Vowels

Warm up

• Bingo: All vowel sounds (monophthongs and diphthongs)

Vowel bingo

• Glide• Foot• Clear• Dark• Fortis• Teeth• Tone• Pitch• Sound

• Stress• Word• Voice• Tongue• Nose• Glottis• Dialect• Larynx• phonetics

LECTURE 3: VOWELS1. Definition2. Classification3. Describing vowels4. Identifying vowels5. Diphthongs6. Triphthongs

DEFINITION• Vowels are the sounds in the production of which none

of the articulators come very close together so the passage of air-stream is relatively unobstructed and the air can get out freely.

• Vowels are the type of sounds that depend mainly on the variations in the position of the tongue. They are normally voiced.

• Vowels can be classified according to three variables:a. Tongue height.b. Part of the tongue which is raisedc. Degree of lip rounding

ACCORDING TO TONGUE HEIGHTHigh vowels: are those in the production of which the tongue is high in the mouth. It is raised above its rest position.

eg. /i:/ /u:/

Low vowels: are those made with the tongue below its rest position.Eg.

Mid vowels: are those made with the tongue neither high nor low in the mouth.eg. /e/

ACCORDING TO THE PART OF THE TONGUE RAISED1. Front vowels: are those in the production of which

the front of the tongue is the highest point. e.g.

2. Back vowels: are those in the production of which the back of the tongue is the highest point.e.g.

3. 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.

ACCORDING TO DEGREE OF LIP ROUNDING1. 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./u://u/ /ɔː / /ɒ /

2. Unrounded vowels (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.

3. Neutral vowels: are those made with the lips neither rounded nor spread.e.g.

FRONT CENTRAL BACK

HIGH

MID

LOW

Front Central Back

Close

Half-Close

Half-Open

Open

i:

ɪ

ɜ:

ǝe

æ Ɑ:

:c

ɒ

u:

ʊ

High

Mid

Low>

Rounded

Parts of tongueLevels of tongue

Front Central Back

High long

short

Mid long

short

Low long

short

VOWEL CHART

Parts of tongueLevels of tongue

Front Central Back

High long iː uː

short ɪ ʊ

Mid long ɜː ɔː

short e ə

Low long ɑː

short æ ʌ ɒ

VOWEL CHART

DIPHTHONGS1. Definition:

- a glide from one vowel to another

- Length: like long vowel

- The first part is much longer and stronger than the second part

e.g. /ai/

/eә/

CLASSIFICATION

Diphthongs

Centring(ending in /ә/)

Closing

(ending in /ɪ/) (ending in /ʊ /)

TRIPHTHONGS• A triphthong is a glide from one vowel to another and

then to a third, all produced rapidly without interruption.

• There are five triphthongs in English. They are composed of the five closing diphthongs with/ә/ added at the end.

DESCRIBING AND IDENTIFYING VOWELS

1. Describing: long/short, high/mid/low, front/central/back, rounded/unrounded.e.g./e/: short mid front unrounded vowel

2. Identifyinge.g. long mid central unrounded vowel: /з:/

• high front short vowel• high back long vowel• low back long vowel• low back unrounded vowel• mid back to front diphthong• high back rounded short vowel• low central vowel