We are judged by our speech

by Rose BuhligOctober 22nd, 2023

Too Long; Didn't Read

We are judged by our speech. If we clip syllables, run words together, or pronounce them incorrectly, we shall merit the criticism of being careless or even ignorant. Yet clear enunciation and correct pronunciation are sometimes difficult. We learn most words by hearing others say them, and, if we do not hear the true values given to the different syllables, we shall find it hard to distinguish the correct from the incorrect forms. Children whose parents speak a foreign language usually have to watch their speech with especial care; Germans, for example, find difficulty in saying th and Irish people in saying oi as in oil. The exercises in this chapter are given for the purpose of correcting such habits. The words in the exercises should be pronounced repeatedly, until the correct forms are instinctive. Train the ear to hear the difference between sounds, as in just and in jest. Don't slide over the final consonant in such words as going and reading. Watch words containing wh. The dictionary tells us that where was originally written hwar, the h coming before the w; and we still pronounce it so, although we write the w before the h. The word whether is of the same kind. The dictionary tells us that it was first spelled hweder. Such words should be carefully noted and their pronunciation practiced. Then there is the habit of slurring syllables. We may understand what is meant by the expression "C'm' on" or "Waja say?", but most of us would prefer not to be included in the class of people who use either. Correct speech cannot be mastered without an effort. In the following exercises watch every vowel and every consonant so that you may give each one its full value.

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Business English: A Practice Book by Rose Buhlig is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here. PRONUNCIATION

PRONUNCIATION

Train the ear to hear the difference between sounds, as in just and in jest. Don't slide over the final consonant in such words as going and reading. Watch words containing wh. The dictionary tells us that where was originally written hwar, the h coming before the w; and we still pronounce it so, although we write the w before the h. The word whether is of the same kind. The dictionary tells us that it was first spelled hweder. Such words should be carefully noted and their pronunciation practiced.

Then there is the habit of slurring syllables. We may understand what is meant by the expression "C'm' on" or "Waja say?", but most of us would prefer not to be included in the class of people who use either. Correct speech cannot be mastered without an effort.

In the following exercises watch every vowel and every consonant so that you may give each one its full value.

Exercise 10—Diacritical Marks

Although an a is always written a, it is not always given the same quality or length of sound. When we discover a new word, it is important that we know exactly the quality to give each of the vowels in it. For this purpose diacritical marks have been invented. They are illustrated in the following list from Webster's International Dictionary.

Transcriber's Note: Due to the constraints of HTML, a letter with a tack above such as cannot be displayed. For this reason [+x] has been used to denote a letter with a tack above it.

ā	as	in	āte, fāte, lāb´or
[+a]	"	"	sen´[+a]te, del´ic[+a]te, [+a]e´rial
â	"	"	câre, shâre, pâr´ent
ă	"	"	ăm, ădd, răn´dom
ä	"	"	ärm, fär, fä´ther
ȧ	"	"	ȧsk, grȧss, pȧss, dȧnce
a̠	"	"	fi´na̠l, in´fa̠nt, guid´ānce
a̤	"	"	a̤ll, a̤we, swa̤rm, ta̤lk
ē	"	"	ēve, mēte, serēne´
[+e]	"	"	[+e]vent´, d[+e]pend´, soci´[+e]ty
ĕ	"	"	ĕnd, mĕt, ĕxcuse´, ĕfface´
ẽ	"	"	fẽrn, hẽr, ẽr´mine, ev´ẽr
e	"	"	re´cent, de´cency, pru´dence
ī	"	"	īce, tīme, sīght, inspīre´
[+i]	"	"	[+i]dea´, tr[+i]bu´nal, b[+i]ol´ogy
ĭ	"	"	ĭll, pĭn, pĭt´y, admĭt´
ō	"	"	ōld, nōte, ō´ver, prōpose´
[+o]	"	"	[+o]bey´, t[+o]bac´co, sor´r[+o]w
ô	"	"	ôrb, lôrd, ôr´der, abhôr´
ŏ	"	"	ŏdd, nŏt, tŏr´rid, ŏccur´
ū	"	"	ūse, pūre, dū´ty, assūme´
[+u]	"	"	[+u]nite´, ac´t[+u]ate, ed[+u]ca´tion
ṳ	"	"	rṳde, rṳ´mor, intrṳde´
ụ	"	"	fụll, pụt, fụlfill´
ŭ	"	"	ŭp, tŭb, stŭd´y
û	"	"	ûrn, fûr, concûr´
y̆	"	"	pit´y̆, in´jury̆, divin´ity̆
o͞o	"	"	fo͞ol, fo͞od, mo͞on
o͝o	"	"	fo͝ot, wo͝ol, bo͝ok
ou	"	"	out, thou, devour´
oi	"	"	oil, noi´sy, avoid´

ā is called long a, and is marked with the macron
ă is called short a, and is marked with the breve
â is called caret a, and is marked with the caret
ä is called Italian a, and is marked with the diaeresis
ȧ is called short Italian a, and is marked with the dot
ẽ is called tilde e, and is marked with the tilde or wave

Exercise 11—Vowels

Of the twenty-six letters in the alphabet, how many are vowels? Name them. What are the other letters called?

Compare the ă in hat and the ā in hate. Which has more nearly the sound of a in the alphabet? This is called the natural or long sound of the vowel. The other is called the short sound.

Drop the e from hate. Explain the result.

Name other monosyllables ending in e and containing the long a sound.

Explain the difference in pronunciation between Pete, pet, ripe, rip, hope, hop, cube, cub.

Find other monosyllables ending in e and containing a long vowel that becomes short if the e is dropped.

Monosyllables ending in silent e usually contain a long vowel sound, which becomes short when the final e is dropped.\Exercise 12

Pronounce carefully the following words containing the short Italian a:

advȧnce	clȧss	lȧnce	plȧster
advȧntage	contrȧst	lȧst	pȧstor
ȧfter	enchȧnt	mȧsk	prȧnce
bȧsket	Frȧnce	mȧster	rȧfter
brȧnch	glȧnce	mȧstiff	shȧft
brȧss	glȧss	pȧss	surpȧss
chȧff	grȧss	pȧst	tȧsk

Exercise 13

Pronounce the following carefully, noting each a that is marked:

hälf	ideȧ	cälm	audācious
pȧth	cȧn't	āpricot	ȧghȧst
ȧsk	cătch	mȧdrăs	ălgebrȧ
fäther	v[+a]cātion	ăgile	forbăde
dȧnce	extrȧ	cȧst	trȧnce
lȧss	cȧsket	grȧnt	āviātion

Exercise 14

Pronounce the vowel o in the following very carefully. Don't give the sound feller or fella when you mean fellow.

fellow	swallow	theory	borrow
potato	follow	position	heroism
window	original	factory	donkey
pillow	evaporate	ivory	memory
chocolate	mosquito	licorice	oriental

Exercise 15

The vowel u needs particular attention. When it is long, it is sounded naturally, as it is in the alphabet. Do not say redooce for reduce.

reduce	picture	educate	figure
produce	stupid	judicial	duty
conducive	student	calculate	accumulate
endure	genuine	curiosity	Tuesday
duration	induce	regular	particular
singular	avenue	tune	institute
nutriment	constitution	culinary	January
revenue	introduce	opportunity	manufacture

Exercise 16

Using diacritical marks indicate the value of the vowels in the following. Try marking them without first consulting a dictionary. After you have marked them, compare your markings with those used in a dictionary.

pupil	different	diacritical	gigantic
alphabet	several	radiating	gymnasium
natural	letter	Wyoming	system
result	eraser	typical	merchant

Exercise 17

Pronounce carefully, noting that in each word at least one consonant is silent, and sometimes a vowel as well. Draw an oblique line through the silent letter or letters in each.

through	chasten	sword	island
although	often	fasten	daughter
wrong	soften	calf	might
yacht	subtle	hasten	bouquet
gnaw	almond	naughty	honest
psalm	glisten	thumb	palm
whistle	salve	should	knack
salmon	chestnut	knowledge	castle
answer	folks	listen	thigh
knot	right	debt	honor

Exercise 18

Pronounce the following, paying particular attention to the vowels. Distinguish between the meanings of the words in each group.

accept	bile	least	prevision
except	boil	lest	provision

affect	carol	eleven	poor
effect	coral	leaven	pure

addition	descent	neither	radish
edition	dissent	nether	reddish

assay	emerge	pasture	sentry
essay	immerge	pastor	century

baron	Francis	pillar	sit
barren	Frances	pillow	set

been	jest	point	wrench
bean	just	pint	rinse
	gist

Exercise 19

Enunciate the consonant sounds carefully in the following. Distinguish between the meanings of the words in each group.

acts	close	treaties	rows
ax	clothes	treatise	rouse

advice	crossed	princes	rues
advise	across	princess	ruse

alms	formerly	prince	either
elms	formally	prints	ether

bodice	grays	price	running
bodies	grace	prize	ruin

cease	lose	recent	walking
seize	loose	resent	walk in

chance	plaintive	sects	weather
chants	plaintiff	sex	whether

does	pair	news	worst
dose	payer	noose	worsted (yarn)
doze

Exercise 20

Pronounce the following, making sure that each syllable is correct. Guard against slurring the words in the last column.

been	such	barrel	Did you?
gone	put	faucet	Don't you?
to	with	suburb	Go on.
for	tiny	hearth	Our education
aunt	and	nothing	You are
far	poem	office	You're not
our	catch	peril	We're coming
kept	toward	forbade	They're coming
says	donkey	spirit	What did you say?
rid	again	semi	Where are you going?
since	against	scared	Where have you been?
sleek	honest	saucy	I want to go.
creek	savage	turnip	I'm going to go.
where	swept	roof	To-morrow morning
boil	velvet	proof	Next month
hoist	direct	hydrant	Last Saturday

Exercise 21

Enunciate carefully:

salary	gentleman	supple	gymnasium
because	library	subtle	perspiration
ideal	wrestle	italic	clapboards
suite	vessel	insect	cupboard
thirty	friendship	orchid	archangel
tomato	judgment	hovel	candelabra
grimy	cowardice	several	extraordinary
patron	miserable	pumpkin	civilization
omelet	guarantee	accurate	horseshoe
hundred	gelatine	guardian	laboratory
coupon	glycerine	delinquent	tenacious
awkward	paraffine	secretary	measure
hurrah	portrait	audacious	February
pigeon	mercantile	conquer	cellar
history	juvenile	conquest	perfect
diamond	thousand	congress	grandmother
asylum	overalls	licorice	generally

Exercise 22

Be especially careful of the sounds th and wh. Add no syllable to a word and omit none. Consult a dictionary for any word below about which you are not certain:

when	length	diphthong	generally
where	strength	diphtheria	forget
while	height	anesthetic	recognize
wharf	width	betrothal	hungry
which	depth	theory	geography
wheel	there	theme	instead
wheeze	them	arithmetic	isolated
why	eleventh	bathe	writing
whiff	twelfth	lathe	kettle
whence	thought	believe	language
whet	throat	bronchitis	leisure
what	wreaths	government	volume
whale	paths	courteous	column
wheat	months	different	always
wheedle	mouths	engine	once
whelp	myths	English	twice
whimper	breadths	surprise	arctic
whip	moths	deaf	Italian
whit	bath	children	picture
whither	earth	cruel	often

Exercise 23—Homonyms

A homonym is a word having the same sound as another but differing from it in meaning. Use each of the following in a sentence to show its meaning.

aloud	draft	fowl	principal
allowed	draught	foul	principle

ascent	faint	gate	peal
assent	feint	gait	peel

aught	canvas	great	quire
ought	canvass	grate	choir

bad	cereal	hew	seen
bade	serial	hue	scene

bale	cession	kernel	soul
bail	session	colonel	sole

berry	cite	leased	strait
bury	site	least	straight

boy	coarse	lesser	stair
buoy	course	lessor	stare

by	compliment	mite	sweet
buy	complement	might	suite

council	feign	miner	there
counsel	fain	minor	their

current	flour	need	wood
currant	flower	knead	would

Exercise 24

Do the same with the following:

aisle	clause	kill	sail
isle	claws	kiln	sale
awl	climb	key	ring
all	clime	quay	wring
base	draught	lie	serge
bass	draft	lye	surge
blew	dew	medal	sole
blue	due	meddle	soul
bough	done	peer	shone
bow	dun	pier	shown
bread	dual	pore	steel
bred	duel	pour	steal
bear	flue	profit	stationary
bare	flew	prophet	stationery
bridal	freeze	quarts	wade
bridle	frieze	quartz	weighed
capital	guilt	rest	wave
capitol	gilt	wrest	waive
ceiling	heard	root	wrap
sealing	herd	route	rap

Exercise 25—Syllabication

What is a syllable?

Choose a word and notice that every vowel sound in it makes a syllable. Therefore, you never have two vowels in one syllable unless the two are pronounced as one sound.

In pronouncing notice carefully to which syllable a consonant belongs; as in dif-fer-ent, beau-ti-fy, dai-sy.

Divide the following words into syllables. If you cannot decide with which syllable a consonant belongs, consult a dictionary.

paper	grocer	rotate	mystery
tomato	erect	repeat	regular
vinegar	polish	general	arithmetic

If a syllable, especially an accented syllable, ends in a vowel, what is usually the length of the vowel?

If the syllable ends in a consonant, what is usually the length of the vowel of the syllable?

When a consonant is doubled, the division is usually made between the two letters; as,

blot-ter	skip-ping	remit-tance
neces-sary	throt-tle	span-ning

As a rule, a prefix constitutes one syllable; as,

pro-long	pre-fer	con-stant	de-fect	ad-mit
re-ceive	se-lect	dis-trust	e-merge	im-merse

As a rule, a suffix constitutes one syllable; as,

labor-er	soft-ly	beauti-fy	selec-tion
mole-cule	revolution-ist	percent-age	fanat-ic

When two or more letters together give one sound, they must not be divided; as,

math-ematics	ex-change	paragraph-ing	abolish-ing
bow-ing	toil-ing	nation-al	gra-cious

Can a word of one syllable be divided?

Do not divide a syllable of one letter from the rest of the word. The division ever-y is wrong.

Exercise 26

Divide the following words into syllables, using the suggestions given in the preceding exercise:

accountant	dissatisfaction	manufacturer	reference
advertisement	economy	material	repeatedly
anecdote	employment	mechanical	salesman
annually	energetic	neighborhood	security
application	environment	occupation	separate
automobile	especially	opportunity	signature
beginning	establishment	organized	specification
collection	expenditure	permanent	stenography
comparison	factory	preparation	suburban
competent	furniture	president	superintend
confirmation	illustration	quotation	systematic
consequence	impression	realize	telephone
correspondence	improvement	receptacle	treasurer
counterfeit	judgment	recognition	unanimous
customer	machinist	recommend	unusual

Exercise 27—Accent

What is accent?

Divide into syllables, indicate the accent, and pronounce the following:

expand	volume	defect	interesting
mischievous	usually	incomparable	theatre
exquisite	tedious	hospitable	generally
column	inquiry	impious

In the following words the meaning changes with the accent. Use each word in a sentence to show its meaning.

ob´ject	subject	contrast	desert
ob-ject´	insult	protest	extract
tor´ment	essay	conflict	compact
tor-ment´	transfer	compound	survey
minute (notice the vowel change)
refuse (notice the consonant change)

Bring to class a list of words that you have heard mispronounced in your classes. Be sure that you can pronounce them correctly.

Exercise 28

The following words are frequently mispronounced. Divide them into syllables, mark the accent, and pronounce carefully.

municipal	exquisite	champion	accurately
interesting	gondola	inquiry	Genoa
influence	finance	inexplicable	alias
illustrate	deficit	despicable	expert
inventory	pretense	mischievous	impious
alternate	dirigible	perfume	detail

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