Transcript Unit 1

Basic Concepts: Syllables,
Stress & Rhythm
Unit 1
Phonetics & Phonology
Phonetics
the study of production of
speech sounds of any
language
Phonology
the study of the system and
patterns of speech sounds in a
language
Nasal Cavity (鼻腔)
Oral Cavity (口腔)
Pharynx (咽)
Larynx: vocal folds in it (喉)
the windpipe (气管)
Lung: supply airstream (肺)
Phoneme 音位；音素
A phoneme is the smallest unit of
speech that can be used to make one
word different from another word.
E.g. ‘b’ & ‘p’ in ‘big’ & ‘pig’; ‘s’ & ‘z’
in ‘sip’ & ‘zip’
In English, there are 26 letters but 44
phonemes. Among them,20 are
vowels and 24 are consonants.
Syllables 音节
A vowel is the syllable nucleus.
A syllable is part of a word and the
basic unit of English rhythm.
Syllables are often considered the
phonological “building bricks” of
words.
English words can have one, two,
three, or, even more syllables. E.g.
pronunciation?
如何划分音节？
1. 音节的构成：
 英语中一个元音构成一个音节，一个元音加上一个或
一个以上的辅音也构成一个音节。
2. 音节的划分:元音是构成音节的主体，辅音是音节的分界
线。一般情况下：
 a.两辅音字母之间不管有多少个元音字母，一般都是
一个音节。如：seat，beau·ty。
 b.在两个音节的相邻处有两个辅音时，一个辅音字母
属于前面的音节，一个属于后面的音节。例如：
let·ter, mem·ber, chil·dren, daugh·ter；
 c.在两个音节之间有一个辅音字母时，一般辅音字母
归后一音节。例如：stu·dent
Open Syllable 开音节
1. With the vowel letter (including ‘y’) at the
end, not followed (closed) by any other
letter. E.g. me, no, tidy, baby
2. With the vowel letter followed by a mute
(soundless) ‘e’ at the end. E.g. die, hoe,
true
3. With the vowel letter followed by a single
consonant letter (other than ‘r’) and then a
mute ‘e’ at the end. E.g. late, rise, take,
name, these, bike, home, excuse
Closed Syllable 闭音节
With the vowel letter followed by one
or more consonants (other than ‘r’). 以
一个或几个辅音字母（r除外）结尾而中
间只有一个元音字母的音节称为闭音节。
A closed syllable is a syllable that
ends in s consonant.
E.g. catch, miss, put, hot, mess, beg,
egg, fish, cup
元音字母在开音节和闭音节单词中的
发音对比：
Exercise
 下列单词哪些是开音节，那些是闭音节?
Coke, hi, catch, book, sky, ride,
train, okay
 根据音标写出单词:
 /sɪk/, /slaɪd/, /blɒk/, /∫ʌt/
Stress 重音、重读
 Stressed syllables are those that are
marked in the dictionary as stressed.
E.g. ’photograph, pho’tographer,
photo’graphic
 Some syllables receive the primary
stress, some the secondary stress, and
some zero stress. E.g. better/'betə/
banana/bə'nanə/
 If there is a pitch change, the pitch
change often falls on the stressed
syllables.
Word Stress
 A word stress means a prominent syllable.
word
pattern
tea.cher
•.
beau.ti.ful
•..
un.der.stand
..•
con.ti.nue
.•.
How to pronounce word stress?
When a syllable is stressed, it is
pronounced
longer in duration
higher in pitch
louder in volume
How do you say teacher?
Longer
teeeeeeeeeeee cher
tea
Higher
cher
Louder
TEA cher
All three
combined
TEEEEEEEEEEE
cher
Word Stress Rules
Where is the
stress?
Word type
Nouns
on the first
syllable
Verbs
on the last
syllable
Nouns
(N + N)
(Adj. + N)
on the first
part
Two syllables
Compound
Adjectives
(Adj. + P.P.)
Verbs
(prep. + verb)
on the last part
(the verb part)
Examples
center
object
flower
release
admit
arrange
desktop
pencil case
bookshelf
greenhouse
well-meant
hard-headed
old-fashioned
understand
overlook
outperform
Word type
Phrasal Verbs
Where is the stress?
on the particle
-ic
the syllable before the
ending
Word
with
added
ending
-tion, -cian, -sion
-phy, -gy, -try, -cy,
-fy, -al
-meter
the third from the last
syllable
Examples
turn off
buckle up
hand out
economic
Geometric
electrical
Technician
graduation
cohesion
Photography
biology
geometry
Parameter
Thermometer
barometer
Rhythm 节奏
 The rhythm of a language is
characterized by the timing pattern of
successive syllables.
 Stress is the heart of rhythmic pattern.
 Usually the key words receive the
stress in a sentence.
 E.g. soft and light, it’s soft and it’s light;
cold winter, it was cold in the winter.
Sentence Stress in English
Sentence stress is what gives
English its rhythm or "beat". You
remember that word stress is
accented on one syllable within a
word. Sentence stress is accented
on certain words within a sentence.
Most sentences have two types of word:
content words
structure words
Content words are the key words of a sentence.
They are the important words that carry the
meaning or sense.
Structure words are not very important words.
They are small, simple words that make the
sentence correct grammatically.
If you remove the structure words from a sentence,
you will probably still understand the sentence.
Rules for Sentence Stress in
English
1. Content words are stressed;
2. Structure words are
unstressed;
3. The time between stressed
words is always the same.
Content words - stressed
Words carrying the meaning Example
main verbs
SELL, GIVE, EMPLOY
nouns
CAR, MUSIC, MARY
adjectives
RED, BIG, INTERESTING
adverbs
QUICKLY, LOUDLY, NEVER
negative auxiliaries
DON'T, AREN'T, CAN'T
Structure words - unstressed
Words for correct grammar
Example
pronouns
he, we, they
prepositions
on, at, into
articles
a, an, the
conjunctions
and, but, because
auxiliary verbs
do, be, have, can, must
Diphthong 双元音
Diphthongs are sounds which consist
of a movement or glide from one
vowel to another.
In diphthongs, the first part is much
longer and stronger than the second
part.
Exercise
 Read the following tongue-twisters:
1. A proper copper coffee pot.
2. Around the rugged rocks the ragged
rascals ran.
3. She sells seashells by the seashore.
4. We surely shall see the sun shine soon.
5. Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled
pepper. Did Peter Piper pick a pack of
pickled pepper? If Peter Piper picked a
pack of pickled pepper, where’s the pack
of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?
Pronunciation in Communication
Greetings
Saying Hello & Goodbye
Making Introduction
Greetings
(Xiao Li and Mary work in the same office.)
 Xiao Li: Good morning, Mary.
 Mary: Good morning, Xiao Li . How are you
today?
 Xiao Li: Fine, thanks. And you?
 Mary: I am fine, too. I think it’s another
busy day.
 Xiao Li: You are right. Shall we start our
work?
 Mary: Ok. Let’s begin.
Making Introduction
(Tom is introducing his friend Wang Lin to
Xiao Zhang. )
 Tom: Good afternoon, Xiao Zhang.
 Xiao Zhang: Good afternoon, Tom.
 Tom: Xiao Zhang, this is Wang Lin, my
friend. He’s from Shanghai. Wang Lin, this
is Xiao Zhang, my classmate.
 Wang Lin: How do you do?
 Xiao Zhang: How do you do?
 Wang Lin: It’s very nice to meet you.
 Xiao Zhang: Pleased to meet you, too.
Saying Goodbye
(In the office)
A: I came to say goodbye.
B: When are you leaving?
A: I'm flying home on Sunday
afternoon.
B: Well, happy landing. Goodbye.
See you later.