BLL 2

What does the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) primarily represent?

• The spelling of languages

• The grammar rules of languages

• The sounds of human speech

• The meanings of words

What are the three basic parameters used to describe vowels?

• Quality, intensity, and frequency

• Height, backness, and rounding

• Height, length, and tone

• Pitch, volume, and duration

What is a phoneme?

• A sound that has no meaning

• A basic unit of sound that distinguishes meaning

• A type of vowel sound

• An allophone of a consonant

Which of the following is an example of a minimal pair?

• Cat and bat

• Bat and rat

• Pin and spin

• Cat and dog

What does complementary distribution refer to?

• Sounds that can occur in the same environment

• Sounds that are interchangeable

• Allophones that never occur in the same environment

• Phonemes that are pronounced the same

What is aspiration in phonetics?

• A type of vowel sound

• A puff of air accompanying certain consonants

• A method of sound assimilation

• A way to transcribe speech

What happens when the velum is raised?

• Consonants are elongated

• Oral sounds are produced

• Nasal sounds are produced

• Vowel sounds are articulated

What is a diphthong?

• A consonant cluster

• A vowel that changes quality during articulation

• A type of phoneme

• A single vowel sound

Which of the following is an example of a diphthong in English?

• /æ/ in cat

• /ɔɪ/ in boy

• /i/ in see

• /ʌ/ in cup

What is assimilation in phonology?

• A process of sound change

• A method of vowel rounding

• A type of phoneme

• A way to create minimal pairs