Applying Phonetics. Murray J. Munro

symbolized /r/, is produced by rapid vibration of the tip of the tongue at the alveolar ridge. As noted earlier, some English speakers produce the English /ɹ/ sound as a retroflex alveolar liquid. For this articulation, the tongue apex is curled back, and the more precise IPA symbol is /ɻ/. Some major world languages use other retroflex consonants that entail a similar tongue gesture. Hindi, for instance, has several retroflex sounds, including the voiced and voiceless retroflex plosives /ʈ/ and /ɖ/.

      4.3.4 vowels from other languages

      English has a high front unrounded vowel (/i/) and a high back rounded vowel (/u/). If we switch the rounding characteristics of these articulations, we get the high front rounded vowel of Mandarin, /y/, and the high back unrounded vowel of Japanese, /ɯ/.

      for further thought, analysis, and discussion

      1 The words below have been transcribed as produced by a North American speaker. Rewrite them in standard orthography. (Suggested answers are given on the APSSEL website.)a) /kip/k) /pɝtʃt/u) /ˈpitʃəz/b) /tʃuz/l) /bæŋd/v) /ˈɑnɚ/c) /bɑks/m) /ˈθɑtfəl/w) /ˈʃɹʌŋkən/d) /dʒinz/n) /ˈækʃən/x) /ˈɹɛkɪŋ/e) /loʊd/o) /ˈtæksəz/y) /dɪsˈmeɪd/f) /feɪs/p) /ˈfoʊkəs/z) /ɪkˈspɛktəd/g) /huz/q) /ˈlʌki/h) /waj/r) /iŋˈklud/i) /jus/s) /dɪˈvɝs/j) /ðiz/t) /ˈmɛʒɚz/

      2 A number of interactive phonetic charts are available on the Internet. Use the APSSEL website to access some of these, where you can listen to sample productions of a wide range of consonants and vowels, including many that do not occur in English.

for further reading

      Part I of this book is designed to present a brief overview of the nature of speech and the types of speech sounds used in language. For a more detailed treatment of the subject, you might wish to consult Zsiga's The Sounds of Language (2013). See the List of Sources at the end of the book for publication details.