Question

Aspiration is done on what kind of stops in English and when?

A) Voiced stops at the beginning of a word
B) Voiced stops at the end of a word
C) Voiceless stops at the beginning of a stressed syllable
D) Voiceless stops at the end of a word

Answer 1

Aspiration occurs on voiceless stops at the beginning of a stressed syllable in English, such as the initial sounds in the word 'pot'. Option C is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

In English phonetics, aspiration occurs on voiceless stops at the beginning of a stressed syllable. This means the correct answer is C) Voiceless stops at the beginning of a stressed syllable. A voiceless stop is a consonant sound produced without the vocal cords vibrating and involves a burst of air.

Common voiceless stops in English are the sounds represented by the letters p, t, and k. When these sounds occur at the beginning of a stressed syllable, they are typically aspirated, which is indicated by a puff of air that follows the release of the consonant.

For example, in the word "pot", the initial /p/ sound is aspirated because it is a voiceless stop at the beginning of a stressed syllable. Conversely, voiced stops such as /b/, /d/, and /g/ do not undergo aspiration in this manner.