The sounds that represent are 44 English phonemes, which are divided into two categories: consonants and vowels. Since sounds cannot be written down, graphemes (letters or combinations of letters) are used to convey sounds in writing.
English alphabet
There are 26 letters in English. The standard one starts with the letter a and ends with the letter z.
When classifying alphabetic characters, they distinguish:
- 5 pure vowels: a, e, i, o, u;
- 19 pure consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x, z;
- 2 semivowels: y, w.
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Features of English consonants
A consonant combination is a set of two or three consonant letters that retain their original sound when pronounced. Such sets occur either at the beginning or at the end of a word. For example, the word brave, in which both "b" and "r" are pronounced, is the initial combination. In the word bank "-nk" is the final combination.
Classification:
- Initial combinations are classified into sets with "l", "r", and "s". In "l" the combination ends with "l". An example would be the letters "bl" in the word blind. Similarly, the final sound in "r" in combination with "r" when "br" and "cr", for example, in the words bridge, crane. On the contrary, in "s" it starts with s, "st" and "sn" - stap, snail.
- The final combinations are grouped into sets with "s", "l" and "n": -st, -sk, -ld, -nd, -nk. Examples, first, desk, gold, sand, sink.
Digraphs
Consonant digraphs refer to a set of consonants that form one sound. Some digraphs are both at the beginning and at the end of the word - "sh", "ch" and "th". There are also strict initial and final digraphs - "kn-" and "-ck".
Examples of digraphs:
| Ch- | -ch |
| Kn- | — ck |
| Ph- | -sh |
| Sh- | -ss |
| Th- | -th |
| wh- | -tch |
| Wr- |
Features of digraphs:
Table of pronunciation of English consonants
| b | b | bag, band, cab | bag, band, cab |
| d | d | dad, did, lady, odd [ɒd] | dead, did, lady, od |
| f | f, ph, sometimes gh | fable , fact , if [ɪf], off [ɒf], photo , glyph | fable, fact, if, of, foutow, glyph |
| g | give , flag | givew, flag | |
| h | hold, ham | hold, ham | |
| j | usually represented by y, but sometimes by other vowels | yellow, yes, young, neuron, cube | Yelow, ies, yang, n (b) yueron, k (b) yu: b - the sound j is similar to the vowel sound i:. |
| k | k, c, q, que, ck, sometimes ch | cat, kill, queen, skin, thick [θɪk], chaos | kat, kil, qui:n, sik, keyos |
| l | l | lane, clip, bell, milk, sould | lane, clip, bel, milk, sould - has two sound options: pure /l/ before a vowel, “darkened” /ɫ/ before a consonant or at the end of a word |
| m | m | man, them [ðem], moon | man, zem, mu:n |
| n | n | nest, sun | nest, san |
| ŋ | ng | ring, sing, finger [ŋ] is sometimes followed by the sound [g]. [ŋ] if "ng" is at the end of a word or a related word (sing, singer, thing), to "-ing", which translates verbs into participles or gerunds. [ŋg] if "ng" is not at the end of a word or in related words, also in comparative degrees(longer, longest). |
/ring/, /sing/, /finge/ |
| p | p | pen, spin, tip, happy | pen, spin, type, happy |
| r | r | rat, reply, rainbow, | rat, ripple, rainbow - movement of the tongue close to the alveolar ridge, but without touching it |
| s | s, sometimes c | see, city, pass, lesson | si:, pa: s, forest |
| ʃ | sh, si, ti, sometimes s | she [ʃi:], crash , sheep [ʃi:p], sure [ʃʊə], session , emotion [ɪməʊʃn], leash | shi:, crash, shi:p, shue, session, imashn, li:sh |
| t | t | taste, sting | test, sting |
| tʃ | ch, sometimes t | chair [ʧɛə], nature teach beach | t che e, ney t che, ti: t h, bi: t h |
| θ | th | thing [θɪŋ], teeth, Athens [æθɪnz[ | t sing, ti: t s, et sinz - voiceless fricative |
| ð | th | this [ðɪs], mother | d sis, ma d ze - voiced fricative |
| v | v, sometimes f | voice, five, of [ɔv] | voice, five, ov |
| w | w, sometimes u | wet, window, queen | y in em, y in indeu, ku in i: n - [w] is similar to |
| z | z | zoo, lazy | zu: lazy |
| ʒ | g, si, z, sometimes s | genre [ʒɑːŋr], pleasure, beige, seizure, vision | genre e, plezhe, beizh, b:zhe, vision |
| dʒ | j, sometimes g, dg, d | gin [ʤɪn], joy [ʤɔɪ], edge | gin, joy, edge |
English vowels
Each English vowel is pronounced in three ways:
- like a long sound;
- like a short sound;
- as a neutral vowel (schwa).
AT English alphabet there are 5 vowels, but sometimes y becomes a vowel and is pronounced like i, and w replaces u, for example, in the digraph ow.
Rules for reading vowels
Short vowels, which are characterized by a "short" sound, appear when there is one vowel in a word, either at the beginning of a word or between two consonants. For example, if, elk, hop, fan. A typical short vowel pattern is consonant+vowel+consonant (CHS).
Words are taught as families that represent groups of words with a common pattern, such as in the pattern "-ag" - bag, wag, tag or "-at" - cat, bat, hat.
vowels:
| Sound | Letter | Examples |
| [æ] | a | rag, sag, ram, jam, gap, sap mat |
| [ɛ] | e | hen, pen, wet, bet, let |
| [ɪ] | i | pig, wig, dig, pin, win, tin, tin, bit |
| [ɒ] | o | hop, pop, top, hot, pot, lot |
| [ʌ] | u | bug, lug, tug, hut, but, cut |
vowels:
| Sound | Writing | Examples |
| A | ai, ay, a+consonant+e | name, mail, gray, ace |
| E | e, ee, ea, y, ie ,ei, i+consonant+e | he, deep, beast, dandy, thief, receive, elite |
| I | i, i+gn, igh, y, i+ld, i+nd | mine, sign, high, sky, wild, kind |
| O | o+consonant +e, oa, ow, o+ll, ld | tone, road, note, know, roll, bold |
| U | ew, ue, u+consonant+e | few, due, tune |
The vowel sound in unstressed syllables is expressed by the abbreviated neutral sound ("schwa"), the phonemic symbol /ə/, especially if syllabic consonants are not used.
For example:
- a in about, around, approve, above [ə bʌv];
- e in accident, mother, taken, camera ;
- i c, family, lentil, officer pencil ;
- o in memory, common, freedom, purpose, London;
- u in supply, industry, suggest, difficult, succeed, minimum ;
- and even y in sibyl;
- schwa appears in function words: to, from, are.
Features of vowel sounds in English
Vowels are divided into monophthongs, diphthongs or triphthongs. A monophthong is when there is one vowel in a syllable, a diphthong is when there are two vowels in a syllable.
Let's take a closer look:
- Monophthongs are pure and stable vowels., whose acoustic characteristics (timbre) do not change during the time they are pronounced.
- - a sound formed by a combination of two adjacent vowels in one syllable. Technically, the tongue (or other parts of the speech apparatus) moves when a vowel is pronounced - the first position is stronger than the second. In the transcription of a diphthong, the first character is the starting point of the body of the language, the second character is the direction of movement. For example, you should know that in /aj/ the body of the tongue is in the bottom center position represented by /a/ and immediately starts moving up and forward to the position for /i/.
- Diphthongs are often formed when separate vowels work together in rapid conversation.. Usually (in the speaker's speech) the body of the tongue does not have time to get to the position /i/. Therefore, the diphthong often ends closer to /ɪ/ or even to /e/. In the diphthong /aw/ the body of the tongue moves from the bottom central position/a/, then moves up and back to the /u/ position. Although single diphthongs are also distinguished, which are heard as separate vowel sounds (phonemes).
- English also has triphthongs.(combinations of three adjacent vowels), including three sound types, for example, fire /fʌɪə/, flower /flaʊər/. But in any case, all diphthongs and triphthongs are formed from monophthongs.
Table of pronunciation of simple English vowels
All vowels are formed from only 12 monophthongs. Each, regardless of spelling, is pronounced using some combination of these sounds.
The table shows examples of simple English vowels with Russian pronunciation:
| [ɪ] | pit, kiss, busy | pete, kitty, beezy |
| [e] | egg, let, red | eg, years, red |
| [æ] | apple, travel, mad | apple, travel, mead |
| [ɒ] | not, rock, copy | music, rock, copy |
| [ʌ] | cup, son, money | cap, san, mani |
| [ʊ] | look, foot, could | bow, foot, cool |
| [ə] | away, away | hey, hey |
| be, meet, read | bi:, mi:t, ri:d | |
| [ɑ:] | arm, car, father | a:m, ka:, fa:dze |
| [ɔ:] | door, saw, pause | to:, from:, to: from |
| [ɜ:] | turn, girl, learn | cho:n, gyo:l, le:n |
| blue, food, too | blu:, foo:d, tu: |
Diphthong pronunciation table
| day, pain, rein | dei, pein, rein | |
| cow, know | kou, know | |
| wise, island | visa, island | |
| now, trout | naw, trout | |
| [ɔɪ] | noise, coins | noiz, coin |
| [ɪə] | near, hear | nee, hie |
| [ɛə] | where, air | uh uh uh |
| [ʊə] | pure, tourist | p (b) yue, tu e rist |
Learn the transcription of English words
Let's look at some features English transcription:
There are a large number of videos online on the Internet to listen to, and you can also practice using exercises.
The phonetics of the English language is so complex and interesting that we have devoted more than one article to it. Here you can find, and here you will find English words. general information about is presented in this article, and today we want to talk about how English sounds are still correctly pronounced. English transcription and a convenient table will help us with this. English sounds with pronunciation.
Why does the pronunciation of English sounds raise so many questions? First of all, because of the mismatch in the number of letters and sounds in the English language. There are almost half as many letters in the English alphabet (26 letters and 48 sounds). Consequently, the pronunciation of sounds cannot be correlated each with its own letter. Hence the confusion. More precisely, certain conditions that allow one to master English pronunciation right.
What determines the pronunciation of English sounds?
As long as we read “to ourselves”, that is, silently, we will not be able to recognize the sound of English words. Only pronunciation aloud allows you to cope with practical phonetics. But in practice, the sounds of the English language and their pronunciation directly depend on the so-called articulation. That is, how we use the organs of speech.
The organs of speech, or articulatory apparatus, are the larynx, tongue (tip of the tongue, front of the tongue, middle part and back of the tongue with the root), soft and hard palate, teeth of the upper and lower jaws, lips, nasopharynx. An entire organ system involved in the creation of speech and voice sounds.
To correctly pronounce all sounds, you need to use all the organs of articulation. At the same time, for different sounds different organs are needed. For example, to pronounce voiceless consonants vocal cords not tense and apart. But for vowels and voiced consonants, you need to strain your vocal cords and literally make them vibrate. Of course, this is not done consciously. The correct pronunciation of sounds itself “turns on” certain parts of the articulatory apparatus. But for correct English pronunciation, it is useful to know exactly how the sounds appear.
Pronunciation of vowels and their types in English
There are two types of vowels in English:
- monophthongs- these are vowel sounds, during the pronunciation of which the articulation does not change during the entire period of sounding. An example of a monophthong: [ɔː].
- diphthongs are vowel sounds that consist of two components. When pronouncing a diphthong, the organs of speech first take one position to pronounce the first component, and then change position to pronounce the second component. The first component is called the core of the diphthong and is longer and more distinct. The second component of the diphthong sounds shorter and gives the sound a certain “shade” of sound. Diphthong example: .
Consonants are divided into more varieties:
1) Labial consonants:
labials are articulated with both lips: [w], [m], [p], [b]
labiodental are pronounced with the lower lip and upper teeth: [f], [v].
2) Frontlingual consonants:
interdental, when the surface of the front of the tongue forms an incomplete barrier with the upper teeth: [θ], [ð]
apical-alveolar, the front edge of the tongue is raised to the alveolar arch: [t], [d], [n], [l], [s], [z], [∫], [ʒ], ,
kakuminalno-alveolar, the front edge of the tongue is raised up and slightly bent towards the posterior slope of the alveoli: [r].
3) Middle-lingual consonants, the barrier is formed by raising the middle part of the tongue to the hard palate: [j].
4) Back lingual consonants that are articulated by raising the back of the tongue to the soft palate: [k], [g], [ŋ].
5) guttural consonant unique in English: [h].
6) Closed consonants: [p], [b], [t], [d], [k], [g], [m], [n], [ŋ], , .
7) Slotted consonants: [f], [v], [θ], [ð], [s], [z], [∫], [ʒ], [h], [w], [l], [r], [j].
8) Closed noisy consonants:
explosive, when the full obstruction opens, the air leaves the oral cavity, producing an explosion noise: [p], [b], [t], [d], [k], [g]
affricates, when the opening of the organs of speech, which form a complete barrier, occurs smoothly:,.
9) Fricatives consonants: [f], [v], [θ], [ð], [s], [z], [∫], [ʒ], [h].
10) Nasal sonants, a complete obstruction is formed in the oral cavity, the soft palate descends, and air exits through the nasal cavity: [m], [n], [ŋ].
11) Oral sonants: [w], [r], [j], [l].
English sounds and their pronunciation
Reading aloud and pronouncing English sounds is the best, if not the only, way to get rid of a Russian accent in colloquial speech. And for beginners to learn English, this is an opportunity to immediately remember how sounds are pronounced correctly in English. All of them are collected in tables of English sounds with pronunciation:
English vowel sounds. English Vowel Sounds |
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Sound |
Description |
Example words |
| iː | Long vowel. When pronouncing a sound, the tongue is in front of the mouth. The tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth. The middle part of the tongue is raised high to the hard palate. Lips are slightly stretched. |
feel read |
Short vowel. When pronouncing the sound [ɪ], the tongue is in front of the mouth. The middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate, but not as high as when pronouncing the Russian sound [and]. The tip of the tongue is at the lower teeth, the lips are slightly stretched. |
unit wind |
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Short vowel. Pronounced with a slight rounding of the lips. When pronouncing the sound [ʊ], the tongue is at the back of the mouth, but not very far away. The back of the back of the tongue is raised to the front of the soft palate, but not as high as when pronouncing the Russian sound [y]. The lips are slightly rounded, but almost do not move forward. |
put look |
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Long vowel. When pronouncing a sound, the tongue is located at the back of the mouth. The back of the tongue is considerably raised. The lips are rounded, but slightly. Toward the end of the sound, the lips become more rounded. |
none blue |
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Short vowel. When pronouncing the vowel sound [e], the tongue is in front of the oral cavity. The tip of the tongue is at the base of the lower teeth, the middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate. Lips are slightly stretched. When pronouncing the sound [e], the lower jaw should not be lowered. |
bed desk |
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Short neutral vowel. This sound is always unstressed, so it is very easily influenced by neighboring sounds. When pronouncing the sound [ə] at the beginning or middle of words, the whole language is somewhat raised. The sound [ə] should not be similar to the Russian sounds [e], [a] or [s]. |
again under |
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Long vowel. When pronouncing the sound [ɜː], the tongue is raised, the back of the tongue lies flat. The tip of the tongue is at the bottom teeth. The teeth are slightly exposed, the distance between the upper and lower teeth is small. The lips are tense and slightly stretched. |
work burn |
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Long vowel. When pronouncing the sound [ɔː], the tongue is in the back of the mouth. The back of the tongue is raised to the soft palate. The lips are slightly pushed forward and considerably rounded. |
small morning |
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Semi-long vowel. When pronouncing the sound [æ], the mouth is wide enough open, the tongue is in front of the oral cavity, lies flat in the mouth, and its middle part is slightly raised. The tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth. The lips are somewhat stretched, and the corners of the lips are slightly drawn to the sides. There is no such sound in Russian. |
bad exam |
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Short vowel. When pronouncing the sound [ʌ], the mouth is half open, the lips are neutral, the tongue is somewhat pushed back. The back of the tongue is slightly raised. |
nut cut |
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Long vowel. When pronouncing the sound [ɑː], the tongue is in the back of the mouth. The back of the tongue is slightly raised. The tip of the tongue is pulled away from the lower teeth, the lips are neutral, that is, not stretched or pushed forward. You should not open your mouth wide. |
dark are |
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Short vowel. When pronouncing the sound [ɒ], the tongue is at the back of the mouth. The back of the tongue is slightly raised. The mouth is wide open, the lips are rounded. |
not wash |
Vowel length, which is denoted by a colon in transcription, is very important. If you do not take into account the duration of vowels, then you can confuse the meaning of words. For example: short sound ship [ʃɪp] - ship and long sound sheep [ʃiːp] - ram.
English diphthongs. English Diphthongs |
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Sound |
Description |
Example words |
| ɪə | Diphthong. The core is the vowel sound [ɪ]. After pronouncing the sound [ɪ], the tongue moves towards the center in the direction of the neutral vowel [ə], which has a shade of the sound [ʌ]. |
real beer |
The core of the diphthong is the vowel [e]. After pronouncing [e], the tongue makes a slight upward movement in the direction of the [ɪ] sound, but without reaching its full formation. |
say table |
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The core of the diphthong is the vowel [ʊ]. After pronouncing the sound [ʊ], the tongue moves towards the center in the direction of the neutral vowel [ə], which has a shade of the sound [ʌ]. |
tour jury |
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The core of the diphthong is the vowel, which is the middle sound between [ɒ] and [ɔː]. After pronouncing the first element of the diphthong, the tongue moves in the direction of the vowel [ɪ]. |
boy noise |
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The diphthong nucleus is close in sound to the vowel [ɜː], after which the tongue makes a slight upward movement and moves back in the direction of the vowel [ʊ]. At the beginning of the pronunciation of the diphthong, the lips are slightly rounded, then gradually the lips are rounded even more. |
coat flow |
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The core of the diphthong is a vowel similar to the Russian sound [e] in the word it, after pronouncing which the language moves in the direction of the neutral vowel [ə] with a hint of the sound [ʌ]. |
where their |
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The core of the diphthong is a vowel similar to the Russian sound [a] in the word tea, when pronouncing which the tongue is in front of the mouth and lies flat. The tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the lips are slightly stretched. After pronouncing the first element of the diphthong, the tongue moves upwards in the direction of the sound [ɪ]. |
five my |
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The core of the diphthong is a vowel similar to the Russian sound [a] in the word tea, when pronouncing which the tongue is in front of the mouth and lies flat. The tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the lips are slightly stretched. After pronouncing the first element of the diphthong, the tongue moves back in the direction of the [ʊ] sound, which should be very weak. |
how cloud |
Pronunciation of consonants in English
If you have noticed that the intonations of the English language are more energetic than Russian, then this fully applies to English words. And that means sounds. English consonants are pronounced vigorously, with great impulses and energy expenditure. Keep this in mind when reading tables of English consonants with pronunciation:
English consonants. English Consonant Sounds |
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Sound |
Description |
Example word |
Voiced consonant. When pronouncing the sound [b], the lips first close, and then instantly open, and the air exits through the oral cavity. |
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Voiced consonant. When pronouncing the sound [d], the tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), forming a complete barrier. A jet of air with an explosion opens this barrier. |
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Voiced consonant. When pronouncing the sound [ʒ], the tip of the tongue is at the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), and the middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate. |
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Voiced consonant. When pronouncing a sound, the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), at the same time the middle part of the tongue rises to the hard palate. Gradually, the tip of the tongue moves away from the alveoli. The sound is pronounced similarly, but loudly, with a voice. |
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Voiced consonant. When pronouncing the sound [ɡ], the back of the back of the tongue touches the soft palate, forming a complete barrier. A jet of air with an explosion opens this barrier. |
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Voiced consonant. When pronouncing the sound [v], the lower lip is slightly pressed against the upper teeth, and a stream of exhaled air passes into the gap between them. |
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Voiced interdental consonant. To correctly pronounce the sound [ð], you need to place the tip of the tongue between the teeth. The tongue should be flattened and not tense, and the teeth should be bared. The tip of the tongue between the teeth forms a small gap, and you need to exhale air into this gap. |
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Voiced consonant. When pronouncing the sound [z], the tip of the tongue is against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth). A stream of air with friction passes through the groove formed between the anterior back of the tongue and the alveoli. |
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Silent consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [p], the lips first close, and then instantly open, and the air exits through the oral cavity. |
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Silent consonant sound. When pronouncing a dull sound [t], the tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), forming a complete barrier. A jet of air with an explosion opens this barrier. |
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Silent consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [ʃ], the tip of the tongue is at the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), and the middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate. |
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Silent consonant sound. When pronouncing a sound, the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), at the same time the middle part of the tongue rises to the hard palate. Gradually, the tip of the tongue moves away from the alveoli. |
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Silent consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [k], the back of the back of the tongue touches the soft palate, forming a complete barrier. A jet of air with an explosion opens this barrier. |
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Silent consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [f], the lower lip is slightly pressed against the upper teeth, and a stream of exhaled air passes into the gap between them. |
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Voiceless interdental consonant. To correctly pronounce the sound [θ], you need to place the tip of the tongue between the teeth. The tongue should be flattened and not tense, and the teeth should be bared. The tip of the tongue between the teeth forms a small gap, and you need to exhale air into this gap. |
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Silent consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [s], the tip of the tongue is against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth). A stream of air with friction passes through the groove formed between the anterior back of the tongue and the alveoli. |
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Labio-labial consonant. When pronouncing the sound [m], the lips are closed, the soft palate is lowered, and a stream of air passes through the nasal cavity. |
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Nasal consonant. When pronouncing the sound [n], the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), the soft palate is lowered, and air passes through the nasal cavity. |
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Nasal consonant. When pronouncing the sound [ŋ], the back of the tongue touches the soft palate, the soft palate is lowered, and air passes through the nasal cavity. |
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Silent consonant sound. The sound [h] is formed without the participation of the tongue, while at the moment of its pronunciation, the tongue takes the position for the subsequent vowel. |
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Consonant. When pronouncing the sound [l], the tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), but the lateral edges of the tongue are lowered, forming a passage for the air stream. |
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Consonant. When pronouncing the sound [r], the tip of the tongue is raised to the posterior slope of the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth). The tip of the tongue should be kept tense and motionless. |
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Labio-labial consonant. When pronouncing the sound [w], the lips are strongly rounded and pushed forward, forming a round gap. The back of the tongue is raised to the soft palate. Then, instantly, the tongue and lips move into position for pronouncing the next vowel. |
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Consonant. When pronouncing the sound [j], the middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate, but not as high as when pronouncing Russian [y]. The edges of the tongue are pressed against the upper teeth, forming an air passage along the middle of the tongue. |
All these subtleties may seem complicated only in theory. In practice, the position of the tongue and lips is remembered after several repetitions. BUT best exercises to practice the pronunciation of English sounds - this is also a practice. Listen to the speech of native speakers, high-quality audio books (by the way, this is excellent) and try to repeat the pronunciation of words.
You should always pay attention to the shades of sound, because there are no insignificant trifles in learning English, every detail is important. But on the other hand, this approach will give the desired result: the correct English pronunciation of sounds and words, and as a result, pure speech without an accent.
The phonetic system of the English language includes 44 sounds (20 vowels and 24 consonants).
| Consonants Consonants | Vowels Vowels |
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|---|---|---|---|
| paired | unpaired | monophthongs | diphthongs |
| [p]-[b] | [m] | [ᴧ] | |
| [t]-[d] | [n] | [æ] | |
| [k]-[g] | [l] | [ɔ] | [əu] |
| [s]-[z] | [r] | [e] | |
| [f]-[v] | [w] | [ι] | [ɔι] |
| [θ] - [ð] | [j] | [u] | [ιə] |
| [∫] - [Ʒ] | [h] | [ə] | |
| - | [ƞ] | [ɔ:] | [εə] |
| [ə:] | |||
Vowels can be front or back, open or closed, rounded or unrounded, clear or nasal. To understand these definitions, you need to imagine the structure of the articulatory apparatus.
The division of vowels into front and back, open and closed depends on the position of the tongue. The division of vowels into rounded and unrounded depends on the participation of lips. The division of vowels into pure and nasal depends on the position of the palatal curtain.
When articulating various sounds it is necessary to strictly observe the correct position of the tongue, lips and palatine curtain.
English vowels sounds are divided into monophthongs, i.e. sounds consisting of one element, and diphthongs, or triphthongs, i.e. sounds consisting of 2 or 3 elements. Vowels can be short or long. The length of the sound is indicated in the transcription by 2 dots , .
- According to the participation of the organs of speech (according to articulation), vowel sounds are divided into:
- front-lingual - sounds formed by the front of the tongue - [ι], , [æ]
- middle language - sounds formed by the middle part of the language - [ᴧ]
- back lingual - sounds formed by the back of the tongue -, [u]
- closed - sounds formed with a slight opening of the mouth - [ι], , [u]
- open - sounds pronounced with a wide open mouth - [æ],
- half-open (half-closed) - sounds formed by a half-open mouth - [e], [ᴧ].
English consonants
- classified according to the following principles:
- according to the method of formation of the barrier:
- stop - [k], [g], [p], [b], [m], [n]
- slotted - [f], [v], [h], [l], [j], [w], [r], [t], [d], [θ], [ð]
- occlusive-slotted - ,
- according to the work of the active organ of speech and the place of formation of the barrier:
- labial - [p], [b], [m], [w]
- labiodental - [f], [v]
- front-lingual - [l], [n], [z], [s], [θ], [ð], [r], [t], [d]
- middle language - [j], [Ʒ]
- back-lingual - [k], [g], [h]
- on the participation of the vocal cords:
- voiced - [r], [b], [g], [v], [m], [ð], [z], [d], [n]
- deaf - [p], [f], [θ], [k], [t], [s], [∫],
Final voiceless consonants are characterized by strong articulation, a significant weakening of articulation is inherent in final voiced consonants.
The consonant sounds of the English language are pronounced more energetically than the corresponding sounds of the Russian language. Most of them are breathy ( aspiration).
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Hello reader! 🙂 Today we have again prepared for you a whole training for setting the pronunciation of English sounds. In this series of articles (this is already the 3rd one in a row), we will analyze the intricacies of the English phonetic system and find the differences between the sounds of the English language and our Russians.
Today we will analyze the analogues of the sound / o / in English. Rather, they are just not analogues, but our phonemic hearing plays a cruel joke with us, and we:
- we replace all three English sounds with Russian / o /,
- we do not see the difference between these 3 sounds and, thus, we change the meanings of some words.
We will build the development of the sounds of the English language, as before: with the help of training videos, a special set of words, exercises, tongue twisters and a song with a reference pronunciation. Let's go!
Attention: the article uses the British pronunciation. What exactly are the differences among the Americans, I will indicate below.
Sound / ɜː / - long vowels in English
Pronounced in words girl, nurse, learn, etc. The sound is very complex: something between our / o / and / e / (indicated on the letter eatyo e) and e(me l) respectively), while being neither one nor the other.
I would say that you need to take the position of the lips, as for / uh /, hold your mouth in this position, but try to pronounce / o /. Reminds yo in the word Gyo those. The sound is long.
The back of the tongue lies flat, the middle part of the tongue is slightly raised, higher than the front and back of the tongue. The tip of the tongue is at the bottom teeth. The edges of the tongue do not touch the upper teeth. The distance between the upper and lower teeth is quite narrow. The lips are tense and stretched, slightly revealing the teeth.
Pronunciation errors of English words in Russian
What are the main mistakes of Russian speakers:
1. Complete replacement for Russian / e / in words like pearl(obsolete Russian is pronounced like this pearl), were and etc.
Advice: you need to give the sound / ɜː / a shade of the Russian sound / o /. Lip position as for / e /, but pronounce / o /.
2. Complete replacement for the Russian sound / o /, denoted by the letter ё in writing, in words like, worse, sir etc.
Advice: give the English sound a touch of Russian / e /. The lips should be stretched, the teeth brought together, the tongue should be flat.
And, accordingly, do not round your lips, as for Russian / o /. It is recommended to pronounce / ɜː / with almost the same stretched position of the lips as for the phoneme / i: / => see / si: / - sir / sɜː /, fee / fi: / - fir / fɜ: /, heat / hi: t / - hurt / hɜːt /.
The stretched position of the lips is especially necessary when pronouncing / ɜː / after / w / => we / wi: / - world / wɜːd /, we / wi: / - work / wɜːk /, we / wi: / - worm / wɜːm /.
3. Also note that the consonant before this vowel does not need to be softened (we are talking about this). In words like girl, first, bird and other consonants will be hard.
Advice: do not raise the middle back of the tongue to the hard palate while pronouncing the consonant. First pronounce the hard consonant, and then start pronouncing the vowel.
Examples for English vowels
Got it? Now we turn to the formulation of the correct pronunciation of words in English. Setting up speech apparatus in the right position and start training:
first /ˈfɜːst/
stir /stɜːr/
fir /ˈfɜːr/
Excellent! And now I’ll tell you about the difference in pronunciation performed by an American (I didn’t say it before, so as not to confuse). The American transcription looks like this:
firm-/f ɝ ːm/ (or /fɜrm/ as we have).
In British pronunciation, the /r/ sound can only be heard at the junction of words when the next word begins with a vowel: si r A lec /sɜː ræ lɪk/.
They will help us to fix the result English tongue twisters for vowels:
- G e rman l ea rners l ea rn G e rman w o rds, T u rkish l ea rners l ea rn T u rkishw o rds.
- An ea rl gave P ea rl a f u r and a c ir cell of p ea rls for h er th ir ty-f ir stb ir day.
- The f ir stsk ir t is d ir tier than the th ir d sh ir t, The f ir st sh ir t is d ir tier than the th ir dsk ir t.
Finally, let's find this English sound in a famous song so that it is imprinted in the auditory memory. Since we took the British pronunciation as a basis, the example will be exclusively British - The Beatles "Girl"
From 0:18 to 0:30
Sound / ɒ / - pronunciation of short vowels in English
“Inverted a in English transcription” is pronounced in words doll, hot, what. The English sound is similar to Russian / o / under stress (as in the word Pabout st) but:
- our lips are more rounded (and protrude forward),
- for our sound, the tongue rises higher, because the Russian sound is less open,
- our sound is longer.
How the speech apparatus works: the articulation is much like the /a:/ sound, as in the word part(). But the root of the tongue is drawn back and down even more than with / a: /, not tense. The tip of the tongue is drawn further from the lower teeth than with / a: /, and lowered down. The distance between the jaws is large. The lips are slightly rounded, the protrusion of the lips is completely absent. The sound is short.
Advice: since the English sounds /a:/ and /ɒ/ are somewhat similar, you can try this: start saying the word part /pa:t/(listen to British pronunciation), but push the root of the tongue as far back as possible, DO NOT round your lips too much and make the sound short - you will get the correct pronunciation of the word pot /pɒt/(listen to the British version).
In order not to accidentally replace the sound with Russian / o /, open your mouth wider, lower and move your tongue lower. Rounding the lips, do not protrude them forward and reduce the sound.
Let's move on to practice. Let's put correct pronunciation English using a set of words:
Again, I draw attention to the differences in American pronunciation. There is practically no “short o” in AmE, and they pronounce the above words with the sound / a: / (we talked about it above) - not / nɑːt /.
Watch from 2:01 to 3:22
Let's fix the pronunciation with tongue twisters in English to practice sounds:
- R o b o ften dr o ps his w a llet in sh o ps, T o m o ften dr o ps his w a llet at st o ps.
- D o llyw a nts to w a tch n o vels o n TV, P o llyw a nts to w a tch h o rrors o n TV.
- Kn o tt and sh o tt f o ught a duel. Kn o tt w a s sh o t and Sh o tt w a s n o t. It w a better to be Sh o tt than Kn o tt.
In conclusion a line from a song. By the way, it was not so easy to find an example… This sound is short, and I wanted it to be heard in the song. But singers have the right to stretch even short sounds 🙂 Therefore, we take as an example a rather fast and rhythmic song “13 Little Dolls” by British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Fight them hard then keep them safe
Those 13 little do
lls
One for each moodo
f the day
Those 13 little do
lls
Cro
ss your heart and try to sleep
Leave them out to play
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 little do
lls
From 1:00 to 1:18
Sound / ɔː / - pronunciation of vowels in English
The sound /ɔː/ is pronounced in words horse, wall, law and etc.
The sound is similar in articulation to the previous / ɒ / - the tongue moves back and down, BUT the back of the tongue is raised to half the distance (and in the previous sound the root of the tongue is relaxed), so in this sound you feel how the opening at the throat “closes”. The lips are drawn into a small hole, as if you are planning to kiss someone. The sound is long.
That is, in fact, we pronounce a very, very deep sound /o/, but the position of the lips, as for the sound /u/.
Understanding the difference between these sounds is also important because changing the sound can change the meaning of the word:
cock /kɒk/ (rooster) – cork /kɔːk/ (bark, wine cork)
pot /pɒt/ (pot) – port /pɔːt/ (port)
wad /wɒd/ (pack of something - banknotes, chewing gum) - ward /wɔːd/ (hospital ward)
Correct pronunciation of words in English
I hope you managed to catch the articulation of this sound. Let's move on to word training:
store /stɔːr/
shore /ʃɔːr/
floor /flɔːr/
chalk /tʃɔːk/
fourth /fɔːθ/
thought /θɔːt/
brought /brɔːt/
Note that here, too, there is a difference from the British pronunciation. In words like ball, small, low Americans again pronounce the sound / a: /, and in words like horse /hɔːrs/ and north /nɔːrθ/– /r/ is pronounced. Learn more about American pronunciation at.
Now let's move on to phrases:
- A ll P au l's d au ghters were b o rn in C o rk, A llW a lt's d au ghters were b o rn in Yo rk.
- F ou r expl o rersexpl o ref o rty w a terf a lls, F o rty expl o rersexpl o ref ou rw a terf a lls.
- D o ra's d au ghter is t a better than N o ra's d au ghter, N o ra's d au ghter is sh o rter than D o ra's d au ghter.
As a musical example, I propose to take the British band Pink Floyd and the song “Another Brick In The Wall” (or rather, one word from it - wall).
From 3:05 to 3:25
We do not say goodbye!
There are 44 (!!!) sounds in English. We have already analyzed 10. In the next article of this section, we will focus on consonants. On which ones - we have not decided yet, so tell us in the comments 🙂
Read the continuation of the section: .
