Question

1. Fill out the names of major accents of English. 2. Give the pronunciation forms for RP and Gen Am. № Word RP/BBC English GenAm 1 address, n 2 advertisement 3 adult, adj, n 4 ate (past form of eat) 5 attitude 6 borough 7 cigaret, cigarette 8 complex, adj 9 costume 10 courage 11 depot 12 direct 13 docile 14 encourage 15 erase 16 education 17 figure 18 hero 19 herb 20 inquiry 2.An African grey parrot named Alex who was the subject of a 30-year experiment was reported to have learned the meanings of 150 words. There are many reports on the Internet about Alex’s impressive abilities. Based on your own Internet research, discuss whether Alex’s communications were the results of classical operant conditioning, as many scientists believe, or whether he showed true linguistic creativity, as his trainers maintain. 3. One aspect of different English genderlects is lexical choice. For example, women say darling and lovely more frequently than men; men use sports metaphors such as home run and slam dunk more than women. Think of other 10 lexical usages that appear to be asymmetric between the sexes.

Answer 1

1. Major accents of English:

- Received Pronunciation (RP)

- General American (GenAm)

- Cockney

- Scottish English

- Irish English

- Australian English

- New Zealand English

- Canadian English

- Indian English

2. Pronunciation forms for RP and GenAm:

Word - RP/BBC English - GenAm

1. address, n - əˈdrɛs - əˈdrɛs

2. advertisement - ədˈvəːtɪsmənt - ˈædvərˌtaɪzmənt

3. adult, adj, n - əˈdʌlt - əˈdʌlt

4. ate (past form of eat) - eɪt - eɪt

5. attitude - ˈatɪˌtjuːd - ˈætəˌtud

6. borough - ˈbʌrə - ˈbɜrˌoʊ

7. cigaret, cigarette - sɪˈgærɪt - ˈsɪɡərˌɛt

8. complex, adj - ˈkɒmplɛks - ˈkɑmplɛks

9. costume - ˈkɒstjuːm - ˈkɑstjum

10. courage - ˈkʌrɪdʒ - ˈkərɪdʒ

11. depot - ˈdiːpəʊ - ˈdipət

12. direct - dɪˈrɛkt - dɪˈrɛkt

13. docile - ˈdəʊsʌɪl - ˈdɑsəl

14. encourage - ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ - ɪnˈkɜrɪdʒ

15. erase - ɪˈreɪs - ɪˈreɪs

16. education - ˌɛdjʊˈke

Answer 2

1. Major Accents of English

English has several major accents, each associated with a particular region or country. Here are some of the most well-known accents:

1. Received Pronunciation (RP) - This is often considered the standard accent of British English and is associated with educated speakers in the south of England, particularly in and around London.

2. General American (GenAm) - This accent is often considered the standard accent of American English. It is associated with a lack of regional or ethnic markers and is commonly heard in the media.

It's important to note that English accents can vary significantly within these broad categories, and there are many regional accents and dialects that exist across both British and American English.

2. Pronunciation Forms for RP and GenAm

The following list provides the pronunciation forms for the given words in both RP and GenAm:

1. address, n - RP/BBC English: /əˈdrɛs/ - GenAm: /əˈdrɛs/ or /ˈæˌdrɛs/

2. advertisement - RP/BBC English: /ədˈvəːtɪsmənt/ - GenAm: /ˌædvərˈtaɪzmənt/

3. adult, adj, n - RP/BBC English: /ˈædʌlt/ - GenAm: /əˈdʌlt/

4. ate (past form of eat) - RP/BBC English: /eɪt/ - GenAm: /et/

5. attitude - RP/BBC English: /ˈætɪˌtjuːd/ - GenAm: /ˈætɪˌtud/

6. borough - RP/BBC English: /ˈbʌrə/ - GenAm: /ˈbɜrə/

7. cigaret, cigarette - RP/BBC English: /ˈsɪgərɛt/ - GenAm: /ˈsɪgəˌrɛt/

8. complex, adj - RP/BBC English: /ˈkɒmplɛks/ - GenAm: /ˈkɑmplɛks/

9. costume - RP/BBC English: /ˈkɒstjuːm/ - GenAm: /ˈkɑstum/

10. courage - RP/BBC English: /ˈkʌrɪdʒ/ - GenAm: /ˈkɝɪdʒ/

11. depot - RP/BBC English: /ˈdiːpəʊ/ - GenAm: /ˈdipoʊ/

12. direct - RP/BBC English: /dɪˈrɛkt/ - GenAm: /dɪˈrɛkt/

13. docile - RP/BBC English: /ˈdəʊsəl/ - GenAm: /ˈdɑsəl/

14. encourage - RP/BBC English: /ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ/ - GenAm: /ɪnˈkɝɪdʒ/

15. erase - RP/BBC English: /ɪˈreɪz/ - GenAm: /ɪˈrez/

16. education - RP/BBC English: /ˌɛdjʊˈkeɪʃən/ - GenAm: /ˌɛdʒʊˈkeɪʃən/

17. figure - RP/BBC English: /ˈfɪgə/ - GenAm: /ˈfɪgjər/

18. hero - RP/BBC English: /ˈhɪərəʊ/ - GenAm: /ˈhɪroʊ/

19. herb - RP/BBC English: /hɜːb/ - GenAm: /ɜrb/

20. inquiry - RP/BBC English: /ɪnˈkwaɪəri/ - GenAm: /ɪnˈkwaɪri/

3. Lexical Usages Asymmetric Between the Sexes

English genderlects, or gender-based language variations, can exhibit lexical choices that appear to be asymmetric between the sexes. Here are 10 examples:

1. Sweetie 2. Honey 3. Babe 4. Darling 5. Lovely 6. Stud 7. Dude 8. Sports metaphors such as "home run" and "slam dunk" 9. Girly 10. Macho

These examples reflect some common lexical choices that are associated with specific genders. However, it's important to note that these usage patterns may vary among individuals and are not universally applicable to all speakers of a particular gender. Language use is highly influenced by cultural, social, and individual factors.