Michael Ofoegbu - Oral English Simplified: A Reliable Guide for Schools and Colleges

Michael Ofoegbu All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in the retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite ebook retailer and purchase your copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. ISB N: 978 978 54693 8 7 First Published 2010 Revised 2020 By Bitmap Publishers Limited, The House Beside Babs Filling Station, Gospel Area, Arulogun Road, Ojoo, Ibadan, Nigeria. Phone: +2348037554077, +2349084858715 E-mail: bitmappublishers@yahoo.com CONTENTS 1.1 The Organs of Speech 1.1.1 The Respiratory System 1.1.2 The Phonatory System 1.1.3 The Articulatory System 1.2 Airstream Mechanism 1.3 Questions 2.1 Description of Vowel Sounds 2.2 Classification of Vowel Sounds 2.2.1 Monophthongs 2.2.2 Diphthongs 2.2.3 Triphthongs 2.3 Questions 3.1 Description of Consonant Sounds 3.2 Classification of Consonant Sounds 3.3 Silent Letters 3.4 Consonant Clusters 3.5 Questions 4.1 Definition 4.2 Tackling Rhyme Problems 4.3 Homophones 4.4 Tackling Questions on Rhyme 4.5 Questions 5.1 Definition 5.2 Kinds of Syllabic Words 5.2.1 Monosyllabic Words 5.2.2 Disyllabic Words 5.2.3 Trisyllabic Words 5.2.4 Polysyllabic Words . 5.3 Syllabic Consonants 5.4 Questions 6.1 Definition and Types of Stress 6.1.1 Word Stress 6.1.1.1 Rules that Guide Word Stress 6.1.1.2 Stress Pattern 6.1.2 Sentence Stress 6.1.3 Emphatic or Contrastive Stress 6.1.3.1 Formulas/Rules of Emphatic Stress 6.2 Questions 7.1 Definition 7.2 Types of Intonation 7.2.1 Falling Intonation 7.2.2 Rising Intonation 7.3 Combination of Pitch Patterns 7.3.1 Rise and Fall Pitch Patterns 7.3.2 Fall and Rise Pitch Patterns 7.4 Questions 8.1 Inflectional Endings 8.1.1 Definition of Inflectional Endings 8.1.2 Formulas for the Pronunciation of inflectional Endings 8.1.2.1 The Plural of Nouns, and the Third Person Singular Present Tense of Verbs 8.1.2.2 The Past and the Past Participle Forms of Verbs 8.1.2.3 The Comparative and the Superlative Forms of Adjectives and Adverbs 8.2 Some Words Often Mispronounced 8.3 General Important Advice 8.4 Questions DEDICATION You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. PREFACE ORAL ENGLISH SIMPLIFIED: A RELIABLE GUIDE FOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES is designed to improve the knowledge and skills of students in the area of spoken English. Because of my interest in promoting the learning of English language and Oral English in particular, combined with thorough research, I decided to put forward the desiderata of Oral English in this book.

One mark scored in any Oral English examination is important for success. Many students ask: What is one mark? hence they do not attach importance to what they can do to get one mark, not knowing that a little drop of water makes a mighty ocean. The book covers the syllabuses of many examinations, while not neglecting the course outlines of English Phonetics and Phonology of tertiary institutions. Besides, many examples are included to illustrate the application of some rules/formulas. This book contains questions for effective practice. Correct answers to the questions are provided at the end of the book.

For students in colleges and universities who take courses in Use of English and those who are in language-based departments, this book is invaluable. The basics of English Phonetics and Phonology are clearly explained with ample illustrations. With these foundational hints, the students will be able to understand the nitty-gritty of English Phonology. Michael Ofoegbu ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank those who have contributed one way or another towards making this book what it is. Prominent among them are Rev. Fr (Prof.) A.N.

Akwanya, Mr Onunkwo, M.C. and Mr Chidi Nwankwo, all of the Department of English, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Finally, I thank God Almighty for His enduring and infinite mercy. Michael Ofoegbu CHAPTER 1 PRODUCTION OF SPEECH SOUNDS 1.1 The Organs of Speech The organs of speech are the parts of the body that are used in producing speech. These organs are not primarily designed for speech. A good number of them are meant for either digestion or respiration.

Speech function is secondary to them; speech is imposed on them. Organs of speech are classified into three systems of organs in the human body. These systems are the respiratory system, the phonatory system and the articulatory system. The diagram below shows various speech organs. Fig 1: Speech Organs 1.1.1 The Respiratory System This consists of the lungs, the bronchial tubes, the windpipe (trachea) and the pharynx. It has been observed that the process of speech production starts from the flow of airstream out of the lungs.

The primary function of this system is breathing. 1.1.2 The Phonatory System The system consists of the larynx, which houses the vocal cords. The vocal cords primarily protect the lungs by forming a valve that prevents food particles entering the windpipe from passing into the lungs. The vocal cords determine the state of the glottis during the process of speech production. The state of the glottis is treated in Chapter 3. 1.1.3 The Articulatory System The primary functions of this system include chewing, smelling, tasting, biting and swallowing.

The organs of this system can be found in the mouth. The organs include the teeth, tongue, lips, and palate. The palate is the roof of the mouth and is divided into two: the soft palate and the hard palate. All these organs are known as articulators. The tongue, the most active articulator, has three main parts: the tip of the tongue, which is found directly opposite the alveolar ridge; the front of the tongue, which lies directly below the hard palate; and the back of the tongue, which is found below the soft palate. 1.2 Airstream Mechanism Airstream refers to the movement of air into or out of the body.

The airstream mechanism is the method of the movement of mass of air in a human respiratory system in a given direction. It is the system through which speech sounds are produced. An airstream can be ingressive or egressive. It is ingressive if the air is forced into the body or egressive if the air is forced out of the body. An airstream mechanism has an initiator. It is the initiator that classifies airstream mechanism into three kinds.

When the initiator is the back of the tongue forming a closure with the soft palate, the velaric airstream mechanism is initiated. When the larynx is the initiator, the glottalic airstream mechanism is initiated. Finally, the pulmonic airstream mechanism is initiated by the lungs and the muscles that facilitate the movement of the lungs known as the respiratory muscles. The process of speech production starts from the lungs. Hence, the pulmonic airstream mechanism is the major basis of all speech. 2) The organs that help the formation of speech are known as.......................... 3) The method of the movement of mass of air in a human respiratory system in a given direction is called..................................................... 4) The respiratory system consists of ...., ., ............ and .... 5) The three main parts of the tongue are ........., ........ and ........ 6) During the process of speech production, the state of the glottis is determined by ...... 7) The phonatory system consists of ............ which houses . 8) An airstream is . if the air is forced into the body. 9) The airstream mechanism which is initiated when the larynx is the initiator is known as the airstream mechanism. 10) The muscles that facilitate the movement of the lungs are known as the .. 10) The muscles that facilitate the movement of the lungs are known as the ..