ENGLISH PHONETICS VOWELS
Speech sounds are divided into two main groups, vowels and consonants. These terms refer to the method by which the sound is produced. A vowel is referred to as a ‘central, resonant, continuant, oral sound’. This means that the air produced and expelled from the lungs does not meet with any interruption. All other sounds are referred to as consonants.
VOWELS IN ENGLISH
In a vowel sound observe: 1. The part of the tongue helping to form the sound: tip, centre, back. 2. The height of the tongue in the mouth: high central, low. This is sometimes referred to as jaw position. 3. The position of the lips: rounded, spread, wide open. The study of each vowel sound in English.
[i:] [i]
eat, east, receive, believe, people, sweet, bee, ski, key hit, lip, him, build, simple, women, system
Contrast: see/sit bee/bit fee/fit
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Check the contrast. Tree Mean Sick Did Sheep Ship He Three Thin His Practice the contrast. eat each reach seat feet beat heat least read heal steal deep leap seek peak leak heap team It Itch Rich Sit Fit Bit Hit List Rid Hill Still Dip Lip Sick Pick Lick Hip Tim
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Activity. Drill Meet Bill Rip Him Bean Dish Cheap Fish Pinch Vim Sweet Kill Bead Mister Sing Did Think Meal Mean Mirror Green Grin Flip
[ei] aim, eight, take, wait, vain, break, say, they [ε]
end, any, men, says, said, bread, guess, death
Contrast: pain pen Check met age edge main let wait They When Steak Pay Fen Pane
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Practice the contrast Bess chess met west wet let bell fell den sent get fed red bled led Activity [ei] [ε] breath jail chess station tray very bury press Rail Exit Straight Measure Nail Rate Cent Strange Base Chase Mate Waste Wait Late Bail Fail Dane Saint Gate Fade Raid Blade Laid
[æ]
cat, am, at, bad, bank, bat, man
[ε] men bed Men Sad head man Test bury bat best land Bet end fan
Contrast [æ] man bad
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Practice the contrast met set fed said dead bed end bend head beg Activity [ i:] [ ei ] [ i ] [ε] Mat Sat Fad Sad Dad Bad And Band Had bag [æ ]
Choose the correct sound.
Cheese Teacher Window Trip said Match Candle Made Envy Sea Tax Chess Cape Meant fetch
Weigh Raid Elf Axe Says Lint Shave Which Cheat Team Wake Eight Believe His Mint
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List the above words accordingly. [ i:] [ei] [ i] [ε ] [æ ]
[α]
large, far, mar, chant, jar
[ æ] had [ε] head
Contrast: [α] Hard
Practice the contrast. [α] Part Hard Bard Aunt Darn Sark Large Raft Ask Fast [æ ] Pat had Band Ant Dan Sal Lag Rack Axe fallow [ε] Pet Head Bend N Den Sell Leg Wreck X Fellow
Choose the correct sound. [α] Mark Leg Land Cast Hard End
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[æ ]
[ε]
Said Sad Answer
Activity. Circle the word with the same vowel as the first. hat Can Dead Wet Math Pencil Any Said Sell west sock Cent Laugh What Men Party Art Sad Sail cast met Cat Large When Mess Past Plan Ready Help wreck Black Calm Head Was Mass Pest Friend Bat Sam catch
[αi]
buy, rice, eye, mice, height, guide, mine, die
[ æ ] bat [αi] Fly Sigh Mine Hat Man Height Wife Crash Side [æ]
Contrast [αi] bite
Practice the contrast. right hide side died bike Rat Had Sad Dad Back
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height bite might fight mice mine fine
Hat Bat Mat Fat Mass Man fan
[αu]
now, ouch, out, cloud, house, town, vowel, how, cow
[αu] out, how, proud
Contrast: [α] park, dark, lark
Check: [αu] Town Past Hour Are Cloud Ouch Tar Gown Shout Part [α]
Practice the contrast. out pound town doubt shout spout down brown scout found Art Park Tar Dart Shark Spark Darn Brass Scar Far
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[Λ] up, us, Sunday, blood, trouble, love, come, southern, country, company, brother
Contrast: [Λ] hut [Λ] Sun Cup Can Set Gum Sharp Leg Part Sad Lunch Bat Practice the contrast. [Λ] Luck Suck Some Fun But Stuck Mud ton [æ ] Lack Sack Sam Fan Bat Stack Mad tan [Λ] But Ton Done Blood Flood Bug Must bunch [ε] Bet Ten Den Bled Fled Beg Messed bench [Λ] Cup Shut Rub Fund Duck Dull Bun Stuck [ α] Carp Sharp Rasp Fast Dark Darn Barn stark [α] heart [α] [ æ ] hat [ æ ] [ε] het [ε]
[ ə:] urge, early, church, heard, shirt, worm, person, journal, her
Contrast: [ ə:] earn, bird, sir [α] art, hard, far
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Check: [ ə: ] Turn Heard Bar Shirt Far Farm Burn Verb Spelling of [ ə: ] -ir- third, circle, girl, dirty, skirt, shirt -ear- earth, earn, earnest, pearls, learn -or- work, word, worse, world, attorney -ur- urgent, purse, purpose, surface, return -er- serve, nerve, certain, determine, reserve -our- journey, journal, adjourn [α]
[ u: ] do, through, whose, juice, too, shoe, true, blew [u ] book, put, foot, full, took, stood
Check: [ u: ] Do Book Up Fun Cut Took School
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[ u ]
[Λ]
Stood True Would
Contrast: [ u: ] Pool Fool Luke Stewed Fool Tool [ u ] Pull Full Look Stood foot Took [u ] Look Took Book Stood Hook Cook [Λ] Luck Tuck Buck Stud Huck Cluck
[ou] no, oh, open, home, boat, soul, sew, sow
Contrast: [ ou] oh, sew, bone, boat, though [α] calm, farm [Λ] cut, nut
Check: [Λ] [α]
[ ou ] Bowl Chuck Boat Cut Farm Part But Come Lark Coat
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[ ] כdog, cot, flop, on, Tom, stop, song
Contrast. [ ] כ dog hot stop cot Tom On Check: [ ] כ Bog But Log Lug Luck Lock Tuck tock [Λ] [Λ] Dug Hut Stun Cut Ton up
[ כi]
Contrast:
oil, oyster, coin, soil, royal, enjoy, toy, coil, foil, soya, spoil
[ כi] toy Oil toil Points [αi] Tie Aisle Tile Pints
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Check: [ כi] Oil Vice File Noise Boil Lie Boy Mice Vice Voice [αi]
[
] also, organ, awful, pause, thought, saw, law, more, dawn
Contrast: [
] ought, law, saw, or, more [ Λ ] fun, none [ ] כcot, dog, hot
[ כi] voice, boy, [α] mar, far
Check: [ Ball Boil Lawn Cut Dog Mar Tall Voice ] [ כi] [ ] כ [α] [ Λ]
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Contrast: [ ] all ball tall Saul raw jaw [ כi] Oil Boil Toil Soil Roy Joy [ ] dawn bought caught caller sawn core [Λ ] Done But Cut Colour Sun come [ ] pawn taught caught for port cord [] כ Pond Tot Cot Fond Pot Cod
Other vowels: [α i ə ] [α u ə] [u ə] higher power pure [εə] [iə] [e i ə] prayer ear player
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VOWEL CHART TONGUE LIPS JAW POSITION FRONT SPREAD CENTRAL LESS SPREAD BACK ROUNDED
CLOSE i HALF-CLOSE ei HALF-OPEN ε OPEN æ αi TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF VOWELS To describe a vowel sound it is necessary to describe how that sound is produced and to do this four items of information are necessary. 1. Voice 2. The tongue position in relation to the height of the tongue related to the jaw position and whether the tongue is in a front, central or back position. 3. The shape of the lips. 4. The air mechanism used. Example: [ ] כVoiced, half-open, back, rounded vowel with egressive lung air. α αu Λ eiə ə: ou ouə i: iə u u: uə
כ
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