English Vowels

KAJ/FONE@ Week 3
What are vowels?

From the point of view of phonetics:

•Sounds produced with no obstruction to the air flow coming from lungs.
•Voiced sounds that can be sung.

From the point of view of phonology:

•Phonemes less numerous than consonants.

•Phonemes forming syllables.
Classification of vowels
monophthongs /ˈmɒn.əf.θɒŋz/
= pure vowels

diphthongs /ˈdɪf.θɒŋz, ˈdɪp.θɒŋz/

= combination of two adjacent vowel sounds, gliding vowels

The characteristic sound of a vowel depends on the shape and size

of the resonant space in the mouth.

This space is determined by:

a)the horizontal tongue position
b)the vertical tongue position
c)the lip position
Tongue and lip position in English vowels

a) Say: b) Say:

/i:/→/u:/ /i:/ → /æ/

/e/ → /ɔ:/ /ɪ/ → /ʌ/
/æ/→ /ɒ/ /ʊ/ → /ɑ:/

a) front – back
tongue movement
b) up – down
tongue movement
English monophthongs (pure vowels)

A short video to watch: How to pronounced the vowel sounds in

British English. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jORgKrANiMw
Compare the system of BE and AE vowels:
Differences between Czech and
English vowels

Single vowels:
Long and short vowels
Length is not an absolute quality of English vowels.
Long and short vowels differ primarily in the quality of sound.

English vowels tend to be shorter when followed by an unvoiced

consonant and longer when followed by a voiced consonant.

Compare:

a) hut –heart /ʌ/ distinctly longer than /ɑ:/

b) beat – bead
/i:/ in ´beat´somewhat shorter that /i:/ in bead
c) bid - beat
/ɪ/ in bid almost as long as /i:/ in beat.
d) man – mean
/æ/ in man as long as /i:/ in mean
Compare mýt, tým in Czech with meet, team in English.

A video to watch (the first 4 minutes): The Shocking Truth About Long And Short
English Vowels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQa9w__GqLc
Relative frequency of English phonemes

The Schwa: mixed vowel (has slightly

different colouring in different positions).
Compare:
about x computer x China x misearable
/əˈbaʊt/ /kəmˈpjuːtə/ /ˈʧaɪnə/ /ˈmɪzərəbl/
Practise the Schwa:
https://pronunciationstudio.com/schwa-pronunciation-
guide/
Strong and weak vowels
Weak vowels: vowels in unstressed syllables
/ə, i, u/
Strong vowels: vowels in stressed syllables, all other
monophthongs and diphthongs

banana /bə´nɑ:nə/
geography /dʒi´ɒɡrəfi/
particular /pə´tɪkjulə/
 Summary
English vowels Czech:
• Tip of the tongue facing up or front. •Tip of the tongue always in
•Vowel length is a relative quality contact with teeth or jaw.
depending on the following consonant. •Vowel length is a constant
quality.
•Spelling-pronunciation correspondence
more complex. • Spelling-pronunciation
correspondence more
•/ ɪ, e, ʌ, ɑ:, ɒ, ɔ:/ sound lower (more
straightforward.
back), /i:, ʊ, u:/ sound higher (more front).
• /i:/ is more spread, /u:/ is more rounded.
• /æ, ɜ:,ə/ completely different vowels.
English diphthongs
Diphthong is a result of a glide from one vowel to another
within a single syllable.

In Czech:
• 3 diphthogs /au, ou, eu/
• both sounds equally long
and prominent Nowadays,
many BE
In English: speakers
• 8 diphthongs (5 in American E.) pronounce
• 2/3: 1/3 representation, second /ʊə/ as /ɔ:/
element shorter and less prominent

A short video to watch: How to Pronounce DIPHTHONGS in BRITISH ENGLISH.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdXCF8KHSMQ
Centring and closing diphthongs
Centring diphthongs: end in central sound /ə/.

Closing diphthongs: end in closed sounds /ɪ/, /ʊ/.

Practise these tongue twisters:
1) Pip and Pete shipped the sheep ships cheaply.
pɪp ənd piːt ʃɪpt ðə ʃiːp ʃɪps ˈʧiːpli

2) How many cans can a canner can, if a canner can can cans?
haʊ ˈmeni kænz kən ə ˈkænə kæn / ɪf ə ˈkænə kən kæn kænz

3) A tutor who tooted the flute ə ˈtjuːtə huː ˈtuːtɪd ðə fluːt /

Tried to tutor two tutors to toot. traɪd tə ˈtjuːtə tuː ˈtjuːtəz tə tuːt /
Said the two to the tutor, sed ðə tuː tə ðə ˈtjuːtə /
"Is it harder to toot or ɪz ɪt ˈhɑːdə tə tuːt /
To tutor two tutors to toot?“ ɔː tə ˈtjuːtə tuː ˈtjuːtəz tə tuːt

4) A big black bug bit a big black bear. The big black bear bit the big black bug
back.
ə bɪg blæk bʌg bɪt ə bɪg blæk beə/ ðə bɪg blæk beə bɪt ðə bɪg blæk bʌg bæk
5) Round and round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.
raʊnd ənd raʊnd ðə ˈrʌgɪd rɒk ðə ˈrægɪd ˈrɑːskəl ræn

6) Swan swam over the sea, swim, swan, swim! Swan swam back again.
Well swum, swan!
swɒn swæm ˈəʊvə ðə siː/ swɪm swɒn swɪm/
swɒn swæm bæk əˈgen / wel swʌm swɒn

7) Old Oily Ollie oils old oily autos.

əʊld ˈɔɪli ɒli: / ɔɪlz əʊld ˈɔɪli ˈɔːtəʊz