English Pronunciation and Phonetics

LESSON FOUR

CENTRAL VOWELS
I. DESCRIPTION

We have central vowels when the very middle part of the tongue is used.

- When the middle part of the tongue is in mid position, we have the sounds / Îù / and
/« /. The lips are neutral. The sound /Îù / is longer and tenser than the sound /« /.
- When the middle part of the tongue is low, we have / Ã /. The lips are neutral. The
sound is short and relaxed.

II. THE “SCHWA”

The most frequently occurring vowel in English is /«/, which is always associated with weak
syllables and weak forms. In quality it is mid and central, relaxed, but the quality of this vowel is
not always the same. However, the variation is not as important as its distribution (where it is
appropriate and where it is not). To do this, we must consider spelling. The following examples
will give us a rough guide to the correct pronunciation of weak syllables.

- Spelt with ‘a’; strong pronunciation would have /Q /: attend, char acter, barracks
- Spelt with ‘ar’; strong pronunciation would have /Aù/: particular, monarchy, molar
- Adjective endings spelt ‘ate’; strong pronunciation would have /eI/: intimate, desolate,
accurate
- Spelt with ‘o’, strong pronunciation would have /  /: tomorrow, carrot
- Spelt with ‘or’, strong pronunciation would have /ù /: forget, opportunity
- Spelt with ‘e’, strong pronunciation would have /e/:postmen, violet
- Spelt with ‘er’; strong pronunciation would have / Îù/: perhaps, superman
- Spelt with ‘u’, strong pronunciation would have /Ã /: autumn, support
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- Spelt with ‘ough’ (there are, of course, other pronunciation for ‘ough’): thor ough,
borough
- Spelt with ‘ous’ : gracious. callous

III. DRILL

1. Target sound /Ã /

A. Listen to the sounds

Listen and repeat the sounds

B. Minimal pairs

/Q / /Ã /
cap cup
hat hut
track truck
ban bun
bag bug
ankle uncle
Where’s my cap? Where’s my cup?
There’s a hat in the garden. There’s a hut in the garden.
See the tracks on the road. See the trucks on the road.
There’s a ban on it. There’s a bun on it.
She’s got a bag. She’s got a bug.
My ankle was injured. My uncle was injured.

C. Listen to the dialogue and fill the gaps with the correct words from the box.

worry lovely honey brother other

nothing company wonderful month does

SHE DOESN’T LOVE HIM

JASMINE: Honey, why are you so sad?

(Duncan says (1) …………………………)
JASMINE: (2) …………………………, why are you so unhappy? I don’t understand.
DUNCAN: You don’t love me, Jasmine.
JASMINE: But Duncan, I love you very much!
DUNCAN: That’s untrue, Jasmine. You love my cousin.
JASMINE: Justin?
DUNCAN: No, his (3)…………………………
JASMINE: Dudley?
DUNCAN: No. Stop being funny, Jasmine. Not that one. The (4)………… brother. Hunter.
You think he’s (5)………………………… and I’m unattractive.
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JASMINE: Duncan! That’s utter rubbish!

DUNCAN: And Hunter loves you too.
JASMINE: No, he doesn’t.
DUNCAN: Yes, he (6) …………
JASMINE: Duncan, just once last (7) ……… I had lunch with Hunter. You mustn’t (8) ……… I
like your (9) ……… much better than Hunter’s. Hunter’s …
DUNCAN: Oh, just shut up, Jasmine!
JASMINE: But honey, I think you’re (10) ………
DUNCAN: Oh, shut up, Jasmine.
JASMINE: Now that’s enough! You’re just jealous, Duncan. You shut up!

2. Target sound /Îù /

A. Listen to the sounds.

Listen and repeat the sounds.

B. Minimal pair A
/ù / /Îù /
four fur
torn turn
warm worm
walker worker
She’s got four. She’s got fur.
It’s a torn sign. It’s a turn sign.
I wouldn’t like warm soup. I wouldn’t like worm soup.
He’s a fast walker. He’s a fast worker.

C. Minimal pair B
/e / /Îù /
ten turn
Ben burn
Bed bird
West worst
The sign says ten. The sign says turn.
Look at it, Ben. Look at it burn.
It’s a colourful bed. It’s a colourful bird.
It’s the west wind. It’s the worst wind.

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D. Minimal pair C
/Ã / /Îù /
fun fern
bun burn
bud bird
gull girl
Fabulous fun! Fabulous fern!
Look at that bun. Look at that burn.
That’s a tiny little bud. That’s a tiny little bird.
There’s a gull on the beach. There’s a girl on the beach.

E. Listen and then practise reading aloud the dialogue below.

THE WORST NURSE

SIR HERBERT: Nurse!
COLONEL BURTON: Nurse! I’m thirsty!
SIR HERBERT: Nurse! My head hurts!
COLONEL BURTON: Nurse Sherman always wears such dirty shirts.
SIR HERBERT: He never arrives at work early.
COLONEL BURTON: He and … er … Nurse Turner weren’t at work on Thursday, were they?
SIR HERBERT: No, they weren’t.
COLONEL BURTON: Nurse Sherman is the worst nurse in the ward, isn’t he, Sir Herbert?
SIR HERBERT: No, he isn’t, Colonel Burton. He is the worst nurse in the world!

3. Target sound / /
A. Listen to the sounds
Listen and repeat the sounds.

B. Practice the target sound in the underlined unstressed words and syllables.
a photograph of Barbara a glass of water
a pair of binoculars a photograph of her mother and father
a book about South America Look at the clock.
What’s the time? It’s six o’clock.
It’s a quarter to seven.

C. Practice the target sound in weak forms of auxiliaries.

Example Was /w«z/ she dreaming? – This is the weak form of was.
Yes, she was. – This is a different sound. This is the strong form.
Practice
Was she thinking about South America? Yes, she was.
Were her brothers and sisters asleep? Yes, they were.
Do they like reading? Yes, they do.

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Have you read about South America? Yes, I have.

Does your friend like reading? Yes, he does.
Are we working hard? Yes, we are.
Has your friend been to South America? Yes, he has.
Can you swim? Yes, I can.

D. Read aloud the story and underline the sound /« /in unstressed words and
syllables. Then check the answers with your partner.

Barbara spent Saturday afternoon looking at a beautiful book about South America.
‘I want to go to South America,’ she said to herself.
The next morning, when Barbara woke up at six o’clock, her brothers and sisters were
still asleep. Barbara looked at them, and then closed her eyes again.
Then she quietly got out of bed and started to pack her suitcase.
She took some comfortable clothes out of the cupboard. She packed a pair of binoculars
and her sister’s camera. She packed a photograph of herself and one of her mother and father.
‘I mustn’t forget to have some breakfast,’ she said to herself. But then she looked at the
clock. It was a quarter to seven.
‘I’ll just drink a glass of water,’ she said.
‘A glass of water,’ she said.
‘Water,’ she said, and opened her eyes.
She was still in her bed, and her brothers and sisters were laughing at her.
‘Tell us what you were dreaming about,’ they said to her.
But Barbara didn’t answer. She was thinking about her wonderful journey to South
America.

E. Listen to the dialogue and circle the sound /« /. Then practise reading it aloud.
SHOPPING
A: I’m going to the library.
B: Can you buy something for me at the newsagent’s?
A: But the newsagent’s is a mile from the library.
B: No. Not that newsagent’s. Not the one that’s next to the fish and chip shop. I
mean the one that’s near the butcher’s.
A: Oh, yes. Well, what do you want?
B: Some chocolates and a tin of sweets and an address book.

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