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Rhotic English accents pronounce the /r/ sound only when it is followed by a vowel.
Answer: False
Explanation: Rhotic accents pronounce the /r/ sound wherever it appears in spelling, including after vowels and before consonants, not exclusively when followed by a vowel.
H-dropping is a phenomenon directly linked to the presence or absence of postvocalic /r/.
Answer: False
Explanation: H-dropping, the omission of the /h/ sound, is a distinct phonological process and is not directly linked to the presence or absence of postvocalic /r/.
The term 'r-less' is a synonym for 'rhotic'.
Answer: False
Explanation: The term 'r-less' is a synonym for 'non-rhotic,' describing accents where the /r/ sound is typically omitted after vowels.
What is the primary characteristic distinguishing rhotic from non-rhotic English accents?
Answer: Rhotic accents pronounce /r/ wherever it appears in spelling, while non-rhotic accents omit it after vowels unless followed by another vowel.
Explanation: The fundamental distinction lies in the pronunciation of postvocalic /r/. Rhotic accents pronounce it in all positions where it is spelled, whereas non-rhotic accents omit it after vowels unless another vowel follows.
What does the term 'r-less' signify in linguistic contexts?
Answer: An accent where /r/ is typically omitted after vowels (non-rhotic).
Explanation: The term 'r-less' is synonymous with 'non-rhotic,' describing accents where the /r/ sound is typically omitted after vowels.
The loss of postvocalic /r/ in England began to appear sporadically in the early 15th century.
Answer: True
Explanation: The earliest documented instances of postvocalic /r/ loss in English date back to the early 15th century, initially appearing sporadically, particularly before coronal consonants.
By the 1770s, non-rhotic pronunciation was already established as the standard in all parts of England, including rural areas.
Answer: False
Explanation: While non-rhotic pronunciation became common in London by the 1770s and established as the southern standard by the early 19th century, it was not yet universal across all parts of England, including rural areas, by the 1770s.
Ben Jonson's description in 1640 suggested that English /r/ was pronounced more softly at the beginning of words.
Answer: False
Explanation: Ben Jonson's 1640 description stated that the English /r/ was pronounced 'firme' at the beginning of words, suggesting a clear pronunciation rather than a soft one.
John Walker observed in 1791 that the /r/ in words like 'lard' sounded like a lengthened 'a', indicating a shift towards non-rhoticity.
Answer: True
Explanation: John Walker's 1791 observations indicated that the /r/ in words such as 'lard' was pronounced like a lengthened 'a', signifying a transition towards non-rhotic pronunciation in prestigious English speech.
The Great Vowel Shift and the development of rhoticity are the same historical process.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Great Vowel Shift and the development of rhoticity are distinct historical processes; the GVS primarily altered long vowel pronunciations, while the loss of postvocalic /r/ occurred independently.
The historical development of rhoticity is directly caused by the Great Vowel Shift.
Answer: False
Explanation: The historical development of rhoticity is not directly caused by the Great Vowel Shift; they are distinct phonological processes that developed independently.
Non-rhotic pronunciation became the southern British standard by the mid-19th century.
Answer: False
Explanation: Non-rhotic pronunciation became the southern British standard by the early 19th century, not the mid-19th century.
The loss of postvocalic /r/ in England was initially most common before labial consonants like /p/.
Answer: False
Explanation: The loss of postvocalic /r/ in England initially appeared sporadically before coronal consonants, such as /s/, not primarily before labial consonants like /p/.
The historical loss of postvocalic /r/ in England was a rapid process completed within 50 years.
Answer: False
Explanation: The historical loss of postvocalic /r/ in England was a gradual process that began in the 15th century and accelerated over several centuries, not a rapid process completed within 50 years.
Ben Jonson's description of /r/ in 1640 suggests that non-rhotic pronunciation was standard at that time.
Answer: False
Explanation: Ben Jonson's 1640 description of the /r/ sound as 'firme' at the beginning of words suggests that rhotic pronunciation was standard at that time, not non-rhotic.
According to the source, when did the loss of postvocalic /r/ first begin to appear in English?
Answer: Early 15th century
Explanation: The earliest documented instances of postvocalic /r/ loss in English date back to the early 15th century.
What did John Walker observe about the pronunciation of /r/ in words like 'lard' in his 1791 dictionary?
Answer: It sounded like a lengthened 'a'.
Explanation: John Walker's 1791 observations indicated that the /r/ in words such as 'lard' was pronounced like a lengthened 'a', signifying a transition towards non-rhotic pronunciation.
Historically, where did the loss of postvocalic /r/ first appear sporadically in England?
Answer: Southern England, before coronal consonants
Explanation: The loss of postvocalic /r/ in England initially appeared sporadically before coronal consonants, particularly in Southern England.
What historical observation by Ben Jonson suggests rhotic pronunciation was standard in 17th-century English?
Answer: His description of /r/ as 'firme' at the beginning of words.
Explanation: Ben Jonson's 1640 description of the /r/ sound as 'firme' at the beginning of words suggests that rhotic pronunciation was standard at that time.
Which statement accurately reflects the historical trajectory of rhoticity in England?
Answer: Non-rhoticity became standard in the south by the early 19th century.
Explanation: Non-rhotic pronunciation became the southern British standard by the early 19th century, following a gradual process of /r/ loss that began in the 15th century.
Non-rhotic accents are primarily found in regions such as Scotland, Ireland, and the United States.
Answer: False
Explanation: Non-rhotic accents are primarily found in England, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, whereas Scotland, Ireland, and the United States are predominantly characterized by rhotic accents.
Non-rhoticity is still prevalent among younger White speakers in the American South.
Answer: False
Explanation: Non-rhoticity is not prevalent among younger White speakers in the American South; rather, younger generations and the general population there have largely adopted rhotic speech.
African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is typically rhotic.
Answer: False
Explanation: African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is typically non-rhotic, although rhoticity is becoming more common among younger speakers.
Canadian English is exclusively non-rhotic.
Answer: False
Explanation: Canadian English is almost entirely rhotic, with only limited exceptions in a few small, isolated areas.
The prestige form of English in Ireland is non-rhotic.
Answer: False
Explanation: The prestige form of English spoken in Ireland is rhotic; only certain regional accents exhibit non-rhoticity.
English spoken in most of Asia, including the Philippines, is predominantly non-rhotic.
Answer: False
Explanation: English spoken in most of Asia, including the Philippines, is predominantly rhotic, often influenced by American English and Spanish.
The phonotactics of native languages in West Asia, which lack /r/ sounds, have led to rhotic English pronunciations in the region.
Answer: False
Explanation: The phonotactics of native languages in West Asia, which typically include /r/ sounds, tend to foster rhotic English pronunciations in the region, contrary to the statement.
The spelling 'Park' for the Korean surname reflects rhotic pronunciation influence, even though Korean pronunciation lacks /r/.
Answer: True
Explanation: The English spelling 'Park' for the Korean surname 박, which lacks an /r/ sound in Korean, reflects the influence of rhotic pronunciation conventions on transliteration, where spelling often dictates pronunciation.
New Zealand English is predominantly rhotic, with increasing non-rhoticity among younger speakers.
Answer: False
Explanation: New Zealand English is predominantly non-rhotic; while rhoticity is increasing among younger speakers, the accent is not primarily rhotic.
Philippine English is predominantly non-rhotic due to British colonial influence.
Answer: False
Explanation: Philippine English is predominantly rhotic, influenced by American English and Spanish, rather than non-rhotic due to British colonial influence.
Rhoticity is increasing among younger speakers in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE).
Answer: True
Explanation: Rhoticity is indeed becoming more common among younger speakers of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE).
Which of the following regions is predominantly characterized by non-rhotic English accents?
Answer: England
Explanation: England, along with Wales, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, is predominantly characterized by non-rhotic English accents.
What is the typical rhoticity status of Canadian English?
Answer: Almost entirely rhotic
Explanation: Canadian English is almost entirely rhotic, with only limited exceptions in specific geographical areas.
What is the primary reason suggested for the rhoticity of Philippine English?
Answer: Influence from American English and Spanish
Explanation: Philippine English is predominantly rhotic, primarily due to the influence of American English and the linguistic patterns of Spanish.
Linking R occurs when a non-rhotic speaker inserts an /r/ sound between two vowels where no /r/ existed historically.
Answer: False
Explanation: Linking R occurs when a non-rhotic speaker pronounces an /r/ sound between a word ending in a written 'r' and a following vowel-initial word. The insertion of an /r/ where no /r/ historically existed is termed 'intrusive R'.
Intrusive R is a feature that helps maintain distinctions between words that might otherwise sound identical.
Answer: False
Explanation: Intrusive R involves the insertion of an epenthetic /r/ sound between vowels where no /r/ historically existed. While linking R can help maintain distinctions, intrusive R is a separate phenomenon and not primarily characterized by this function.
Compensatory lengthening in non-rhotic accents causes the preceding vowel to shorten when the postvocalic /r/ is elided.
Answer: False
Explanation: Compensatory lengthening in non-rhotic accents causes the vowel preceding the elided postvocalic /r/ to become longer, not shorter.
R-dissimilation in General American English involves dropping the /r/ sound at the end of words.
Answer: False
Explanation: R-dissimilation in General American English involves the dropping of the /r/ sound in non-final unstressed syllables when another syllable in the same word also contains an /r/, not necessarily at the end of words.
The /ɛə/–/ɛər/ merger makes 'bad' and 'bared' sound identical in certain North American dialects.
Answer: True
Explanation: The /ɛə/–/ɛər/ merger, observed in certain North American dialects, results in words like 'bad' and 'bared' being pronounced identically.
The 'coil-curl merger' is famously associated with early 20th-century London English.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'coil-curl merger' is famously associated with early 20th-century New York City English, not London English.
Up-gliding NURSE refers to the loss of the /r/ sound after a vowel.
Answer: False
Explanation: Up-gliding NURSE refers to the diphthongization of the NURSE vowel, not the loss of the /r/ sound after a vowel, which is characteristic of non-rhotic accents.
The 'father-bother merger' is a phenomenon typically found in rhotic accents.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'father-bother merger' is a phenomenon commonly observed in non-rhotic accents, not typically in rhotic ones.
The 'cot-caught merger' is characteristic of many non-rhotic accents, particularly in North America.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'cot-caught merger,' where 'cot' and 'caught' sound identical, is indeed characteristic of many non-rhotic accents, particularly those found in North America and parts of England.
The 'show-sure' merger involves words like 'show' and 'sure' becoming homophones.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'show-sure' merger is a phonological phenomenon where words such as 'show' and 'sure' become homophones in certain accents.
The 'weak vowel merger' in Australian English makes unstressed vowels like the schwa indistinguishable.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'weak vowel merger,' observed in Australian English, leads to the indistinguishability of unstressed vowels, including the schwa, contributing to homophones like 'batted' and 'battered'.
T-glottalization is a direct consequence of non-rhotic accents.
Answer: False
Explanation: T-glottalization, the pronunciation of /t/ as a glottal stop, is a separate phonological process and not a direct consequence of non-rhotic accents.
The 'pawn-porn merger' is common in rhotic accents, causing 'pawn' and 'porn' to sound different.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'pawn-porn merger' is common in non-rhotic accents, leading to 'pawn' and 'porn' sounding identical, rather than different.
The 'dough-door merger' is found in some Southern US and African-American English dialects.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'dough-door merger' is indeed found in certain Southern US and African-American English dialects.
The 'father-bother merger' significantly increases homophones when combined with other mergers common in non-rhotic accents.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'father-bother merger' does significantly increase the number of homophones when it interacts with other mergers commonly found in non-rhotic accents.
The 'caught-court merger' is characteristic of many rhotic accents.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'caught-court merger' is characteristic of many non-rhotic accents, not rhotic ones.
The 'comma-letter merger' affects stressed syllables, making words like 'coil' and 'curl' homophones.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'comma-letter merger' affects unstressed final syllables, making words like 'area' and 'airier' homophones. The merger involving 'coil' and 'curl' affects stressed syllables.
The 'lot-cloth split' distinguishes words like 'lot' and 'cloth' and is a feature exclusive to rhotic accents.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'lot-cloth split' distinguishes words like 'lot' and 'cloth' based on vowel quality, but it is not a feature exclusive to rhotic accents and can interact with mergers in non-rhotic ones.
The 'pawn-porn merger' can lead to a three-way merger involving the vowels in 'awe', 'or', and 'oar/ore' in some non-rhotic accents.
Answer: True
Explanation: In some non-rhotic accents, the 'pawn-porn merger' can indeed lead to a three-way merger involving the vowels in 'awe,' 'or,' and 'oar/ore'.
The 'show-sure' merger involves the <small>GOAT</small> vowel merging with the <small>CURE</small> vowel.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'show-sure' merger involves the merging of the <small>GOAT</small> vowel with the <small>CURE</small> vowel, resulting in words like 'show' and 'sure' sounding alike.
Linking R is a characteristic feature of rhotic accents.
Answer: False
Explanation: Linking R is a characteristic feature of non-rhotic accents, where speakers pronounce an /r/ between words when a written 'r' is followed by a vowel.
The /ʌ/–/ɜːr/ merger, where 'bud' and 'bird' sound the same, is found in some English accents.
Answer: True
Explanation: The /ʌ/–/ɜːr/ merger, which causes words like 'bud' and 'bird' to sound identical, is indeed found in some English accents, including Jamaican English and certain regions of England and Scotland.
Intrusive R involves the lengthening of a preceding vowel when /r/ is omitted.
Answer: False
Explanation: Intrusive R involves the insertion of an epenthetic /r/ sound where no /r/ historically existed. The lengthening of a preceding vowel when /r/ is omitted is known as compensatory lengthening.
The /ɛə/–/ɛər/ merger is primarily found in England.
Answer: False
Explanation: The /ɛə/–/ɛər/ merger is primarily found in North American English dialects, not England.
The 'comma-letter merger' results in words like 'area' and 'airier' sounding identical in many non-rhotic accents.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'comma-letter merger' does result in words like 'area' and 'airier' sounding identical in many non-rhotic accents due to the indistinguishability of unstressed final vowels.
The 'horse-hoarse merger' is often found in rhotic accents that also exhibit the 'caught-court' merger.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'horse-hoarse merger' is typically found in non-rhotic accents, often alongside other mergers like the 'caught-court' merger, rather than in rhotic accents.
What linguistic phenomenon allows non-rhotic speakers to pronounce an /r/ sound between two words, such as in 'better apples'?
Answer: Linking R
Explanation: Linking R is the phenomenon where non-rhotic speakers pronounce a consonant /r/ sound when a word ending in a written 'r' is immediately followed by a word beginning with a vowel.
Which of the following is a consequence of compensatory lengthening in non-rhotic accents?
Answer: The vowel preceding the elided /r/ becomes longer.
Explanation: Compensatory lengthening in non-rhotic accents causes the vowel preceding the elided postvocalic /r/ to become longer.
The merger where 'bud' and 'bird' sound the same is known as the:
Answer: /ʌ/–/ɜːr/ merger
Explanation: The /ʌ/–/ɜːr/ merger causes words like 'bud' and 'bird' to sound identical, and it is found in certain English accents.
Which phenomenon involves the insertion of an epenthetic /r/ between vowels where no /r/ historically existed?
Answer: Intrusive R
Explanation: Intrusive R is the insertion of an epenthetic /r/ sound between vowels where no /r/ historically existed.
Which of these mergers is famously associated with early 20th-century New York City English?
Answer: Coil-curl merger
Explanation: The 'coil-curl merger,' where words like 'coil' and 'curl' become homophones, is famously associated with early 20th-century New York City English.
The 'cot-caught merger' is common in which type of accents?
Answer: Non-rhotic accents in North America and England
Explanation: The 'cot-caught merger,' where 'cot' and 'caught' sound identical, is characteristic of many non-rhotic accents, particularly those found in North America and parts of England.
Which of the following is NOT typically associated with non-rhotic accents?
Answer: R-dissimilation
Explanation: The 'father-bother' merger, Linking R, and the 'cot-caught' merger are typically associated with non-rhotic accents. R-dissimilation is observed in General American English, which is rhotic.
The 'weak vowel merger' in Australian English results in homophones like:
Answer: 'batted' and 'battered'
Explanation: The 'weak vowel merger,' observed in Australian English, leads to the indistinguishability of unstressed vowels, including the schwa, resulting in homophones such as 'batted' and 'battered'.
The 'pawn-porn merger' is common in non-rhotic accents and can lead to a merger of which three sets of words?
Answer: Awe, Or, Oar/Ore
Explanation: In some non-rhotic accents, the 'pawn-porn merger' can lead to a three-way merger involving the vowels in 'awe,' 'or,' and 'oar/ore'.
In which region is the /ɛə/–/ɛər/ merger, making 'bad' and 'bared' sound identical, particularly found?
Answer: North American English dialects
Explanation: The /ɛə/–/ɛər/ merger, which causes words like 'bad' and 'bared' to sound identical, is particularly found in North American English dialects.
The 'comma-letter merger' affects which part of words in non-rhotic accents?
Answer: Unstressed final syllables
Explanation: The 'comma-letter merger' affects unstressed final syllables, leading to the indistinguishability of vowels like the schwa.
The 'show-sure' merger involves the lexical sets <small>GOAT</small> and <small>CURE</small> becoming homophones. This is often found in accents that also exhibit:
Answer: All of the above
Explanation: The 'show-sure' merger is often found in accents that also exhibit other common non-rhotic features such as the 'father-bother,' 'cot-caught,' and 'horse-hoarse' mergers.
The American Civil War led to a decrease in the prestige of rhotic speech in the United States.
Answer: False
Explanation: The American Civil War marked a shift towards increased prestige for rhotic speech in the United States, a trend that continued and solidified in the post-World War II era with the adoption of a rhotic standard by national mass media.
In the United States, rhotic speech gained prestige nationwide after World War I.
Answer: False
Explanation: In the United States, rhotic speech gained significant nationwide prestige after World War II, not World War I. The Civil War also contributed to a shift towards rhoticity.
The historical shift from rhotic to non-rhotic speech in England was primarily driven by social prestige and fashionability.
Answer: True
Explanation: The historical transition from rhotic to non-rhotic pronunciation in England was significantly influenced by social prestige and perceived fashionability, particularly in the southern regions.
The prestige of rhotic speech in the US increased significantly after World War II, becoming associated with 'General American'.
Answer: True
Explanation: The prestige of rhotic speech in the United States did increase significantly after World War II, becoming strongly associated with the 'General American' standard.
Which event is cited as a significant factor in shifting the prestige of speech towards rhoticity in the American English landscape?
Answer: The Civil War
Explanation: The American Civil War marked a shift towards increased prestige for rhotic speech in the United States, a trend that continued and solidified in the post-World War II era.
How does the influence of American English generally affect rhoticity in other English-speaking countries?
Answer: It leads to an increase in rhoticity.
Explanation: American English, being predominantly rhotic and widely influential through media, has led to an increase in rhoticity in many countries.
Which factor contributed to the shift towards rhoticity gaining prestige in the US after World War II?
Answer: Adoption of a rhotic standard by national mass media
Explanation: The adoption of a rhotic standard by national mass media after World War II was a key factor in rhoticity gaining prestige in the United States.