An english phonetic reader [antikvár]

PKEFACEThe following passages have been transcribed phonetically to meet the need which is felt of a book of fairly advanced extracts in which the " narrow" transcription is used. It is hoped that it will be useful to all English and foreign students of English Phonetics.I have recorded as far as possible my own pronunciation, which is not in any way extreme, and which may be heard, with unimportant difierences, from many educated speakers of the south-east and of other parts of England. Readers will notice the influence of the north in my use of the neutral vowel a instead of i in words like mountain 'maontan, private 'praivat, business 'biznas, scarlet 'sko'lat (but I say 'pnkit); the use of i instead of a in words like audible 'o'dibl, horrible 'hnribl; the use of d in words like false fDls, Walter, 'wolta, salt solt; and in the stressing of some compound words.I have not attempted to show, either by footnotes, or by the extensive use of forms in brackets which are con fusing to the reader, the many variant pronunciations which exist, both in the south and in other parts of England.The ejctreme rapid colloquial style and that suitable for reading and speaking in public have alike been avoided. It will be noticed, however, that weak forms are used much more frequently in the conversational than in the