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Question

Difficulty: HardConsonant Sounds

Match each word in the left column with the correct phonetic consonant sound produced by its underlined letter(s) in the right column.

  • monarch/k/ (voiceless velar plosive)
  • chute/ʃ/ (voiceless postalveolar fricative)
  • choir/kw/ (voiceless labial-velar cluster)
  • schism/s/ (voiceless alveolar fricative)

Answer

'monarch' matches /k/, 'chute' matches /ʃ/, 'choir' matches /kw/, and 'schism' matches /s/.
Each word features a distinct phonetic realization of consonant digraphs: 'monarch' utilizes the velar plosive /k/, 'chute' uses the postalveolar fricative /ʃ/, 'choir' is articulated with the cluster /kw/, and 'schism' reduces the initial trigraph to the alveolar fricative /s/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the phonetic pronunciation of the underlined digraph in 'monarch'.
The final digraph 'ch' sounds like /k/ as in 'cat'.
Greek-derived words ending in '-arch' commonly realize 'ch' as /k/.
2
Determine the sound produced by the underlined digraph in 'chute'.
The initial digraph 'ch' sounds like /ʃ/ as in 'shoe'.
Words of recent French origin retain the /ʃ/ pronunciation for orthographic 'ch'.
3
Identify the sound cluster of 'ch' in 'choir'.
The initial 'ch' produces the phonetic sequence /kw/ as in 'quire'.
The irregular historical evolution of 'choir' results in an initial /kw/ articulation.
4
Determine the sound of the initial trigraph 'sch' in 'schism'.
The 'sch' spelling yields the simple /s/ consonant sound as in 'sister'.
In standard modern Received Pronunciation and English phonetics, 'schism' is pronounced starting with /s/.

Key Concept

Phonetic Realization of Consonant Digraphs and Silent Elements
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Topics

Consonant Sounds

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