Vowel
What is Vowel?
A vowel is a particular kind
of speech sound made by changing
the shape of the upper vocal tract,
or the area in the mouth above
the tongue. In the other word, vowel
is a sound made by the relatively
free movement of air through the
mouth, usually forming the main
sound of a syllable.
Letter vowels
a, e, i, o, and u.
Vowel Sounds
A monophthong is when there
is one vowel sound in a syllable.
i, ɪ, e, ɛ, ɑ, æ, ʌ, ə, u, ʊ, o, ɔ
Examples :`
 /i/ as in police, feet, eat, and silly
 /ɪ/ as in it, sit, kick, myth and bitter
 /ɛ/ as in end, bet, less, and letter
 /ɑ/ as in father, walk, arm, heart
 /æ/ as in at, apple, fat, and matter
 /ʌ/ as in bus, blood, come, and up
 /ə/ as in kingdom, arise, and around
 /u/ as in cool, tune, and soup
 /ʊ/ as in cook, should, and pudding
 /ɔ/ as in long law, and mall
A diphthong is when there are two vowel
sounds in a syllable.
aɪ, aʊ, eɪ, ɔɪ, oʊ
Examples
 /eɪ/ as in vain, flavor, slay, and convey
 /oʊ/ as in row, boat, mode, and chateau
 /aɪ/ as in eye, I, pie, climb, and lime
 /aʊ/ as in loud, cow, about, and Macau
 /ɔɪ/ as in boy, moist, and Freud
The classification
of English vowels
Backness refers to the horizontal position of
the tongue position during the articulation of
a vowel relative to the back of the mouth.
 Front vowels: The front of the tongue is
raised in the direction of the hard palate.
The examples are /i/, /ɪ/, /e/, /ɛ/, /æ/, /a/
 Central vowels: They are intermediate
between front and back vowels.
The examples are /ʌ/, /ə/
 Back vowels: The back of the tongue is
raised in the direction of the soft palate.
The examples are /u/, /ʊ/, /o/, /ɔ/
Vowel height refers to the vertical
position of either the tongue or the jaw
(depending on the model) relative to
the either the roof of the mouth or the
aperture of the jaw.
 High vowels : when the mouth is
relatively closed.
The examples are : /i/, /ɪ/, /u/, /ʊ/
 Middle vowels : when the mouth is
approximately half-way.
The examples are : /e/, /ɛ/, /ʌ/, /ə/,
/o/, /ɔ/
 Low vowels : when the mouth is
relatively open.
The examples are : /æ/, /a/
 Rounded. They are result of a
position where the corners of the
lips are brought towards each other
and the lips are pushed forwards.
Vowel symbols placed on the right
of a pair represent the lips
“rounded” forwards (towards a pout).
The examples are : /u/, /ʊ/, /o/, /ɔ/
 Unrounded vowels. Vowel symbols
placed on the left of a pair
represent the lips “spread” or pulled
back.
The examples are : /i/, /ɪ/, /e/, /ɛ/,
/æ/, /ʌ/, /ə/, /ɑ/
Vowel length is the perceived duration
of a vowel sound.
 Short as in /ɪ/, /ɛ/, /æ/
 Long as in /i/, /e:/, /u/, /o:/,
 Complex as in (/u:/, /ʊ/, /ɔ/, and /
aʊ/, /oɪ/)
Tensenes refers to the amount of
muscular tension around the mouth
when creating vowel sounds:
 Lax : the pronounciation of vowel
with relatively more cetralization,
shoreter duration, and more
widening (perhaps even
lowering).
The examples are : /ɪ/, /ɛ/, /ʊ/,
/æ/, /ɔ/, /a/
 Tense : the pronounciation of
vowel with less cetralization,
longer duration, and narrower
mouth width.
The examples are : /o/, /u/, /e/,
/i/,
 THE CHART

H
 Table of vowels

10 [ø] close-mid front

rounded vowel
cardinal IPA Description

11 [œ] open-mid front

1 [i] close front rounded vowel
unrounded vowel

12 [ɶ] open front

2 [e] close-mid front rounded vowel
unrounded vowel

13 [ɒ] open back

3 [ɛ] open-mid front rounded vowel
unrounded vowel

14 [ʌ] open-mid back

4 [a] open front unrounded vowel
unrounded vowel

15 [ɤ] close-mid back

5 [ɑ] open back unrounded vowel
unrounded vowel

16 [ɯ] close back

6 [ɔ] open-mid back unrounded vowel
rounded vowel

17 [ɨ] close central

7 [o] close-mid back unrounded vowel
rounded vowel

18 [ʉ] close central

8 [u] close back rounded vowel
rounded vowel

9 [y] close front

rounded vowel
 Table of vowels

IPA Description i high front unround vowel

Symbol
high front unrounded
tense
high front unrounded lax
mid front unrounded
tense
mid front unrounded lax
low front unrounded lax
ɪ high front lax unround vowel
e mid front unround vowel
ɛ mid front lax unround vowel
æ low front unround vowel
a low central unround vowel
ʌ mid central unstressed vowel
ə mid central stressed vowel
u high back round vowel
ʊ high back lax round vowel
o mid back round vowel
ɔ low back round vowel

high back rounded tense

Vowel phonemes in General American

high back rounded lax

Front Central Back

mid back rounded tense lax tense lax tense lax tense
mid back rounded lax
Close ɪ i ʊ u
low back unrounded lax
Mid ɛ eɪ ə ər oʊ
mid central unrounded
lax (stressed) Open æ ʌ ɑ (ɔ)
mid central unrounded
lax (unstressed) Diphthongs aɪ ɔɪ aʊ