Riddle of English Phonology? A Research Probe into /h/-Dropping at Word Initial Position
Keywords:
English Phonology, h-dropping, Syllable Structure, Initial PositionAbstract
English phonology is one of the most intriguing junctions of the English language. The absence of phonological realization of certain symbols which are orthographically present in the lexeme is sufficient to signpost this intrigue. Realizing the significance of this issue, present study is launched to analyze the phenomenon of /h/-dropping at word initial position in English. The data of 22 words comprising of CVC and CVVC sequence with ‘h’ at word initial position were selected for analysis. The methodology of the study is descriptive qualitative as the data were analyzed in form of words. The in-depth analysis reflects that /h/-dropping at word initial position is not haphazard. Rather it is rule based and consistent. The role of the consonants following the vowel/vowels in CVC and CVVC contexts is critical in this regard. The study recommends that just phonic teaching is not sufficient for teaching English phonology as there is no one-to-one relationship between alphabets and the sounds associated to them. The learners should also be taught about the contexts where a letter is not represented by a certain phonetic sound such as /h/-dropping at word initial position in particular context.
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