Phonetic is a branch of linguistics that deals with the sounds of speech and their production,

combination, description, and representation by written symbols. It also defined as the study of
speech. Traditionally, phoneticians have relied on their ears and eyes, and their awareness of
their own vocal organs, to study pronunciation. Increasingly, however, they have been using
instruments of various types to supplement the information they derive from their own
sensations. An ESL speaker had been chosen to prove that his/her accent is traceable by
reading a short English text. Then the

way of pronunciation had been transcribed to the

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

Short English Text
Eureka nodded, her question answered. Big Jeans was a sweet old widower who lived in the
cabin about a quarter mile off this road. He used to have a hellish wife named Rita, but shed
died about a decade ago and Big Jeans didnt get around too well on his own. When Hurricane
Rita bulldozed the bayou, Big Jeans house was hit hard. Eureka had heard his hoarse voice
say, twenty times, The only thing meaner than the first Rita was the second Rita. One stay in
my house, the other tore it down. (pg 51, paragraph 4, Teardrop)
Right version
/jrik/ /ndd,/ /h/ /kwsn/ /nsd./ /bg/ /inz/ /wz/ // /swit/ /ld/ /wd/ /hu/
/lvd/ /n/ // /kbn/ /bat/ // /kwt/ /mal/ /f/ /s/ /rd/. /hi / /ju zd/ /tu / /hv/ // /
hl/ /waf/ /nemd/ /rit/, /bt/ /id/ /dad/ /bat/ // /dked/ /g/ /nd/ /bg/ /inz/
/ddnt/ /gt/ /rand/ /tu/ /wl/ /n/ /hz/ /n/. /wn/ / hr kn/ / rit/ / bldzd/ // /
bau/, /bg/ /inz/ /has/ /wz/ /ht/ /hd/. /jrik/ /hd/ /hd/ /hz/ /h s/ /vs/ /se /, /
twnti/ /tamz/, /i/ /nli/ // /min/ /n/ // /fst/ /rit/ /wz/ // /sknd/ /rit/./
wn/ /ste/ /n/ /ma/ /has/, /i/ // /tr/ /t/ /dan/.
Readers version
/jrik/ /nded/, /h/ /kwsn/ /nsd./ /bg/ /inz/ /wz/ // /swit/ /ld/ /wd/
/hu/ /lvd/ /n/ // /kbn/ /bat/ // /kwt/ /mal/ /f/ /s/ /rd/. /hi/ /juzd/ /tu / /hv/ //
/hl/ /waf/ /nemd/ /rita/, /bt/ /id/ /dad/ /bat/ // /dked/ /g/ /nd/ /bg/ /inz/
/ddnt/ /gt/ /rand/ /tu/ /wl/ /n/ /hz/ /n/. /wn/ /hrkn/ /rit/ /bldzd/ // /baau/,
/bg/ /inz/ /has/ /wz/ /ht/ /hd/. /jrik/ /hd/ /hd/ /hz/ /hs/ /vs/ /se/, / twnti/
/tamz/, /i/ /nli/ // /min/ /tn/ // /fst/ /rit/ /wz/ // /sknd/ /rit/./ wn/
/ste/ /n/ /ma/ /has/, /i/ // /tr/ /t/ /dan/.

The text read by the ESL speaker and the errors were noticeable. These are the mistakes that
had been detected; nodded, Rita, decade, bayou and then.
The first word that had been pronounced incorrectly is Nodded that can be found on the first
line of the text. The word Nodded should be pronounced as /ndd,/, but the reader had
pronounced it as /nded/

Diagram 1(a)

Diagram 1(a) is the wrong version for the word Nodded. The vowel use is short vowel. The
position of the tongue is in the front middle area. The opening of mouth is slightly open and the
lips shape is slightly spread.

Diagram 1(b)
Diagram 1(b) is the correct way to pronounce the word Nodded. This vowel is classified as
short vowel. The diagram shows that, though this vowel is in the close front area, compared with
cardinal vowel, i is more open and nearer in to the centre. The lips are slightly spread. By
following this diagram, the word Nodded can be pronounced as /ndd,/ instead of /nded/
which is unequivocally wrong.

The second word that had been pronounced imperfectly by the reader is Rita that can be
found on the second, fourth and fifth line of the text. The correct version of pronouncing Rita is
/rit/ but the reader pronounced it as /rit/ which is completely wrong.

Diagram 2(a)

The wrong version for the word Rita is shown in Diagram 2(a). The vowel use is short vowel.
The position of the tongue is in the back middle area. The opening of mouth is slightly open and
lips are in neutral state.

Diagram 2(b)
Diagram 2(b) is the correct way to pronounce the word Rita. This vowel is also classified as
short vowel. The position of tongue is neutral. The opening of the mouth is slightly open and the
lips are slightly spread. By ensuing this way of pronunciation, the exact sound of the word Rita
or /rit/ may produce.

The third word that had been pronounced in the wrong way is Decade which can be seen on
the third line of the text. The true version of pronouncing the word Decade is /dked/. The
reader instead pronounces it as /dked/ which is absolutely erroneous.

Diagram 3(a)
Diagram 3(a) shows the wrong version of pronouncing the word Decade using vowel //. The
position of the tongue is in the front middle area. The opening of the mouth is slightly open and
lips are slightly spread.

Diagram 3(b)
Diagram 3(b) shows the accurate way of pronouncing the word Decade using vowel //. The
position of the tongue is lower front area. The opening of the mouth is widely open and lips are
spread. Pronouncing the word decade correctly will no more be a problem for the reader if he
follows the method as shown in the Diagram 3(b).

For the fourth word that had been pronounce mistakenly by the reader is Bayou that can be
seen on the fourth line of the text. According to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, the
word Bayou means a branch of a river in the southern US that moves very slowly and has
many plants growing in it. The reader has pronounce the word Bayou as /baa/ which is
the vice versa for the correct one, /bau/.

Diagram 4(a)
Diagram 4(a) shows the approach that the reader takes to pronounce the word Bayou which is
the false one. a is categories in the closing diphthong. This diphthong begins with a vowel
similar to : but a little more front. Since this is an open vowel, a glide to would necessitate a
large movement. Usually in English the glide towards begins but is not completed, the end of
the diphthong being somewhere between close-mid and open-mid in tongue height. There is
only slight lip-rounding.

Diagram 4(b)

Diagram 4(b) shows the precise technique of pronouncing the word Bayou by using vowel
(u). Vowel (u) is classified as a long vowel. This is because the length of a vowel is marked by
(). This vowel is not very different from cardinal vowel (u), but it is not quite so back nor so
close, and the lips are only moderately rounded. By applying this technique of pronouncing to
the reader, he may finds it is very easy to pronounce the word Bayou using the exact vowel.

The last word that had been pronounced wrongly by the reader is Then that can be found on
the fifth line of the text. The reader pronounced it as /tn/ instead of pronouncing it as /n/
which is the precise version of uttering it. The reader found it difficult to utter the consonant ()
compared to (t)

Consonant table

According to consonant table, (t) is the voiceless alveolar stop that unvoiced, meaning only air
passes through the mouth. This consonant is stop consonant, which means there are two parts.
First, a stop of the airflow, and second, a release. The airflow is stopped by the tongue position.
The tongue will come up and the front part will touch the roof of the mouth just behind the top
teeth. It will then pull down to release the air. I found that the reader used this way of utter in
order to pronounce () which is undeniably wrong.

The consonant (), according the consonants table, is the voiced interdental fricative
meaning that you make a sound with the vocal cords. In order to produce the consonant (), the
reader should make a narrow channel for air to pass through while the tongue touching the top
teeth and that is how the sound of the consonant () produces. The part of the vocal tract is
blocked or narrowed when making this sound. By smearing this skill of pronouncing, the reader
will not face any problem regarding on pronouncing consonant ().

Position of the tongue

Opening mouth
Lips shape
Vowel patern

/nded/,/rit/,/dked/,/bau//dan/.