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Chapter 3
THE SOUND SYSTEMS OF ENGLISH AND HUNGARIAN
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3.1 PREVIEW
DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Vv
Does /w/ exist in the Hungarian phonological system?
> How do Hungarians who speak English pronounce Windows, Washington,
wellness in Hungarian discourse?
Vv
How difficult is it for Hungarian learners to acquire the correct pronunciation
of this English speech sound?
Is it difficult only at the beginner stage, or do mistakes recur at later stages?
Does the speech sound schwa /9/ occur in Hungarian/English?
Is ita phoneme in Hungarian/English?
In what positions does it occur in English?
VV VV V
How do Hungarians who do not speak English pronounce names/words like
Thatcher, farmer, hamburger? Why?
Vv
Is it difficult for Hungarians to acquire the correct pronunciation of this English
speech sound?
> Is it difficult only at the beginner stage, or do mistakes recur at later stages?
The sound systems of English and Hungarian are radically divergent. The
phoneme inventories show great differences, the system of vowels and the
system of consonants are organised along different principles, and phonolog¬
ical processes are different. Differences in suprasegmental features — stress,
rhythm and intonation — make connected speech very different.
In this chapter we will summarise the most important differences, or con¬
trasts (mostly based on Nadasdy 2006), and note where the contrasts may lead
to increased difficulty of acquisition and/or pronunciation errors.
3.2 THE VOWEL SYSTEM
In English, the vowel system is based on tense/lax alternations and stress. There
are full (stressed) vowels and reduced (unstressed) vowels. The syllables before
and after a stressed syllable are usually reduced to either /9/ or /1/, as in capital,
performative, photography, palace, helmet etc. Length and lip-rounding are not
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