 What are Monophthongs?

Monophthong is simply a vowel. The

word monophthong comes from the old
Greek language. Mono means one or
single, and the -phthong means sound or
tone. The word monophthong shows that
a vowel is spoken with exactly one tone
and one mouth position.

 What are Diphthongs?

Diphthongs are vowel sounds where
your mouth moves from one sound to
another within one syllable. They sound
like a blend of two different vowel
sounds.

 What are Triphthongs?

Triphthongs are special sounds in words

like "fire" where you hear three
different vowel sounds squeezed into
just one syllable. So, when you say
"fire," you're actually gliding through
three different vowel sounds in a single beat. " In "hour," you start with the "ow" sound, then
quickly move through the "uh" sound, and end with the "r" sound.

 Term  Description
➢ Vowels Vowels are sounds made with an open mouth and no blockage in the throat. They're
like the letters A, E, I, O, U.
➢ Consonants Consonants are sounds made by blocking or restricting airflow with lips, tongue, or
throat. Examples: B, C, D, F, etc.
➢ Voiced and Voiceless Voiced consonants vibrate the vocal cords, like "b" in "bat," while voiceless
Consonants consonants don't vibrate them, like "p" in "pat." Voiced Vowels /iː/ - as in "see" and
Voiceless Vowels /ɪ/ - as in "sit"
➢ Minimal pairs Minimal pairs are words that sound almost the same, except for one sound, which
changes the meaning. For example: "pat" and "bat."
➢ Phonetic Transcription: • "fun": /fʌn/ • "sun": /sʌn/
➢ Phoneme Difference: • /f/ vs. /s/
 ➢ Meaning Difference: • "fun" refers to enjoyment or amusement, while
"sun" refers to the star around which the Earth orbits.

➢ Aspiration Aspiration is a little puff of air that comes out with some sounds, like when you say
"pat" with a burst of air.

 Distinctive Sounds:
➢ Distinctive sounds are different sounds that make words have different meanings.
➢ Example: In English, "pat" and "bat" have different meanings because of the first sound, /p/
vs. /b/.
 Allophones:
➢ Allophones are different ways of saying the same sound in a language.
➢ Example: In English, the sound /t/ can be said as [t] in "top" and [th] in "stop."

 Articulation Type  Description Examples Consonants and Vowels

➢ Place of Articulation: Where in the mouth the sound is made?

Bilabial Sound made by bringing both lips /p/, /m/
together.
Alveolar Sound made by touching the tongue to /t/, /d/
the ridge behind the teeth.
Velar Sound made by raising the back of the /k/, /g/
tongue to the soft palate.
➢ Manner of Articulation: How the sound is made by changing
airflow.
Stop Sound made by a complete closure of /p/, /t/, /k/
the mouth followed by release.
Fricative Sound made by forcing air through a /f/, /s/, /ʃ/
narrow gap, creating friction.
Nasal Sound made by lowering the soft palate /m/, /n/, /ŋ/
to allow air through nose.
➢ Vowel Articulation: Position of tongue and lips for making
vowel sounds.
Front Vowels Tongue raised towards front of mouth. /i/ (see), /ɛ/ (bed)
Back Vowels Tongue raised towards back of mouth. /u/ (food), /ɔ/ (caught)
Central Vowels Tongue in central position in mouth. /ə/ (about), /ʌ/ (cup)

 What are homonyms?

Homonyms are words that share the same spelling or pronunciation but have different meanings.
These linguistic phenomena add depth and complexity to language comprehension and usage.

 Examples of Homonyms:
Rock:

It can mean a type of music with loud guitars and drums, or it can mean hard material found in the
ground.

Scale:
 Scale can mean a tool used to measure weight or the thin, flaky layers on fish.

Well:

Well can be where water comes from or when someone is feeling good.

 What are Homophones?

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings or spellings. They can be
tricky, but learning them makes your language skills better.

 Examples of Homonyms:
Knight/Night:

A "knight" is someone in armor, while "night" is when it gets dark.

Flour/Flower:

"Flour" is what you use for baking, while "flower" is what you see in a garden.

Sea/See:

"Sea" is where fish swim, while "see" is what you do with your eyes.

Term Definition Example What Makes Them Different?

➢ Homophones Words that sound the same but
have different meanings.
➢ Homographs Words that are spelled the same
but have different meanings.
➢ Homonyms Words that either sound the same,
are spelled the same, or both, but
have different meanings.
"See" and "sea" Homophones sound alike but
have different meanings.
"Lead" (to guide) and Homographs are spelled the
"lead" (a metal) same but have different
meanings.
"Bat" (a flying Homonyms can either sound the
mammal) and "bat" (a same, be spelled the same, or
sports equipment) both, but still have different
meanings.