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    2 Monophthongs and Their Classification 2

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    2 Monophthongs and Their Classification 2

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    2 Monophthongs and their classification 2

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    2 Monophthongs and Their Classification 2

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    gavhar0697

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    Lesson 2 Monophthongs and their classification

    The classification of English vowel phonemes can be approached from several angles, including
    height, backness, roundedness, and tension. Here’s a breakdown of these characteristics:

    1. Height

     Close (High): /i/, /ɪ/, /u/, /ʊ/


     Mid: /e/, /ɛ/, /ə/, /ɜː/, /o/, /ɔ/
     Open (Low): /æ/, /ɑː/, /ɑ/

    2. Backness

     Front: /i/, /ɪ/, /e/, /ɛ/, /æ/


     Central: /ə/, /ɜː/
     Back: /u/, /ʊ/, /o/, /ɔ/, /ɑː/, /ɑ/

    3. Roundedness

     Rounded: /u/, /ʊ/, /o/, /ɔ/


     Unrounded: /i/, /ɪ/, /e/, /ɛ/, /æ/, /ə/, /ɜː/, /ɑː/, /ɑ/

    4. Tension

     Tense: /i/, /eɪ/, /u/, /oʊ/, /ɔː/, /ɑː/


     Lax: /ɪ/, /ɛ/, /ʊ/, /ə/, /æ/, /ɑ/

    Common English Vowel Phonemes

    Here’s a list of the most common English vowel phonemes, using the International Phonetic
    Alphabet (IPA):

     /i/ as in "see"
     /ɪ/ as in "sit"
     /eɪ/ as in "say"
     /ɛ/ as in "bed"
     /æ/ as in "cat"
     /ə/ as in "sofa" (schwa)
     /ʌ/ as in "cup"
     /u/ as in "too"
     /ʊ/ as in "foot"
     /oʊ/ as in "go"
     /ɔː/ as in "thought" (in some accents)
     /ɑː/ as in "father"
     /ɑ/ as in "lot" (in some accents)
     /ɜː/ as in "bird" (in some accents)

    Diphthongs

    English also features diphthongs, which are complex vowel sounds that begin with one vowel
    sound and glide into another. Common English diphthongs include:
     /aɪ/ as in "my"
     /aʊ/ as in "how"
     /ɔɪ/ as in "boy"

    Variability

    The exact inventory of vowel phonemes can vary by dialect. For example, some accents might
    merge certain vowels or use different sounds altogether (like the cot-caught merger).

    In English, the number of monophthongs can vary slightly depending on the dialect, but
    generally, there are around 12 to 14 monophthong vowel phonemes in standard varieties like
    General American and Received Pronunciation. Here’s a common classification:

    General American English Monophthongs

    1. /i/ as in "beet"
    2. /ɪ/ as in "bit"
    3. /eɪ/ as in "bait" (often considered a diphthong)
    4. /ɛ/ as in "bet"
    5. /æ/ as in "bat"
    6. /ɑ/ as in "father" (or /ɑː/ in some accents)
    7. /ʌ/ as in "but"
    8. /oʊ/ as in "boat" (often considered a diphthong)
    9. /ɔ/ as in "thought" (in some accents)
    10. /ʊ/ as in "book"
    11. /u/ as in "boot"
    12. /ə/ as in "sofa" (schwa)
    13. /ɜː/ as in "bird" (in some accents)

    Received Pronunciation Monophthongs

    In Received Pronunciation (RP), you might also consider the following:

     /ɔː/ as in "thought"

    In English, the sounds /e/ and /i:/ can be represented by various letters and letter combinations.
    Here's a breakdown for each sound:

    Sound /e/

    The sound /e/ is less common in English and often appears in unstressed syllables or is a close
    approximation. Here are some representations:

    1. Letters:
    o "e" as in "bed"
    o "a" in some accents, as in "said" or "bread"
    o "ea" in some cases, as in "dead" or "meant"
    o "ei" in some accents, as in "vein" (though this is more /eɪ/ in many varieties)
    o "æ" in some transcriptions for certain dialects

    Sound /i:/
    The sound /i:/ is a long vowel and can be represented by several combinations:

    1. Letters:
    o "ee" as in "see"
    o "ea" as in "bead"
    o "ie" as in "field" or "piece"
    o "i" in some cases, as in "machine" (though this may vary in dialect)
    o "ei" as in "ceiling"
    o "e" at the end of a word or syllable, as in "he" or "she"

    Here are some exercises to help practice the sounds /e/ and /i:/, along with example words and
    activities:

    Exercise 1: Minimal Pairs

    Minimal pairs are words that differ by only one sound. Practicing these can help distinguish
    between /e/ and /i:/.

    1. Listen and Repeat:


    o bed / bead
    o led / lead
    o met / meat
    o said / seed
    o fed / feed

    2. Fill in the Blanks: Listen to the teacher or a recording, and fill in the missing word based
    on the sound you hear.
    o "The cat is ___ (met/bead) on the mat."

    Exercise 2: Word Sorting

    Sort the following words into two columns based on whether they contain the /e/ or /i:/ sound.

    Words:

     Bed see bread tree head sea led heel

    Columns:

     /e/:
     /i:/:

    Exercise 3: Sentence Creation

    Create sentences using words that contain /e/ and /i:/ sounds. For example:

     "The bed is next to the tree."


     "She likes to read and feed the birds."

    Exercise 4: Listening Activity


    Listen to a recording or watch a video that includes words with /e/ and /i:/ sounds. Write down
    the words you hear and categorize them into the two sounds.

    Exercise 5: Tongue Twisters

    Practice saying the following tongue twisters to improve fluency and pronunciation:

    1. For /e/:
    o "Red and yellow led the way."
    2. For /i:/:
    o "She sells sea shells by the sea shore."

    Exercise 6: Dictation

    Have a partner read sentences aloud that include words with /e/ and /i:/ sounds. Write down what
    you hear, focusing on the vowel sounds.

    Example Sentences:

     "The bead fell from the head of the bed."


     "The tree grew near the sea."
     The vowel sound /I:/ and /e/

     When you say the letters of alphabet, E has the long vowel sound /i:/. You hear this
    sound in the word see. But the letter E can also be pronounced as the short vowel
    sound /e/ , as in the word set
     №3 [e] - front, short
     The front of the tongue (the middle part) is raised. The tip of the tongue is pressed to the
    lower teeth. The lips are slightly spread.
     № 1 [i:] - front, long
     The front of the tongue is raised in the direction of the hard palate. The tip of the tongue
    is pressed to the lower teeth. The lips are spread.

     Exercise 7
     Read these words (transcribe them)
     tea bead see beat
     sea seed key peace
     knee teeth niece peas

     Exercise 8
     Read and write these words (transcribe them)
     get den said press
     pet bread set ate
     net red ready bell

     Exercise 9
     Listen to the letters of alphabet. If the letters has the sound /i:/, write ee under it.
     If it has the sound /e/, write e under it. If the letter doesn’t have /i:/ or /e/, don’t write
    anything


     Exercise10
     Say these tongue twisters
     It’s best to rest, said the vet to the pet.
     Steve keeps the cheese in the freezer
     Exercise 5
     Find a way from Start to finish. You may pass a square only if the word in it has the
    sound /i:/. You can move horizontally(↔)or vertically (↕)

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