ABLE Pronunciation and Phonetics

Question 1

Which term describes the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish meaning between words?

Accepted Answer

Phoneme

Answer

Morpheme

Answer

Syllable

Answer

Grapheme

Question 2

In English, the words 'ship' and 'sheep' are distinguished by which phonetic feature?

Accepted Answer

Vowel length and quality

Answer

Stress placement

Answer

Consonant voicing

Answer

Syllable count

Question 3

What is the term for the rise and fall of pitch in speech that conveys meaning or emotion?

Accepted Answer

Intonation

Answer

Stress

Answer

Rhythm

Answer

Articulation

Question 4

Which of the following correctly describes a voiced consonant?

Accepted Answer

The vocal cords vibrate during its production

Answer

Air is completely stopped then released

Answer

It is produced at the back of the throat

Answer

It is always followed by a vowel

Question 5

In the word 'photograph', which syllable receives primary stress?

Accepted Answer

pho-

Answer

-tog-

Answer

-graph

Answer

All syllables equally

Question 6

Which phonetic process occurs when a sound takes on features of a neighboring sound, as in the pronunciation of 'handbag' as 'hambag'?

Accepted Answer

Assimilation

Answer

Elision

Answer

Epenthesis

Answer

Metathesis

Question 7

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is primarily used to:

Accepted Answer

Represent speech sounds consistently across all languages

Answer

Teach spelling rules in English

Answer

Classify words by grammatical category

Answer

Measure the speed of spoken language