4. The relationship between spelling and pronunciation in English
Pronunciation of vowel letters
Sound values
this is probally the area that is the most difficult for language learners, especially Hungarian learners, as the letter-to-sound rules of English vowels ae very different from those found in Hungarian
Hungarian letter-to-sound rules for vowels are very simple, each vowel letter represents one vowel sound, and each vowel sound is represented by one vowel letter
In English, each vowel sound may be represented by several vowel letters or digraphs, and each vowel letter or digraph may stand for several vowel sounds
originates in the fact that there are two major types of full vowel in English, tense and lax, and each vowel letter has tense and lax pronunciations as well
Tense vowels are further divided into two subclasses:
Plain-Tense
Broken-Tense
Lax vowels are classified into:
Plain-Lax
Broad-Lax
Pre-r breaking: plain-tense vowels may not stand before r, and are replaced by their broken counterparts in this position
pre-r broadening: plain-lax vowels are replaced by their broad counterparts before r
Graphic positions, letter-to-sound rules
how we decide how a letter is pronunced: we check the graphic position
Graphic position of a vowel letter: the letters that follow it in spelling, two types:
free - free vowels are tense unless laced by rule
covered: covered vowels are lax
laxing rules:
trisyllabic laxing: if the stressed vowel is in at least the third-last syllable of the word, it must be lax (hesitate)
laxing by suffix: the stressed syllable is followed by certain suffixes like -ic, -id,... (metric, solid)
laxing by free U: if it is followed by a free vowel letter u in the next syllable (gradual)
laxing by consonant cluster: the stressed syllable is followed by two or more consonants (receive-reception)
CiV laxing: there is a stressed vowel letter i or y which is followed by a consonant letter + another vowel letter i + one more vowel letter (decision)
unmotivated vowel shift: shade-shadow, life-live
Quality deviations:
the single vowel letters or vowel digraphs are not pronunced with one of their regular pronunciaiton values - the spelling and pronunciation is not predictable by any of the rules...
isolated deviating words: few examples
groups of deviating words:
deviations due to neighbouring sounds/letters
want words, war words, call words,...
foreignisms (French or Italian loanwords, with spelling imitating the original
traditional spellings with e and ea, traditional spellings with o, oo, ou, u...
Pronunciation of selected consonant lettters and digraphs
the pronunciation of English consonants is not as problematic as that of vowels, but can still be rather difficult for non-native speakers
no geminate conconants (long consonants)
other: lsd. tételben