Complete the account of English allophony.
The /l/ of leaf is ______ and the /l/ of feel is ______. In General American, /t/ between vowels with the second unstressed is ______, which ______ the contrast with /d/ in that position.
Word bank: clear · dark · tapped · neutralises · aspirated · preserves
Hints
- The first pair is distinguished by tongue body retraction.
- The last blank describes what happens to a contrast that stops applying in one position.
Show the answer
The /l/ of leaf is clear and the /l/ of feel is dark. In General American, /t/ between vowels with the second unstressed is tapped, which neutralises the contrast with /d/ in that position.
The final blank is the technical term worth having: a contrast is neutralised where it stops distinguishing words, rather than lost, because it survives everywhere else. Tie and die remain distinct in exactly the accent where latter and ladder do not.
Practise English Consonants II: the Rest, and Allophony
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