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Quiz about The World of Spanish Phonetics

The World of Spanish Phonetics Quiz

No questions about what vocabulary words mean or conjugation here, just the sounds and phonetics of the Spanish language. Some of this quiz is written in Spanish. Buena suerte!

A multiple-choice quiz by Caseena. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Caseena

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
321,118

Updated
Jun 04 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
428

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What is the proper syllabification of "el invierno"? Hint

el-in-viern-o

el-in-vi-er-no

e-lin-vier-no

e-lin-vi-er-no

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which of the following sounds does Spanish not have? Hint

[f]

[b]

[v]

[g]

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Question 3 of 10

3. In terms of sonority, which of the following sounds does not belong? Hint

[k]

[p]

[z]

[t]

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which is not a possible attack (consonant group beginning a word) in Spanish? Hint

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Question 5 of 10

5. How many vowels does Spanish have? Hint

seven

five

twelve

ten

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Question 6 of 10

6. Spanish has a syllable-timed rhythm, or "ritmo sil�bico."

True

False

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Question 7 of 10

7. What describes mode, point, and sonority of the [t] sound in Spanish? Hint

fricativa alveolar sonora

oclusiva dental sorda

oclusiva alveolar sorda

fricativa bilabial sonora

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which of the following words contains an example of "un hiato"? Hint

ley

�rbol

tres

gr�a

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Question 9 of 10

9. What are the three parameters for classifying vowel sounds? Hint

mode of articulation, point of articulation, sonority

horizontal displacement of the tongue, point of articulation, lip position

elevation of the tongue, horizontal displacement of the tongue, lip position

point of articulation, elevation of the tongue, sonority

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Question 10 of 10

10. In which type of "acento pros�dico" does the stress fall on the antepenultimate syllable? Hint

esdr�julo

grave

agudo

llano

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is the proper syllabification of "el invierno"?

Answer: e-lin-vier-no

Spanish prefers open syllables, and so tries to end syllables in vowels. The sounds [i] and [e] together form a diphthong, and thus are pronounced as one sound.

2. Which of the following sounds does Spanish not have?

Answer: [v]

/V/ is pronounced either as [b] or as a "fricativa bilabial sonora," which English does not have. It is written phonetically as a b with a line through it or as [�].

3. In terms of sonority, which of the following sounds does not belong?

Answer: [z]

[z] is voiced--when you pronounce it, your voice box vibrates. In Spanish, it is said to be "sonora." The other three sounds do not utilize the voice box, and are called "sorda."

4. Which is not a possible attack (consonant group beginning a word) in Spanish?

Answer: sp

If two consonants begin with a syllable, the first one must be [p], [b], [t], [d], [f], [k] or [g]. The second must be a liquid: [r] or [l]. Thus, "sp" is not a possible attack in Spanish. The [s] ends one syllable and the [p] begins the next.

5. How many vowels does Spanish have?

Answer: five

[a], [e], [i], [o], and [u]. A great advantage of learning Spanish is that every vowel is consistent--a written /a/ is always pronounced [a]. By contrast, English has twelve vowels, which are not consistent in their pronunciation. For example, /o/ may be pronounced, among other sounds, as [a], as in "October," [I] as in "women," or [u] as in "move."

6. Spanish has a syllable-timed rhythm, or "ritmo sil�bico."

Answer: True

English has a stress-timed rhythm, meaning that stressed syllables get much more time in pronunciation than unaccented syllables. Spanish spends the same amount of time pronouncing unstressed syllables as stressed ones.

7. What describes mode, point, and sonority of the [t] sound in Spanish?

Answer: oclusiva dental sorda

The [t] in English is alveolar instead of dental. A "fricativa alveolar sonora" is [z] and a "fricativa bilabial sonora" is [�].

8. Which of the following words contains an example of "un hiato"?

Answer: gr�a

You get an "hiato" when two vocalic elements are part of different syllables even though they're next to each other. "Ley" is an example of a "diptongo," or diphthong, in which two vowels combine to form one sound.

9. What are the three parameters for classifying vowel sounds?

Answer: elevation of the tongue, horizontal displacement of the tongue, lip position

The [a] is thus classified as "baja, central, neutra." Mode, point, and sonority, or "modo, punto, sonoridad," are the three parameters for consonants.

10. In which type of "acento pros�dico" does the stress fall on the antepenultimate syllable?

Answer: esdr�julo

In "acentos agudos" the stress falls on the final syllable. "Grave" and "llano" are the same type of accent--stress falls on the penultimate syllable. For the "acento esdr�julo" the stress falls on the third-to-last syllable.

Source: Author Caseena

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