Lesson Title: The Sounds of English (IPA) - Introduction to Phonetics for

S1

Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will understand the basics of phonetic sounds in English
and be able to identify and transcribe some of the most common sounds using the
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

1. Introduction to Phonetics
Phonetics is the study of sounds in human speech. In English, the same letter can represent
different sounds, and this is where the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) becomes
useful. It provides a consistent way to represent the pronunciation of words regardless of
spelling.

2. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

The IPA is a system that represents the sounds of spoken language in a universal way. In
English, there are 44 sounds, but only 26 letters. The IPA uses symbols to represent each of
these sounds.

 Consonants (e.g., /p/, /b/, /t/)

 Vowels (e.g., /i:/ as in “see”, /æ/ as in “cat”)
 Diphthongs (a combination of two vowel sounds, e.g., /aɪ/ as in “my”)

3. Consonant Sounds
Let's start with the consonant sounds. These sounds are produced when the airflow is
blocked, either completely or partially. Below are some common English consonants and
their IPA symbols:

 /p/: As in pen, paper.

 /b/: As in bat, baby.
 /t/: As in top, table.
 /d/: As in dog, door.
 /k/: As in cat, kick.
 /g/: As in go, game.
 /ʃ/: As in she, shine.
 /tʃ/: As in church, cheese.
 /ʤ/: As in judge, jump.

Activity:
Practice saying words that contain the consonants above. Use a mirror to observe how your
mouth moves when producing each sound.
 4. Vowel Sounds
Vowel sounds are produced when the airflow is not blocked. The shape of the mouth and
the position of the tongue determine the vowel sound.

Here are some basic vowel sounds with IPA symbols:

 /i:/: As in see, beet.

 /ɪ/: As in sit, bit.
 /æ/: As in cat, hat.
 /ʌ/: As in cup, up.
 /ɑ:/: As in car, father.
 /ɒ/: As in hot, not.
 /u:/: As in blue, moon.

Activity:
Say the following words and try to match the vowel sound with the IPA symbol: see, sit, cat,
cup, car, hot, blue. Pay attention to the position of your tongue.

5. Diphthongs
Diphthongs are sounds formed by the combination of two vowel sounds in the same
syllable. Here are some examples of diphthongs in English:

 /aɪ/: As in my, kite.

 /eɪ/: As in say, face.
 /aʊ/: As in how, now.
 /ɔɪ/: As in boy, toy.

Activity:
Pronounce the diphthongs and write down other words that contain the same sounds.
Practice transitioning smoothly between the two vowel sounds in each diphthong.

6. Common Mistakes
English learners often struggle with differentiating similar sounds. For example:

 /p/ vs. /b/: pat vs. bat.

 /ʃ/ vs. /tʃ/: she vs. cheese.

Tip:
Focus on the position of your lips and tongue when practicing. Use minimal pairs (words that
differ by only one sound) to sharpen your awareness of the subtle differences between
sounds.
 7. Transcription Practice
Listen to some common English words and try to write their IPA transcription. For example:

 cat = /kæt/
 ship = /ʃɪp/
 fish = /fɪʃ/
 blue = /blu:/

8. Conclusion
Learning the IPA helps you master English pronunciation by understanding how each sound
is made. Practice daily by transcribing new words and checking their pronunciation in
dictionaries that include IPA symbols.

Homework:
1) Transcribe 5 of your favorite English words using the IPA.
2) Practice pronouncing consonant, vowel, and diphthong sounds using the mirror
technique.
 The 44 Sounds of English: IPA
Guide for S1
IPA
Ctegory Example Word IPA Transcription
Symobl
C o n s o n a n t s
/p/ Pen /pɛn/
Voiceless
/t/ Top /tɒp/
Plosives
/k/ Cat /kæt/
/b/ Bat /bæt/
Voiced
/d/ Dog /dɒg/
Plosives
/g/ Game /geɪm/
/f/ Fish /fɪʃ/
Voiceless /θ/ Think /θɪŋk/
Fricatives /s/ See /si:/
/ʃ/ She /ʃi:/
/v/ Van /væn/
Voiced /ð/ This /ðɪs/
Fricatives /z/ Zoo /zu:/
/ʒ/ Vision /ˈvɪʒən/
/tʃ/ Church /tʃɜːtʃ/
Affricates
/dʒ/ Judge /dʒʌdʒ/
/m/ Man /mæn/
Nasals /n/ No /nəʊ/
/ŋ/ Sing /sɪŋ/
/l/ Light /laɪt/
/r/ Red /rɛd/
Approximants
/w/ Water /ˈwɔːtə/
/j/ Yes /jɛs/
v o w e l s
/ɪ/ Sit /sɪt/
/e/ Bed /bɛd/
/æ/ Cat /kæt/
Shorts Vowels /ʌ/ Cup /kʌp/
/ɒ/ Hot /hɒt/
/ʊ/ Put /pʊt/
/ə/ About /əˈbaʊt/
/i:/ See /si:/
/ɑ:/ Car /kɑ:/
Long Vowels /ɔ:/ Saw /sɔ:/
/u:/ Blue /blu:/
/ɜ:/ Bird /bɜ:d/
D i p h t h o n g s
/eɪ/ Say /seɪ/
/aɪ/ My /maɪ/
/ɔɪ/ Boy /bɔɪ/
/aʊ/ How /haʊ/
Diphtongs
/əʊ/ Go /gəʊ/
/ɪə/ Here /hɪə/
/eə/ Hair /heə/
/ʊə/ Tour /tʊə/