Module 3 - Vowels And Front Vowels

Question 1

Vowel def + components

Answer 1

A speech sound that is formed without a significant constriction of the oral and pharyngeal cavities and that serves as a syllable nucleus

Significant constriction
Syllable Nucleus

Question 2

Meaning of significant constriction

Answer 2

The cavities are never narrowed to the degree observed for consonants

Question 3

Syllable nucleus

Answer 3

Only one vowel sound can occur within the boundaries of a syllable unit

Individual vowels can be identified with individual syllables

Question 4

Three aspects of vowel production

Answer 4

1. Spatial - the articulators are positioned so as not to constrict the oral and pharyngeal cavities
2. Temporal - sound of interest can be sustained indefinitely
3. Functional - syllable must include a vowel as its nucleus

Question 5

Monophthong

Answer 5

A pure vowel having a single, unchanging sound quality

Question 6

Diphthongs

Answer 6

Vowel like sound which involves a gradual transition from one vowel articulation (onglide) to another (offglide)

E.g. how, eye, hoy

Question 7

Tongue position dimensions

Answer 7

Tongue position distinguishes among almost all of the vowel sounds in English

1. High-low (superior-inferior)
2. Front-back (anterior-posterior)

Question 8

Vowel Characteristics

Answer 8

Vowels are voiced

Vowels resonate in the oral cavity

No significant constrictions/open vocal tract

Vowels are the nucleus of a syllable

Two types: monophthong + diphthong

Question 9

Vowel Description

Answer 9

TONGUE HEIGHT:

• vertical position of tongue - high to low

TONGUE ADVANCEMENT:

• front to back continuum (front, central, back)

TENSENESS OR DURATION

• tense vowels longer
• Lax vowels shorter

LIP ROUNDING

Question 10

TONGUE HEIGHT

Answer 10

• Vertical position of the tongue body
• determined as the position of the highest point of the tongue
• High vowels - tongue is close to the roof of the mouth
• Low vowels - tongue is depressed in the mouth
• Intermediate - mid

Question 11

high - low tongue contrasts (words)

Answer 11

Heat - Hat
Pete - Pat
Meat - Mat
Hoot- Hot
Soup - Sop
Ease - As

Question 12

Jaw

Answer 12

The tongue can move independently of the jaw

However, tongue and jaw work together in vowel articulation

General Rule:

High vowels - produced with a closed jaw position
Low vowels - produced with a more open jaw position

Question 13

Descending Tongue Height (Words)

Answer 13

Meat
Mit
Mate
Met
Mat

Question 14

Tongue Advancement (Tongue retraction)

Answer 14

Front to back dimension (anterior - posterior)

Classified as:

1. Front
2. Central
3. Back

Question 15

Examples of Front/Central/Back Comparisons

Answer 15

FRONT-BACK:

Heat-hoot
Hat-Hot
Pit-Put

FRONT-CENTRAL:
Heat-hurt
hat-hut
pit-putt

CENTRAL-BACK
hurt-hoot
hut-hot
putt-put

Question 16

Four Corners

Point, Cardinal, Corner Vowel

Answer 16

/i/ (high-front) - heat, see, deed, me, beef
/u/ (high-back) - hoot, Sue, dude, moo, boot

/æ/(low-front) - hat, sap, dad, mash, bag
/a/(low-back) - hot, sock, dock, bomb, box

Question 17

Tenseness

Answer 17

Muscle Activity + Duration

Divided into tense and lax

Question 18

Tense Vowels

Answer 18

Tense vowels - have greater muscle activity and longer duration

e.g. /i, u, ɔ, o/
Heat, boot, bought, bake, boat

Question 19

Lax Vowels

Answer 19

Less muscle activity, shorter duration

/ɪ, ɛ, æ, ʊ, a, ə, ʌ, ɚ/

Hit, get, cat, book, father, some, Bert

Question 20

Lip Rounding

Answer 20

Rounded vowels - produced with the lips in a pursed and protruded state

/u, ʊ, o, ɔ, ɚ, ɝ/

Unrounded vowels - no pursing or protrusion

/i, ɪ, ɛ, e, æ, ə, ʌ, a/

Question 21

Front Vowels

Answer 21

All are unrounded

Front vowels make up roughly half of all vowels recorded in English

/i, ɪ, e, ɛ, æ/

Question 22

Vowel /i/

Answer 22

Eat, read, cheese

Lips - unrounded, possibly retracted
Jaws - closed or elevated position

Velopharynx- normally closed unless sound is in a nasal context; velum tends to be quite high

Always in stressed syllables; never in an unstressed syllable

Question 23

Transcription /i/

Answer 23

Seed /s i d/
Phoenix /f i n ɪ k s/
Feast /f i s t/
Beak /b i k/
Leap /l i p/
Leagues /l i ɡ z/
Knead /n i d/
Sneak /s n i k/
Lease /l i s/
Green /ɡ r i n/
Please /p l i z/
Bleed /b l i d/

Question 24

Vowel /ɪ/

Answer 24

City, it, In, If, ill, is

Tongue- high-mid, front, lax

Lips: unrounded; sometimes slightly rounded

Jaw: closed ranging to mid-open

Velopharynx: normally closed unless sound is in nasal context

Question 25

Transcription /ɪ/

Answer 25

Limp /l ɪ m p/
Did /d ɪ d/
Picking /p ɪ k ɪ ŋ/

Look at slides for more

Question 26

Vowel /e/

Answer 26

Ate, date, locate

Tongue: front, mid, tense

Lips: unrounded

Jaw: mid; may be closed

Velopharynx - normally closed

Monophthong, but commonly occurs in English in the diphthongized form /eɪ/ (syllables with primary stress including monosyllabic words or open syllables)

E.g. Vacation /v e k eɪ ʃ ə n/

Question 27

Transcription /e/

Answer 27

Examples that are often, but not always, produced with the monophthong /e/

Donate, operate, elevate

Examples of words that are often, but not always produced with a diphthong /eɪ/

Game
Fade
Ballet
Clay
Gray
Eight
Gaze
Amaze

Question 28

Vowel /ɛ/

Answer 28

Bed, send, rest

Tongue: low-mid, front, lax
Lips: unrounded
Jaw: mid-position
Velopharynx: normally closed

Short duration

Question 29

Transcription /ɛ/

Answer 29

Bet /b ɛ t/

Attempt /ə t ɛ m p t/

Question 30

Vowel /æ/

Answer 30

Had, Sass, Alabama

Tongue: low, front, lax

Lips: unrounded

Jaw: open position

Velopharynx: normally closed

Generally not followed by /r/ in American English within the same syllable. For example, in the word “larynx” /l æ r ɪ ŋ k s/
the /æ/ and the /r/ are in different symbols

Question 31

Transcription /æ/

Answer 31

bad, hammer, alabama, slash, glass, standard, alcohol