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Vowel Clusters in English

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Mohammed Jasim Betti Zainab Kadim Igaab

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 Vowel Clusters in English

Mohammed Jasim Betti

and

Zainab Kadim Igaab

Dept. of English, College of Education for Humanities, university of

Thi-Qar

Vowel clusters mean the occurrence of more than one vowel one after the
other without any consonant in between. There are many vowel
sequences in English.

1. Triphthongs

Triphthongs are considered one type of vowel sequences:

/aiə/: buyer /baiə/

/eiə/: player /pleiə/

/oiə/: employer /imploiə/

/auə/: power /pauə/

/ouə/ rower /rouə/

2. Short vowel + short vowel

a. /i/ + /o/: beyond /biond/

b. /u/ + / i/: ruin /ruin/

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c. /i/ + /a/ : react /riakt/

3. Long vowel + short vowel

a. /i:/ + /i/: being /bi:iŋ/

b. /u:/ + /i/: doing /du:iŋ/

c. /o:/ + /i/: drawing /dro:iŋ/

d. /i:/ + /e/: the end /ði: end/

4. Long vowel + Long vowel

a. /u:/ + /a:/: you aren't /ju: a:nt/

5. diphthong + a short vowel

a. /au/ + /i/: allowing /əlauiŋ/

b. /ou/ + /i/: going /gouiŋ/

c. /ei/ + /o/: chaos /keios/

d. /ai/ + /o/: biography /biogrəfi/

e./ou/ + /o/: co-operate /kouopəreit/

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6. Diphthong + diphthong

a. /ou/ + /au/: go out /gou aut/

b. /ei/ + /ai/: grey-eyed /grei aid/

c./ai/ + /ou/ my own /mai oun/

7. Long vowel + triphthong

/u:/ + /au/: two hours /tu: auəz/

8. Diphthong + diphthong + diphthong + short vowel

a. /ei/ + /ai /+ /ou/ + /i/: May I owe it to you? /mei ai ou it tu ju/

On the other hand, some vowel sequences do not occur in English.

These sequences are the following:

1. Short vowel + long vowel

2. Diphthong + long vowel

3. Short vowel + diphthong

4. Long vowel + diphthong

5. Short vowel + triphthong

6. Diphthong + diphthong + diphthong

7. Diphthong + diphthong + diphthong + Short vowel

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 References

Al-Hamash, K. I. (1977). A Practical Course in English Phonetics for

Speakers of Arabic. Baghdad: Al-Risaafi Printing Press.

Al-Hamash, K. I. (1979). English Phonetics and Phonology. Baghdad:

Al-Rassafi Printing Press.

Fromkin, V. and Rodman, R. (1981). An Introduction to Language. New

York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Gimson, A. C. (1985). An Introduction to the Pronunciation of

English. 3ed Ed. London: Edward Arnold.

Hayman, L. M. (1975). Phonology: Theory and Analysis. New York:

Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Jones, D. (1978). An Outline of English Phonetics. rpt. Cambridge: CUP.

O'Connor, J. D. (1988). Better English Pronunciation. Tenth Printing.

Cambridge: CUP.

Roach, P. (1988). English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course.

Cambridge: CUP.

Stageberg, N. C. (1981). An Introductory English Grammar. 4th Ed. New

York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Phonetic Symbols
/i/ as in ‘pit’ pit
/e/ as in ‘pet’ pet
/a/ as in ‘pat’ pat
/Λ/ as in ‘putt’ pΛt
/o/ as in ‘pot’ pot
/u/ as in ‘put’ put
/ə/ as in ‘about’ upper’
/ei/ as in ‘bay’ bei
/ai/ as in ‘buy’ bai

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 /oi/ as in ‘boy’ boi
/iə/ as in ‘peer’ pio
/eə/ as in ‘pear’ peo
/uə/ as in 'doer' duə
/P/ as in ‘pea’ pi:
/t/ as in ‘toe’ tau
/k/ as in ‘cap’ kap
/f/ as in ‘fat’ fat
/Ɵ/ as in ‘thing’ 0iŋ
/s/ as in ‘sip’ sip
/ʃ/ as in ‘ship’ ʃip
/h/ as in ‘hat’ hat
/m/ as in ‘map’ map
/n/ as in ‘nap’ nap
/ŋ/ as in ‘hang’ haŋ
/tʃ / as in ‘chin’ tʃin
/i:/ as in ‘key’ ki:
/a:/ as in ‘car’ ka:
/o:/ as in ‘core’ ko:
/u:/ as in ‘coo’ ku:
/ə:? as in ‘cur’ kə:
/ou/ as in ‘go’ gou
/au/ as in ‘cow’ kau
/b/ as in ‘bee’ bi:
/d/ as in ‘doe’ dau
/g/ as in ‘gap’ gap
/v/ as in ‘vat’ vast
/ð/ as in ‘this’ ðis
/z/ as in ‘zip’ zip
/Ʒ/ as in ‘measure’ meƷə
/1/ as in ‘led’ led
/r/ as in ‘red’ red
/j/ as in ‘yet’ jet
/w/ as in ‘wet’ wet
/dƷ/ as in ‘gin’ dƷin

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