UNIT 7

THE ENGLISH PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM 1:

VOWELS. PHONETIC SYMBOLS. STRONG AND WEAK FORMS.
DIPHTONGS. PHONETIC SYMBOLS.
COMPARISON WITH SPANISH OR THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE.
0. INTRODUCTION
1. THE ENGLISH PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM
1.1. Definition of Phonetics and Phonology
1.2. The mechanisms of speech
1.2.1. Speech sounds
1.2.2. Speech organs
1.3. Classification of speech sounds
2. VOWELS
2.1. Description of vowels
2.2. Strong and Weak Forms
3. DIPHTHONGS
4. TRIPHTHONGS
5. COMPARISON WITH SPANISH
6. CONCLUSION
7. BIBLIOGRAPHY
0. INTRODUCTION
A language may be said to be a method by which a person expresses his thoughts and feelings in such
a way that they can be understood by others. Language is, as we say, a means of communication.
When we speak, we produce a succession of sounds arranged in groups, which we call words, and
each word has a definite meaning in the minds of the persons using that language. But to somebody
who does not know that language, the words convey no meaning; every language on earth has its own
particular set of words, most of which are quite different from those of any other language. Just as
each language has its own set of words, different from those of other languages, so each language has
its own set of sounds, different from the set used in any other language. In fact, if we draw up a list
of all the different sounds used in that language, we shall get what is called its sound system. It should
be understood that the sound system of a language is peculiar to that language, and that no other
language has the same system.
The English phonological system is a rather complex topic since it entails many different aspects,
which differ from the Spanish language to a large extent. For this reason, this issue will be dealt with
from two different scopes, that of theory and that of didactics. The first part will examine the English
phonological system: to begin with, a distinction between phonetics and phonology will be
established; then, a brief analysis of the speech organs and the mechanisms of speech will be provided
since they are of fundamental importance in the utterance of sounds. Finally, a thorough analysis of
the English vowels and diphthongs will be carried out. It is important to note that a contrastive
analysis with Spanish will be done in a parallel way.
In general, this study will be carried out from the perspective of relevant and influential phoneticians,
such as Daniel Jones or O'Connor who have provided a general but exhaustive framework of the
English phonological system.

1. THE ENGLISH PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM

1.1. DEFINITION OF PHONOLOGY AND PHONETICS
To begin with, a brief distinction between phonetics and phonology should be set forth in order to
determine which area of spoken English corresponds to each of branch.
Phonology deals with the study of the phonemes in a language system. Phonology studies the phonic
differences with difference in meaning and the rules according to which these are combined to form
significants. Its minimal unit, the phoneme, is represented between slashes /.../. This, the phoneme,
is an abstract representation in the speaker's mind (internal), which is physically realized by one or
more allophones, represented in turn between square brackets [ ].
Example: [l]: clear l /l/ < [1]: dark l
Phonetics is concerned with how speech sounds are produced in a given language. They are, in fact,
the concrete sounds or speech sounds of a language. Phonetics do not take into account the relation
they have with linguistic meaning, thus, phonetic differences are phonologically irrelevant, if they
have no effect on meaning.
1.2. THE MECHANISMS OF SPEECH
It is important to note that when learning a foreign language, one should be conscious of the point
and manner of articulation of the sounds of that particular language, since they hardly ever coincide
with one's own language. Take, for example, the vowels of some different languages. Spanish has
five distinct vowel sounds, whereas English or French have twelve. The learner of a new language
must, therefore, realize that he is dealing with quite new sounds; he must not be satisfied to continue
to use any of the sounds of his own language unless he is certain in each case that his own sound is
exactly the same as that in the new language, and he must not rest content until he has completely
mastered all the new sounds.
1.2.1. Speech Sounds: How are speech sounds made?
We use our tongue and lips, of course, but what is it that gives rise to the actual sound?
However much we may change the position and shape of our tongue, lips..., that is not in itself
sufficient to produce any audible sound. Clearly, something else is needed. What happens in most
cases when we speak is that a stream of air is breathed out from the lungs, and this stream of air, when
passing through the narrow spaces in the human throat and mouth, makes a sound in the same way
as a strong wind blowing through a house will produce a rushing or howling noise. Now the noise of
the wind is not always the same: the wind sounds different when blowing through a narrow crack and
when blowing through a wider opening. In the same way, by modifying the shape of the passage
through which the air passes when we speak, we can make a number of different sounds, in fact a
surprising number. We can produce a new and distinct sound merely by varying the passage slightly
at one particular point, for instance, at the teeth or at the lips, and there are a number of such points
at which the course of the air stream may be varied. Together, the organs situated at these points
constitute the speech organs, which shall be developed in greater detail later on.
This process whereby speech sounds are produced can be divided into three different physical stages:
- INITIATION: breathe in the air to produce the sound.
- PHONATION: the quality of the sound is made.
- ARTICULATION: the shaping of the sound is given.
1.2.2. Speech organs
Speech organs can be classified according to whether they are movable or fixed. While the
vocal cords, the soft palate, the tongue and the lips are movable, the other organs of speech
are fixed. The movable organs of speech can act independently of each other and their
movements can be combined in different ways. Consequently, it is possible to make a very
large number of different speech sounds. In any one language, however, the number of
combinations is not very large.
Each organ of speech contributes to the formation of speech sounds:
1- nasal cavity 10- dorsum (back) of tongue
2- lips 11- oral cavity
3- teeth 12- pharynx
4- alveolar ridge 13- epiglottis
5- hard palate 14- larynx
6- velum (soft palate) 15- vocal cords
7- uvula 16- trachea
8- apex (tip) of tongue 17- oesophagus
9- blade (front) of tongue
Lungs are like two bags, which can be enlarged and compressed by the muscles of the chest. This
happens regularly when we breathe, and as a result, the air is drawn in and forced out through the
tube known as the windpipe. It is this stream of air used when we speak. Normally, it is only the
outgoing stream that is used, and consequently we have at times to stop and catch our breath.
Larynx: the first point where it is possible to modify the air stream is at the top of the windpipe, which
ends in the larynx. Inside the larynx we can find the so-called vocal cords, which can be brought
together and place edge to edge in the middle of the air passage, or be drawn apart leaving a wide
opening between them. This opening is termed the glottis.
Therefore, the vocal cords can take up several positions, and in this way affect speech sounds:
o Breath voiceless: the vocal lips can be apart, leaving space for the breath to pass through without
any obstruction of any kind. This is the position for voiceless sounds.
o Voiced: the vocal lips can be brought together in such a way that the air, forcing its way through
them in rhythmical puffs, opens and closes them regularly and very rapidly. This is the position for
voiced sounds.
o Whisper: the position of the vocal cords takes a position which gives rise to whisper.
o Glottal stop: the vocal lips can be brought into complete contact so that the air is entirely stopped
for a moment. The glottal stop is a common speech sound in many varieties of English pronunciation.
It sounds as a little cough.
• Soft palate: the soft palate can take up two positions; when the passage to the nose is open, the soft
palate is raised to touch the back wall of the pharynx. When the palate is raised, all the air from the
windpipe escapes through the mouth, giving rise to oral sounds; when the palate is lowered and the
passage to the nose is open, the air can escape either entirely through the nose (if the mouth passage
is closed), or through the nose and mouth. The lowering of the soft palate gives rise to nasal or
nasalized sounds. Its function, therefore, is to close or open the passage to the nose, to close it for the
production of those sounds, which are not nasal, and to open it for the nasal sounds.
The teeth: the lower front teeth are not important in speech except is they are missing certain sounds
like /s/ and /z/ will difficult to make. But the two upper front teeth are used in English to some extent.
• The tongue is capable of making many movements, and consequently of modifying the breath
stream in numerous ways. It plays the chief part in the formation of vowel sounds, when its different
positions alter the shape of the resonating chamber of the mouth and give rise to vowel sounds of
various acoustic qualities. It is used in the articulation of many of the consonants, when it either
blocks the air passage through the mouth at some point or other, or narrows it so that friction is heard.
Although the tongue has no obvious natural division like the palate, it is useful to think of it as divided
into four parts: the tip, the blade, the front and the back.
The back of the tongue lies under the soft palate when the tongue is at rest; the front lies under the
hard palate, the tip and the blade lie under de alveolar ridge, the tip being the most forward part of all
and the blade between the tip and the front. The tip and the blade are particularly mobile and they can
touch the whole of the lips, the teeth, the alveolar ridge and the hard palate. The front can be flat on
the bottom of the mouth or it can be raised to touch the hard palate, or it can be raided to any extent
between these two extremes.
The tongue can also change in shape in another way. The sides of the tongue may be either curved
upwards to meet the sides of the palate or lest flat so that they do not touch them. This last position
is very important for English because many consonants sounds are pronounced with the sides of the
tongue curved into this way to meet the sides of the palate.
• The lips can articulate sounds themselves, and their movement can be combined with that
of other organs of speech in the formation of both consonants and vowels. They can take up
four positions:
o They can be wide open, as in the sounds /a/ of /h/.
o They can be brought into contact so that the air is completely stopped for a moment and then
released. This gives the sound /p/. o They can be brought close together, so that the air pushes itself
through, making friction. This is the sound made in blowing out. o They can be made to vibrate. The
lower lip can be drawn inward and slightly upwards to touch the upper front as in the sounds of /f/
and /v/.
1.3. Classification of speech sounds
Speech sounds are divided into vowels and consonants, the main difference being one of sonority;
vowels are those sounds which have most carrying power. Vowel is a voiced sound in the
pronunciation of which the air passes through the mouth in a continuous stream, there being no
obstruction and no narrowing such as would produce audible friction. All other sounds are
consonants.
Consonant is a sound accompanied or unaccompanied by voice, in which there is either a complete
or a partial obstruction, which prevents the air from issuing freely from the mouth.
For the purpose of recording speech sounds, without fear of ambiguity, it is necessary to make use of
a phonetic alphabet, that is to say, an alphabet based on the principle of one letter per phoneme.
Without such an alphabet, an accurate description and record of speech usages would be clumsy and
awkward, and liable to misinterpretation.
Various phonetic alphabetic notations are in use. Yet, the most widely accepted alphabet is the
International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA.

2. VOWELS
For the sake of describing and identifying vowels, two criteria will be mentioned:
- Part of the tongue raised: according to this criteria, vowels can be front, back and central.
- Degree of raising which takes place: this criterion classifies vowels as close, half-close, open
and half-open.
Thus /i/ in <see> is a front close vowel, /ae/ as in <man> is a front half-open vowel, /a:/ as in
<half> is a back open vowel, /o/ as in <all> is a back half-open vowel, /u/ as in <book> is a
close back vowel, and /3:/ as in <bird> is a central half-open vowel.

Part and height of the tongue raised are the most common criteria used in the classification of vowels.
However, they can also be categorized according to the following criteria:
Tense and lax: it has to do with the degree of tension in the muscles.
Vowel length: this criterion classifies vowels according to QUANTITY. In this sense, they can
be LONG or SHORT.
Vowel strength: it classifies vowels according to QUALITY. In this sense, vowels can be WEAK or
STRONG. Generally, when they are in an unstressed position, the weak form is used. This, in turn,
tends to reduce to /a/.
Lip position: It refers to whether the lips are ROUNDED or UNROUNDED.
Nasalization: it has to do with whether the velum is raised or lowered. When it is raised the
vowel is ORAL. On the contrary, when it is lowered, the vowel is NASAL.
2.1. DESCRIPTION OF VOWELS
English, unlike Spanish, has 12 vocalic sounds. For the sake of clarity and economy, they will
be referred to with numbers. We can compile the following list of English vowels:

Vowel number 1, /iː/, the sound of sea, feel, read.

• We use this vowel, for instance, in the word bee. As inferred from the figure shown above, it is a
close front vowel (front of tongue raised towards hard palate; tongue raised almost to close front
position); lips spread to neutral. Its length is the most important feature to remember about this vowel.
It corresponds to different spellings, such as i (sit, fit), y (city, whisky), e (pretty) or ie (cities, studies).
Other spellings include: ee or ea, ei, and ey. Here are some examples of different words containing
/i:/: eel, bleed, meet, deal, knead, eve, machine; field, chief, niece, receive, deceit; key, people...
Vowel n. 2, /ɪ/. This is the vowel used, for example, in the word bit. Like n.1, it is a front vowel
pronounced with loosely spread lips; but it differs from this in two respects. In the first place, it is not
so close; it is much nearer the half-close than the close position. Secondly, it is a short vowel. They
sides of the tongue may just touch the upper morals. In trying to get the right pronunciation of the
English vowels /i:/ and /ɪ/, you may find it useful to know that vowel n.1 is the so-called tense vowel,
but n.2 is lax. In ordinary English orthography vowel n.2 is usually written i in the middle of a word
and y at the end, as in pity. Occasionally, however, we find y in the middle of a word, as in hymn or
lyric. Several other spellings are used: sieve, foreign, coffee, women. Endings, such as -age, - ate and
-est, are commonly or often pronounced with vowel n.2.
Vowel n.3, /e/: this is the vowel used in words like pen and let. It is a front vowel pronounced with
loosely spread lips. The tongue is about midway between the half-close and the half-open position
and its sides may touch the upper moral position. This vowel is short. This vowel is most often spelt
e, though in a good many words it is written ea, as in dead, lead, heaven and feather. In any and many
it is spelt a. Other occasional spellings are illustrated by friend, leopard, says, said, bury.
Vowel n.4, /æ/: this is the vowel used in words like pan and back. It is a front vowel pronounced
with spread lips, but the mouth is a good deal more open than for any of the other three vowels. Lips
are neutrally open. The tongue position is roughly midway between half-open and open. The vowel
is short. The spelling of n.4 is simple; it is nearly always written a. In a very few words, such as plaid
and plait, we find the vowel /æ/ represented by ai.
Vowel n.5, /ɑː/: examples of words containing this vowel are ask and farm. Unlike the first
four vowels, n.5 is not a front vowel; neither is it truly a back vowel, but its tongue position
is much nearer the back than the front. Since the mouth is wide open, the lips cannot be spread, but
neither are they rounded; we call their shape neutral. The vowel is long. The spelling of English vowel
n.5 varies a good deal. It is most often written ar (but the r is not sounded). An a without an r will
generally indicate either vowel n.4 or a diphthong /ei/, except before f,s, th, or an n followed by a
consonant, where a alone in many cases indicates /ɑ:/: arm, dark. Other less common spellings are
seen in are /ɑː/, calf, palm, laugh, aunt, clerk, heart, moustache.
Vowel n.6, /ɒ/: this is the vowel used, for example, in the words box and hot. The tongue
position is close to that for n.5, though somewhat further back. In fact, the vowel is almost
as far back and as open as it can be. The lips are rounded. The vowel is short. The commonest spelling
of English n.6 is o, but after a w we find a, as in wander, wasp, swan,
quality, quarrel and squander; also in what. The combination au is sometimes pronounced
/ɒ/, as in austere, because, cauliflower and sausage. Other occasional spellings are seen in
cough, trough and yacht.
Vowel n.7, /ɔː/: this vowel is found, for example, in lord and fall. It is a half-open back vowel,
pronounced with rounded lips. It is a long vowel. There are many different spellings for the vowel
/ɔː/. Many words have or as in stork, sport and sword, or oar as in soar, board and hoarse. In the
word broad the sound is spelt oa. The spelling our is found in pour, course and court, and oor in
door and floor. The letter a for /ɔː/ is found in some words in which the vowel is followed by l as in
all, fall, and alban; while in a few words in which the letters alk occur together, the spelling al stands
for /ɔː/ as in talk and walk. Ar for /ɔː/ appears in a series of words in which the vowel occurs after a
w as in warm, warp, swarm. Very common spellings are aw, as in law, draw and pawn, and au, as in
haul, and fauna. Less common spellings are illustrated by ought, bought, brought, fought, sought;
and aught, as in caught, fraught and taught.
Vowel n.8, /ʊ/: this is the vowel that we use, for example, in the word good. It is a half-close back
vowel, pronounced with rounded lips. It is a short vowel. The vowel /ʊ/ is commonly spelt oo,
although this spelling is also used to represent other sounds such as /ɔː/ and /u:/.
A good rule is that oo stands four /u/ in most cases where it comes before a k as in brook and took,
as well as in the words foot, soot, good, hood, stood, wood and wool. The vowel is spelt u in a few
words, namely in put, pull, bull, full, fulsome, puss, push, bush, cushion, sugar, pulpit and cuckoo.
The spelling oul is used in could, should and would. In the word wolf and in the first syllables of
bosom and woman the vowel is spelt o.
Vowel n.9, /u:/: this is the vowel found, for example, in soon, food and too. It is a close back
vowel. Like all true back vowels in English, it is rounded. It is a long vowel. The commonest
spelling of vowel n.9 is oo, but other spellings occur; here are some examples: group, soup,
you, through, shoe, canoe, do, who, two, crude, rude, rule, blue, clue, true, fruit, juice, sleuth,
blew, chew, view or beauty.
Vowel n.10, /ʌ/: this and the next two vowels are termed central vowels, because in pronouncing
them it is the middle or central part of the tongue, which is closest to the roof
of the mouth. Yet, this vowel is less central than the other two vowels. N.10 is the vowel
used, for example, in the words hut and bud. The tongue is just below the half-open position
a little behind the central area. The lip position is neutral, and the vowel is short. It is
generally spelt u, but in o and ou also respond to this sound: son, cover, won, come, one,
rough, tough enough, touch, double, trouble, country.
Vowel n. 11, /3ː/: this is the vowel used, for example in herb, bird and church. The tongue position
is exactly central, a little below the half-close division. The lip position is neutral, and the vowel is
long. It has three main spellings, er, ir, and ur, as in mercy, shirt, and burn.
It is spelt ere in were. After w it is most often spelt or, as in word, work, world. The spelling
or is also used in the word attorney. The spelling ear for this sound is found in a number of
words such as earn, learn, yearn, heard, earl, pearl, earth or rehearse. The spelling yr occurs
in a few words such as myrrh and myrtle; our is found in courteous, journal and journey.
Vowel n. 12, /ə/: the transcription shows this to be a short version of n. 11. Nevertheless, it differs
not only in quantity, but also in quality. But, the difference lies in stress. Vowel n.12 is an unstressed
/ weak vowel. A major feature is that it is placed only in unstressed syllables. Other vowels, too, may
be used in unstressed syllables, such as /i/ in coffee and /o:/ in the noun import; but these two vowels
are also frequently used in stressed syllables, while /ə/ never occurs with stress. This sound is very
short; it is a central or neutral vowel; and it is lax, that is, it is said without any tension of the muscles.
Hence it is a rather vowel and obscure sound. It can occur at the beginning, central and final position:
subdue [/səbˈdjuː/], miracle [/ˈmɪrəkl/] or doctor [/ˈdɒktəʳ/].
2.2. STRONG AND WEAK FORMS
The pronunciation of words uttered in isolation differs from that in speech chains, which also implies
a variation in the phonetic symbols. In speech, form words, such as prepositions, conjunctions,
articles, pronouns and auxiliary verbs are usually pronounced with a weak sound because they do not
normally carry the stress in the sentence. However, they can have a strong pattern depending in the
context, for example, for emphasis: You MUST do it. Here we have some examples contrasting strong
(words in isolation) and weak (words in speech) forms:
And /ænd/ /ən/
But /bʌt/ /bət/
Her /h3ː/ /3ː/
 Are /ɑːʳ/ /ə/
Have /hæve/ /əv/
For /fɔːʳ/ /fə/

3. DIPHTHONGS
A diphthong is a vowel, which changes its quality in the course of its production; it begins as
one vowel and ends as another. There are 9 falling diphthongs in English, the first element being
louder than the second. This glide (or movement of the tongue, lips and jaw) is not usually completed,
unlike Spanish. Hence, a diphthong is a gliding sound: the tongue starts in one vowel position and
glides towards another vowel position by the most direct route. A diphthong is made by one impulse
of the breath, i.e, there is no diminuendo-crescendo of breath force.
English diphthongs, like those of most languages, are of the falling type, i.e. they have their greater
prominence at the beginning; they are decrescendo diphthongs. English diphthongs are usually
written phonetically with two letters, the first representing the starting point of the tongue, and the
second the direction in which it moves. In the diphthong /ai/, for example, the tongue starts at the
position of /a/, and moves towards, but does not actually reach, the /i/ position.
Diphthongs can also be CLOSING or CENTRING, depending on the final movement of the
glide:
• Closing: /ai, ei, oi, au, au/
• Centring: /ia, ea, ua, oa/
Following the same criteria established above, the English diphthongs will be given a number:

Diphthong n. 13, /eɪ/ is the sound of lady or make. The tongue starts in the position below vowel n.2,
and moves towards the position of /ɪ/. As the movement is through a very small distance, this
diphthong is said to be narrow. Its commonest spelling is a as in slate, safe, same and bathe. Further
examples of this spelling of this diphthong are: face, flame, pale, waste and change. Other spellings
are illustrated by day, pay, fail, wait. Note that /eɪ/ is spelt ea in break, steak and great. In certain
words of French origin, the ending -et, in imitation of French usage, is pronounced /eɪ/, as in ballet
and bouquet.
Dipththong n.14, /əʊ/: this is the diphthong that we use, for example in the word home. It begins
with a sound approximately midway between the half-close and the half-open positions of the tongue,
and it moves from there towards the position for vowel n. 8, /ʊ/. Like vowel n.8, the first element of
this diphthong is rather centralized; it is somewhat in advance of the true back vowels and is on or
near the boundary between back and central vowels. The lip position during the fist part of the
diphthong is neutral; there is some slight rounding as the sound proceeds and the tongue gets near to
vowel n.8. The spelling of this diphthong varies. It may consist of o alone, as in go, and so, or of oe,
as in foe. In a number of words, like hole, rose, hope and note, there is a final mute e serving a similar
purpose to that of the e in safe and same. Other spellings of the diphthong are seen in oat, load, own,
poultry, and dough, though. French spellings are seen in beau, mauve and depot where the diphthong
is used in imitation of the French pronunciation.
Diphthong n. 15, /aɪ/: this is the diphthong that we use, for example, in the word high. It begins with
an open vowel, somewhere between n.4 and n.5, and it moves towards n.2. It is unrounded. It is most
commonly spelt i, ie, or y, as in child, bind, kind, die, lie, tie and by, shy or try. Another common
spelling is igh, as in high, sigh, right, tight and alight. Less common spellings are seen in height,
sleight, eye, buy and guy.
Diphthong n.16, /aʊ/: this is the diphthong used, for example, in house and cow. It starts as an open
vowel at a point a little in advance of English vowel n.5 /a:/ and roughly half-way between n.4 and
n.5, and it moves from there in the direction of English vowel n.8, /ʊ/. The lips to begin with are
neutral, but become somewhat rounded as the sound proceeds. The chief spelling of /aʊ/ are ow and
ou, as in town, crowd, allow, brown, how, now; and mouse, sound, fountain, lud, out, thou. In a few
words, we have ough, as in bough, plough and drought.
Diphthong n.17, /ɔi/: this diphthong is found, for example, in boy and noise. It starts at a point about
midway, or a little above midway, between vowel n.5 and n.6, and it moves from there towards the
position of vowel n.2. The lips are rounded at the very beginning, but quickly move towards the
spread position. It is spelt oi or oy, as in choice, rejoice, coin, spoil; and joy, destroy, employ. An
exceptional spelling is found in buoy, which is pronounced exactly like boy.
Diphthong n.18, /ɪə/: examples of words with this diphthong are cheer and here. The glide
starts in vowel n.2 and moves to vowel n.12. It is unrounded. It is spelt in various ways. A common
spelling is ier, which is found, for example, in pier, brigadier and frontier. Two other common
spellings are seen in beer, queer, steer and engineer, and in here, mere and severe. The diphthong is
also sometimes spelt ea, as in idea, real, ant, theatre; and in a number of words it is spelt ear, as in
ear, hear, clear, gear and beard. Very rare spellings are seen in weird and museum. Notice that here
and hear are pronounced alike, and so are beer and bier, deer and dear, and peer and pier.
Diphthong n. 19, /ea/: this is the diphthong found in bare and hair. It begins with a half open
front vowel n.3, and moves from there to n.12 /ə/. It is unrounded. The commonest spellings of the
diphthong are are, air, as in care, mare, share, and air, chair, fair. Less common spellings are seen
in ere, there; heir, their; scarce; and aerodrome. In four words, bear, pear, wear and swear, the
spelling ear (which normally represents /ɪa/) stands for /ea/.
Diphthong n.20, /ʊə/: this is the diphthong is boor and tour. It starts at vowel n.8 and moves from
there to n.12, /ə/. The lips at first are rounded, but soon move to the neutral position. This diphthong
is spelt oor, as in boor, moor and poor, or our, as in tour, your and gourd.
But the commonest spelling is ur(e); in most words with this spelling the diphthong is
preceded by the consonant /j/, and ur (e) may thus be said to stand for /jua/. Examples of
this spelling are: cure, pure, endure, fury, curious, purity and endurance; and without /j/
rural and plural.
Diphthong n.21, /ɔə/: the tongue starts a little below /o/ position and moves towards the neutral /a/.
It is the sound in pure or your. The tongue starts from the /u/ position and moves to /a/.

4. TRIPHTHONGS
The group of vowel sounds /aia/ and /aua/, as in certain pronunciations of the words fire and power
are often considered triphthongs. They are not, however true triphthongs, for the first and last sounds
in each group are more sonorous than the middle one, that is, they belong to different syllables, having
a diminution of prominence between them. They often strike the ear, however, as one syllable, and
are treated as such in poetry. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that they tend to reduce to
diphthongs and even vowels. These are the English triphthongs:
eɪ + ə = eɪə . as in layer, player əʊ + ə = əuə, as in lower, mower
aɪ + ə = aɪə. as in lire, fire aʊ + ə = auə, as in power, hour.
ɔɪ + ə = ɔɪə, as in loyal, royal

5. COMPARISON WITH SPANISH

Several differences have already been put forward along this study. Yet, a deeper contrastive analysis
will help Spanish native speakers understand the English phonological system better. Here we shall
briefly examine the most striking phonological distinctions between both languages.
As for the vowels, Spanish has a smaller range of vowels phonetically speaking (5 vowels, whereas
English has 12). Moreover, there are no half-close / open vowels. But, most important of all, Spanish
vowels lack quantity; there are no long or short vowels in our language. Regarding diphthongs, one
major difference has already been put forward: Spanish diphthongs can be falling or rising, and the
glide is completed. On the contrary, English diphthongs are falling and the glide is not completed.
As for the consonants, these differ, to a great extent, in the point and manner of articulation. These
are the most common differences:
- Plosive consonants are aspirated in English.
- /b, d, g/ are not fricative in English.
- In English, there are voiced and voiceless /s/.
- /h/ is aspirated in English.
From a prosodic point of view, the major difference lies in the fact that English is a stresstimed
language, whereas Spanish is a syllable-timed language.

6. CONCLUSION
Over the course of this unit the main features of the English phonological system, regarding vowels,
have been pointed out, paying special attention to diphthongs and triphthongs too. Over the years,
phonology has played many different roles in the English language-teaching classroom, from a
virtually non-existent role in the traditional grammar translation method to being the focus of the
audio-lingual method through its emphasis on minimal pairs, phonemes, drills and dialogue work.
Yet, the current emphasis on pronunciation teaching is on the broader phonological aspects of
connected speech, and their link to meaning on discourse level, and has resulted in renewed interest
in the place of pronunciation in communicative language teaching. It is this holistic, integrated
approach to pronunciation teaching, through focus on the suprasegmental aspects of phonology that
linguists and teachers find particularly interesting.

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• FINCH, D.F. & ORTIZ LIRA, H.: A Course in English Phonetics for Spanish Speakers. Heinemann.
London, 1982.
• GIMSON, A.C.: An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English. Arnold. London, 1962.