Question 1:
Vowels and diphthongs are important components of the English phonetic system.
Write an essay on the vowels and diphthongs of English. Support your answer with specific examples of vowel phonemes and their description.
Refer mainly to Unit 4. You may also refer to Units 2 and 3.
Answers should draw on the following ideas:
Refer to the differences between letters and phonemes. (3 marks)
Define vowels showing how they differ from consonants. (4 marks)
State how we describe vowels and use examples to support your answer (10 marks)
Describe English diphthongs and show how they differ from vowels. (3 marks)
Explain how English diphthongs are classified and described? (5 marks)
Question 2:
Learners of a second language find problems in the pronunciation of some sounds that do not occur in their native language or dialect.
Write an essay about some of the problem sounds in English that speakers of your native language or dialect find difficult to produce. State these sounds and state your reasons of why they are difficult. Refer to Unit 1, 2, 3 & 4.
Answers should draw on the following points:
Refer to language universals and the elements that languages have in common. (5 marks)
State at least five English sounds that exist in (are similar to sounds in) your language, e.g. Arabic. (5 marks)
Mention at least two English sounds that do not exist in your language, e.g. Arabic. (5 marks)
Think of at least two Arabic sounds that do not exist in English. (5 marks)
Provide suggestions and some learning practices for improving your pronunciation especially of these problem sounds. (5 marks)
Use at least two sources; the Internet, news articles, interviews, etc. to help you in providing facts, definitions, examples, statistics, etc. that support your essay.