Phonetic Script Association Flashcards

A phonetic script uses a horizontal bar through a letter to indicate nasalization. If 'm' with a bar = nasalized 'm,' which word's final sound would most likely carry this mark?

Answer: sing

'Sing' ends with the nasal velar /ŋ/, which would be marked for nasalization in such a system.

An MLAT-style task presents the invented word 'felbu' transcribed as /fɛlbu/. If the script symbol ☾ = /ɛ/, what does ☾ sound like?

Answer: The vowel in 'bed'

/ɛ/ is the short 'e' sound found in words like 'bed' or 'bet.'

A code pairs each phonetic symbol with a color. Symbol for /p/ = blue, /b/ = red. What phonetic property explains grouping these two sounds together with different colors?

Answer: They share place of articulation but differ in voicing

/p/ and /b/ are both bilabial stops but /p/ is voiceless and /b/ is voiced, making voicing the distinguishing feature.

In the MLAT phonetic section, a student hears a word and must select the correct symbol sequence. The word is 'phone.' Which sequence is correct if ∅=/f/, ○=/oʊ/, △=/n/?

Answer: ∅○△

'Phone' is pronounced /foʊn/, so the symbols must appear in the order: consonant, vowel, consonant.

A phonetic script doubles a symbol to show a lengthened consonant, as in Italian 'geminate' consonants. If ✦ = /t/, how would a long /t:/ be written?

Answer: ✦✦

The system's rule is to double the symbol for length, so ✦✦ represents the geminate /t:/ sound.

A student is told that symbol ➤ marks sounds articulated at the back of the mouth. Which sound would NOT receive ➤?

Answer: /f/

/f/ is articulated at the front of the mouth (labiodental), not the back, so it would not receive ➤.

If a phonetic script represents tones with superscript numbers (1=low, 4=high), and a word has the pattern high-low-high across three syllables, what superscript pattern appears?

Answer: 4-1-4

High-low-high corresponds to the numbers 4, 1, 4 in a 1–4 scale where 4 is high.