Phonetics II - Week #12

1. What is the defining characteristic of a plosive consonant?

• a) Continuous airflow through the nasal cavity

• b) Total closure in the vocal tract followed by release

• c) Vibration of the vocal folds without airflow blockage

2. What is the noise produced when compressed air escapes during a plosive release?

• a) Aspiration

• b) Friction

• c) Plosion

3. Which of the following is not one of the four phases in plosive production?

• a) Closing phase

• b) Frication phase

• c) Post-release phase

4. How many plosive consonants does English have (excluding the glottal plosive)?

• a) 4

• b) 6

• c) 7

5. Which plosives are bilabial?

• a) p, b

• b) t, d

• c) k, g

6. Which feature distinguishes initial /p, t, k/ from /b, d, g/?

• a) Aspiration

• b) Voicing

• c) Nasal airflow

7. What happens to /p, t, k/ when preceded by /s/ in initial position (sp, st, sk)?

• a) They are aspirated

• b) They are unaspirated

• c) They disappear

8. In final position, what is the main difference between /p, t, k/ and /b, d, g/?

• a) Vowels before /p, t, k/ are shorter than before /b, d, g/

• b) /b, d, g/ have stronger aspiration than /p, t, k/

• c) /p, t, k/ cannot appear at the end of words

9. What is the term for the shortening effect of vowels before /p, t, k/?

• a) Lenis shortening

• b) Pre-fortis clipping

• c) Aspiration loss

10. Why do some phoneticians prefer the terms fortis and lenis instead of voiced and voiceless?

• a) Because /p, t, k/ are produced with more force than /b, d, g/

• b) Because /b, d, g/ are fully voiced in all contexts

• c) Because fortis and lenis are easier to remember