Complete the account of English plosives.
In a stressed onset, /p t k/ are ______, with a voice onset time of 40 to 80 milliseconds. After ______ in the same syllable they are not. Word-finally they are frequently ______, and in many accents /t/ is ______ instead.
Word bank: aspirated · /s/ · unreleased · glottalised · voiced · nasalised
Hints
- The first blank names the puff of air.
- The last blank names a closure made at the vocal folds.
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In a stressed onset, /p t k/ are aspirated, with a voice onset time of 40 to 80 milliseconds. After /s/ in the same syllable they are not. Word-finally they are frequently unreleased, and in many accents /t/ is glottalised instead.
The four blanks are the allophonic rule for English plosives in full. Note it is stated entirely in terms of position — no reference to meaning, speaker or care — which is what makes it a phonological rule rather than a stylistic observation.
Practise English Consonants I: Plosives and Fricatives
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