About Our team Outline

ENGLISH VOWEL SOUNDS

Subject: Phonetic & Phonology
Lecturer: Nguyen Thi Minh Thao
 About Our team Outline

Nguyen Thi Hai Ha

GROUP 1 Le Thi Mai Trang

Khong Thi Hoai Thanh

 About Our team Outline

01
OUTLINE
GENERAL INFORMATION

02 MONOPHTHONGS

03 DIPHTHONGS

04 TRIPHTHONGS

05 MINI GAME
 RESOURCES
ALTERNATIVE
Questions 1-5: Fill in the gap with NO MORE THAN TWO
WORDS
1. …………… is the study and identification of the distinctive unit of
sound in a language.
2. …………… studies speech sounds, for example the way in which they
are produced the way in which they are perceived.
3. Articulatory phonetics, acoustic phonetics and …………… are three
main areas of phonetics.
4. We have …………… if the soft palate is raised, blocking off the nasal
cavity, the airstream can go into the oral tract and go out of the mouth.
5. If the vocal cords come apart, the airstream can go through between
them, and the vocal cords do not vibrate, …………… are made.
Questions 1-5: Fill in the gap with NO MORE THAN TWO

RESOURCES
ALTERNATIVE
WORDS
1. Phonology is the study and identification of the distinctive unit of sound
in a language.
2. Phonetics studies speech sounds, for example the way in which they are
produced the way in which they are perceived.
3. Articulatory phonetics, acoustic phonetics and auditory phonetics are
three main areas of phonetics.
4. We have oral sounds if the soft palate is raised, blocking off the nasal
cavity, the airstream can go into the oral tract and go out of the mouth.
5. If the vocal cords come apart, the airstream can go through between
them, and the vocal cords do not vibrate, voiceless sounds are made.
Question 6-10: Fill in the diagram with
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

6. (a) ……………
7. (b) ……………
8. (c) ……………
9. (d) ……………
10. (e) ……………
Question 6-10: Fill in the diagram with
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

6. (a) uvula
7. (b) alveolar ridge
8. (c) tongue
9. (d) hard palate
10. (e) lower lip
01 GENERAL
INFORMATION
 DEFINITION OF
VOWELS
• Vowels are the sounds in the production of
which none of the articulators come very
close together so the air can get out freely.
• Vowels are sounds in which there is no
obstruction to airstream/air flow when it
passes from the larynx to the lips.
(English Phonetics and phonology - A practical course
(Peter Roach, 2000))
 SOME
CHARACTERISTICS
OF VOWELS
CHARACTERISTICS
OF VOWELS
SOME

All vowels are voiced

sounds.
 ROUNDED

3 UNROUNDED/ SPREAD
POSSIBILITIES OF
LIP ROUNDING
NEUTRAL
 The differences among vowels
are resulted from

01. 02. 03.

The different The different The degree of
shapes of the positions of the lip-rounding
tongue tongue
 VOWELS
CLASSIFICATION OF
MONOPHTHONGS/
12 PURE VOWELS

8 DIPTHTHONGS

5 TRIPTHONGS
02 MONOPHTHONGS
ueoai
ueoai
12
MONOPHTHONGS
 DEFINITION

OVERVIEW CLASSIFICATION

VOWEL CHART
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

DEFINITION

WHAT IS MONOPHTHONGS?
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

DEFINITION WHAT IS MONOPHTHONGS?

Monophthongs are simple/ pure vowel sounds in which the

speech organs remain in the same position throughout the
duration of the vowel’s articulation.
(OXFORD, Advanced learner’s Encyclopedic dictionary, 1992)
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

DEFINITION WHAT IS MONOPHTHONGS?

(Short)
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

01
CLASSIFICATION THE POSITION OF THE TONGUE

02 THE HEIGHT OF THE TONGUE

03 THE DEGREE OF THE LIP ROUNDING

04 THE LENGTH OF THE SOUND

THE VERTICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE

05 TONGUE AND THE ROOF OF THE MOUTH

(HARD PALATE)
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

THE POSITION OF THE 01. Front vowels

TONGUE are those in the production of which the front of the
tongue is the highest point.
e.g. /i:/, /ɪ/, /e/, /æ/

02. Back vowels

are those in the production of which the back of the
tongue is the highest point.
e.g. /u:/, /ʊ/, /ɔ:/, /ɒ/, /ɑ:/

03. Central vowels

are those made with neither the front nor the back of
the tongue. The tongue is neither high nor low in the
mouth when central vowels are produced.
e.g. /ʌ/, /ə/, /ɜː/
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

THE TONGUE HEIGHT

HIGH
VOWELS MID VOWELS LOW VOWELS
are those in the are those made with the are those made with the
production of which the tongue neither high nor tongue is low in the
tongue is high in the low in the mouth mouth
mouth. It is raised above e.g. /e/, /ə/, /ɜː/, /ɔ:/ e.g. /æ/, /ʌ/, /ɑ:/, /ɒ/
its rest position
e.g. /i:/, /ɪ/, /ʊ/, /u:/
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

Rounded vowels
are those made with rounded lips. The corners of the lips
are brought towards each other and the lips are pushed
forwards.
e.g. /ʊ/, /u:/, /ɒ/, /ɔː/

Neutral vowels
are those made with the lips neither rounded nor spread.
e.g. /ə/, /ɜː/, /ʌ/, /ɑː/

Unrounded/ spread vowels

are those made with the lips spread. The corners of the lips
are moved away from each other as for a smile.
e.g. /e/, /æ/, /ɪ/, /i:/
DEGREE OF LIP ROUNDING
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

Rounded vowels
are those made with rounded lips. The corners of the lips
are brought towards each other and the lips are pushed
forwards.
e.g. /ʊ/, /u:/, /ɒ/, /ɔː/

Neutral vowels
are those made with the lips neither rounded nor spread.
e.g. /ə/, /ɜː/, /ʌ/, /ɑː/

Unrounded/ spread vowels

are those made with the lips spread. The corners of the lips
are moved away from each other as for a smile.
e.g. /e/, /æ/, /ɪ/, /i:/
DEGREE OF LIP ROUNDING
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

Rounded vowels
are those made with rounded lips. The corners of the lips
are brought towards each other and the lips are pushed
forwards.
e.g. /ʊ/, /u:/, /ɒ/, /ɔː/

Neutral vowels
are those made with the lips neither rounded nor spread.
e.g. /ə/, /ɜː/, /ʌ/, /ɑː/

Unrounded/ spread vowels

are those made with the lips spread. The corners of the lips
are moved away from each other as for a smile.
e.g. /e/, /æ/, /ɪ/, /i:/
DEGREE OF LIP ROUNDING
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

CLOSE /i:/, /u:/ The vertical

distance
between the
HALF-CLOSE /ɪ/, /ʊ/, /ə/ tongue and
the hard
HALF-OPEN /e/, /ʌ/, /ɔ:/
palate

OPEN /æ/, /ɑ:/, /ɒ/

 Definition Classification Vowel chart

VOWEL CHART
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

front, mid, unrounded, half-close/

/e/ half-open, short

/i:/ front, high, unrounded, close, long

/u:/ back, high, rounded, close, long

/æ/ front, low, unrounded, open, short

front, high, unrounded, half-close,

/ɪ/ short
 Definition Classification Vowel chart

ORDER
02. 04.
Tongue height Vertical distance
between tongue and
hard palate

01. 03. 05.

Tongue’s position Degree of lip rounding Sound length
03 DIPHTHONGS
 DEFINITION OF
DIPTHONGS

Sounds that consist of a

movement/ glide from one vowel
to another.
 NOTE
01.
The first part of a diphthong is always longer
and stronger than the second part.
→ The second part is shorter and quieter.

02.
The length of a diphthong is equivalent to that
of a long monophthong.
 CLASSIFICATION
DIPHTHONGS

Centring diphthongs Closing diphthongs

Ending in /ə / Ending in / ɪ / Ending in / ʊ /

/ɪə/ /eə/ / ʊə/ /aɪ/ /eɪ/ /ɔɪ/ / əʊ/ /aʊ/

near air cure sky lay soy snow cow
hear hair pure why play boy coat how
 CENTRING DIPHTHONGS CLOSING DIPTHONGS

Diphthongs glide from front/ back Diphthongs glide from a more open to a
position to more central position closer position
 CENTRING DIPHTHONGS CLOSING DIPTHONGS

Diphthongs glide from front/ back Diphthongs glide from a more open to a
position to more central position closer position
 CENTRING DIPHTHONGS CLOSING DIPTHONGS

Diphthongs glide from front/ back Diphthongs glide from a more open to a
position to more central position closer position
04 TRIPHTHONGS
 DEFINITION OF
TRIPTHONGS

Sounds that consist of a

movement/ glide from one
vowel to another and then to a
third.
5 CLOSING DIPHTHONGS + /ə/ → 5 TRIPHTHONGS

FIRE /faɪər/

/aɪ/ + /ə/ → /aɪə/

 CLASSIFICATION
/aʊ/ + /ə/ /aɪ/ + /ə/ /eɪ/ + /ə/ /əʊ/ + /ə/ /ɔɪ/ + /ə/

/aʊə/ /aɪə/ /eɪə/ /əʊə/ /ɔɪə/

Sour Ireland Layer Rower Employer

/saʊər/ /ˈaɪə.lənd/ /ˈleɪər/ /ˈrəʊər/ /imˈplɔɪər/