Download Level Three

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PRONUNCIATION III
INTERMEDIATE
1. Overall Level III Structure Objectives: (general structure objectives for Level III, see
Grammar curriculum for detailed descriptions)
1. conjunctions (and, but, or, so, for, yet, nor) and associated punctuation;
parallelism
2. adverb clauses: cause, result, condition
3. gerunds, infinitives and participial adjectives
4. passive voice (tenses and with modal auxiliaries)
5. adjective clauses (who, whom, which, that, and markerless)
6. noun clauses, used as objects and as complements of adjectives
7. comparatives, equatives, and superlatives
8. questions: Y/N, WH, and tags
9. prepositions: instrument, means, and purpose
10. verbs: modal auxiliaries and other expressions (be accustomed to, be used to)
2. Structure Objectives (specifically targeted structures to be addressed through
speaking activities,. see Grammar curriculum for detailed descriptions)
1. modals
2. comparatives
3. conditionals
real in present and future
unreal in present, future
4. phrasal verbs
3. Mechanisms/ articulators; points of articulation (areas of articulation with which
students should be familiar. The following terminology is intended for the instructors)
1. vocal chords
2. glottis
3. tongue
4. velum
5. palate
6. alveolar ridge
7. teeth
8. lips
9. nasal cavity
10. air stream
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4. Phonetic alphabet (TEACHERS' NOTE: THE SYMBOLS BELOW ARE NOT
INTENDED FOR CONSIDERATION FOR ADOPTION. IT REMAINS TO BE DECIDED
IF WE WANT TO USE A SPECIFIC PHONETIC SCRIPT FOR ALL CLASSES.
1. vowels: symbols as appropriate to texts in use, eg:
I
ε ae a
∂ o
W
u ai aW oi ∂r ei oW
2. consonants: symbols as appropriate to texts in use, eg:
b d f g h j k l m n p r
s t v w dj θ
ð
s ∫ z
z
n
5. Discrete sound discrimination
1. consonants and vowels in isolation
2. consonants and vowels in context
3. focused practice on certain sounds posing difficulty, e.g.,
∫, s, v, w, n (final), m (final), n, W, u, θ,
ð, z, y, b (final), ae, ε , glide insertions
4. spelling variations eg. /f/ may be spelled with
f as in fat
ph as in photo gh as in enough
5. vowel reduction and vowel length
1. reduction when in an unstressed syllable: pro’-gress
2. length in stressed syllables:
can /kIn/
sub-ject’ /sIb-djεkt’/
3. length before voiced consonants:
/pra/
vs. pro-gress’
/pr∂/
vs.
vs.
can’t /kaent/
sub’-ject /sub’-djIkt/
mop /map/
neat /nit/
vs.
vs.
mob /ma:b/
need /ni:d/
6. Combinations of sounds
1. dyads: simple consonant clusters [C+C] and dipthongs
2. triads: complex clusters [C+V+C], [V+C+V], [C+C+V], [C+C+C]
3. position and effect (initial and final position)
4. plural endings
5. past tense endings
6. focused practice on certain sounds, clusters, and deletion posing difficulty
examples of
clusters: /tw/ twelve /skw/ square /-rgz/ icebergs
deletions: chocolate /t∫ak-lIt/ especially /’ spε∫-∂li/
7. contractions: Bob’ll love it.
8. substitution:
1. glottal stops
2. palatization
3. r flap /r/
= /bab’-∂l_luv’_It/
(ex.) button, something, wanting, it was, can’t recall
(ex.) /s + ∫/ = /∫:/ as in: a nice_shop /nais + ∫ap/
batter /bae’- rΙr/
had to /hae’- r∂/
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7. Syllables
1. definition of the syllable
2. separating and counting syllables (contractions; -s and -ed endings)
examples:
real /ril/ = one syllable but react /ri-aekt/ = two syllables
Bob’ll /ba-bIl/ = two syllables
we’re /wiyr/ = one syllable
wished /wI∫t/ = one syllable but wanted /wan’-tId/ = two syllables
3. known pitfalls: -ge, -ble, -cle, etc. [garbage è
gar - bage = 2 syllables]
traveler è tra - ve - ler = 3 syllables
perfectly è per - fect - ly = 3 syllables
4. ellipsis
[traveler è trav’ler; chocolate è choc’late]
8. Stress
1. definition of stress
potato è po - ta’ - to = 3 syllables, second syllable stressed
trouble è trou’ - ble = 2 syllables, first syllable stressed
2. stressing syllables within words
3. predictable patterns and shifts
1. affixes
re’search, re’searcher; photograph, photo’grapher
2. word forms spelled the same
re-cord’ (verb) vs. re’-cord (noun)
3. compound nouns
hall’way
birth’day White’ House
4. rhythm and grouping as it relates to stress
5. use of stress for focus and emphasis
6. sentence stress
1. stressed elements
Noun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Interrogative, Demonstrative Pronoun, Negative
2. unstressed elements:
Pronoun, Conjunction, Article, Auxiliary Verb, Main Verbs BE and HAVE, Preposition,
Demonstrative Adjective
9. Intonation
1. sentence/command falling
2. WH- question falling
3. Y/N question rising
4. statement as question/ uncertainty
5. tag questions
6. focused stress She’s buying the blue shirt.
7. listing
8. choices We can sit here↑ or over there ↓.
10. Rhythm, rhythm groups
1. stressed and unstressed word patterns
(Not the red one.)
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I didn't know where to put  the book you gave me.
2. breath groups
I didn’t know where to put the book you gave me.
11. Linking, blending, reductions
1. linking patterns
1. Consonant to Vowel
2. Vowel1 to Vowel2
example:
serve_us [vs. service]
example:
he is /hiy_Iz/
go on /gow_an/
2. blending
1. Consonant 1 to Consonant 1
example:
2. Consonant 1 to Consonant 2
example:
3. artificial clusters through linking and blending
bring_gold
thread, bathroom, with reason
He works straight through the night.
4. reductions:
1. common phrases
what are youèwhaddaya or whacha (/Whacha doing?)
going to è gonna (When are you /gonna/ go?)
have to è hafta (We /hafta/ find it.)
has to è hasta (He /hasta/ finish soon.)
did you è dja (where /dja/ go?)
to è ta (time /ta/ go)
of è a (Can I have some /a/ that?)
or è er (You can have this one /er/ that one.)
h and th reduced (tell'er, tell'im, tell'em)