Practice question · Sort into groups
Sort each realisation of /t/ by the environment that conditions it.
Groups: Stressed syllable onset · After /s/ · Word-final
- Aspirated (tin)
- Long-lag voice onset
- Often unreleased (cat)
- Unaspirated (stin)
- Glottalised in accents (that)
- Short-lag voice onset
Hints
- Each environment produces a different realisation of the same phoneme.
- Two of the six describe the same environment in different terms.
Show the answer
Stressed syllable onset: Aspirated (tin), Long-lag voice onset
After /s/: Unaspirated (stin), Short-lag voice onset
Word-final: Often unreleased (cat), Glottalised in accents (that)
Why
One phoneme, at least four realisations, all predictable from position, which is exactly what an allophone is. The pairing of the articulatory description with the acoustic one, in the last two items, is worth noting: aspiration and long-lag VOT are the same fact described from two directions.
Practise English Consonants I: Plosives and Fricatives
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