English Vowels

First year
Department of English
College of Education
University of Thi-Qar
Lecturer
Hayder Kubash
 Vowels

Vowel is a speech sound produced

without significant constriction of
the air flowing through the mouth.
 Vowels

Vowels do not have place and Vowels are produced with a

manner of articulation relatively open vocal tract

Vowels are almost

always voiced.

The standard descriptors for

Vocal fold vibration is the consonants (place, manner, and
source for vowel sounds. voicing) are not helpful when we
 Vowels

• We need to analyze vowels phonetically, it means according to:

Tongue position: how high in the mouth is the tongue, and which part of
the tongue is the highest?

Rounding: are the lips rounded or not?

Length: are the vowels long or short?

 Vowels

• We need to analyze vowels phonetically, it means according to:

1) Closeness
2) Frontness
3) Rounding
 Closeness

It refers to the position of the mandible (open or close); while the

height of a vowel refers to the vertical position of the tongue towards
the palatal area (low or high)

Based on the “closeness‟, there are five variations use to define

vowels, such as: open, open-mid, mid, close-mid, and close.
 Open vowels

Open vowels use a low position of the mandible with a low position of
the tongue.

Try to pronounce: [ɑ:], [ɒ]

 Open-mid vowels

Open-mid vowels use a partially low position of the mandible with the
tongue position being located half way between the palatal area and the
floor of the mouth.

Try to pronounce: [e], [ʌ], [ɔ:], [ɜ:]

 Mid vowels

Mid vowel is use a middle position of the mandible with the tongue being
located in central position of the palatal area and the floor of the mouth.

Try to pronounce: [ə]

 Closed-mid vowels

Closed-mid vowels use a closed mandible position with a tongue

position that is locatedhalf way between the palatal area and the floor of
the mouth.

Try to pronounce diphthongs: [ei], [əʊ

 Close vowels

Close vowels use a closed mandible position and a high tongue position.
The tongue actually resting on the alveolar ridge.

Try to pronounce: [i:], [i], [u:

 Frontness

Frontness refers to the horizontal position of the tongue in relation to

the front or back of the mouth.

Generally, the three variations of frontness are front,

central, and back
 (1)Front

Front vowels are produced by the placement of the tongue tip in various
positions from the upper incisors (the front cutting teeth) to the lower
ones

Try to pronounce: [i:], [i], [e], [æ

 (2)Back

Back vowels are produced when the back part of the tongue is moved
up or down in the velar area.

Try to pronounce: [ʌ], [ɑ: ], [ɒ], [ɔ:], [u:]

 (3) central

The central vowel is produced when the tongue is resting in a neutral

position in the oral cavity.

Try to pronounce: [ə], [ɜ:]

 Rounding

Rounding refers to the position of the lips during the production of the
vowel.

The two lip positions are:

rounded & unrounded.
 (1) Round

Rounded vowels are produced in the rounded position require the lips to
be open and protruded to some degree..

Try to pronounce: [ɒ], [ɔ:], [u:], [ʊ]

 (1) Round

Unrounded vowels are produced in the unrounded position require the

lips to be spread and the corners of the mouth retracted to varying
degrees.

Try to pronounce: [i:], [i], [ɪ], [æ], [e], [ɑ:], [ʌ], [ɜ:],
[ə]
The mandible
Vowel Quadrilateral
The vowel diagram
The vowel system of Br English
Short Long
/ɪ/ Fish /i:/ Week
/e/ Bed /ɔ:/ Door
/æ/ Cat /ɑ:/ Car
/ʌ/ Cut /u:/ Food
/ə/ Mother /ɜ:/ Nurse
/ʊ/ Good
/ɒ/ Dog
 Examples:
‘short vowels

/ɪ/ ship /ʃɪp/, pin /pɪn/

/ʊ/ book /bʊK/, put /pʊt/

/ʌ/ cup /kʌp/, brush /brʌ∫/

/ɒ/ or /o/ hot /hɒt/, clock /klɒk/

/ə/ a /ə/, of /əv/, camera /kæmərə/

/e/ ten /ten/, men /men/

/æ/ man /mæn/, cap /kæp/

Examples:

Long vowels

/iː/ see /siː/, sea /siː/

/uː/ boot /buːt/, june / dʒuːn/

/ɑː/ march /mɑːt∫/, heart /hɑːt/

/ɔː/ or /oː/ ball /bɔːl/, fork /fɔːk/

girl /gɜːl/, work /wɜːk/,

/ɜː/
hurt /hɜːt/, heard /hɜːd/
 DIPHTHONGS
• Sounds which consist of a movement or glide from one vowel to another

DIPHTHONG

CENTRING CLOSING

ENDING IN ENDING IN ENDING IN

ə І ʊ

Іə eə ʊə eІ aІ ɔІ əʊ aʊ
 Ending in ə

/Іə/ - beard
/ eə/ -aire
/ ʊə/ - tour
 Ending in І

/eІ/ - paid
/ aІ/ - tide
/ ɔІ/ - toy
 Ending with ʊ

/ əʊ/ - home
/ aʊ/ - loud
 Examples:
diphthongs
/ɪə/ beer /bɪə/, ear /ɪə/, pier /pɪə/

/ʊə/ jury /ˈdʒʊərɪ/, tour /tʊə/, pure /pjʊə/

/aɪ/ like /laɪk/, buy /baɪ/, height /haɪt /

/ɔɪ/ boy /bɔɪ/, oil /ɔɪl/

/əʊ/ phone /fəʊn/, boat /bəʊt/, note /nəʊt/, bowl /bəʊl/

/eə/ chair /t∫eə/, bear /beə/

/aʊ/ house /haʊs/, cow /kaʊ/

/eɪ/ wait /weɪt/ , paper /peɪpə/

 Vowel Sequences (TRIPHTHONGS)
• A glide from one vowel to another and then to a third vowel, produced rapidly and without interruption.
• Difficult to pronounce and hard to recognize.

eІ + ə = eІə Player

aІ + ə = aІə Liar

ɔІ + ə =ɔІə Loyal

əʊ + ə = əʊə Lower

aʊ + ə = aʊə power
THE END

THANKS