Compound Words in English: Another Practice
As studied in class, compound words are usually transcribed with two clear vowels. However, that actually depends on the words that are now working as a unit. For instance, the words roundhouse is transcribed as /’rawndhaws/; that is, it has two clear vowels /aw/. But if you look at the word plywood, it only contains only one clear vowel and a reduced vowel. Why is this? This happens because the word wood is already pronounced with upsilon and not tense “u.”
Work on the rest of the transcription exercise by keeping attention when you cannot use two clear vowels. First, pronounce the words clearly and carefully. Then, transcribe them.
Good luck!
| Word | IPA |
| roundhouse | /’rawndhaws/ |
| rosebud | |
| roommate | |
| restroom | |
| rainbow | |
| racecar | |
| quicksand | |
| potluck | |
| postcard | |
| popcorn | |
| plywood | /’playwʊd/ |
| playground | |
| pipeline | |
| paycheck | |
| pastime | |
| pancake | |
| outside | |
| output | |
| outlaw | |
| oatmeal | |
Check your answers over here!
