T Historical Variation In English printable pdf download

T Historical Variation In English

EL2111 Historical Variation in English

(Sem 2, 2015/16)

Tutorial No. 2

1. Consonants. Put in, between the oblique strokes, the first segments of the following words.

cart / /

cell / /

cello / /

chef / /

cholera / /

quaint / /

shunt / /

gel / /

gill / /

phlegm / /

psst / /

psych / /

thistle / /

thither / /

tsetse / /

yeti / /

jest / /

xanthium / /

Now put in, between the oblique strokes, the last segments of the following words.

sin / /

sing / /

garage / /

climb / /

fax / /

of / /

2. Vowels (long, diphthongs). Examine the vowel diagram below.

Decide which symbol represents the vowel sound in the words below (in your pronunciation) – if you think the vowel

sound you make is not represented in the IPA symbols introduced to you, leave the space blank. If you are aware of

different vowel sounds employed by speakers with other accents, you may include that at the side as well.

bar / /

boat / /

boot / /

bead / /

bay / /

board / /

bide / /

bout / /

3. The Great Vowel Shift (GVS).

(a) If you bear in mind that English spelling was ‘fixed’ before the GVS, try to have a guess about the vowel sounds for

these words in Middle English: find, we, speak, lady [first syllable], oak, goose, house, and try to indicate the positions in the

vowel chart on p. 1.

(b) Now consider their present-day pronunciations, and indicate with arrows the shifts that the vowel sounds have

undergone.

T Historical Variation In English

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