The English Vowels

1. The English Vowels Chapter two

2. The English Vowels A vowel is the sound that connects consonants together to create a speech. • The Simple Vowels: are produced with the tongue, the jaw, and the lips in one position. • The Diphthongs: are produced with the tongue, the jaw, and the lips moving from one position to another.

3. The English Vowels • There are 12 simple vowels and 5 diphthongs in English. • But there are only five letters to represent them. These are: a,e,i,o, and u. • Each letter represent more than one sound. And each sound is spelled more than one way. • IPA provides one symbol for each sound.

4. The Production of vowels: The voiced airflow is shaped by the tongue, the jaw, and the lips to form vowels. Lengths of vowels: English vowels vary in length. Some are referred to as long vowels and others referred to as short vowels.

5. The length of vowels is also influenced as follows: • A vowel in a stressed syllable is longer than a vowel in an unstressed syllable. • An open vowel (at the end of a word) is longer than a closed vowel (one that is followed by a consonant). • A closed vowel is longer when it is followed by a voiced consonant than when it is followed by a voiceless consonant.

6. The simple vowels The schwa vowel: It is the shortest, the most simple, and the most frequent sound in English. The sound is felt only at the larynx as a short, voiced sound. • The stressed schwa /Λ/ is used in stressed syllables. Cup, hunt • The unstressed schwa /ə/ is used in unstressed syllables. Above,conduct,

7. /i/ long vowel To produce: - The lips are retracted. • Tongue is raised. • The sides of the tongue press against the upper sides of the mouth. Examples: beat, feet, bee

8. /ɪ/ short vowel: To produce: - The lips are retracted very slightly. • raise your tongue mid-high. • The sides touch the upper side teeth. Examples: hit, win, sit, him

9. / ɛ/ Short vowel To produce: • The tongue is in mid-high position and slightly forward. • The lips are neutral. • Examples: let, pen, Spend.

10. /æ/short vowel To produce: -tongue relaxed and its middle raised mid-high. -the jaw is slightly lowered. • Press down both the back and the front of the tongue. • Keep the lips neutral. Can’t- can map- man rank-rang Mat- mad tank-tan rat-ram sank-sang Contrast /ɛ/ -/æ/ Head –had send- sand ten- tan Contrast /æ/ -/Λ/ Bat- but cap-cup mast- must

11. / ɑ / short vowel. To produce: • The jaw is lowered. • Press down slightly the back of the tongue. • The lips are relaxed and neutral. Got-gone hot-hall lot- log Cop-call not-nod rock-rod Jot-job pot-pond top-tall Contrast /ɑ/ - /æ/ Hot- hat pot-pat on-Ann Contrast /ɑ/- /Λ/ Got- gut hog-hug not-nut

12. / ɔ/ long vowel: • Lower your jaw. • Raise the tongue slightly in back to mid-high. • Round your lips slightly. Bought-bond colt-cold lawn-law Walk-wall salt-song pause-paw wrong-raw Contrast / ɔ/ - / Λ/ Bought- but caught-cut dawn-done

13. / ʊ/ short vowel • The tongue is raised with the sides touching the sides of the mouth. • The tongue is relaxed. • Round the lips. Cook-could foot-full put-pull Book took cookie Shook wood cooking Stood wool looking Contrast / ʊ/ - /Λ/ Book-buck look-luck tuck-took

14. / u / long vowel. • The tongue is raised from the middle to the back. • The sides of the tongue press lightly against the upper sides of the mouth. • The lips are rounded. Duke- doom-do suit-soon-sue Noose- news-knew hoop-whom-who Contrast /u/ -/ʊ/ Luke- look pool-pull suit-soot

15. /ər/ To produce: -Arch your tongue high in the middle. -the sides of the tongue touch the upper sides of the mouth. • Draw the tongue tip backward. DO NOT touch any part of your mouth with the tongue tip. Stressed: /Λr/ Hurt-heard –her first-firm-fur Perk-perm-per surf-serve-sir work-word-were Unstressed:/ər/ After bother Gather sister Dinner proper correct Effort other direct Favor water perhaps

16. The diphthongs • A diphthong combines two vowels to create one sound. • The diphthongs are all long sounds. • The tongue moves from one position to another to form a diphthong. / eɪ/ gauge / oʊ / dough / aɪ/ height /aʊ/ count /ɔɪ/ boy

17. / eɪ/ To produce: Move from the vowel / ɛ / to the vowel /ɪ/. Rate- raid – ray wait-wade-way Date-days-day gate-game-gay Mate-made-may pace-pain-pay Contrast /ɛ/ - /eɪ/ Date-debt main-men wait-wet

18. / aɪ/ To produce: • The tongue is slightly low in the center, and raise it into the vowel /ɪ/ Ice –I’m- eye bite-buys-buy Dice-dime- die type-time-tie Light-lied-lie cite-side-sigh Contrast /aɪ/ - /æ/ Mine –man fine-fan side-sad light-lad

19. /oʊ/ To produce: -the tongue is low in the back. -your lips are rounded slightly. • Then raise your tongue in back to /u/, as you round your lips more. Goat-goal –go wrote-rode-row Dope- dome- dough note- known- no Hope- home-hoe soap-sewn- so • Contrast /oʊ/ - /ɑ/ Hole- hall note –not wrote – rot

20. /aʊ/ To produce: -the jaw is lowered. • The tongue is low in the middle. The lips are relaxed. • Then move into the vowel /u/. Bound-bow noun-now sound-sow Bout-bowed drought-drown Route- round doubt- down Out-owl house- how Contrast: /aʊ/ - /oʊ/ Found-phoned now-know town-tone

21. / ɔɪ/ To produce: -the tongue is low in back and the lips are rounded. -then raise your tongue high in front and retract the lips, as for vowel /i/. Boil-boy join-joy Coil-coy soil-soy toil-toy

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