-------.

--------------------------------~~
THE VOWEL L.::J SOUND (L AS IN "pass".

This is the so-called INTERMEDIATE "A." Represented by the spellings:

ask aunt
This sound is a LOW, FRONT-OF-THE-TONGUE vowel with respect to the arch of the tongue. It has
become known as the INTERMEDIATE "A" vowel because its position is often perceived as intermedi-
ate between the vowel sound ~ as in "Pat" and the vowel sound Q.: as in "father."
Let your lower jaw lie wide open, relaxed; allow the tip of your tongue to rest behind your low-
er front teeth. Allow your lips to spread VERY SLIGHTLY in the feeling of a smile. Arch the FRONT of
your tongue low and forward as the jaw opens to its widest position for any front vowel.
One way to arrive at, or at least to approximate, the correct Intermediate "A" vowel sound is to
sing the word "my." Notice the first part of the sung word, which will sound something like "ma-."
Once again sing a good, long, extended "my," but this time notice that you are in fact sustain-
ing a long pure vowel sound "maaaaaaa-." FEEL and HEAR this pure vowel sound and then
say: "rna- mask," "rna- mast," "a- ask."
Cl- is the first element of the diphthong sound a·i' as in "my."

As a pure vowel sound a is ALWAYS SHORT and is used ONLY in the so-called "ASK-LIST" of
words. The Ask-List is a compilation of the words in Spoken English, such as "ask," that have three
standards of pronunciation for the letter "a" in the spelling of a word, depending on the standard of
Spoken English being used at the time. (A complete Ask-List is given on pages 81-83.) Beyond a reli-
ance on this list, it is a good idea when using proper names or referring to particular places to turn
to local sources for the correct pronunciation.
The three standards of pronunciation for words that comprise the Ask-List are given in A Pro-
nouncing Dictionary of American English, by John S. Kenyon and Thomas A. Knott. For the actor, of
course, the choice of which of the three to use will be determined by the play and by the character.
Take the word "ask," for instance:
oe 1 THE SHORT NAN is used in General American pronunciation and is employed by a majority of
North Americans in ordinary speech. This is the vowel sound that occurs in the name "Pat" in
North American English and in Received Prounuciation (RP) of British English;
3.- 2 THE INTERMEDIATE "N' is the American pronunciation listed in Webster's Third New Interna-
tional Dictionary. This is also the Theater Standard for Good Speech in classic texts and the
EasternAmerican Standard given in Kenyon and Knott's Dictionary;
0.: 3 THE BROAD "N' or ITALIAN fiN' is the British Standard for Received Pronunciation (RP) as given in
Everyman's English Pronouncing Dictionary, by Daniel Jones. This is the vowel sound that oc-
curs in the word "father" in both North American English and British RP.
There are no rules for determining whether a particular word is on the Ask-List. Usage in the liv-
ing language influences a word's pronunciation, and it is this usage that over centuries has governed
the words of the Ask-List. No one person, group, class, region, or country has invented the list.

THE FRONT VOWELS / 79

0~---------
To illustrate that no rules exist for determining an Ask-List word, take a look at the following
words. Those in the left column are on the Ask-List; each has three standards of pronunciation.
Those on the right are NOT on the Ask-List; each has only one standard in both North American pro-
nunciation and British Received Pronunciation.
ASK WORDS: three standards ~ a... a: : NOT ASK WORDS: one standard ~ only
1 pass, passable, Passover passage, passenger, passive
2 can't can (n; v) can (sf of auxiliary verb) CAnnot,
cant (jargon)
3 class, classy classic, classical, classify
4 path psychopath, pathological
5 graph, telegraph graphic, telegraphic
6 pass, class, brass, grass bass (fish), Cass, mass, lass, crass
7 lather, rather gather, blather, slather
This should demonstrate that there are no spelling or phonetic rules for determining Ask-List
words; nevertheless, the Ask-List words are all followed by certain consonant sounds. Below is a
partial listing of the most common Ask-List words, grouped according to the consonant sounds that
follow them. (Again, the complete Ask-List is on pages 81-83.)
-!- 8 abaft aft after afternoon behalf calf chaff craft "-craft" endings daft
9 distaff djaft-draoght "
epitaph gi-raffe graft graph "-graph" endings half
10 laugh raft rafter shaft staff waft cenotaph
-() 11 bath lath path wrath

-nt 12 advantage aunt can't chant enchant grant plant shan't slant supplant
13 vantage
- n d. 14 chandler command commander demand Flanders reprimand slander
15 countermand
16 avalanche blanchefilanche branch planch stanch stanchion
a
17 advance answer chance chancel chancellor chance-ry dance enhance France
18 Frances=Francis glance lance prance trance
-4 19 aghast alas ask bask basket blast brass cask ~caske£. cast=caste castle
20 caster=castor clasp class disaster fast fasten flabbergast flask flasket
21 gasp ghastly glass grasp grass hasp last mask-masque mast master mastiff
22 nasty pass passable Pas~ver a?ast pastime pastor pasture plaster rascal
23 rasp repast task vast alabaster
- Z 24 raspb~-rry (This is the only Ask-List word with ':Z.. .)
-"Yh.jZ/ g 25 example sample sampler
-1r 26 calves halve salve (ointment)
_ -3' 27 lather rather paths baths laths

80 / SPEAK WITH DISTINCTION / CHAPTER TWO

------------------0
THE ASK-LIST OF WORDS
These words have three standards of pronunciation:

a In Good Speech in classic texts a:. In General American a: In British RP

abaft blasted chaff, -s classmate

advance, -s blasting chaff-cutter, -s classmen
advanced blast-furnace, -s chaffed classroom, -s
advancement, -s blastment, -s chaffer, -s (n) classwornan
advancing blast-pipe [chaffer (v) ~ 1 classwornen
advantage, -s branch, -es chaffiness classy
advantaged Branch chaffing, -Iy command, -s
aft branched chaffless commanded
after branching chaffy commander, -s
"after-"
a. ~ prefixes branchless chance, -s commanding, -Iy
aftermath, -s brass, -es chanced commandment, -s
afternoon brass-band, -s chancel, -s commando, -s
afterward, -s brass-founder chancelle-ries counterblast, -s
aghast brass-hat, -s chancelle-ry countermand, -s
~Iab~ster brassie, -s (golf) chancellor, -s cou ntermanded
Alabaster brassier (more brassy) Chancellor countermanding
alas ( ~ in RP) brassiest chancellorship, -s craft, -s
answer, -s brassy chancer craftier
answe-rable broadcast, -s chance-ries craftiest
answe-jably calf chance-ry craftily
answered ca If's-foot Chance-ry craftiness
answe-rer, -s calf-skin chancier craftsman, -men
answe-ring calve, -s chanciest "-craft" suffixes
ask, -s calved chancing daft
[ask newt ;;e calves' -foot chancy dafter
asked calve-skin, -s chandler, -s daftest
asking calving Chandler daftly
aunt, -s can't chant, -s daftness
auntie, -s cask, -s chanted dance, -s
autograph, -s casked chanter, -s Dance
avalanche, -s casket, -s chantey danced
avast casking chanties dancer, -s
bask, -s cast, -s chanting Dancer
basked castaway, -s Chantrey dancing
basket, -s caste, -s chantries death mask, -s
basketball,-s caster chantry demand, -s
basketful, -s Castelnau Chantry demanded.
basketry casting, -s chanty demanding
basket-work casting-net, -s clasp, -s disadvantage, -d, -s
bath, -s casting-vote, -s clasped disaster, -s
bath-brick, -s cast-iron clasping disastrous, -Iy
bath-chair, -s castle, -s clasp-knife, -ves disastrousness
bathroom, -s Castlebar class, -es distaff, -s
behalf Castlejea (gh) classed downcast
blanch, -es Castleton classier downdjaught, -s
Blanche castoff, -s classiest draft, -s
blanched castor, Os;Castor classiness drafted
blanching castor-oil classing drafter, -s
blast, -s cenotaph, -s classman drafting
THE FRONT VOWELS / 81
 0~------------------
THE ASK-LIST OF WORDS, Cont.
draftsman, -men flabbergasti ng grasper, -s laugher, -s
draught, -s Flanders grasping, -Iy laughing, -Iy
"draught-" prefixes flask, -s grass, -es laughing-gas
draughtier flasket, -s grass-cutter, -s laughing-stock, -s
draughtiest forecast, -ed, -ing, -s grassed laughter
draughtily forecaster, -s grass-green mask,-s
draughti ness France grasshopper, -s masked
draughty Frances grassier masking
draughts man, -men Francies grassiest masque, -s
encephalograph, -s Francis grassing mast, -s
enchant, -s freelance, -s, -d grass-land master, -s
enchanted gasped, -s grass-widow, -s "master-" prefixes
enchanter, -s gasped grass-widower, -s "-master" suffixes
enchanting gasping grassy mastered
enchantment ghastlier half masterful, -Iy
enchantress, -es ghastliest "half-" prefixes masterfulness
enclasp, -s ghastl iness halve, -s maste-ring
enclasped ghastly halved masterpiece, -s
enclasping gi-raffe, -s halves maste-ry
engraft, -s glance, -s halving mast-head, -s
engrafted glanced hfndicr~ft, -s mastiff, -s (ce in RP)
engrafting glancing, -Iy hasp, -s mischance, -s
engraftment glass, -es hasped mooncalf
enhance, -s glass-blower, -s hasping mooncalves
enhanced glass-blowing headmaster, -s nastier
enhancement, -s glass-cutter, -s he-reafter nastiest
>. enhancing glassful, -s impassable, -bly nastily
ensample, -s glass-house, -s implant, -s, -ed nastiness
entrance, -s (v) glassier indraught, -s nasty
entranced, -Iy glassiest lance, -s outcast, -s
epigraph, -s glassily Lance outcaste, -s
epitaph, -s glassiness lanced outcasted
everlasting, -Iy glass-paper, -s lance-corpo-ral, -s outcasting
everlasti ngness glassware lancer, -s outclass, -es
example, -s glass-work, -s lancet, -s outclassing
exampled glasswort Lancet outlast, -s
exampling glassy lancing outlasted
Falstaff graft, -s Lancing outlasting
fast, -s "-graft" suffixes last, -s overcast
fasted grafted lasted overglance, -d, -s
faster, -s grafter, -s lasting, -Iy overtask,
ce . a
-ed, -ing, -s
fastest grafting lastly pa-ragraph, -s
fasting grant lath, -5, -y pa-ragraphed
fastness Grant lather, -s pa-ragraphing
fast-day, -s granted lathered pass,-es
fasten, -s grantee, -s lathe-ring passed
fastened granting lathwork passable, -ness
fastener, -s grantor, -s lathy passably
fastening graph, -s laugh, -s pass-book, -s
fastness, -es "-graph" suffixes laughable passer, -s
"_.:@St" stffixes Grasmere laughableness [passer sparrow ce 1
fl~bergast, -s grasp, -s laughably passer-by
flabbergasted grasped laughed passers-by

82/ SPEAK WITH DISTINCTION / CHAPTER TWO

------------------~
THE ASK-LIST OF WORDS, Cont.
passing prancing sampler, -s tasked
pass-key, -s quaff, -s* sampling tasking
passman, -men quaffed * schoolmaster, -s taskmaster, -s
Passover, -s quaffer, -s * shaft, -s task-mistress, -es
passport, -s quaffing * Shaftesbu-jy te lecast, -S
pass-word, -s raft, -s shan't telegraph, -s
past rafted, -s slander, -s telegraphed
pastime, -s rafter, -s slandered telegraphing
past-master, -s raftered slande-rer the-reafter
pastor, -s rafting slande-ring topmast-
pasto-ral, -s rascal, -s slande-rous, -Iy trance, as
pasto-ral ism rascal ities slande-rousness tr!nsplant, -S
pasto-rate, -s rascality slant, -s transplantable
pastu-rage rascally slanted transplanted
pasture, -s rasp, -s slanting, -Iy transpl anti ng
pastured rasped slantwise trespass, -es 2
pastu-ring rasping staff, -s trespassed
path, -s raspbe-rries staffed trespasser, -s
pathfinder, -s raspbe-rry staffing trespass! ng
Pathfinder raspiness stagecraft unstanch
pathless raspy stanch, -es unsurpassed
pathway, -s rather stanched upcast, -S
perchance recast, -s stanching vantage, -s
planch, -es recasting stanchion, -s vast
planchette, -s repass, -es statecraft vaster
plant, -s repassed steadfast, -Iy vastest
planted repassing steadfastness vastly
planter, -s repast, -s stedfast vastness
planting repasture supplant, -s vasty
plaster, -s reprimand, -s supplanted waft, -S
plastered reprimanded supplanter, -s waftage
plaste-rer, -s reprimanding supplanting wafted
plaste-ring salve, -s ** (anoint) surpass, -ed, -es wafting
prance, -s salved ** surpassing, -Iy witchcraft
Prance salving ** taft, -ed, -s wrath ( 1:) or J' in RP)
pranced sample, -s tafting wrathful, -Iy
prancer, -s sampled task, -s
* In North American speech and in British RP, "quaff" and its derivatives usually
are pronounced 'k,w"rJibut
often in verse must rhyme with an Ask-Word, in which case they, too, become Ask-Words.

** In British RP, "salve" (anoint; soothe) and its derivatives are pronounced: 'xi cet:1t"
For proper names and places not listed above, it is best to check local pronunciation and the
dictionaries if you suspect it may be an Ask-word.
 8...
PHRASES FOR PRACTICE USING
1 ? Auntie asked after 13 r after answers,
-J
alas 25 r afternoon aftermath
2 castle in France 14 vasty fields of France 26 I can't dance
3 fast danci ng 15 a brass casket 27 a disastrous ~valtnche
4 demand the flask 16 a drafty raft 28 I ask you for an answer
-",

5 slander Flanders 17 path to the bath 29 enchanting witchcraft

6 the last master 18 pigeons on the grass, alas 30 a masterful cast
7 ask the class 19 a chance advantage 31 on behalf of the calf
8 chant the epitaph 20 rather ghastly 32 at last I've passed
d
9 glass fu II of grass 21 raspbe-r...ry branch basket 33 classroom draftsman
10 unsurpassed slander 22 halved samples of salve 34 grass-green grasshopper
11 wrathful telegraph 23 recast the gasping dancer 35 disadvantaged drafter
12 handicjafted laths 24 reprimanding taskmaster 36 outlast the outclassed outcast

SENTENCES FOR PRACTICE USING s.

37 '( Auntie asked foryn answej after advancing.
38 The commander demanded an alabaster casket. ~ e d lr 8-J(J /;6>
39 .Reprimands from the taskmaster ~ar.e-./examples of his wrath.
40 Castleton's calf-skins were classy castoffs.
41 Auntie was aghast after the nasty afternoon answers.
42 Aunt Blanche had the last laugh.
43 It was a vast castle in France.
44 Ask the class for the answers.
45 The rascal demanded the flask.
46 Francis slandered Flanders.
47 They chanted epitaphs over the casket.
~
48 Good afternoon, Mr. Gi-raffe.
49 At last I've passed!
50 The masterful cast led the dance.
51 I can't dance, Aunt Frances.
52 On behalf of the calf, I'd like to invite you to the pasture.
53 A disastrous ~altnche spoiled my chances.
54 I shan't be taking a bath after,}".
55 I'd rather fast than eat raspb~-rries.
56 After the dance, let's board the craft.
57 She enchanted me with her witchcraft.
~ i1... -
58 The last pa-ragraph was ghastly.
59 It's half past five in the afternoon.
60 Did the staff take advantage of the planter?
61 I demand an answer now!
62 This cask, for example, is made of brass.
J

63 Grant me a better vantage, I command you.

64 That nasty commander went into a trance.
65 Pass me the glass, Pastor Francis.

84/ SPEAKWITH DISTINCTION / CHAPTER TWO