Questões de Concurso Sobre pronúncia e som | pronunciation and sound em inglês

The way we use language depends on factors such as the situation we are in (at a friend’s house, in a job interview, in a tutorial); who we are talking to (friends, potential employer, tutor); and our means of communication (conversation face to face, telephone, email, report). Our decisions about the way we use language are to a great extent unconscious ones: we instinctively know how to adapt our language to the situation. For example, there are a number of differences between spoken and written language. This being so, we can characterize spoken language as quite informal, colloquial and presumably unstructured (since it is often spontaneous). Furthermore, spoken language mostly takes place in the form of a dialogue with another speaker. Written language, on the other hand, is generally more structured, formal, impersonal and wordy. Also, written language is considered more formal and should follow the rules of the English language. Spoken language is generally less formal, and the rules are less important. Slang, an informal language understood only by certain groups, is acceptable in spoken language but not in written language. That said, read the statements that follow, then check ( T ) for TRUE and ( F ) for FALSE while indicating the correct answer (by also checking it).

( )Written English is more complex grammatically than spoken English, with longer and more complex sentences, fewer contractions, and more subordinate clauses.

( ) Spoken English is more likely to be face-to-face communication, while written English is more likely to be communication through the written word.

( ) Spoken English is more fixed and stable than written English, which is more fleeting.

( ) Spoken English is usually more organized and carefully formulated than written English.

( ) Written English is typically more structured and forms a monologue rather than a dialogue, while spoken English is more likely to be a dialogue.

( ) Written English communicates across time and space for as long as the medium exists and the language is understood. Spoken English is more immediate.

( ) Spoken English normally uses a generally acceptable standard variety of the language, whereas written English may sometimes be in a regional or other limited-context dialect.

( ) In Spoken English, the content is presented much more densely. In written English, the information is “diluted” and conveyed through many more words: there are a lot of repetitions, glosses, “fillers”, producing a text is noticeably longer and with more redundant passages. 

The history of English language teaching (ELT) is unarguably linked to the history of imperialism and colonialism, which materializes in a certain extent the explicit or implicit cultural domination. Such domination inevitably involves the insertion of the colonizer's language into the lives of the colonized peoples. In this regard, the history of English language teaching has always been experienced in terms of cycles, such as theoretical principles and techniques that appear as a trend, disappear for a time and reappear for another period time, sometimes with new principles and fundamentals, and the cycles tend to follow one another. In this regard, studies in Applied Linguistics and Methods and Approaches in English Language Teaching suggest Grammar Translation Method, Direct Method, Oral Approach and Audiolingualism Method to be the first ones in ELT history. Having that in mind match the second column based on the information provided in the first one. Then, check the correct answer.

( A ) GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD ( B ) DIRECT METHOD ( C ) ORAL APPROACH ( D) AUDIOLINGUALISM METHOD

( ) Grammatical rules are not presented formally and the texts used for reading and writing activities are no longer literary since this method is based on certain principles, such as: selection, gradation and presentation.

( ) Learning is associated with syntactic, morphological and phonological structures which are learned from a system of stimulus, response and reinforcement.

( ) In this method, the writing skill is also developed, but not with a communicative purpose.

( ) Adopting the monolingual principle, this method involves the use of objects, gestures and images to explain the meanings of words, since the students' native language is prohibited from being used.

( ) Language learning would be associated with the formation of readers and the intellectual development of students.

( ) This method involves automatic correction and immediate assessment of students' mistakes by teachers in order to prevent the students from forming or acquiring bad habits and behaviors during the learning process.

( ) As a theoretical systematization of foreign language teaching, its objective would be the development of students' oral skills as the vocabulary and grammatical structures they have learned would be controlled in terms of frequency of occurrence.

( ) In this method, learning must be directly connected to the target language without going through the process of translation into the students' native language.

( ) The language to be taught is the spoken language and the new elements of the language are practiced situationally as the grammatical items are proposed gradually, that is, from the simplest to the most complex forms.

( ) In this method, language is both seen and considered as a behavior, for it is a means of oral communication.

Read the text below.

Not all stressed syllables are of equal importance. Some stressed syllables have greater prominence than others, and form the nucleus, or focal point, of an intonation pattern. We may describe a nucleus as a strongly stressed syllable which marks a major change of pitch direction, i.e. where the pitch goes up or down.
LEECH, G.; SVARTVIK, J., 2012, p. 36.

So, it is very important

Em qual opção abaixo não há uma correta correlação entre a palavra e sua pronúncia?

Consider the pronunciation in American English. The “ch” sound in “chief” is the same as the one in:

What is the initial consonant sound in the word "shaken"? 

Which option correctly identifies the stressed vowel sound in the word "uncertainty"?

Match the teacher’s actions in the box below to their respective techniques for presenting new language. 

Action 1: Teacher has students repeat pronunciation of specific words in a text. Action 2: Teacher asks students about their favorite sports after reading a text on rugby. Action 3: Teacher uses a well-known short story to present the simple past. Action 4: Teacher plays the corresponding audio to a text presented in class.

Correction of students’ work constitutes a relevant part of teaching-learning process. Given that, understanding the nature of students’ incorrect language productions is key to effective correction. Assuming the sentences in the box below are productions from Brazilian students, check the alternative which labels the presented language problems accordingly.


I have 12 years old. - I goed to school yesterday. - I am with a headache. - She work in the morning.

Check the alternative that corresponds to the correct phonemic transcription of the final –ed sounds of the sequence of regular verbs presented below:


Corrected – worked – seemed – studied

Check the alternative that corresponds to the phonemic transcription of the words below.

Sheep –ship – Cheap – Chip

The vowel sounds present in the words below correspond to the minimal pair:

Heat – hit 

The correct phonetic transcription to the quote “Gentlemen, the only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.” – from the movie Alice in Wonderland (2010) – is:

The alternative in which all of the three words bring phonemes represented in Picture 02 is: 

The picture shows the representation of the place of articulation of ____________ phonemes. 

In addition to the physical production of sounds, phonology also studies:

What are phonemes?

Definition and scope of phonology

In order to delve into the basics of English phonology, it is important to establish a clear understanding of what phonology is and its scope of study. Phonology is a subfield of linguistics that focuses on the systematic study of sounds within a particular language or languages. It examines the patterns, organization, and rules governing the sounds and their usage in speech.
The scope of phonology encompasses several key aspects. Firstly, it examines the inventory of sounds in a language, identifying the distinct phonemes and their distribution within words. It also investigates the rules and patterns governing the combination and sequencing of sounds, known as phonotactics. These rules determine which sounds can appear in specific positions within words or syllables (Dodd, et al, 2003).



What is the main objective of phonology?