Vowel & Diphthong sounds

ELL20303
English Phonetics & Phonology
 The articulation of vowels
• Airstream is voiced through the
vibration of the vocal cords in the
larynx.
• Shaped using the tongue and lips.
• Position of the tongue is used to
describe the vowel sounds.
 The articulation of vowel
• ‘Close’, ‘Mid’ and ‘open’
– The distance between the tongue and the palate.
• ‘Front’, ‘centre’ and ‘Back’
– Part of the tongue.
• The position of the tongue
– Height of tongue and part of tongue which is
raised.
 Articulation of vowels
• A Close Front Vowel
– The front of the tongue is the highest part, and is near the roof
of the tongue.
• An Open Front Vowel
– The front of the tongue is the highest part, but the tongue is
low.
• An Open Back Vowel
– The back of the tongue is the highest part, but the tongue is low.
• A Close Back Vowel
– The back of the tongue is the highest part, and is near the roof
of the tongue.
 The pure vowel sounds

• Rounded
– The lips are pushed forward into the shape of a circle.
• Spread
– The corner of the lips are moved away.
• Neutral
– The Lips are not noticeably rounded or spread.
Pure Vowel Sounds
 Vowel Sound
bead, key, cheese, scene, police, people, quay
iː
hit, sausage, biggest, rhythm, mountain, busy, women, sieve
ɪ
book, good, woman, push, pull
ʊ
food, rude, true, who, fruit, soup
uː
egg, left, head, read (past), instead, any, leisure, leopard
e
about, paper, banana, nation, the (before consonants)
ə
shirt, her, word, further, pearl, serve, myrtle
ɜː
fork, call, snore, taught, bought, board, saw, pour, broad, all, law,
ɔː horse, hoarse
hat, attack, antique, plait
æ
run, uncle, front, nourish, does, come, flood
ʌ
far, part, half, class, command, clerk, memoir, aunty, hearth
ɑː
 Diphthong sounds
ɪə beer, beard, fear, pierce, Ian, here, idea

ʊə sure, moor, tour

еə where, wear, chair, dare, stair, there

еɪ cake, way, weigh, say, pain, they, vein

ɔɪ toy, avoid, voice, enjoy, boy

аɪ high, tie, buy, kite, might, cry, eye

əʊ go, snow, toast, home, hello, although

аʊ house, loud, down, how, bough

 Triphthongs
[aʊə]    Hour, Our, Tower, Power

[aɪə]   Fire

[eɪə]   Player

 [əʊə]   Mower, Over

[ɔɪə] Employer, royal