Practice question · Multiple choice
Approximants are systematically voiced phonemes in English, yet in words like 'play' or 'try' they lose their voicing. What accounts for this change, and what does it reveal about speech production?
Hints
- Does the speaker select a completely distinct phoneme when pronouncing 'play' compared to 'lay'?
- How does the vocal tract transition smoothly from a voiceless closure into a following resonant sound?
Show the answer
B. Coarticulation with a voiceless stop conditions a predictable phonetic variant
Why
Allophonic devoicing is an automatic physical adjustment to neighbouring sounds, not a replacement of the underlying phoneme. Contrast neutralisation occurs in specific contexts like American tapping, not across every initial consonant sequence.
Practise English Consonants II: the Rest, and Allophony
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More questions on English Consonants II: the Rest, and Allophony
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