RP English Phonology Summary

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1. Received Pronunciation (RP) Historically prestigious, non-regional accent of English. Associated with Southern Britain. Used as a reference model in dictionaries and for teaching. 2. RP Diphthongs There are 8 core diphthongs in RP: /eɪ/ (face) /aɪ/ (my) /ɔɪ/ (boy) /əʊ/ (goat) /aʊ/ (mouth) /ɪə/ (near) /eə/ (square) /ʊə/ (cure) 3. Phonetic Transcription "business" (RP IPA): /ˈbɪznəs/ "photograph" (RP IPA): /ˈfəʊtəɡrɑːf/ (primary stress on first syllable) 4. Short vs. Long Vowels Short Vowel: Shorter duration, often centralized or lax quality. Example: /ɪ/ in "bit" Long Vowel: Longer duration, typically tenser and more peripheral. Example: /iː/ in "bead" Contrast Example (RP): "ship" /ʃɪp/ (short vowel) "sheep" /ʃiːp/ (long vowel) 5. Sentence Stress in English Highlights important words for meaning and information structure. Stress Placement: Content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs) are stressed. Function words (articles, prepositions, auxiliaries) are unstressed. Nuclear Stress: Most prominent stress, usually on the final content word of an intonation unit. Can shift for contrast or emphasis. Example: "I wanted the RED book, not the blue one." 6. Vowel Identification & Meaning Differences (RP) "bat" $\to$ /bæt/ — TRAP vowel: low-front, short, lax. "bit" $\to$ /bɪt/ — KIT vowel: high-front (near-high), short, lax. "bet" $\to$ /bet/ — DRESS vowel: mid-front, short, lax. "but" $\to$ /bʌt/ — STRUT vowel: mid-central, short, lax. How Differences Change Meaning: These are minimal pairs; subtle vowel shifts create distinct lexical items. /bæt/ (club/mammal) vs. /bɪt/ (small piece) vs. /bet/ (wager) vs. /bʌt/ (conjunction/rear). Even with identical consonants, specific vowel contrasts encode separate meanings. 7. RP Vowel Chart: "bat, bit, bet, but" Visual representation of tongue positions for these vowels: High Low Front Back /æ/ (bat) /ɪ/ (bit) /e/ (bet) /ʌ/ (but) Axes: X-axis (Front-Back), Y-axis (High-Low) of tongue position. /æ/ (bat): Low-front (bottom-left). /ɪ/ (bit): Near-high front (upper-left quadrant). /e/ (bet): Mid-front (mid-left quadrant). /ʌ/ (but): Mid-central (central region). 8. "Harry Potter": Emotional Journey of Harry Learning He Is a Wizard (Audio Analysis) Harry's journey: disbelief $\to$ awe $\to$ relief. Audio Cues: Preceded by noticeable pause, building anticipation. Harry's initial responses hesitant, soft, questioning disbelief (rising intonation). Hagrid’s voice: warm, steady, reassuring. Subtle swell in background ambience/music marks significance. Emotional Progression: Disbelief: quiet, breathy questioning tone. Curiosity/Wonder: voice gains clarity/brightness upon learning about Hogwarts. Relief/Acceptance: settles into a sense of belonging. 9. "The Old Man and the Sea": Dialogue Analysis You: You look tired, sir. Did the sea treat you fairly this time? Old Man: The sea is never fair. It is only itself. You: People say you went far out. Old Man: Far is a measure of hope. I followed it until hope became a line in my hands. You: Did you bring anything back? Old Man: I brought back bones and a memory of strength. The fish was worthy. So were the sharks. You: And you? Old Man: I am still a man. My hands will heal. Tomorrow, the line will feel light again. You: Do you still think of DiMaggio? Old Man: Of course. Pain is not defeat. He plays with pain; I fish with it. You: Then you will go again. Old Man: When the wind allows, and the heart agrees. The sea waits for no one, but it remembers.