PHONETICS -- VOWELS

PHONETICS -- VOWELS

INTRODUCTION

English is the international language. Nearly 120 countries speak English. It is the largest spoken language. It is an ever enriching language. In an average 10 to 15 new  words join English every day.  The largest spoken word of a nation from any where in the world is taken into English. There are more than 10,00,000 words in English today.

Eg. Jaya Ho – Hindi,           ab initio – French hyper – Greek

Vowel is defined as voiced sound in the production of which the air stream passes over the centre of the tongue without audible friction in the mouth. The position of the lips and the  height of the tongue plays major role in the production of vowels.

There are 20 distinct vowels in British Received pronunciation. The 20 vowel are subdivided into

1.       pure vowel [monophthongs]             and

2.       diphthongs.

Monophthongs are further divided into

1.       short vowels

2.       long vowels

As technology is developing, English is also transforming. It has become a language of survival today. Globalisation is possible just because of English.

English words have become a part of our own mother tongues.

Eg. Cell, time, pen, bus, train, car,

English, once a literary oriented language, is today’s language of technology .

English gives more priority to the pronunciation of a word.

VOWELS

There are 26 letters in English. These are called alphabets. Among them there are vowels and consonants.

The subject of English sounds is called PHONETICS.

Front vowels:- Front vowels are those for whose pronunciation the front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate. These are four in number. /i:/,  /i/,  /e/,  /x  /.

/i:/                                                                           B.W.       eat, yean, eerie,  eel, east M.W.      beat, meat             , meet, seat, teach, teat E.W.       bee, he, me, three, she, agree, tea /e/ BW   any, egg, yell, engine, echo, edge MW  bet, bed, net, met, red, wed, pet, chest, send EW  ------

/  i / BW    it, ink, ill, in, inn,  igloo MW   bit, did, live, chin, chit, pick  EW    city, tidy, wiry, coolie, bury, busy, pretty /        / BW  axe, an, ant, apple, add MW  bat, vat, dad, bank, rank,  sank, tank, EW  ------

BACK VOWELS :-  the back of the tongue is raised. They are five.

/  a:  / BW  art, all, alm, arch, arm, are MW  part, bar, star, lark, park, bark EW  car, caw, saw, law, paw BW  ought, order, orchard, or, orchestra MW  bought born corn horn horse EW  sow, bow, wall, call ball, mow, low, go BW  ooze, MW  boot, fool, moon, soon, loot, lose EW  two, too, woo, zoo, bloue, do, shoe,

BW  ox, occupy odd, object MW  box, cot, dot, hot,. Shot, lot, not EW  ----- BW  --- MW  put, sugar, pull, bush,  good, hood, stood, foot EW  to, do

CENTRAL VOWELS :- The tongue is raised in the direction of thaqt part of roof of the mouth that is between the hard and soft palates to a height just above the open position. The jaws are wide. These are three.

BW  up, undo, uncle, ulcer, under, undo MW  cup, but, hut, nut, rut, mud EW  ---- BW  earn, err MW  learn, EW  weigh, pay, say

BW  about, across MW  get, whet, wet, let EW  ---

DIPHTHONGS :-  Diphthongs are of four types. They are

1.    Raising diphthongs :- raising diphthongs are such that the second  sound is louder than the first one.

2.    Falling diphthongs  :- These are falling vowels. That means the first sound is louder and the second one is lower.

3.    Closing Diphthongs :- the diphthongs whose ending sound is missing.

4.    Centering  Diphthongs :- the centre portion is louder.

Maximum diphthongs are falling diphthongs. These are also called the gliding diphthongs.

CLOSING DIPHTONGS :-

BW    aim, ace, ache, aid, ail  MW   pain, bait, chain, gain, brain  EW    play, bay, bray, ray, say        BW  ice, aise, icicle, icing MW  dime, chime, dine, bind Ew  cry, fly BW  oil MW  boil, soil, toil, voice, poise, noise EW  boy, coy, joy

BW   over, old, own, oat, MW  both, bold, gold, cold, show EW  go, so, sow, foe, joe, low, row BW out, oust MW  bout doubt,, pound, cloud,  crown EW  cow, bow, how, now

               

CENTRING DIPHTHONGS :-

BW   aeroplane, air, aim, aid MW  careful EW  care, hare, rare, pare, fare, stare

                BW  ear, 

                MW  fierce, beard,  pierce, clear, hope

                EW  fear, spear, rear, hear

               

                BW  -----

                MW  during, fever

                EW  cure, sure, moorsss