/ɜː/: Open-mid central unrounded vowel

1. Open-mid (or low-mid): This refers to the height

of the tongue in your mouth when you pronounce
the vowel.
 Open: Your tongue is positioned low in your
mouth, but not as low as it would be for a true
"ah" sound (like in "father"). It's kind of halfway
between a low vowel and a mid vowel.
 Mid: This refers to a position where your tongue
is in the middle of your mouth, neither very high
nor very low.
2. Central: This describes the position of your
tongue from front to back.
 Central: Your tongue is positioned in the middle
of your mouth, between a front vowel (like "ee"
in "feet") and a back vowel (like "oo" in "boot").
3. Unrounded: This refers to the shape of your lips.
 Unrounded: Your lips are spread or relaxed, not
pursed or rounded into a circle.
So, all together: An "open-mid central unrounded
vowel" is a sound where your tongue is positioned in
the middle of your mouth, at a height between a low
vowel and a mid vowel, and your lips are spread or
relaxed.

/ɑː/: Open back unrounded vowel

2. Open back unrounded vowel: This describes
the way you produce the /ɑː/ sound with your tongue
and lips.
o Open: This refers to the height of your
tongue in your mouth. Here, "open" means
your tongue is positioned low in your mouth,
far from the roof of your mouth.
o Back: This describes the front-to-back
placement of your tongue. "Back" means the
tongue is positioned towards the back of
your mouth, without creating a consonant
sound.
o Unrounded: This refers to the shape of your
lips. "Unrounded" means your lips are
spread or relaxed, not pursed or rounded
into a circle.
In simpler terms: When you say the /ɑː/ sound,
your mouth is wide open, your tongue is low in the
back of your mouth, and your lips are spread apart,
not rounded.
Here are some examples of words in English where
you might hear the /ɑː/ sound:
 "father"
 "calm"

3. Open back rounded vowel: This describes how

you produce the /ɒ/ sound with your tongue and lips.
o Open: Similar to "/ɑː/", "open" refers to the
height of your tongue. Here, your tongue is
positioned low in your mouth, but not quite
as low as for "/ɑː/". It's kind of halfway
between a low vowel and a mid vowel.
o Back: Again, this describes the front-to-back
placement of your tongue. "Back" means the
tongue is positioned towards the back of
your mouth, similar to "/ɑː/".
o Rounded: This is the key difference
between "/ɑː/" and "/ɒ/". Here, your lips are
rounded into a circle, unlike the spread
position for "/ɑː/". Imagine making an "oh"
shape with your mouth.
In simpler terms: The /ɒ/ sound is like saying a
short "ah" sound with your mouth slightly more
closed and your lips pursed in a circle.
Here are some examples of words in certain dialects
of English where you might hear the /ɒ/ sound:
 "not" (especially in British English)
 "hot" (in some non-rhotic accents)
 "what" (depending on accent)