Why use phonemic symbols? The alphabet which we use to write English has 26 letters but (British) English has 44 sounds. Inevitably, English spelling is not a reliable guide to pronunciation because Some letters have more than one sound Sometimes letters are not pronounced at all The same sound may be represented by different letters

We have seen that every word of two or more syllables, when said alone, has a stress on one of its syllables. This is called word-stress. But in connected speech we do not hear a stress on every word. Some words lose their stresses, especially when we talk quickly, other words keep their stresses and these stressed syllables form what is called sentence-stress

Rhythm in English speech is based on stress. rhythm unit节奏单位)is formed by stressed syllable, together with unstressed syllables which may come before the stress and after it.The unstressed syllables before the stress are said very quickly, so they are very short, as short as you can make them; but the stressed syllable is as long as before, so there is great difference of length between the unstressed syllables and the stressed one, e.g

When we talk, we don't talk in single words but in groups of words spoken continuously. These groups of words which are closely connected in meaning and in grammar are called sense groups. sense group is tone-group-(语调群) in intonation. long sentence can be cut up into two or more tone-groups We may make a short pause after each group, but not during the group

202.The length of a sound is the length of time during which it is held on continuously in a given word or phrase. The principal facts concerning length in English are given in the following rules: 203. Length of vowels 1.English vowels [i:], are longer than the other English vowels in similar context,i.e when surrounded by the same sounds, and pronounced with the same degree of stress Thus the vowels in bead

Objectives of the CourseThis course is intended to help the students toimprove their English pronunciation, includingsuch elements as （1) the correct pronunciation of individualphonemes and words in English （2) the rhythmic patterns of the English language （3) patterns and functions of English intonation,so that the students will be able to communicate moreeffectively with good pronunciation and intonation

Chapter 3 Liaison If we want to speak English fluently, we must try to avoid pronouncing each word as if it were isolated. We must try to link words together smoothly and naturally. In English one word is not separated from another by pausing or hesitating; the end of one word flows straight on to the

The length of a sound is the length of time during which it is held on continuously in a given word or phrase. The principal facts concerning length in English are given in the following rules: 203. Length of vowels 1. English vowels /i:/, /a: / /:/, /u:/, /a: /are longer than the other English vowels in similar context, i.e., when surrounded by the same sounds, and pronounced with the same degree of stress. Thus

Speech sounds seldom occur in isolation. They are nearly always joined together to form words and groups of words. In connected speech, sounds, under the influence of their neighbors,are replaced by other sounds. Sometimes two neighboring sounds influence each other and are replaced by third sound which is different from both the original sounds

Part 1 The importance of phonetic study 1)Phonetics is the science of speech sounds. It deals with the sound system of a language. A language consists of three important elements, namely, speech sounds, vocabulary and grammar. Speech sound is the material form on which word and grammar rely for existence. Divorced from speech sound, word and grammar are non-existent. So the first