English Pronunciation for Icelanders

18
1 21 Some accents do not have the distinction between weak i
and 0, and instead use 0 everywhere. In these accents affecteffect,
Lenin-Lennon are homophones: 01fekt, 1len0n. This
happens in Australian, New Zealand and South African accents,
most American and Canadian accents, and some British accents.
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 11: 0 and i
¦
Listen to the difference, and try to transcribe it:
Normal RP: become b±±±1kÆm wanted 1wont±±±d goodness 1gudn±±±s
Using 0:
1 22
become b±±±1kÆm wanted 1wont±±±d goodness 1gudn±±±s
1.5.4 Tensing of i to i
The weak vowel i often occurs in an unstressed syllable by
itself at the end of a word, as in:
happy lazy Charlie
1hæpi 1leizi 1TAli
In these words, the traditional RP pronunciation is with -i,
very much like Icelandic -i in afi, frúnni. Increasingly,
however, in Britain, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, the
vowel in this position is becoming tensed so that it sounds
like a short version of I. We use the symbol i to show this
variable vowel. Remember, some speakers have a lax i, others
have a tense i, and others a vowel between these two extremes.
You might hear:
happy - 1hæpi 1hæp^ 1hæpI
In my accent, I tend to use the sound in the middle:
happy lady cosy really hurry Charlie Susie
1hæp^ 1le^d^ 1k0uz^ 1r^0l^ 1hÆr^ 1TAl^ 1sUz^
Presley Morley Crowleigh Monday Tuesday
1prezl^ 1mOl^ 1kr0ul^ 1mÆnd^ 1tjUzd^