Approximants

Approximants /j/ - /w/ (semivowels)
 They are vowel glides

 They are phonetically like vowels (from the articulatory point of view) but
phonologically like consonants (because they behave like consonants).
e.g:
ðə bʊk /jɒt /wɒtʃ - ði ˈæpl̩

ə bʊk /jiə /wɪŋ - ən ˈæpl̩
Unrounded palatal approximant /j/
spellings of /j/: y (yes), i (onion), u (cube), ue (argue), ew, eu (new, feud), eau (beauty)
word-initial: jɑ:d - jes - jɑ:d - jɒt - jɔːn - ˈjuːnjən - jʌŋ - jɜːn - jiə - ˈjʊərəp - ˈjuːnɪt
following accented /p-t-k-h/ devoiced [j˳]: pju: - tjuːn - kjuː - kjʊə - pjʊə - hjuːdʒ - ə
ˈkjuːz sɪˈkjʊə - pɪˈkjuːlɪə - əˈtjuːnd - hjuː - ˈhjuːmən
following /sp-st-sk/ voiceless fricatives, or accented /p-t-k/ slightly devoiced: stjuː - ə

ˈskjuː - ɪnˈθjuːzɪæzəm -re'fju:z - ˈɒpjʊlənt - ˈspætjʊlə - ˈɒkjʊlɪst - help ju - kɪk ju
following voiced consonant: 'bju:ti - 'dju:ti - ˈmju:zɪk - nju: - 'vælju: - vjuː - əˈbjuːs - ɪn
ˈdjʊər - ˈɑːɡjuː - ˈʌnjən - ˈfeɪljə - fəˈmɪljə - ˈsiːnjə - bɪˈheɪvjə
Rounded labial-velar approximant /w/
spellings of /w/: w (wave), wh (where), qu = /kw/ (queen), u (after g-s: language, suite)
word initial: wiːd - wet - wæɡ - wɒsp - wʊd - wuːm - wʌn - wɜ:d - weɪv - wəʊk - waɪə
wɪəd - weə - wɪŋk - ˈweðə - wiːl̩ - ˈwɪspə - ˈwɪsl - waɪt
following accented /t-k/: twɪɡ - twelv - twɪn - twaɪs - kwiːn - kwɪk - kwaɪt
Following /s-k/ accented voiceless fricative, or in unaccented syllable following /p-t-k/

 slightly devoiced: skweə - skwɒʃ - ˈskwɪrəl - θwɔːt - swɪm - sweər - ˈʌpwəd - ˈaʊtwəd
ˈiːkwəl - pʌmp ˈwɔ:tə - ðæt wɜ:d - teɪk wʌn
Intervocalic or following voiced consonant: əˈweɪ - əˈweər - ˈɪnwəd - ˈɔːlweɪz -
ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ ˈdwɪndl̩ - dwɔːf - rɪˈwɔːd - əˈweɪk - təˈwɔːdz - ˈsʌmweə
Lateral approximant /l/
spellings of /l/: l (salad), ll (allow)
a) clear /l/ before vowels and /j/:
word initial: li:v - let - lɒk - lʊk - leɪt - laʊd
word initial clusters: bləʊ - ɡlæd
word-medial: ˈsɪli - ˈjeləʊ - ˈælɔɪ -ˈkɒlə -ˈkɔːlə - ˈpʊli - ˈfuːlɪʃ - ˈsʌlən - ˈseɪlə - ˈaɪlənd -
ˈɔɪli - ˈmɪlɪən - ˈfeɪljər - əˈlaʊ - sɪˈlekt - ˈʌɡli - ˈɡɪmlɪt - ɪnˈleɪ - ˈbætʃələ
Word final, before vowel or /j/: fiːl ɪt - fɔːl aʊt - ɔ:l ˈəʊvə - wɪl ju
b) devoiced clear /l/:
Following accented aspirated plosives  fully devoiced clear [l˳]. Less considerable
devoicing after /s/ /f/ /θ/ /ʃ/ (voiceless fricatives) or weakly accented /p-t-k/
pleɪ - pliːz - plɑ:nt - əˈplaɪ - əˈplɒm - kli:n - kləʊs - klaɪm - klɪk
pləˈsiːbəʊ - ˈæptli - ˈbʌtlə - ˈæntlə - ˈsɪmplɪst - ˈkʌplɪt - rəʊp ˈlædə - ˈhəʊplɪs -

ˈsprɪŋklə klærɪˈnet - klænˈdestɪn - dɑːk - leɪk
ˈslɒpi - sləʊ - slɪŋk - gæs liːk - flɪŋ - fləʊ - flɪk - flæk - hɑːf laɪf - 'ɜːθli
c) dark [ɫ]: (in all other positions, before consonants or before pauses) a way of saying
the /l/ sound, in which the back of the tongue is raised slightly:
bɔɪl - feɪl - meɪl - oɪl - feɪld - ˈɪlnəs - ˈelbəʊ - waɪld - fiːl - fɪl - fel - kəˈnæl - dɒl - kɔ:l -
bʊl - puːl - dʌl - pɜ:l - peɪl - pəʊl -paɪl - rɔɪəl - rɪəl - krʊəl - help - bʌlb - sɒlt - kəʊld -
mɪlk - fɪlm - self - sɒlv - helθ - els - bɪlz - ˈɔːlməʊst ˈ- ˈwelθi - ɔːlˈðəʊ - welʃ - ˈɔːlweɪz -
ˈjuːʒʊəl
syllabic: 'sɪmpl̩ - æpl̩ - ˈkeɪbl̩ - ˈkæml̩ - ˈænɪml̩ - teɪbl̩ - 'mɪdl̩ - ˈi:gl̩ - ˈɔːfl̩
Post alveolar approximant /r/ - /ɹ/

spellings of /r/: r (red), rr (arrest), wr (write), rh (rhyme)
word-initial: riːd - red - rɔː - ruːd - rəʊd - rɔɪəl - rɪə - ræp - rɪˈtɜːn - rɪˈɡeɪn
word medial, intervocalic (flapped ɾ): ˈmɪrə - ˈveri - ˈærəʊ - ˈsɒri - ˈhʌri - ˈfɜːri - əˈraɪv
ˈdaɪəri - ˈfjʊəri - ˈmæri - ˈwʌri - ˈkæri - ˈkʌrɪdʒ
word-final (r-link with following word beginning with a vowel): ˈfɑːr əˈweɪ - pʊər əʊld
mæn - ðər ə tuː - kʌvər ʌp - wʌns ənd fər ɔ:l - ˈɑːnsər ˈɪt - ˈɡæðər ˈʌp - hɪər ət lɑːst -
eər ənd ˈwɔːtə
In consonantal clusters:
following accented voiceless plosive  fully devoiced [r˳]: praɪs - praʊd - tri: - traɪ -
kriːm - kru: - ɪkˈspreʃn̩ - səˈpraɪz - əˈtrækt - ɪkˈstriːmli - dɪˈkriː
following voiceless fricatives, unaccented voiceless plosives, or accented voiceless

plosives preceded by /s/ in the same syllable  somewhat devoiced [r]: fraɪ - əˈfreɪd -
ʃrɪŋk - ʃrʌɡ - ˈeɪprən -ˈmætrɪs - ˈnaɪtreɪt - ˈkɒkrəʊtʃ - sprɪnt - stri:t - skriːm - skreɪp -
ˈhɪstr̩ i
following voiced consonant in the same syllable  fully voiced /r/, fricative /r/ after /d/:
briːf braɪt ˈdres draɪ driːm əˈdres ˈtɔːdri ˈgreɪ ɡrəʊ ʌmˈbrelə ˈhʌŋɡri ˈsɒvrɪn ˈdʒenr̩ əl
After /θ/ always “flapped” [ɾ]: θɾi: - θɾəʊ - θɾuː - θɾet - θɾaɪv
Intrusive /r/:
 Heard particularly in the case of /ə/ endings
ˈrʌʃər ənd ˈtʃaɪnə

ˈdrɑːmər ənd ˈmjuːzɪk
aɪˈdɪər ɒv
ˈɪndɪər ənd ˌpɑːkɪˈstɑːn
 Less frequently with final /ɑː- ɔ:/
ʃɑːr əv ˈpɜːʃə
lɔ:r əv ðə ˈdʒʌŋɡl̩
In GB, silent /r/ when final or preceding a consonant: kɑ: - kɑːt

Approximants

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Approximants /j/ - /w/ (semivowels)

 They are vowel glides

ðə bʊk /jɒt /wɒtʃ - ði ˈæpl̩

Unrounded palatal approximant /j/

following /sp-st-sk/ voiceless fricatives, or accented /p-t-k/ slightly devoiced: stjuː - ə

Rounded labial-velar approximant /w/

Following /s-k/ accented voiceless fricative, or in unaccented syllable following /p-t-k/

Lateral approximant /l/

spellings of /l/: l (salad), ll (allow)

a) clear /l/ before vowels and /j/:

word initial: li:v - let - lɒk - lʊk - leɪt - laʊd

word initial clusters: bləʊ - ɡlæd

b) devoiced clear /l/:

pleɪ - pliːz - plɑ:nt - əˈplaɪ - əˈplɒm - kli:n - kləʊs - klaɪm - klɪk

pləˈsiːbəʊ - ˈæptli - ˈbʌtlə - ˈæntlə - ˈsɪmplɪst - ˈkʌplɪt - rəʊp ˈlædə - ˈhəʊplɪs -

Post alveolar approximant /r/ - /ɹ/

following voiceless fricatives, unaccented voiceless plosives, or accented voiceless

 Heard particularly in the case of /ə/ endings

ˈrʌʃər ənd ˈtʃaɪnə

 Less frequently with final /ɑː- ɔ:/

In GB, silent /r/ when final or preceding a consonant: kɑ: - kɑːt

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