A Manual for English Language Laboratories

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Introduction to Phonetics

INTRODUCTION

In the English language, the letters (also called the script) and the sounds, i.e., sounds we utter are different. These two must never get confused if you want to learn good English. Though spoken words complement and supplement the written word, they do not go together. To master English pronunciation, you should learn the sound system, the structure of the words, their stress patterns and the rhythm of the sentences or phrases. We will begin with the sound system of the language. The science that deals with the sounds of the language is known as phonetics. English is spoken all over the world and each country has its own way of using the language. We Indians follow standard British English and recognize ...