or multi-party talk; or written to be spoken; to be read as if spoken / heard, or
just to be read.
What experiential information is encoded as New in this text? as Given?
coherence – What repetitions and patterns of sounding create phonological coher-
ence in the text?
Linguistic context
a. Does the placement of the text (beginning, middle or end) account for the phonological
style?
b. Describe the way other linguistic information relates, reinforces and challenges the pho-
nological choices of this text, for example lexical, syntactic, semological, graphological.
Cultural context and dialect
a. Who is the encoder? What is her age, ethnicity, gender, nationality? How do her phono-
logical choices reflect her situation, culture, beliefs and values? In other words, how do
they create her social identity and construct her social reality?
b. Who is the intended decoder (the expected / target audience)? How might her situation
and culture, and experience of the register affect her interpretation of the encoder’s
phonological choices?
Who is the actual decoder? How might her situation and culture, and experience of the
register affect her interpretation of the encoder’s phonological choices?
Results
1. Complete the following transcription summary sheet, and total the frequencies of par-
ticular types of consonants, vowels and diphthongs. Count whatever else is countable,
for example various types of tone groups, the number of rhetorical devices pertaining to
sounding, the number of examples of evaluative colouring, dynamic range variations and
the like.
Consonants Stops Fricatives Affricates Approximants Nasals
Voiced Unvoiced Voiced Unvoiced Voiced Unvoiced Unvoiced Voiced
central
Voiced
lateral
Voiced
Bilabial b by p pet w wit m
mitt
Labiodental v vet f fit
Interdental ð that θ thick
Alveolar d do t to z zoo s sit, city r red l lit n no
Palatal
Alveolar
ʒbeige ʃshow dʒ
jump
t ʃ chin
Velar g gift k king j yes ŋ sing
Glottal ? oh-oh h hat
+ voiced alveolar flap /ɾ/ Ottawa

9. © Karen Malcolm
Malcolm, K. (2010) Phasal Analysis. London: Continuum. 23
Vowels Front Central Back
High tense i deed u duty
lax ɪ did ʊ wood
Mid tense e date ə upon o cold
lax ɛ debt ɔ torn,
cot
Low æ dab ɑ calm
Diphthongs ɑu ɑi oi
2. Note which are major features of the encoder’s phonological style, and which are minor,
given the size of the text.
3. By comparing your results with the frequencies given below, decide which of these fea-
tures and totals are unmarked / predictable given the register, encoder and decoder
(see conclusions), and which features (omissions as well as occurrences) are marked /
unpredictable, atypical of the register, and hence potentially significant.
Among consonants: stops occur 30% of the time in typical unmarked discourse,
fricatives 20–25% of the time,
affricates 1–2% of the time,
approximants 25% of the time,
nasals 15–19% of the time.
Among vowels about 50% appear to be front vowels typically,
20% back vowels,
17–25% central vowels,
9% diphthongs.
4. review your first impressions and initial hypotheses of your text (see Preparatory Notes),
and comment on them.
Conclusions
1. Summary – Describe the encoder’s phonological style in prose, using examples and
statistics when appropriate.
2. Interpretation – Discuss how this particular phonological repertoire best serves the
encoder, given her cultural and situational context, communicative purpose, and register,
in communicating her experiential and interpersonal message to her intended audience
in this particular mode.