Quiz Introduction to Linguistics
1. For each group of phones, state the articulatory feature or features they all share:
For example: [f], [s] are all fricative voiceless
a. [i], [e], [æ], [Ɛ]
Answer : Are all characteristics of front vowel articulation. Produced with the tongue positioned relatively high
towards the front of the mouth
b. [f], [s], [], [ʃ]
Answer : These phones all share the articulatory feature of being fricatives.
c. [d], [n], [r]. [l]
Answer : These phones all share the articulatory feature of being sonorants.
2. Write the phonetic symbol/ alphabet of the following articulatory descriptions:
a. open-mid front unrounded vowel [ɛ]
b. close back rounded vowel [u]
c. voiceless glotal plosive [ʔ]
3. Find minimal pairs for the following pairs of English phonemes (Keep in mind that spelling is not
important): a. /i:/ - /u:/
/i:/ "beat" - /u:/ "boot"
/bi:t/ /bu:t/
b. /θ/ - /δ/
/θ/ "think" - /ð/ "this"
/θɪŋk/ - /ðɪs/
c. /n/ - /s/
/n/ "net” - /s/ "set"
/nɛt/ - /sɛt/
4.In each of the following groups the phonemes share one or more common properties, but in each group
there is one phoneme which does not belong to the group. Identify the phoneme and specify in which respect(s)
it is diferent from the rest of the group.
a. /f, p, m, , v, b/
b. /æ, u:, I, e, Ʊ, ǝ/
c. /eI, aI, aƱ, ɔI, Iǝ/
Answer :
a. /f, p, m, θ, v, b/: The phoneme /θ/ does not belong to this group. It is different from the rest of the group in
terms of its manner of articulation. /f/, /p/, /m/, /v/, and /b/ are all labial consonants, meaning they are
produced by obstructing or constricting the airflow with the lips. However, /θ/ is a dental fricative, which means
it is produced by placing the tongue against the upper front teeth to create a narrow constriction.
