Wells Standard Lexical Sets For English
The Standard Lexical Sets for English introduced by John C. Wells in Accents of English are in wide usage. Wells defined each lexical set on the basis of the pronunciation of words in two reference accents, which he calls RP and GenAm.
- RP refers to Received Pronunciation, the traditionally prestigious accent in England.
- GenAm refers to a conservative accent of the General American type which has resisted the horse-hoarse and cot–caught mergers.
Wells classifies words of the English language into 24 lexical sets on the basis of the pronunciation of the vowel of their stressed syllable in the two reference accents. Each lexical set is named after a representative keyword, as follows:
| Keyword | RP | GenAm | Example words |
|---|---|---|---|
| KIT | i ɪ | i ɪ | ship, rip, dim, spirit |
| DRESS | e e | e ɛ | step, ebb, hem, terror |
| TRAP | a æ | a æ | bad, cab, ham, arrow |
| LOT | o ɒ | a ɑ | stop, rob, swan |
| STRUT | u ʌ | u ʌ | cub, rub, hum |
| FOOT | u ʊ | u ʊ | full, look, could |
| BATH | a ɑː | a æ | staff, clasp, dance |
| CLOTH | o ɒ | o ɔ | cough, long, laurel, origin |
| NURSE | e ɜː | e ɜr | hurt, term, work |
| FLEECE | i iː | i i | seed, key, seize |
| FACE | e eɪ | e eɪ | weight, rein, steak |
| PALM | a ɑː | a ɑ* | calm, bra, father |
| THOUGHT | o ɔː | o ɔ* | taut, hawk, broad |
| GOAT | o əʊ | o o | soap, soul, home |
| GOOSE | u uː | u u | who, group, few |
| PRICE | a aɪ | a aɪ | ripe, tribe, aisle, choir |
| CHOICE | o ɔɪ | o ɔɪ | boy, void, coin |
| MOUTH | a aʊ | a aʊ | pouch, noun, crowd, flower |
| NEAR | i ɪə | i ɪr | beer, pier, fierce, serious |
| SQUARE | e ɛə | e ɛr | care, air, wear, Mary |
| START | a ɑː | a ɑr | far, sharp, farm, safari |
| NORTH | o ɔː | o ɔr | war, storm, for, aural |
| FORCE | o ɔː | o or | floor, coarse, ore, oral |
| CURE | u ʊə | u ʊr | poor, tour, fury |
* not followed by /r/
For example, the word rod is pronounced /rɒd/ in RP and /rɑd/ in GenAm. It therefore belongs in the LOT lexical set. Weary is pronounced /ˈwɪərɪ/ in RP and /ˈwɪri/ in GenAm, and thus belongs in the NEAR lexical set.
Some words of the English language do not belong to any lexical set. For example, the stressed syllable of tomato is pronounced /ɑː/ in RP, and /eɪ/ in GenAm, a combination which is very unusual, and is not covered by any of the 24 lexical sets above.
Read more about this topic: Lexical Set
Famous quotes containing the words wells, standard, sets and/or english:
“Life is fountain of joy; but where the rabble also gather to drink, all wells are poisoned.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Society’s double behavioral standard for women and for men is, in fact, a more effective deterrent than economic discrimination because it is more insidious, less tangible. Economic disadvantages involve ascertainable amounts, but the very nature of societal value judgments makes them harder to define, their effects harder to relate.”
—Anne Tucker (b. 1945)
“There be some sports are painful, and their labor
Delight in them sets off. Some kinds of baseness
Are nobly undergone, and most poor matters
Point to rich ends.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“But there is nothing which delights and terrifies our English Theatre so much as a Ghost, especially when he appears in a bloody Shirt. A Spectre has very often saved a Play, though he has done nothing but stalked across the Stage, or rose through a Cleft of it, and sunk again without speaking one Word.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)