Part 1

=DENT'S MODERN LANGUAGE SERIES.=

GENERAL EDITOR: WALTER RIPPMANN, M.A.

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=FRENCH SPEECH AND SPELLING.= By S. A. RICHARDS, B.A. A First Guide to French Pronunciation. 8d.

=ELEMENTS OF FRENCH PRONUNCIATION AND DICTION.= By B. DUMVILLE, B.A. 2s. 6d. net.

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=J. M. DENT & SONS, Limited.=

Dent's Modern Language Series EDITED BY WALTER RIPPMANN, M.A.

THE SOUNDS OF SPOKEN ENGLISH

_All rights reserved_

THE SOUNDS OF SPOKEN ENGLISH

A MANUAL OF EAR TRAINING FOR ENGLISH STUDENTS

BY

WALTER RIPPMANN

LONDON: J. M. DENT & SONS, LTD. BEDFORD STREET, W.C. MCMX

_First Edition (3000 copies), January 1906_ _Second Edition (2500 copies), November 1907_ _Third Edition (3000 copies), May 1909_ _Fourth Edition (4000 copies), December 1910_

Messrs J. M. DENT & SONS also publish the following Books on Phonetics:--

_Extra fcap. 8vo, 1s. net_

SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH

SPOKEN, READ AND RECITED

This is a companion volume to the _Sounds of Spoken English_. It contains a carefully graduated selection of passages in prose and verse, transcribed with the signs of the International Phonetic Association, and supplied with exercises. These and parallel passages for practice are also given in ordinary type.

The _Sounds of Spoken English_ and _Specimens_ can also be obtained in one volume, price 2s. net

_Extra fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d. net_

ELEMENTS OF PHONETICS

ENGLISH, FRENCH AND GERMAN

Translated and Adapted by WALTER RIPPMANN from Professor Viëtor's "Kleine Phonetik"

_Extra fcap. 8vo, 2s. 6d. net_

ELEMENTS OF FRENCH PRONUNCIATION AND DICTION

By B. DUMVILLE, B.A.

_Extra fcap. 8vo, 2s._

A PHONETIC FRENCH READER

By S. A. RICHARDS, B.A.

_Extra fcap. 8vo, 8d._

FRENCH SPEECH AND SPELLING

A First Guide to French Pronunciation

By S. A. RICHARDS, B.A.

RIPPMANN'S SOUND CHARTS

THE SOUNDS OF ENGLISH--LES SONS DU FRANÇAIS--DEUTSCHE LAUTE

Size 30 × 30 inches. Price, Unmounted, 1s. net; Mounted on Linen, 2s. 6d. net, with Rollers, 3s. 6d. net

Small reproductions of the charts, with a table of keywords: 30 copies for 1s.

_The alphabet of the_ International Phonetic Association _adopted in these books is also used in Dent's First English Book, First French Book, First German Book, First Spanish Book, First Latin Book, and other volumes of Dent's Modern Language Series._

NOTE

As the title of this book is ambitious, and the sub-title may not suffice to indicate its limitations, it is well to warn the reader that he will find no exhaustive treatment of English speech sounds. That would have required knowledge greater than mine, and more space than was at my disposal. The little book is an attempt to gain fellow-workers in a field which is unduly neglected, yet full of promise. Fascinating indeed are the problems afforded by the speech of those around us; perplexing often, stimulating to further inquiry.

It was in teaching the pronunciation of foreign languages that I first realised how important it is to acquire a knowledge of the sounds of the mother tongue. Before the learner can acquire the fresh habits of speech peculiar to the foreign language, his teacher must know clearly what distinguishes the new sounds from those familiar in the mother tongue, for only then can the foreign pronunciation be imparted in a methodical way. It has been shown convincingly that it is vain to trust altogether to imitation, however correct and clear may be the pronunciation of the teacher.

The book may therefore be useful to the teacher of foreign languages; but it is intended also for a larger circle. In our Training Colleges, noted for earnest work, the importance of the spoken language has long been felt, and much attention has been devoted to the cultivation of the voice. My object has not been to write on voice production, though occasional reference to the subject has been made. It has not been my aim to say how the language ought to be spoken, to improve upon the ordinary speech of our day, but to represent it to the best of my ability, and to enable others to distinguish speech sounds when they hear them. If it be desirable to improve upon our speech, its present condition and tendencies must first be determined.

The difficulties of the undertaking have been considerable; I confess that I have often given my impressions rather than the well-substantiated results of observation. I am confident that particularly those who have had no phonetic training will regard as slipshod some of the pronunciations which I state to be usual. I can only ask them to put aside all preconceived notions of what is "correct," and to listen carefully to the unconstrained speech of their friends. If they still find that the facts do not bear out what is here stated, they will do me a service by sending me their corrections.

The learned critic who chances to take up this book may feel offended that I should have treated phonetics in so conversational a tone, and disappointed at finding little or nothing with which he is not well acquainted. My endeavour has been to put things very simply, and to make the beginner in phonetics hear for himself. It is only a first step; but I am not without hope that some will be induced to take a second step and a third, until the number of students is far larger than at present. The teachers in our schools have had scant opportunities for ear-training, and the mother tongue has sadly suffered.

I have been much encouraged in my work by the generous help of friends; to Prof. A. T. Baker, Mr W. Osborne Brigstocke, Principal A. Burrell, Dr E. R. Edwards, Miss E. Fogerty, Mr W. W. Greg, Dr H. F. Heath, Dr R. J. Lloyd, Mr R. B. McKerrow, and Prof. G. C. Moore Smith, I am much indebted for useful and suggestive criticisms.

_WALTER RIPPMANN_

LONDON _1st November_ 1905

I am glad to say that it has not been necessary to make any far-reaching changes in the later editions. That the book has aroused interest is evident; and if its readers have not agreed with it in every detail, that is what I fully anticipated and even desired, for its object was to render students more critical in their consideration of the spoken language. To make a dogmatic pronouncement on all points would have been misleading.

This book has now been supplemented by a volume of _Specimens of English_, in which I have given, in the phonetic transcription, a number of passages ranging in style from the careful and elevated to the colloquial and familiar.

_W. R._

_December_ 1910.

CONTENTS

SECT. PAGE

INTRODUCTION 1

1. Purpose of the Book 1

2. Different Ways of Approaching the Subject of Spoken English 2

3. Standard Speech 3

THE ORGANS OF SPEECH 6

4. Breathing 6

5. Good Air 7

6. The Vocal Chords 9

7. Voice 12

8. The Velum; Nasalising 14

9. The Mouth Passage; Vowel and Consonant 16

10. Continuants 17

11. Stops 17

12. Place of Closure or Narrowing 18

13. The Epiglottis 18

14. Good Hearing 19

15. Shouting 20

16. THE REPRESENTATION OF SPEECH SOUNDS 20

17. The Inadequacy of the Spelling; its Causes 21

18. Spelling Reform 23

19. The Need of a Phonetic Alphabet 24

20. The Sounds of Standard English 24

THE SOUNDS CONSIDERED SEPARATELY 28

21. Stops 28

22. Lip Stops 29

23. The Tongue and its Parts 30

24. Teeth Stops 31

25. Front and Back Stops 32

26. Continuants; Lip Continuants 35

27. Lip Teeth Continuants 36

28. Teeth Continuants 37

29. The Hushing Sounds 38

30. The Hissing Sounds 40

31. The Lisping Sounds 42

32. The Liquids; the _r_ Sounds 43

33. The _l_ Sounds 46

34. Front and Back Continuants 48

35. The _h_ Sounds 50

36. Vowels 53

37. The _a_ Sounds 53

38. _a_ and _ə_ 55

39. The Front Vowels, æ and ɛ 57

40. _ai_ and _au_ 59

41. Middle and Close _e_ 60

42. The _i_ Sounds 61

43. The Back Vowels; Open _o_ 63

44. Middle and Close _o_ 67

45. The _u_ Sounds 68

46. SOUNDS IN CONNECTED SPEECH 72

47. Strong and Weak Forms 72

48. Unstressed Lax _i_ 74

49. Assimilation 74

50. Simplification of Consonant Groups 77

51. Stress of the Word 80

52. Sonority; the Syllable 83

53. Stress of the Sentence; Scanning 85

54. Stress 87

55. Pitch 88

CONCLUSION 89

56. Importance of Ear-Training 89

57. Public Speaking 90

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APPENDICES--

I. Exercises 93

II. Lists of Words with Phonetic Transcription 97

_A_. General 98

_B_. Proper Names 111

III. On the Teaching of Reading 120

IV. Diagrams 121

INTRODUCTION

=1.= That a book dealing with English pronunciation in quite a simple way should yet be intended for English readers rather than for foreigners may seem to require some explanation. "Have I not been talking English all my life?" the reader may ask; "why should I concern myself with the pronunciation of my mother tongue?" If he is quite satisfied with the way in which he speaks, and needs no help in teaching others to speak, then this little book is indeed superfluous--for him; but experience has shown that there are many who are groping about in darkness, anxious for light on the subject. It is above all the teacher who is constantly brought face to face with some difficulty on the part of a pupil. He realises that something is wrong in the pronunciation of a word, but he cannot clearly tell where the fault lies; he trusts that improvement will follow if he repeatedly utters the word correctly pronounced and gets the pupil to say it after him. To his distress the pupil still says the word in the old way, and at last the teacher gives up in despair. When a foreign language is attempted, the difficulties become even more apparent; but these we do not propose to consider here, except in so far as they throw light on our immediate subject, the pronunciation of English.

=2.= There are several ways of approaching the question. We may turn our attention mainly to the requirements of the public speaker--clergyman, actor, singer, lecturer, reciter, or politician; this is the province of the teachers of elocution. It must be confessed that these have rarely had a scientific training; in many cases they base their teaching on their own experience as reciters and on what their powers of observation have enabled them to learn from their pupils; and they frequently hand on traditions obtained from their own teachers, which may have nothing but old age to recommend them. It is to be feared that the majority of those professing to teach elocution are little better than quacks; and by no one is this more readily acknowledged than by the few who have made an earnest study of the art of public speaking and singing.

The physicist considers the production of sounds from another point of view; he measures the waves of sound with delicate instruments. The physiologist, again, studies the organs of speech in a state of health and sickness.

From all these the phonetician derives assistance. His concern is the spoken language generally. He seeks to ascertain how sounds are produced, and how they are represented in writing; he traces the changes which sounds undergo according to time and place; he attempts to determine the standard of speech for his own time and his own surroundings; he considers how the pronunciation is best imparted to the young and to foreigners.

When the reader has come to the end of this little book, he will see how complicated these problems are, and how much yet awaits solution; he may also have acquired some interest in these problems and desire to give his help. Such help is urgently needed; the number of serious students is distressingly small, and real progress can only be made if their number grows considerably.

=3.= Reference has been made to the question of =standard speech=; it is convenient to discuss this at once, as the standard selected naturally affects the way in which the subject of English pronunciation is treated.

It is generally agreed that there are two principal types of English speech: Southern English, of which Dr H. Sweet is the best known exponent; and Northern English, which Dr R. J. Lloyd has described in an excellent book. Southern English may be defined as the English spoken in London. The definition will at once strike the reader as requiring some modification--for what form of English is not spoken in London? and the dialect (or rather set of dialects) peculiar to London and known as "cockney" is certainly not to be set up as the standard.

The object of speech is to communicate what is in the mind of the speaker to others; the more adequately it attains this end, the better it is. If there is anything in the manner of speech which attracts attention to itself (for example, "talkin'" in place of "talking," or "'ot" for "hot"), then our attention is distracted from the subject discussed; we say that such faulty speech "jars" upon us. The same is true if the pronunciation is indistinct, or the voice pitched too high, or if the speaker stammers; we then suffer from the strain of listening, and again the object of speech, to communicate thought, is not attained with the least amount of effort. It follows naturally from what has been said that it is our duty towards our fellows to speak in such a way that nothing jars on their ear, nothing strains their attention. To retain certain peculiarities of speech which we know to differ from general usage is nothing short of rudeness. In a great man we may overlook it, in acknowledgment of the services he has rendered to mankind; but we who are in a humbler position must endeavour to render it as easy and pleasant as possible for others to follow what we say.

We are now able to give a better definition of standard speech as considered in this book: it is that form of spoken English which will appear to the majority of educated Londoners as entirely free from unusual features. This speech will be acceptable not only in London, but throughout the south of England; there is reason to believe that it is spreading and nowhere will it be unintelligible or even objectionable.

It must be confessed that on some points there is uncertainty,[1] and these will be discussed later. Language is always changing, and the younger generation does not speak exactly as the older generation does. The standard of to-day will no longer be the standard a hundred years hence. Nevertheless, it is well to inquire what may be regarded as the best speech of our own day, with a view to conforming to this speech and teaching its use to our pupils.