A. The Study of the Content Plane

 

Checking Comprehension Questions:

 

1. In what way does the pragmatic phonetics study the sounds of a foreign language?

2. How is RP understood and recognized?

3. What do professionals use English for?

4. How should they speak English?

5. Can a foreign learner speak English effortlessly?

6. What is to be remembered for proper pronunciation of the glottal fricative [h]?

7. What are the mistakes in pronouncing the diphthong [au]?

8. What risk does the learner run when dealing with the word ‘complex’?

9. What does the learner find most difficult to master when pronouncing this word?

10. How is English sound [^] different from Russian [a]?

11. What are the peculiarities of pronunciation of English [l]?

12. What sound presents the most difficulty in pronouncing the word ‘human’?

13. How should the final nasals [n] in the word ‘human’ be articulated?

14. What is the general character of English speech as compared with Russian?

15. What are the characteristics of the articulation of the initial weak plosive in ‘be’?

16. What makes the pronunciation of [i:] in ‘be’ fairly long and why is it particularly difficult for the Russian learner of English to master?

17. What influences the length of English vowels?

18. What should we take into account when teaching Russian philologists the most complicated aspects of English pronunciation?

19. What is the English organic basis of articulation characterized with?

20. What is the position of tongue and lips required by the English organic basis?

21. In what position do the English plosives [b], [d], [g] become implosive rather than plosive? Why is it a stumbling block for the majority of Russian learners of English?

 

B. The Study of the Expression Plane.

 

1. Give the English equivalents of the Russian sense groups:

 

1. набор практических правил

2. требуемый коммуникационный навык

3. английский без акцента

4. признаваемый всеми в качестве стандарта

5. ответственная и сложная работа

6. было бы ошибкой представить, что

7. говорить на английском языке без усилий

8. давайте обратимся к

9. применять принципы на практике

10. особо сложное

11. так сказать

12. подвергаться риску

13. правильная артикуляция

14. представлять проблему

15. один из наиболее сложных вопросов

16. в этом случае

17. огромная проблема

18. отдавать предпочтение

19. содержать обсуждаемую звуковую последовательность.

20. камень преткновения

 

2. Translate words and sense - groups from English into Russian:

1. strange substitutions

2. speak English anyhow

3. first and foremost

4. glottal fricative

5. to take no part whatsoever

6. it should never be confounded with

7. the exact pronunciation

8. distort the pattern of the word

9. a stressed vowel

10. to find most difficult to master

11. there is always a danger of replacing the sound by

12. the word under discussion

13. supporting articulation

14. lateral sound

15. be born in mind

16. be faced with a problem

17. by no means

18. for reason we have expounded above

19. occur in final position

20. make something widely different from

21. resonant nature of the consonant

22. be slightly shifted back

23. as compared with

24. for purely pragmatic purposes

 

3. a) Fill in the gaps with the appropriate preposition from the table.

 

 

of

under

In (*2)

With (*3)

for

from

 

 

1) be born _ _ _ _ mind

2) be faced _ _ _ _ a problem

3) a danger _ _ _ _ replacing the sound by

4) be confounded _ _ _ _

5) the sound _ _ _ _ discussion

6) vary _ _ _ _ length

7) as compared _ _ _ _

8) _ _ _ _ purely pragmatic purposes

9) be different _ _ _ _

10) result _ _ _ _

 

b). Use the above words and word-combinations in sentences:

1) It should always _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ that in articulation of English the tongue takes no part whatsoever, because the sound _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is produced by the air passing through the slightly contracted glottis which _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ slight friction, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ what happens when the air is exhaled in a slightly intensified way.

 

2) There is always _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the English [h] with Russian sound [х] as in, for instance, “hobot” or “hohot”.

 

3) The point we are now trying to make is that English [h] should by no means be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Russian sound [x] as it is very _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

 

4) It should be noted here that _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ it might be useful if the Russian learner of English always tried to exaggerate the length of long vowels to make them exceptionally tense.

 

5) Merely listening to English vowels does not lead to good pronunciation as all English vowels (both long and short) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ according to their pronunciation environment.

 

3. Translate the sentences from English into Russian: