English pronunciation Web Site

This site contains materials used in my pronunciation and listening classes in the English Department at the Université de Savoie in Chambéry, France. The content is intended for my students but may be useful to others; feel free to explore. If you find mistakes in these pages, please be so kind as to contact me: alice.henderson@univ-savoie.fr.

* UE101/201 First year English pronunciation course

In class you received a photocopy of a list of words that can be difficult to pronounce. You will be tested on these. The list also includes frequency of use information found in the Longman Contemporary English Dictionary (2003).

Click here to start listening to a *Standard British English or a Standard North American English pronunciation of the words from this list; you will also find one of several correct possible transcriptions for each word. *(Contact Alice Henderson (alice.henderson@univ-savoie.fr ) if you would like to know more about her choice for this level of these two "standards" from among the many versions of English possible.)

Other useful pages include:

• - Nonsense words : Here you can test your listening & transcription skills by listening to words that do not exist and then trying to transcribe them in phonetic symbols. A correct transcription is given.
• - Notes on vowel sounds: Here you will find lists of example words for each English vowel.
• - Notes on diphthongs: You received a photocopy with example words for each of the eight diphthongs in the English language. The words were already written in phonetic script; here are the words written in letters.
• Homework Transcriptions from Autumn 2008: pizza/geese/language Sneetches/Last stanza
• - Review of vowel sounds: Here you will find the words we reviewed in class out loud, to prepare for the December test.
• - Spring Test Review : Here you will find exercises & corrections to help you prepare for the final test in the spring. The test from May 2005 is also included, for extra practice.
• - Web Links: Here you will find exercises & tutorials from other Web sites.

* UE103 Lecture on English Phonetics & Phonology

Homework sheet on Obama's speech, Nov. 4 2008

Click here for the sound files & the full text, at the BBC.

Two further extracts from Obama's speech + text analysis

* Pun Fun for Everyone!

You can listen to some terrible puns in English and try to fill-in the blanks to complete the text. You can check what you have heard with the Completed Text. *The audio file is quite large (1500Ko) and downloads best with a high-speed connection.