🧠 IIT Madras Notes

English Week 1 - Sounds and Words (Phonetics)

6 min read

Week 1: Sounds and Words (Phonetics)

  • Core Idea: This week, we go back to the absolute basics of language: sound. We are not focusing on spelling or grammar, but on the individual sounds (phonemes) that make up spoken English. Understanding these sounds is the first step to improving pronunciation, clarity, and listening comprehension.

📚 Table of Contents

  1. Fundamental Concepts
  2. Question Pattern Analysis
  3. Detailed Solutions by Pattern
  4. Practice Exercises
  5. Visual Learning: Sound Charts
  6. Common Pitfalls & Traps
  7. Quick Refresher Handbook

1. Fundamental Concepts

🎯 1.1 The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

Spelling in English is notoriously inconsistent (e.g., “though”, “tough”, “through”). The IPA is a system where one symbol always represents exactly one sound. We use slashes / / to denote a sound.

  • Example: The letter ‘c’ can sound like /k/ (cat) or /s/ (cell). The letter ‘s’ can sound like /s/ (snake) or /z/ (zoo).

🗣️ 1.2 Consonant Sounds

Consonants are sounds produced by obstructing the flow of air from the lungs.

  • Voiced vs. Voiceless: Consonants often come in pairs. The only difference is whether you use your vocal cords.

    • Place your fingers on your throat. Say “sss” (snake). You feel no vibration. This is voiceless.
    • Now say “zzz” (zoo). You feel a vibration. This is voiced.
    • Pairs: /s/ (voiceless) and /z/ (voiced); /p/ (voiceless) and /b/ (voiced); /t/ (voiceless) and /d/ (voiced).

  • Key Consonant Sounds from Week 1 Assignment:

    • /s/: As in see, class, city.
    • /z/: As in zoo, rose, was, Xerox. The letter ‘s’ often makes the /z/ sound when it comes after a vowel or voiced consonant.
    • /ʃ/ (sh): As in she, sure, pressure, special, charade.
    • /tʃ/ (ch): As in chair, watch.
    • /dʒ/ (j): As in jam, giant, bridge.

🎶 1.3 Vowel Sounds

Vowels are sounds produced with an open vocal tract, allowing air to flow freely. English has more vowel sounds than it has vowel letters (a, e, i, o, u).

  • Monophthongs (Pure Vowels): A single, consistent vowel sound. They are categorized as “long” or “short”.

    • Short Vowels:
      • /æ/ as in cat
      • /e/ as in bed
      • /ɪ/ as in sit
      • /ɒ/ as in hot
      • /ʊ/ (as in “put”): The key sound from the assignment. Found in put, book, should, could. It’s a short, “pulled back” sound.
    • Long Vowels:
      • /iː/ as in see
      • /ɑː/ as in father
      • /ɔː/ as in saw
      • /uː/ as in truth, blue
      • /ɜː/ as in bird

  • Diphthongs: A glide from one vowel sound to another within the same syllable.

    • Example: /aɪ/ as in eye (starts at /a/ and glides to /ɪ/).

  • Semi-vowels /w/ and /y/: These are special sounds that are phonetically like vowels but behave like consonants. They are not syllabic, meaning they cannot form the core of a syllable on their own. For example, in the word “yes” (/jes/), the core sound is /e/, not /j/.

2. Question Pattern Analysis

From the Week_1_Graded_Assignment, the patterns are very focused.

Pattern #Pattern NameFrequencyDifficultyCore Skill
1.1Identifying Specific Phonemes in WordsHighEasy-MediumGiven a sound (like /z/ or /ʃ/), identify which words contain it, ignoring spelling.
1.2Distinguishing Long vs. Short VowelsHighMediumDifferentiating between similar-sounding vowels like the short /ʊ/ (book) and the long /uː/ (truth).
1.3Auditory Discrimination (Listening)HighEasyListening to an audio clip and choosing the correct word from a pair of similar-sounding words (e.g., horse vs. hose).
1.4Conceptual Phonetics QuestionsMediumEasyAnswering True/False questions about the definitions of phonetic terms (e.g., semi-vowels, monophthongs).

3. Detailed Solutions by Pattern

Pattern 1.1: Identifying Specific Phonemes

  • Core Skill: Training your ear to hear the sound, not to read the letter.

Example Problem:

Which among the following words carry the sound ‘sh’ (/ʃ/)? a) Charade b) Special c) Sebaceous

TAA in Action:

  1. Triage: The question asks for the /ʃ/ sound, spelled “sh”. I must ignore the letters and focus on how the words are pronounced.
  2. Abstract: I will pronounce each word out loud and listen for the “shhh” sound.
  3. Act:
    • a) Charade: Pronounced “sha-RAHDE”. It has the /ʃ/ sound at the beginning.
    • b) Special: Pronounced “SPE-shul”. The ‘ci’ combination makes the /ʃ/ sound.
    • c) Sebaceous: Pronounced “se-BAY-shus”. The ‘ce’ combination makes the /ʃ/ sound.

Final Answer: All three words (a, b, and c) contain the /ʃ/ sound.

Pattern 1.2: Distinguishing Long vs. Short Vowels

  • Core Skill: Associating the phonetic symbol with its key sound and practicing the difference.

Example Problem:

Which among the following words carry the short vowel /ʊ/ (as in ‘put’)? a) Should b) Book c) Truth

TAA in Action:

  1. Triage: The question is specifically about the short vowel /ʊ/.
  2. Abstract: My mental anchor for /ʊ/ is the word “put” or “book”. My anchor for the long vowel /uː/ is “blue” or “truth”. I will compare the vowel sound in each word to my anchors.
  3. Act:
    • a) Should: The ‘ou’ sounds like the ‘u’ in “put”. It contains /ʊ/.
    • b) Book: The ‘oo’ sounds like the ‘u’ in “put”. It contains /ʊ/.
    • c) Truth: The ‘u’ sounds like the ‘ue’ in “blue”. This is a long, tense sound. It is /uː/, not /ʊ/.

Final Answer: Only (a) and (b).

Pattern 1.4: Conceptual Phonetics Questions

  • Core Skill: Memorizing the core definitions of phonetic terms.

Example Problem:

True or False: /w/ and /y/ are monophthongs.

TAA in Action:

  1. Triage: This is a definition-based True/False question.
  2. Abstract: I need to recall the definitions.
    • Monophthong: A pure, single vowel sound that forms the core of a syllable (like /æ/ in ‘cat’).
    • /w/ and /y/ (/j/ in IPA): These are called semi-vowels or approximants. They are vowel-like in production but function as consonants and cannot form a syllable core.
  3. Act: The definition of a monophthong does not fit /w/ and /y/. They belong to a different category.

Final Answer: False.

Memory Palace: Week 1 Concepts

  • Voiced vs. Voiceless Consonants (The Motor):

    • Place your hand on a lawnmower.
    • When the engine is off, it makes a “sssss” or “ffff” sound. No vibration. It’s voiceless.
    • When you turn the engine on, it “vvvvv” or “zzzzz”. You feel the vibration. It’s voiced. Your vocal cords are the engine.

  • The Vowel Brothers: /ʊ/ and /uː/

    • /ʊ/ (Shorty): Imagine a short, lazy person saying “uh, whatever”. This sound is short and relaxed. Think of the words book, could, put. It’s the sound of a gentle push.
    • /uː/ (Loong): Imagine someone seeing something amazing and saying “Ooooooh!“. This sound is long and tense. Think of the words blue, truth, food. It’s a long, sustained sound.

  • The ‘sh’ Sound, /ʃ/ (The Secret Agent):

    • The /ʃ/ sound is a master of disguise. It hides in many spellings:
      • shoe (obvious)
      • sure (tricky)
      • nation (hiding in ‘ti’)
      • special (hiding in ‘ci’)
      • pressure (hiding in ‘ss’)
      • charade (hiding in ‘ch’)
    • Your job as a phonetic detective is to find the sound, no matter how it’s spelled.

This framework will help you move from reading words to hearing them, which is the key to mastering this week’s content.

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