Transcription exercises
General remarks: There are essentially two types of transcription, phonetic and phonemic (phonological). Phonetic transcription is more complex, showing detailed articulatory characteristics of individual sounds. In these lessons, we will be learning phonemic transcription, which only uses a limited number of symbols representing sounds which are in a certain language able to distinguish meanings in words. There are 44 such sound in English (20 vowels and 24 consonants) and we call them phonemes, (study the phonemic chart). In addition, you will be asked to mark features of minor importance which, however, cause problems to Czech speakers of English: (1) aspiration /khaet/, (2) dark l\l x clearl IXI /lip x phii/ (3) linking r /öanz/ (4) syllabic consonants, especially IXI /midi/, /ph3:sn/ Transcription exercise 1:
In Britain and around the world, the image of the family continues to change. The traditional "Victorian family", in which the man was the breadwinner, the woman the homemaker and the children numerous and obedient, is giving way to new ideas about what the modem family should look like.
/ in briton on(d) o'raund öo W3:kl / öi imid3 o v öo faemili konthinju:z to tjeind3 // öo trodijbni vik'tho:non faemili / in witj öo maen woz öo bredwino / öo wumon öo hoummeiko / on(d) öo tjiidron nju:moros on/d/ obi:diont / iz givin weis to nju: ai'dioz o'baut wDt öo müdon faemili Jbd luk laik // /
Notes: The first step is to learn well all the 44 symbols of the phonemic chart. Next step is to
check pronunciation in a good monolingual English dictionary (Cambridge, Oxford, Collins,
Longman).
l)There is a tendency to reduce strong English vowels in unstressed syllables to a weak
vowel, especially 'schwa' (a) - /britan/, /a'raund/, /wuman/ or IXI at the end of words like
/faemili/. I\l is not a phoneme, therefore it is optional; it indicates that the quality of the final
sound is not that of an lil used in stressed syllables
2)In the word "world" the III sound is dark because it precedes a consonant. In the word
"family" the III sound is clear (like the Czech 1X1) because it precedes a vowel.
3)Please note in diphthongs /ai/, /au/ we use a special symbol in the first part - /a/ - as
opposed to "cut" /khAt/, "cart" / kha:t /
Transcription exercise 2:
One of the most obvious characteristics of the new family is that there are not always two parents. Due mostly to the rise in divorces since World War II, single-parent families are becoming more and more frequent and accepted in British society. Usually, it is the mother who takes responsibility for raising the child, and she has to balance the pressures of earning a living and raising her children at the same time.
/ wAn ov öo maust übvios khaeroktoristiks ov 09 nju: faemili iz oat ösrs nut o:iw9z thu: phe9r9nts // dju: msustli ts 09 raiz in divoisiz sins W3:id wo: WAn / snjgi phe9rsnt faemiliz 9 bi'khAmin moirsn mo: fri:kwont on(d) o'kseptid in bntij so'saioti // ju:3uoli / it iz öo mAÖo hu theiks rispünsobiloti
fa reizin 09 tjaiid / sn(d) Ji haez ta baelsns 09 phrejbz sv 3:nirj 9 livirj sn(d) reiznj (h)s tjiidrsn 9t 09 seim thaim // /
Notes: 1) In the word "one" /wAn/, the vowel is short, the symbol used is therefore /a/ as opposed to "car" /kha:/
2) In the word "takes" /theiks/, III is aspirated. It is because it is found in a stressed syllable before a vowel. The same rule applies not only to /t/, but also to /p/ and Ik/.
3) Note that ng at the end of words is never pronounced /rjk/, but only /rj/! Although it does not affect intelligibility, this is not done by RP speakers.
4) The word "and" is one of the weak forms, i.e. words like prepositions, auxiliary verbs etc. have two possible pronunciations strong: /aend/ and weak /and/, /an/, In/. Under normal circumstances the weak pronunciation is used. Weak pronunciation can have a couple of variants.
Transcription exercise 3:
However, even in families with both parents present, many mothers are giving up the role of homemaker and pursuing their own careers. Some go on maternity leave after their children are born and then take up part-time work when the child is old enough to go to school. Others feel that their careers come first and wait until they have fully established their career before having children.
/ hsuevs / iivsn in faemiliz wiö bsuG phe9r9nts phrezsnt / meni niAÖsz 9 givirj Ap 09 rsul sv hsummeiksr sn(d) ps'sjunn oar sun ks'risz // sAm gsu Dn ni9th3:n9ti li:v a:fte 09 tjrklrsn 9 bo:n sn(d) öen theik Ap pha:tthaim W3:k wen 09 tjarkl iz sukl inAf ts gsu ts sku:i // aösz fi:i oat 09 ks'risz khAm f3:st / sn/d/ weit Anthii öei (h)sv fuli istaeblijt 09 ks'ris bi'fo: haevin tjiidrsn // /
Notes: 1) The word "are" is one of the weak forms. Although its strong pronunciation is /a:/, it is not used as much as Czech speakers often think, usually only when the word is stressed, e.g. "You're saying that John and Mary are not at school today, but they are". However, normally "are" is unstressed and weak: "John and Mary are at school today." /aratskuii/
2) In British English final Ivl is not pronounced - "there" /öea/, of which the weak form is /öa/. If the following word starts with a vowel, Irl is pronounced and we call it linking r. "their own" /öaraun/
3) The pronunciation of the plural ending s depends on the pronunciation of the preceding sound. If the preceding sound is voiced, then the plural s is pronounced as Izl (family -families /faemiliz/, mothers /niAÖaz/. All the vowels are automatically voiced, so if the plural s is preceded by a vowel, it is always read as Izl.
Other cases:    voiced final consonant dog - dogs Idvgzl
Voiceless final consonants parent - parents /phear9nts/
4) The simple past tense ending of regular verbs (-ed) can also be pronounced in three ways /t/, lál and /id/. If preceded by a voiceless consonant, it is pronounced as III (established /i'staeblijV). If preceded by a voiced consonant or a vowel, it is pronounced as lál live - lived
/lrvd/, play - played /phleid/. Finally, if preceded by III or lál, the past ending (-ed) is pronounced as /id/ - wanted /wontid/, traded /t^eidid/.
5) The word "then" is not a weak form. It is a word with a full meaning. Therefore it cannot be reduced to */Ö9n/. /öan/ is a weak form for "than", for which the strong pronunciation
would be /öaen/ Transcription exercise 4:
Another area which has changed significantly is what happens before marriage. In the past, people lived with their parents until they got married, and each marriage was supposed to be a "white wedding". Today, living together before marriage and premarital sex are considered normal, and many people "tryout" their relationship by living together before getting married.
/ sn'AÖsr esris witj sz tjeinc^d si'gnifiksntli iz wDt haepsnz bi'jfo: maend3 // in 09 pha:st / phi:pi livd wiö 09 phe9r9nts Anthii öei gut maend / 9n(d) i:tj maend3 wsz S9'ph9uzd ta bi(:)9 wait wedirj // tsdei / livirj tsgeös bifo: maend3 on(d) primaeriti seks 9 kon'sidod no:mi / on(d) meni phi:pi thrai aut 09 rileijbnjip bifo: getirj maend // /
Notes: 1) Linking r - another area /a'nAÖarearia/
2) fazl - weak form of auxiliary "has"
3) /tjeind3d/ - the ending -ed has to be pronounced lál because the preceding sound AI3/ is voiced, see also marriage /maerid^.
4) /pha:st/ - /p/ is aspirated - it is in a stressed syllable before a vowel. However, if /p/, III, Ikl are preceded by /s/, aspiration does not take place, e.g. school IskwAI, not */skhu:i/
5) /s9ph9uzd/ - the rule for aspiration is in operation - /p/ is in a stressed syllable before a vowel
6) /phi:pi/, /pri'maerrti/, /noimi/ - examples of syllabic III - the syllabic consonant replaces a vowel in an existing syllable.
Transcription exercise 5:
These changes together with other changes such as mixed marriages, have altered the face of British society. Some people deplore them as a breakdown of traditional values. Others praise them as expressions of greater tolerance and diversity. But one thing is for sure: British families are changing and will continue to change.
/ öi:z tjeind3iz / tsgeös wiö aös tjeind3iz sAtJ sz mikst maend3iz / hsv oiitsd 09 feis sv bntij ss'saisti // sAm phi:pi di'phb: ösm sz 9 breikdaun sv trs'dijsni vaeljuiz // aösz phreiz ösm sz iksprejbnz sv greits thül9r9ns 9n(d) dai'v3:s9ti // bat wAn Girj iz Jus // bntij faemsliz 9 tjemd3irj 9n(d) wů k9nthinju: ts tjeind3 // /
Notes:
1)   /öi:z tjeind3iz/ - if the plural ending is preceded by a sibilant (/s/, Izl, /j7, AI3/, /tj7, AI3/), then it is pronounced - and transcribed - as /iz/, alternatively /iz/. See also /maend3iz/
2)   In the word "mixed" the ed ending is pronounced l\l because the preceding consonants /ts/ are voiceless. In the word "altered" loÄXsdl, the -ed ending is pronounced as lál because of the voiced vowel preceding it.
3)   /bat/ is one of the typical weak forms. The strong pronunciation of the word fbi&l is usually used only under stress and/or before a pause.
4)   /daiv3:s9ti/ - in some words more variants can be found in dictionaries. Although for a transcription exercise any existing form is acceptable we tend to prefer British variants for our purposes.
Transcription exercise 6:
Since many newspapers - especially their headlines - have little space to explain things in depth, they have developed a special vocabulary of their own. It features short words and tends to leave out articles and auxiliary verbs. Thus, they use "back" for "support", "deal" for "agreement", "ban" for "prohibit", "talk" for "discussion, negotiation", "probe" for "investigate", and so on. It also includes colourful words to draw the eye and add interest to a story. So prices don't "go up quickly", they "rocket", police don't "hurry" to the scene of the crime, they "race", and so on. A headline that reads "Drugs probe backs cig ban" might translate as "An investigation into drug abuse supports the prohibition of cigarette smoking.
(taken from Advanced Conversation Practice - Teacher's Book   p. 101)
I sins meni njuizpeipsz / is'pejsli 09 hedlainz / haev litt speis tu iksplein Girjz in depG / öei (h)sv di'velüpt 9 spejbi V9'khaebjul9ri sv oar sun // it fiitjbz Jo:t W3:dz / sn(d) thendz ta li:v aut aitikiz sn(d) oigzilisri V3:bz // öas / öei ju:z baek fa s9pho:t / di:i fa s'griimsnt / baen fa prs'hibit / tho:k fa diskAjbn / nigsujieijbn / phrsub far m'vestigeit / sn(d) S9U Dn // it o:is9u njkhlu:dz k^lsfsi W3:dz ts dro: öi ai sn(d) aed int (9)nst tu 9 stoiri // ssu phraisiz daunt gsu Ap khwikli / öei rükit / ps'liis daunt hAri ts 09 si:n sv 09 khraim / öei reis sn(d) ssu Dn // 9 hedlain oat ri:dz drAgz phrsub baeks sig baen mart trsnzleit sz an investigeijbn ints drAg sbjuis s9'phots 09 prsuibijsn sv sigsret smsukin // /
Notes:
1)   /meni/, /ispejbli/ use the weak variant of lil, i.e. i, because it is found in final, unstressed syllable of the words. The use of HI for our purposes is optional.
2)   /haev/ - has to remain strong because here it is not used as an auxiliary but as a full verb meaning "to possess"
3)   /tu/??? - uses the weak variant of/u/ because it is located in an unstressed syllable of a weak form. The use is again optional. However, in pronouncing the word "to" we must distinguish whether a vowel is following /tu iksplein/ or a consonant "to go"
/ts gau/. In this case "to" is pronounced with a schwa hi.
4)   /diskAJan/ can alternatively be transcribed as /diskAJn/
5)   In the word /khraim/ aspiration still asserts itself. This happens whenever /p/, /t/, Ikl are followed by III, Irl, /w/, 1)1 and consequently by a vowel.
6)   /Girjz/ does not have /g/ in pronunciation; /rj/, which is voiced, is simply followed by a regular voiced variant of the plural ending, whereas thinks /Girjks/ does have Ikl in pronunciation. Note that ng at the end of a word is pronounced as /rj/, nk at the end of a word is pronounced as /rjk/.
7)   The diphthong /du/ does not exist in English. Therefore, words like "probe" and "negotiations" must be pronounced as /p^aub/ and /nigaujieijanz/.
Transcription exercise 7:
This was the first time I had ever cared for AIDS patients. AIDS is often considered a social and moral disease, so it is difficult for some to be compassionate and objective. These patients need aggressive nursing care, as they are susceptible to pneumonia, fungal infections, diarrhoea, skin breakdown, malnutrition, and incontinence. Their diet must be high in calories and protein, with in-between-meal snacks and important necessity. In spite of all the medications, pulmonary treatments, oxygen therapy, daily nursing assessments, and frequent repositioning, the patient still is a human being - frightened, isolated, and with a deep fear of losing control. He needs to talk and express himself, he needs reassurance, and he has the right to have his questions answered truthfully. This is a challenge for any nurse who really cares.
(from Nursing is My Bag by M. Kurz George, 1989, p. 113 - taken from Advanced Conversation Practice - Teacher 's Book   p. 89)
I öis W9Z 09 f3:st thaim ai ad evs khesd far eidz pheijbnts // eidz iz üfsn ksnsidsd 9 ssuji sn(d) moirsi di'ziiz / ssu it iz difikit fa sAm ts bi k9mphaejbnrt an 9bd3ektiv // öi:z pheijbnts ni:d s'gresiv n3:sirj khes / sz öei 9 sa1 septsW ts nju:'m9uni9 / fArjgi infekjbnz / daisns / skin breikdaun / maeinju'thnj9ii and nj'khDntin9ns // 09 daist niAst bi hai irj khael9riz and phr9uti:n / wiö in bi'thwi:n mi:i snaeks an impho:t9nt m'sessti // in spart 9v oň 09 medikheijbnz / phAÍni9neri thri:tni9nts / üksid39n Gerspi / deili n3:sin s'sesmsnts / and friikwsnt riips'zijsmn / 09 pheijbnt stil iz 9 hjuimsn bi:in / fraitsnd / 'aissleitid / and wiö 9 di:p fisr 9v lu:zin k9nthr9ini // hi ni:dz ts tho:k an ikspres himseif / hi ni:dz risjusrsns / and hi haez 09 rait ts haev
(h)iz kNvestJbnz ainssd thru:0f(9)li // öisiz 9 tjaelind3 fsr eni n3:s hu risli khesz // /
Transcription exercise 8:
Tomorrow will be another fine day with temperatures reaching the mid twenties. A bit cool early in the morning with some showers likely but this will clear up towards mid-morning and most areas will have prolonged sunshine for most of the afternoon. Wednesday's not looking so good, rather dull and overcast with winds light to moderate and rain and drizzle spread over much of the south of the country. Temperatures around 15 to 17 degrees Celsius dropping as low as 12 degrees overnight in hilly areas, possibly a few patches of fog in low-lying areas.
(taken from Advanced Conversation Practice - Teacher's Book   p. 101)
I tamorsu wii bi aiiaös fain dei wiö thempntjbz riitjirj 09 mid thwentiz // 9 bi:t khu:i 3:li in 09 moinin wiö sAm Jausz laikli bat öis wii khli9r Ap ts'woidz midmomin an maust esrisz wii haev prs'mnd sAnJain fa maust 9 v öi cufts'nuin // wenzdiz nut lukin ssu gud / ra:Ö9 dAl an 9uv9kha:st wiö windz lait ts müd(9)nt an rem an dnzi spred sůva mAtJ sv 09 sauG sv 09 khAntri // thempntjbz sraund fif 'thi:n ts sev9n'thi:n digriiz selsiss drüpirj sz hu sz tNveiv digriiz guvs nait in hili esrisz phDS9bli 9 fju: phaetjiz sv füg in bu lanrj esrisz // /
Transcription exercise 9:
This book grew out of my study of the experiences of other women. It is built on the stories of eighty women who said no, who made changes in their lives. All of them left successful careers to find, as I did, their right livelihood. Some have permanently downshifted to part-time jobs in order to make time in the day for other interests, such as art, volunteer work, self-development, spiritual interests and travel. A number of others have created their own small businesses: two own bookstores; one runs a sheep farm; three operate day-care centers. Some have become consultants, others writers. All have given to the word success a very personal definition.
(from Work of Her Own by Susan Wittig Albert, Ph.D., - taken from Advanced Conversation Practice - Teacher's Book   p. 39)
I öiz buk gru: aut 9v mai stAdi 9v öi iks'phi9ri9ns 9v aös wimin // it iz bitt Dn ös stoiriz sv eiti wimin hu sed nsu / hu meid tjemd3iz in ös laivz // o:l sv ösm left ssksesfl ks'risz ts faind / sz ai did / ös rait laivlihud // SAm (h)sv ph3:ni9n9ntli daunjiftid ts pha:tthaim d3übz in o:ds ts meik thaim in ös dei far AÖsrintrists / sAtJ sz a:t / Vül9nthi9
W3:k / setfdi'velspmsnt / spintjusl intrists and thraevi // 9 nAmbsr 9 v aösz (h)sv kri'eitid ösr sun smo:i biznisiz / thu: suň bukstoiz / wAn rAnz 9 Ji:p fa:m / 0ri: Dpsreit deikhes sentsz // sAm (h)sv bi'khAm ksnsAitants / aösz raitsz // o:l 9 v givsn ta 09 W3:d ss'kses 9 veri ph3:s9ni definijn // /
Transcription exercise 10:
The word "furnished" means different things to different people. You will normally find the essential: stove, refrigerator, beds, chairs, sofa, tables, lamps. Minimal china and glass, basic kitchen supplies, curtains, and some pictures may be supplied. Sometimes, but very rarely, there is a small supply of bed, bath, and table linens and blankets. You will need to bring your favourite kitchen utensils, some table linens or mats, extra lamps, coat hangers, whatever electrical appliances you want - such as toasters and irons. Your own pictures, books, decorations, and the like will make it seem more like home to you. The word "unfurnished" means different things, but generally a stove and refrigerator are included -also towel racks, light fixtures and other built-in items.
/ 09 W3d f3:nijt mi:nz difrsnt Girjz ts difrsnt phi:pi // ju wů noimsli faind öi i'senjblz // stsuv / ri'fr^sreits / bedz / tjesz / ssufs / theiWz / laemps // minimi tjains an gla:s / beisik khitjbn S9phlaiz / kh3:tmz / an ssm phiktjbz mei bi S9'phlaid // sAmthaimz / bat veri resli / ösz 9 smo:i S9phlai sv bed / ba:0 an theibi lininz an blaenkits // ju wii ni:d ts bnrj ja feiv/s/nt khitjbn ju'thensiz / ssm theiW lininz o: maets / ekstrs laemps / khsut haerpz / wo:thev9r ilektnksl 9'phlai9nsiz ju wDnt / sAtJ sz th9ust9z and aisrsnz // jar sun phiktjbz / buks / deksreijbnz and 09 laik / wii meik it si: / mo: laik hsum ts ju // 09 W3:d 'Anf3:nijt mi:nz difrsnt Girjz / bat d3en9r9li 9 stsuv an n'fr^sreitsr sr irjklu:did / o:is9u thau9i raeks / lait fikstjbz an AÖ9 biit in aitsmz // /