9. Variations of pronunciation within orthoepic norms

Intraidiolectal phonetic variations:

- variations in the pronunciation of the one and the same native speaker of a language;

- spontaneous, accidental, unintentional, unconditioned, non-functional, non-distinctive linguistically;

- intentional and conditioned by what are known as different styles of speech or pronunciation.

Interidiolectal phonetic variations:

- variations in the pronunciation of one and the same phoneme, word or sentence in the same phonetic context and the same style of speech by different speakers of the language;

- diaphone – a sound used by one group of speakers together with other sounds which replace it consistently in the pronunciation of other speakers;

- idiophone – a speech sound pronounced in one idiolect in place of a different sound pronounced in other idiolects in the same phonetic context as allophones of the same phoneme.

10. Received Pronunciation. Classifications of main types

(Gimson)

Conservative RP – the older generation, certain professions or social groups.

General RP – pronunciation adopted by the BBC.

Advanced RP – young people of exclusive social groups – mostly of the upper classes.

(Wells)

Conservative RP (Adoptive RP).

General RP (Mainstream RP).

Advanced RP (U-RP).

Near-RP southern.

(Cruttenden)

General RP (middle-class educated people).

Refined RP (upper class and associated with certain professions which traditionally recruit from the upper class).

Regional RP (RP with a small number of regional features).

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11. Received Pronunciation. Changes of vowel and consonant quality

Vowels:

1) according to stability of articulation:

- [i:] and [u:] become diphthongized, more fronted to the end;

- diphthongs become shorter (glide of [ei] in the word final position is very slight: [tə’dei], [sei];

- [ai] and [au] become smoother when they are followed by the neutral sound [ə]: conservative RP: [faiə], general RP: [faə], advanced RP: [fa:];

- [uə] → [ɔ:]: poor [pɔ:]; [iə] → [iʌ]: dear [diʌ].

2) according to the horizontal movement of the tongue:

- nuclei of [ai] and [au] tend to be more back;

- vowel [æ] is often replaced by [a]: [hæv] - [hav];

- nucleus of [3u] varies from [ou] to [3u] and [əu]: conservative RP: [sou], advanced RP: [s3u] or [səu];

- back-advanced vowels [ʌ] and [u] are fronted in advanced RP: [bʌt] - [bət].

3) according to the vertical movement of the tongue:

- final sounds [ɛ] and [i] may be very open: city [‘siti] - [‘sitə];

- [e] and [ɔ:] tend to be closer in Advanced RP: bought [bɔ: t] – [bu:t];

- nuclei [ei, ɛə, ɔə, uə] tend to be more open: careful ['kɛəful] - ['kɛ:ful].

4) combinative changes:

- [j] dropping: [sju:t] – [su:t], fluctuation after [l]: lute – [lu:t], illusion – [ilju:ʒn];

- [ɔ:] → [ɔ] before [f, s, θ]: loss – [lɔ:s] → [lɔs].

5) changes in length:

- lengthening of [i] in big, his, is; [u] in good;

- [i] lengthened in the final syllable: many [‘meni:];

- [e, æ] lengthened in yes, bed, men, said, sad.

Consonants:

1. Voicing and devoicing.

Initial lenis [b, d, g] – partially devoiced.

Final lenis [b, d, g] – voiceless.

[t] in the intervocalic position is voiced.

2. Loss of [h].

In rapid speech the initial [h] is lost in form words and tends to die out from the language. No loss in stressed syllables.

3. Initial “hw”.

Wh-words are pronounced with an initial breath-like sound [ʍ] instead of [w].

4. Loss of final [ŋ].

5. Spread of “dark” [ł] and vocalization of [l].

6. Glottal stop (as a realization of syllable-final [t], in certain consonant clusters ("glottal reinforcements").

7. Palatalized final [k’].

8. Linking and intrusive [r].

9. Combinative changes ([tj, dj, sj] → [ʧ, ʤ, ʃ], in the clusters of two stops, where the loss of plosion is usually observed, each sound is bronounced with audible release; loss of [j] following [l, s, z, n]).

10. Elision, reduction, assimilation (reflected in the pronunciation of the young generation: have to [‘həftə], perhaps you [pə’hæpʃu:], can [kn], etc.)

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