International Phonetic Alphabet and Rule

Bartłomiej Czaplicki
Fonetyka i fonologia

American English Allophones
CONSONANTS:
1. Aspiration
Rule: Voiceless stops are aspirated in the following context: stressed syllable initially before a vowel. The rule applies inside words.
@pHArt

@tHŒrn

s´@pHoUz

s´@kH√m

2. Nasal Plosion
Rule: Stops have a nasal plosion before nasals. The rule applies inside words and across word boundaries.
@hQp≤n2

@beIk≤n2

@hId≤n2

@tHAp≤moUst

@SArp≤ @naIf

3. Lack of Plosion.
Rule: Oral stops have no plosion before a stop or an affricate. The rule applies inside words and across word boundaries.
@Qk|t

@bEg|d

@sEk´nd| @tHŒrn

@DQt| @tSŒrtS

4. Glottalization.
Rule: When immediately preceding a syllabic /n/, the /t/ is often dropped and a glottal stop inserted.
@kHI/n2

@mI/n2

i@ /n2

@b√/n2

5. Assimilation of Coronal Noncontinuants (/t d n l/).
Rule: Coronal noncontinuants (that is, /t d n l/) assume the place of articulation of the following coronal consonant. The rule applies inside words and across word boundaries. That is:
a. they become dental before dentals: /T D/
@tHEn5T
e@ It5T
@wEl5T
@tHEn5 @TIk
@tHEl5 @DEm
b. they remain alveolar before alveolars.
@kHçlz
@bElts
@pHEts
c. they become postalveolar before postalveolars: /r/
@t≠raI
@d=raI
@hEn=ri
@wal=r´s
@DQt= @roUd
d. they become palato-alveolar before palato-alveolars: /S Z tS dZ/
@dEd @dZ√dZ
@bEntS
@kHçrtSIp
D
@ Qt @tSŒrtS
Note: If there is a sequence of the above mentioned sounds immediately preceding the context causing retraction, the whole sequence undergoes retraction.
´n5d5 @DEn
@kHoUl=d= @reIn
@kH√n=t=ri
s@ Ent @Suz

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6. Velarization.
Rule: Dark /lÚ/ (velarized /lÚ/) appears in all contexts in American English. Dark /lÚ/ is pronounced like clear /l/ but additionally the back part of the tongue is raised towards the velum. Velarization is the process of raising the back part of the tongue towards the velum.
@bElÚt

@lÚaIk

@lÚIRlÚ2

7. Partial Devoicing of Obstruents.
Rule:
a. Voiced obstruents get half