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Unit 4: English Vowels: Definitions Classification Diphthongs

Here are the descriptions of the sounds in those words: 0. Unique /juːˈniːk/ - /juː/ front, high, long, tense, unrounded; /iː/ front, high, long, tense, unrounded; /k/ velar plosive 1. Miss /mɪs/ - /ɪ/ front, mid, short, lax, unrounded; /s/ alveolar fricative 2. Features /ˈfiːtʃəz/ - /iː/ front, high, long, tense, unrounded; /ʃ/ post-alveolar fric

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185 views16 pages

Unit 4: English Vowels: Definitions Classification Diphthongs

Here are the descriptions of the sounds in those words: 0. Unique /juːˈniːk/ - /juː/ front, high, long, tense, unrounded; /iː/ front, high, long, tense, unrounded; /k/ velar plosive 1. Miss /mɪs/ - /ɪ/ front, mid, short, lax, unrounded; /s/ alveolar fricative 2. Features /ˈfiːtʃəz/ - /iː/ front, high, long, tense, unrounded; /ʃ/ post-alveolar fric

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CHAPTER 1:

ENGLISH PHONETICS

Unit 4:
ENGLISH VOWELS

-Definitions

-Classification

-Diphthongs
Definitions
  A vowel is a speech sound produced with
relatively little obstruction of the air stream in
the vocal tract. (i.e. none of the articulators come
very close together)
  Vowels are sonorous, syllabic sounds made
with the vocal tract more open than it is for
consonant articulations. Different vowels are
produced by varying the placement of the body
of the tongue and shaping the lips.
What are the
differences between
consonants and
vowels?

1. Articulation
2. Acoustic
3. Function
The major differences
between the consonants & the vowels
Sound class Vowels Consonants
Basis of
difference

Articulation relatively little Partial/


obstruction complete obstruction
generally
Acoustics more sonorous less sonorous
generally
Function syllabic not syllabic
4
Classifications
1. Tongue height
2. Tongue positions
3. Lip rounding
4. Muscle tense
5. Vowel length
1. Tongue height
  According to the height of the raised part of the tongue (or
vertical movement of the tongue), vowels are divided into three
groups: high, low or mid.
 (1) High vowels: produce when one of the parts of the tongue
comes close to the roof of the mouth.
  [i:, I, u:, ʊ]
 (2) Mid vowels: produced when the raised part of the tongue is
half-way between its high and low positions.
  [e, з:, ә, o:]
 (3) Low vowels: produced when the raised part of the tongue
is very low in the mouth.
 [æ, a:, o, ]
 *** Note: The height of the tongue also produces close, half
close, half open and open vowels.
2. Tongue positions
  According to the position of the tongue (or horizontal
movement of the tongue), vowels are divided into three groups:
front, central and back.
 (1) Front vowels: produced with the blade of the tongue is in
the front part of the mouth while the front of the tongue is raised
in the direction of hard palate, forming a large empty space in the
back part of the mouth.
  [i:, I, e, æ]
 (2) Central vowels: produced when the central part of tongue is
raised towards the place between the hard and soft palate.
  [з:, ǝ, ]
 (3) Back vowels: produced with the blade of the tongue in the
back part of the mouth while the back part of the tongue is raised
in the direction of the soft palate, forming an empty space in the
front part of the mouth.
 [ʊ, u:, a:, o, o:]
3. Lip rounding
  According to the lip position, vowels may be rounded
and unrounded.
 (1) Rounded vowels: produced when the lips are more
or less rounded.
 [o:, o, u:, ʊ]
 (2) Unrounded vowels: produced when the lips are
spread or neutral.
  [i:, I, e, a:, æ, ǝ, ]
4. Muscle Tension
  According to the degree of tenseness, vowels are
divided into tense and lax.
 (1) Tense vowels: produced when the organs of speech
are tense: the muscle of the tongue, the walls of the
mouth and the pharynx are tense
  [i:, a:, o:, u:, з:]
 (2) Lax vowels: produced with lesser tenseness of the
speech organs.
  [I, e, æ, o, ʊ, , ǝ]
5. Vowel length
  According to length, vowels may be described as long
and short
 (1) Long vowels:
  [i:, a:, o:, u:, з:]

 (2) Short vowels


  [I, e, æ, o, ʊ, , ә]
The English Vowel Chart

high

mid

ʌ
cut
low
ɑː
unrounded rounded
Description and
practice
Exercise 1: Which of the following pairs of words show the
same vowel quality? Mark S for same and D for different,
then transcribe each word and describe the vowel

1. back – sat
2. cot – caught 1. /bæk/ – sæt  same
3. bid – key
 /æ/: front-low-unrounded - lax - short
4. luck – flick
5. ooze – deuce
6. cot – court
7. fell – fall
8. hide – height
9. least – heed
10. drug – cook
11. sink – fit
12. oak – own
13. pour – port
14. mouse – cow
Exercise 2
 Describe the vowels in the following words:

1. back
1.  /bæk/
2. cot  /æ/
3. key Tongue Tongue Muscle Length Lip
position height tense rounding
4. luck
front low lax short unrounded
5. ooze
6. court
Exercise 2
 Describe the vowels in the following words:
1. Back  /bæk/ 1. back
 /æ/ ~ front, low, short, lax, unrounded
2. Cot  / kɒt /
2. cot
 /ɒ/ ~ back, low, short, lax, rounded 3. key
3. Key  /kiː/
 /i:/ ~ front, high, long, tense, unrounded
4. luck
4. Luck  /lʌk/ 5. ooze
 /ʌ/ ~ central, low, short, lax, unrounded
6. court
5. Ooze  /uːz/
 /u:/ ~ back, high, long, tense, rounded
6. Court  /kɔːt/
 /ɔː/ ~ back, mid, long, tense, rounded
Describe all the sounds
in the following words
0. Unique
1. Miss
2. Features
3. England
4. University
5. College
6. Knowledge
7. Telegraph
8. Geography

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