Allophonic Variation in English

(RP; Southern English Standard Pronunciation)

Consonants
Plosives (stops) /p/ [p] [p] [?p] voiceless bilabial aspirated (but with weaker aspiration in unstressed syllables) unaspirated after /s/ in a syllable-initial cluster glottal reinforcement in syllable-final position before a consonant or silence [p] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant /paI/ [pai]; /spaI/ [spaI]; /m{p/ [m{?p]; /m{ps/ [m{?ps]; [m{?p SQ?p] /b/ voiced bilabial [b] voiced initially and between voiced segments [b] devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence [b] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant /baI/ [baI]; /beIbi/ [beIbi]; /n{b/ [n{b]; /{bs@nt/ [{bs@nt] /t/ [t] [t] [?t, ?] voiceless alveolar aspirated (but with weaker aspiration in unstressed syllables) unaspirated after /s/ in a syllable-initial cluster glottal reinforcement or glottal replacement in syllable-final position before a consonant or silence [t] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant [t^] dental before dental consonants [t] retracted before /r/ /taI/ [tai]; /staI/ [staI]; /fUt/ [fU?t]; /fUtpA:T/ [fU?pA:T], [fU?tpA:T]; /eItT/ [eI?t^T]; /traI/ [taI] /d/ voiced alveolar [d] voiced initially and between voiced segments [d] devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence [d] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant [d^] dental before dental consonants [d] retracted before /r/ /daI/ [daI]; /m{d/ [m{d]; /mIdnaIt/ [mIdnaI?t]; /wIdT/ [wId^T]; /draI/ [daI] /k/ [k] [k] [?k] [k] [k^] [k] voiceless velar aspirated (but with weaker aspiration in unstressed syllables) unaspirated after /s/ in a syllable-initial cluster glottal reinforcement in syllable-final position before a consonant or silence unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant advanced before front close vowels retracted before back open vowels

/kaInd/ [kaInd]; /skaI/ [skaI]; /b{k/ [b{?k]; /b{kb@Un/ [b{?kb@Un]; /ki:p/ [k^i:?p]; /kA:/ [kA:] /g/ voiced velar [g] voiced initially and between voiced segments [g] devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence [g] unreleased in syllable-final position before a consonant [g^] advanced before front close vowels [g] retracted before back open vowels /gaI/ [gaI]; /n{g/ [n{g]; /r{gb{g]; /gi:s/ [g^i:s]; /gA:d/ [gA:d] Nasals /m/ voiced bilabial [F] labiodental before /f, v/ [m] elsewhere /kVmf@t/ [kVFf@?t] /n/ [n^] [F] [n] /tEnT/ voiced alveolar dental before dental consonants labiodental before /f, v/ elsewhere [tEn^T]; /k@n"v3:s/ [k@F"v3:s]

/N/ voiced velar (limited distribution - before /k, g/ or in syllable-final position only) Fricatives /f/ /v/ [v] [v] /h{v /T/ voiceless labiodental voiced labiodental devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence elsewhere t@ .../ [h{v t@ ...] voiceless dental

/D/ voiced dental [D] devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence [D] elsewhere /wID T{Nks/ [wID T{Nks] /s/ /z/ [z] [z] voiceless alveolar voiced alveolar devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence elsewhere

/Iz t@ .../ [Iz t@ ...] /S/ voiceless palato-alveolar/postalveolar

/Z/ voiced palato-alveolar/postalveolar [Z] devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence [Z] elsewhere /mI"rA:Z/ [mI"A:Z] /h/ voiceless glottal [i:, I. E] etc before /i:, I, E/ etc [] voiced between voiced segments /bI"haInd/ [bI"aInd] (limited distribution - syllable-initial position only) Affricates /tS/ [?tS] voiceless palato-alveolar/postalveolar glottal reinforcement in syllable-final position before a consonant or silence [tS] elsewhere /m{tS/ [m{?tS] /dZ/ [dZ] [dZ] /hEdZ/ voiced palato-alveolar/postalveolar devoiced before a voiceless consonant or silence elsewhere [hEdZ] (or [EEdZ])

Approximants /l/ voiced alveolar lateral

[5] velarized (dark) before a consonant except /j/ or before silence [5^] dental before /T, D/ [l] devoiced after aspirated /p, k/ [l] elsewhere /bIl/ [bI5]; /bIld/ [bI5d]; /bIlj@n/ [bIlj@n]; /wElT/ [wE5^T]; /pleI/ [pleI] /r/ voiced postalveolar

[4] tap after /T, D/ [] fricative after /d/ [] devoiced after aspirated /p, t, k/ [] elsewhere /Tri:/ [T4i:]; /draI/ [daI]; /preI/ [peI]; /rEd/ [Ed] (limited distribution - syllable-initial position only)

/j/

voiced palatal

[C] voiceless fricative after aspirated /p, t, k/ and for /hj.../ [j] elsewhere /tju:n/ [tCu:n]; /hju:dZ/ [Cu:dZ] (limited distribution - syllable-initial position only) /w/ voiced labial-velar

[W][w] voiceless after aspirated /p, t, k/ [w] elsewhere /kwi:n/ [kWi;n] (or [kwi:n] (limited distribution - syllable-initial position only) Vowels All vowels, both short and long, are shorter before voiceless consonants than before voiced consonants, other vowels or silence. This shortening can be transcribed as either [Q] or [i]. All vowels are slightly nasalized next to a nasal consonant: /tEn/ [tE~n]. Front close (/i:, I/) and front closing diphthongal (/eI, aI, OI/) vowels are accompanied by a transitional [@] before [5]: /fi:l/ [fI:@5]; /fIl/ [fI@5]; /feIl/ [feI@5]; /faIl/ [faI@5]; /fOIl/ [fOI@5]. pt oct 2004