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