Unit 7 consonant clusters

Lesson	Topic	Hours	References
	Consonant clusters.	16
1	Initial consonant clusters. [s] + consonant.	2	O’Connor – p.64-67, Karnevskaya – p.25, 97, 231 “Our sitting room”
2	Initial consonant clusters. Consonant + [l, j, w, r].	2	O’Connor – p.64-67, Karnevskaya – p.97-98, 121, 203, 231
3	Stop + stop.	2	O’Connor – p.67-70, Karnevskaya – p.45, 187 Lab work 8
4	Stop + nasal.	2	O’Connor – p.70-72, Karnevskaya – p.35, 187
5	Stop + lateral.	2	O’Connor – p.72-74, Karnevskaya – p.35, 187 “Morning and evening”
6	Consonants + [s, z, t, d].	2	O’Connor – p.74-75, Karnevskaya – p.14, 203
7	Alveolar consonants + [T].	2	O’Connor – p.75, Karnevskaya – p.66, 203, 243
8	Lateral + consonant. Nasal + consonant. Longer sequences of consonants.	2	O’Connor – p.75-78,

1. Key words

consonant cluster

assimilation (progressive, regressive, reciprocal, double)

devoicing

loss of plosion

nasal plosion

lateral plosion

fricative plosion

2. Theoretical background

English speech is characterised by linking, that means that the sounds within a word and words within a phrase are pronounced together with no pause or interval between them. When we have two or more consonants together we call them a consonant cluster. They can be found at the beginning, in the middle, at the end of words and at a word boundary. When two sounds are pronounced together they can influence each other in different ways. The process when one consonant becomes in some way similar to an adjacent /q'GeIsqnt/ consonant is called assimilation /qsImI'leISn/. If the second consonant is changed under the influence of the first (the preceding) one it is progressive /prqV'gresIv/ assimilation. If the first consonant is changed because of the influence on it by the second (the following) one it is regressive /rI'gresIv/ assimilation.

2.1 Initial consonant clusters

Initial two-consonant clusters are of two sorts in English:

1. /s/ followed by one of the following consonants /p, t, k, f, m, n, l, w, j/;

2. one of the consonants (except /s/) followed by /l, r, w, j/.

• When /s/ precedes /p, t, k/ they lose their aspiration (star, spear, sky).

2.1.1 Voiceless consonants + /n, m, l, r, w, j/

In the clusters of any voiceless consonant with the sounds /n, m, l, r, w, j/ partial or complete devoicing of the second sound takes place, i.e. progressive assimilation affecting the work of the vocal cords can be observed here.

• /n, m, l, r, w, j/ become completely devoiced after /p, t, k/ in a stressed syllable (pleI, tjHn, kwIk). Notice that when /l, r, w, j/ follow /p, t, k/ they become slightly fricative, i.e. some friction is heard when we pronounce them.

• They become partially devoiced:

• after /p, t, k/ in an unstressed syllable or at a word boundary (prI'peq, 'rItn, 'help mI);

• after /sp, st, sk/ (spreI, stjH, skweq);

• after any voiceless friction consonant /s, f, S, T, h/ (smaIl, fjH, SrJk, TrJ, 'hjHmq).