Sounds fascinating : further observations on English phonetics and phonology

How do you pronounce biopic, synod, and Breughel? - and why? Do our cake and archaic sound the same? Where does the stress go in stalagmite? What's odd about the word epergne? Pontcysyllte is obviously Welsh, but Penge is Welsh too! How cool is Caol in the Highlands of Scotland? What can Wesley's hymns tell us about sound change in English? How do people pronounce Wrocław in Poland? How can anyone manage to say Gdynia as just two syllables? Why is the village of Frith in the island of Montserrat usually pronounced as if spelt Frits? What embarrassing faux pas in English did a Russian conglomerate make? Should I bild a cubbard instead of building a cupboard? How should we capitalize an exclamation mark, and why might we need to? What's a depressor consonant? As a finale, the author writes a letter to his 16-year-old self. Read more... Abstract: Is that really how people say that? What a fascinating sound! Read more... How Do You Pronounce Biopic, Synod, And Breughel? - And Why? Do Our Cake And Archaic Sound The Same? Where Does The Stress Go In Stalagmite? What's Odd About The Word Epergne? Pontcysyllte Is Obviously Welsh, But Penge Is Welsh Too! How Cool Is Caol In The Highlands Of Scotland? What Can Wesley's Hymns Tell Us About Sound Change In English? How Do People Pronounce Wrocław In Poland? How Can Anyone Manage To Say Gdynia As Just Two Syllables? Why Is The Village Of Frith In The Island Of Montserrat Usually Pronounced As If Spelt Frits? What Embarrassing Faux Pas In English Did A Russian Conglomerate Make? Should I Bild A Cubbard Instead Of Building A Cupboard? How Should We Capitalize An Exclamation Mark, And Why Might We Need To? What's A Depressor Consonant? As A Finale, The Author Writes A Letter To His 16-year-old Self. Unusual Words -- Food And Drink Words -- Interesting Words -- Names -- People -- Places -- Abroad -- Home From Abroad -- Allophones -- Phonetic Processes -- Spelling -- Transcription -- Classification -- Efl -- Accents -- Lexical Stress -- Connected Speech -- Texts In Transcription -- Rhetoric -- Language Mosaic -- Postscript. J.c. Wells (emeritus Professor Of Phonetics, University College London) ; Illustrations By Lhinton Davidson. Includes Indexes. Includes Indexes. Content: Part I. Words, Names, People and Places: 1. Unusual words 2. Food and drink words 3. Interesting words 4. Names 5. People 6. Places 7. Abroad 8. Home from abroad Part II. Sounds and Letters: 9. Allophones 10. Phonetic processes 11. Spelling 12. Transcription Part III. Applied Phonetics: 13. Classification 14. EFL 15. Accents 16. Lexical stress 17. Connected speech 18. Texts in transcription Part IV. Roundup: 19. Rhetoric 20. Language mosaic 21. Postscript.