The Clear and Dark [l]

The clear variant of the lateral sonorant [l] is used before vowels and the median sonorant [j] within a word and at the word-junction. In this position the front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate which palatalizez the sound, e.g. value, lesson, will you, loose, all are here.

The dark variant of [l] is used before consonants and in the word-final position. In this position the back of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate, which gives a dark shade to the sound, e.g. tell, sell, children, failed, Welsh.

Exercise 1.

Revise the rules and answer the following questions. Check up your answers with the key.

1) What variants of English consonants due to the specific way of their junction do you know?

2) What variants of the plosives are used before another plosive or the affricates [C, G]? e.g. looked, a big table, a great deal, that chair, stop Jane.

3) What variants of the plosives are used before [n, m]? e.g. didn’t, midnight, darkness, top marks, cold milk.

4) What variants of the plosives are used before [l]? e.g. middle, lately, apple, should like, jungle, table.

5) What is the difference in pronouncing the plosive consonants in: team - steam, port - sport, car - scar?

6) What variant of [l] is pronounced in: tell you, all young, left, splash, clean?

7) What variant of [h] is used in intervocalic position? e.g. anyhow, perhaps, the honey.

Exercise 2.

Practise the following words and combinations. Make sure you can pronounce everything correctly.

speak	apt	sobbed	'please	'happen	'hobnob
sport	ex'cept	fibbed	'place	'halfpenny	'hobnail
spell	'stopped	stabbed	'plan	'shop-man	'ribbon
spade	‘hope to	ob'tain	'plenty	‘help me	'table
spoon	'ripe ‘corn	'rub ‘down	'plead	‘stop me	'pebble
spy	'stoop‘down	'globe‘trotter	'dimple	'top‘meeting	'terribly

1) Mind unaspirated [p] after [s].

2) Pay attention to plosionless variants of [p] and [b] before another plosive.

3) Observe nasal and lateral plosions.

Exercise 3.

Group the words in which you find:

1) Nasally exploded variants of plosives;

2) Laterally exploded variants of plosives;

3) Plosionless variants of plosives;

4) Unaspirated variants of plosives;

5) Clear variant of [l];

6) Dark variant of [l];

7) Voiced variant of [h].

Check up your answers with the key.

good luck	a cold day	kill
blackmail	article	lime
victory	glass	lecture
law	screen	football
behave	beforehand	apartment
belt	meet me	bicycle
sparrow	pardon	stone

KEY

MODULE I.