This document discusses the features of pronunciation in English, including both segmental and suprasegmental features. Segmental features refer to individual sounds or phonemes, while suprasegmental features involve stress, intonation, and how sounds change in connected speech. It is important for English language learners to master both types of features in order to communicate effectively. The document provides examples of how word stress can change the pronunciation of words depending on their function, such as the words "record" as a noun versus a verb.

1. FACULTAD DE BELLAS ARTES Y HUMANIDADES
LICENCIATURA EN LENGUA INGLESA
CURSO: Pronunciación Inglesa I
INTENSIDAD: 3 horas semanales
Créditos: 3
FEATURES OF PRONUNCIATION
First of all, the concept of pronunciation comprises the segmental features of speech production or
phonemes which can be considered as the individual sounds of a language that differentiate one word
from another. On the other hand, pronunciation involves suprasegmental features like accent, stress,
intonation and how sounds change in connected speech. In the learning of a second or a foreign
language, individuals not only need to know how to produce phonemes and segmental elements
correctly, but also master suprasegmental features in order to achieve an effective oral communication.
As stated by Ur (2008), a learner may enunciate the sounds perfectly and still sound foreign because of
unacceptable stress and intonation; in Oriental “tone” languages intonation often makes a difference to
meaning. Particularly in English language, a change in word stress may occur according to the function
the word has in the sentence, and thus a sound may change in the same word. For example, the word
“record” as a noun is stressed in the first syllable and in the second when it refers to a verb, making a
difference in the articulation of vowel sounds.
For this reason, it is very important for students, who are learning English as a Foreign Language, become
aware of how segmental and suprasegmental features interact with each other in speech production.
Next you can see a diagram which summarizes the main features of pronunciation:
Features of Pronunciation
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Look at the following phonemic transcriptions of some words taken from the text and try to find out how
they are written in English.
record /ˈrekɔːrd/
Noun (INFORMATION)
record /rɪˈkɔːrd/
Verb (STORE INFORMATION)
Suprasegmental Features
Intonation Stress Accent
Connected Speech
/ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/
______
_
/ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
_________/ˈkɒnsənənt/
__________
/prəˌnʌnsɪˈeɪʃən/
_____________
/ˈvaʊəl/
_________
/ˈfəʊniːm/
_________
Segmental Features
Consonants Vowels
Voiced Voiceless Single Diphthongs
Short Long