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Question

Difficulty: MediumConsonant Sounds

Examine the phonetic structure of the given English word. Which consonant sound is represented by the letter 'f' in the preposition 'of'?

Answer:In the word 'of', the letter 'f' represents the consonant sound 【/v/】.

Answer

The letter 'f' in 'of' represents the voiced labiodental fricative sound /v/.
In standard English pronunciation, the word 'of' ends with the voiced labiodental fricative /v/, whereas the word 'off' ends with the voiceless sound /f/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the standard International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcription of the word 'of'
The word 'of' is phonetically transcribed as /ɒv/ (or /əv/ in weak form).
Transcribing the word isolates the exact consonant sound produced by the orthographic spelling.
2
Identify the consonant sound produced by the letter 'f'
Unlike most words where 'f' represents the voiceless labiodental fricative /f/ (e.g., 'off', 'fan'), the single letter 'f' in 'of' is voiced as /v/.
Phonetic contrast between voiced /v/ and voiceless /f/ is a key feature of English consonant sounds.

Key Concept

Voiced vs. Voiceless Consonant Sounds (/v/ vs /f/)
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Topics

Consonant Sounds

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