Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardMonophthongs (Pure Vowels)

In the word c<u>ou</u>rtesy, the underlined letters represent a specific pure vowel sound. Which of the following words contains the same monophthong sound?

  1. journeyAnswer
  2. B
    country
  3. C
    tourist
  4. D
    mourn

Answer

The word 'journey' contains the identical long central monophthong sound /ɜː/ found in 'courtesy'.
The word 'courtesy' is articulated with the open-mid central unrounded long pure vowel /ɜː/. Among the choices, 'journey' is the only word whose vowel sound matches /ɜː/ exactly.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the phonetic transcription of the target word
The word 'courtesy' is transcribed as /ˈkɜː.tə.si/. The underlined digraph 'ou' produces the long central pure vowel (monophthong) /ɜː/.
Establishing the exact IPA symbol for the target sound is necessary before evaluating options.
2
Transcribe and analyze each given option phonetically
'journey' = /ˈdʒɜː.ni/ (/ɜː/), 'country' = /ˈkʌn.tri/ (/ʌ/), 'tourist' = /ˈtʊə.rɪst/ (/ʊə/), 'mourn' = /mɔːn/ (/ɔː/).
Distinguishing pure monophthongs from diphthongs and contrasting vowel quality/length reveals the matching sound.
3
Compare option vowel sounds to the target /ɜː/
Only 'journey' shares the exact long central monophthong /ɜː/ with 'courtesy'.
Matching IPA symbols ensures correct identification independent of misleading orthography.

Key Concept

Identification of the open-mid central unrounded long monophthong /ɜː/ across diverse orthographic spelling patterns ('ou', 'our', 'ourn').
Estimated Time:1m 15s
Rate this question

Topics

Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)

More questions from this topic