Rules Affecting Consonants and Vowels

Rules affecting consonants

Consonants are longer when at the end of a phrase

Voiceless stops (i.e., / p, t, k / are aspirated when they are syllable initial, as in words such as
“pip, test, kick” [ pʰɪp, tʰɛst, kʰɪk ]

Obstruents – stops and fricatives – classified as voiced (that is, / b,
d, g, v, , z, ʒ /) are voiced through only a small part of the
articulation when they occur at the end of an utterance or before a
voiceless sound. Listen to the /v / when you say try to improve, and the
/ d / when you
say add two

So-called voiced stops and affricates / b, d, g, dʒ / are voiceless when syllable initial, except
when immediately preceded by a voiced sound (as in a day as compared with this day)

Voiceless stops / p, t, k / are unaspirated after / s / in words such as spew, stew, skew

Voiceless obstruents / p, t, k, ʧ, f, θ, s, ʃ / are longer than their
corresponding voiced obstruents / b, d, g, ʤ, v, ً, z, ʒ / when at the
end of a syllable

The approximants / w, r, j, l / are at least partially voiceless when
they occur after initial / p, t, k /, as in play, twin, cue [ pl_eɪ,
tw_ɪn, kj_u ]

The gestures for consecutive stops overlap, so that stops are unexploded
when they occur before another stop in words such as apt [وp)t ] and
rubbed [rʌb)d ]

In many accents of English, syllable final / p, t, k / are accompanied by a glottal stop, as in
pronunciations of tip, pit, kick as [tɪˀp, pɪˀt, kɪˀk ]. (This is another case where transcription
cannot fully describe what is going on.)

In many accents of English, / t / is replaced by a glottal stop when it
occurs before an alveolar nasal in the same word, as in beaten ['bi?n2]

Nasals are syllabic at the end of a word when immediately after an obstruent as in leaden
['lɛdn2]

The lateral / l / is syllabic at the end of a word when immediately after a consonant
The liquids / l, r / are syllabic at the end of a word when immediately after a consonant

Alveolar stops become voiced taps when they occur between two vowels, the second of
which is unstressed.
Alveolar stops and alveolar nasal plus stop sequences become voiced taps when they
occur between two vowels, the second of which is unstressed

Alveolar consonants become dentals before dental consonants, as in eighth, tenth, wealth
[eɪtt θ, tɛnn θ, wɛll θ]. Note that this statement applies to all alveolar consonants, not just stops,
and it often applies across word boundaries. This is a statement that in
English the gestures for these two consonant overlap so much that the place of articulation for
the first consonant is changed

Alveolar stops are reduced or omitted when between two consonants

A homorganic voiceless stop may occur (i.e., be inserted) after a nasal before a voiceless
fricative followed by an unstressed vowel in the same word

A consonant is shortened when it is before an identical consonant

Velar stops become more front before more front vowels

The lateral / l / is velarized when after a vowel or before a consonant at the end of a word

Rules affecting vowels

Other things being equal, a given vowel is longest in an open syllable, next longest in a
syllable closed by a voiced consonant, and shortest in a syllable closed by a voiceless
consonant

Other things being equal, vowels are longer in stressed syllables

Other things being equal, vowels are longest in monosyllabic words, next longest in words
with two syllables, and shortest in words with more than two syllables

A reduced vowel may be voiceless when it occurs after a voiceless stop (and before a
voiceless stop). The parenthesized phrase may be omitted for many people

Vowels are nasalized in syllables closed by a nasal consonant

Vowels are retracted before syllable final dark [ɫ

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