English Pronunciation for Icelanders

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Contents
Symbols.............................................................. 3
1 VOWELS............................................................. 4
1.1 LAX VOWELS....................................................... 4
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 1............................................. 5
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 2............................................. 5
1.2 TENSE VOWELS..................................................... 7
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 3............................................. 8
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 4............................................. 8
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 5: SENTENCES.................................. 9
Tense & lax vowels................................................... 9
1.3 DIPHTHONGS...................................................... 11
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 6............................................ 11
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 7............................................ 12
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 8: SENTENCES................................. 13
Lax and tense vowels (including Diphthongs)........................ 13
1.4 VOWEL LENGTH.................................................... 14
1.4.1 Lax vowels are always short................................... 14
1.4.2. Clipping..................................................... 14
1.5 WEAK VOWELS..................................................... 15
1.5.1 Stressed and unstressed syllables............................. 15
1.5.2 The weak vowel 0 ('schwa') ................................... 15
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 9: Schwa..................................... 16
1.5.3 i as a weak vowel............................................. 17
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 10: weak i ................................... 17
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 11: 0 and i .................................. 18
1.5.4 Tensing of i to i ............................................. 18
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 12: i and ^ .................................. 19
2 CONSONANTS...................................................... 20
2.1 PLOSIVES (STOPS)................................................ 20
2.1.1 Plosives at the beginning of words............................ 20
2.1.2 Plosives at the end of words.................................. 20
2.1.3 Plosives in the middle of words............................... 21
2.1.4 Icelandic preaspiration....................................... 21
2.1.5 Icelandic unvoicing........................................... 22
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 13: plosives................................. 22
2.2 Fricatives and affricates....................................... 23
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 14: fricatives............................... 25
2.2.1 SIBILANTS..................................................... 25
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 15: s and z................................. 26
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 16: s and z................................. 26
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 17: s and S .................................. 27
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 18: S and G .................................. 27
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 19: T and D ................................. 28
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 20: sentences with sibilants................. 28
2.2.2 Glottal fricative: h.......................................... 29
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 21: sentences with h......................... 29
2.3 Nasals.......................................................... 30
2.3.1 Bilabial, alveolar and velar nasals........................... 30
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 22:.......................................... 31
2.3.2 Syllabic N ................................................... 32
2.4 The lateral: l.................................................. 32
2.4.1 Light l [l] when followed by a vowel or [j]:.................. 32
2.4.2 Unvoiced l [l6
l6] following p or k ............................... 32
2.4.3 Dark l [∑] when not followed by a vowel: ..................... 32
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 23: sentences with l......................... 33
2.4.4 Syllabic ¬ .................................................... 34
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 23 continued................................. 34
2.5 Postalveolar approximant: r.................................... 34
2.5.1 Prevocalic r.................................................. 34
2.5.2 Rhotic and non-rhotic accents................................. 34
2.5.3 Linking r..................................................... 35
2.5.4 Unvoiced r following p t or k................................. 36
2.5.5 Affrication of tr and dr...................................... 36
TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISE 24: sentences with r......................... 36