Vowels Flashcards
Vowels
IPA symbol used for each of the English vowels and diphthongs when transcribing speech:
Front vowels: /i, ɪ, e, ɛ, æ/
Back vowelsː /u, ʊ, o, ɔ, ɑ/
Central vowelsː /ə, ʌ, ɚ, ɜ˞/
R-colored vowelsː /ɪr, ɛr, ʊr, ɔr, ɑr/
Diphthongs: /aɪ, ɔɪ, aʊ, eɪ, oʊ/
Classification of English vowels:
- Tongue height: how high or low the tongue is when producing a vowel.
- Tongue advancement relates to how far forward or backward the tongue is during vowel production.
- Lip Rounding: refers to whether the lips are rounded or unrounded during production of a particular vowel.
- Tense or Lax relates to whether a particular vowel can or cannot end a stressed open syllable. *Tense vowels can end a stressed open syllable, and lax vowels cannot.
Front vowels
/i, ɪ, e, ɛ, æ/
Front Vowels
/i/
Lower-case i
High, Front, Tense, Unrounded
Be- bi
Eat-it
Beet-bit
Family = three of me
- /i/ is represented by the letter ‘y,’ as in “city,” or “Family”
- letter ‘e,’ as in “be” and lastly by the
- letter ‘i,’ as in ‘ski.’
- combinations of letters, such as “ea,” as in “each,” ‘ee,’ as in “see,” and ‘ie,’ as in “piece.”
Pronunciation Guide:
Open your mouth a little, stretch your lips as wide as you can, and make them tense. Raise your tongue very high and push it to the front of your mouth. The tip of your tongue should be lowered just behind your bottom front teeth.
Front Vowels
/ɪ/
small capital ɪ
High, Front, Lax, Unrounded
it- ɪt
win-wɪn
hid-hɪd
/ɪ/ am **i**n **i**t to w**i**n **i**t.
Pronunciation Guide:
Slightly open your mouth, spread your lips and relax them. Raise your tongue high in your mouth and push it to the front. The tip of your tongue can be lowered just behind your bottom front teeth.
Front Vowels
/e/
/ei/
Lower-case e
Mid, Front, Tense, Unrounded
Ate-et
Bait- bet
day-dei
Pronunciation Guide:
*pronounced as 1st letter in English Alphabet: “Aa”
Open your mouth a little, stretch your lips as wide as you can, and make them tense. Raise your tongue very high and push it to the front of your mouth. The tip of your tongue should be lowered just behind your bottom front teeth.
Front Vowels
/ei/
Diphthong
*see /e/ card*
only using /e/ for transcription in class
take- tek or teik
day- de or dei
allophone of /e/
Same sound as /e/
Usually produced in stressed syllables and at end of words (regardless of stress) when the vowel is lengthened; (note:/e/-occurs in stressed and unstressed syllables) “ace”, “away”, “toupee” “cake”, “eight”, “beige”, “plays”, “stated”, “braid”, “contagious”, game
*Reference the corresponding vowel sound due to being more of a single vowel than diphthong. (debated by linguist)
Front Vowels
/ɛ/
Epsilon
Low-Mid, Front, Lax, Unrounded
many-mɛni
Bed- bɛd
friend-frɛnd
head-hɛd
Pronunciation Guide:
Partially open your mouth, slightly spread your lips, and relax them. Push your tongue to the front of your mouth and relax it. Raise the middle of your tongue to the roof of your mouth. The tip of your tongue can be lowered just behind your bottom front teeth. Your jaw is partially lowered.
Front Vowels
/æ/
Ash
Low, Front, Lax, Unrounded
bat - bæt
and -ænd
happy - hæpi
Pronunciation Guide:
Open your mouth as wide as possible, slightly spread your lips, and tense them. Tense your tongue, flatten it, and push it forward. Your tongue should be positioned very low in your mouth. with a low jaw. The tip of your tongue should be touching the back of your bottom front teeth.
Back vowels
/u, ʊ, o, ɔ, ɑ/
Back Vowels
/u/
Lower-Case u
High, Back, Tense, Unrounded
boot - but
do-du
rooster - roster
Also hear this sound in words like “rule,” “too,” “do,” or “new.”
Pronunciation Guide:
Open your mouth a little and push your lips out, making a small, tense circle. Pull your tongue far back in your throat and tense it. Raise the back of the tongue toward the roof of your mouth.
Back Vowels
/ʊ/
Upsilon
High(lower than u), Back, Lax, Rounded
book - bʊk
put -pʊt
could - kʊd
Pronunciation Guide:
Slightly open your mouth, round your lips, and relax them. Pull your tongue back in your mouth and relax it. Lift the back of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth.
Back Vowels
/o/
/oʊ/
Lower-Case o
High-Mid, Back, Tense, Rounded
boat - bot
owed - od
no - no
Traditional “O” sound
Examples: open, alone, sew rose, road
Pronunciation Guide:
Partially open your mouth. Round your lips and make them tense, then pull them in a tighter circle. Pull your tongue back and tense it.
Back Vowels
/oʊ/
Dipthong
*see /o/ card*
only using /o/ for transcription in class
allophone of /o/
same sound as /o/
tongue glides from /o/ (starting position) to higher position /ʊ/
Occurs in stressed syllables and at end of words “go”, “below”, “Probate”, slow
*Reference the corresponding vowel sound due to being more of a single vowel than diphthong. (debated by linguist)
Back Vowels
/ɔ/
Open o
Low-Mid, Back, Tense, Rounded
on - ɔn
all-ɔl
bought - bɔt
Also heard in words: “saw. “caught”, “law” “taught”, “cause”, “off”, “golf”, “dog”
Pronunciation Guide:
Open your mouth a little and push your lips out, making a small, tense circle. Pull your tongue far back in your throat and tense it. Raise the back of the tongue toward the roof of your mouth.
Back Vowels
/ɑ/
Script ɑ
Low, Back, Tense, unrounded (only unrounded back vowel in AE)
got - gɑt
bot-bɑt
father - fɑther fɑðɚ
Also heard this sound in words like “lock,” “hot,” “applesauce,” or “fog.”
Pronunciation Guide:
Open your mouth as wide as possible. Relax your lips and allow them to rest in a neutral position. Flatten your tongue and place it very low in your mouth. Your tongue should be in the center of your mouth. The tip of your tongue should be touching the back of your bottom front teeth.
central vowelsː
/ə, ʌ, ɚ, ɜ˞/
Central Vowel
/ə/
Schwa
Mid, Central, Lax, Unrounded
above - əbove
ago - əgo
the- thə or ðə Also heard in the words: “person”, “parent”, “action”
*occurs only is stressed syllables: Difference between /ə/ & /ʌ/ = vowel stress. Example: “above” stressed: /ə**bʌv/ or unstressed: /əb**ʌv/
Pronunciation Guide:
Slightly open your mouth, relax your lips, and leave them in a neutral position. Place your tongue in the middle of your mouth and relax it.
Central Vowels
/ʌ/
Turned v “Wedge”
Low-Mid, Back-Central, Lax, Unrounded
But - bʌt
young - jʌŋ
flood - flʌd
“us”, up”, “judge”, “cut”, “other”, “does”, “sun” “country”, come
Pronunciation Guide:
Open your mouth a little, relax your lips, and put them in a neutral position. Place your tongue in the middle of your mouth, not too high or too low.Note that the /ʌ/ vowel sound is used in stressed syllables,
Central Vowels
/ɚ/
Right-hook “Schwar”
Mid, Central, Lax, Rounded
mother- mʌð_ɚ_
herder - herd_ɚ_r
pertain - p_ɚ_tain
butter”, labor, author, general, lizard, pattern, percent, perfect. yogurt, color, surround
“weak” syllables, like in the word “teacher”*
*used in unstressed syllables
Pronunciation Guide:
Open your mouth a little and leave your lips neutral or round them slightly. The /ɚ/ is a weak sound, so your tongue and throat should be relaxed. Raise the front of your tongue toward the alveolar ridge behind your upper front teeth, but don’t touch it. Next: curl back the tip of your tongue. Now slightly lower the center of your tongue and raise its back.
Pronunciation is similar but it is Relaxed:/ɚ/, & /ɝ/ tense and /ɚ/ the weak versions of the same sound.
- /ɝ/as in “herder” (unstressed). You would transcribe this as /hɝdɚ
- /ɚ/ as in “herder” (stressed)
Central Vowels
/ɝ/
Right- Hook Reversed Epsilon
Mid, Central, Tense, Rounded
her- hɝ
bird - bɝd
word - wɝd
first - fɝst girl, earth, firm, learn, purse, attorney, murder, thirsty
/ɝ/ is used in stressed syllables ONLY
Pronunciation Guide:
Open your mouth a little and leave your lips neutral or round them slightly. The /ɝ/ is a tense vowel sound, so your tongue, mouth and throat should be tense when you pronounce it. Raise the front of your tongue toward the alveolar ridge behind your upper front teeth, but don’t touch it. Next: curl back the tip of your tongue. Now slightly lower the center of your tongue and raise its back.
Pronunciation is similar to Relaxed:/ɚ/, & /ɝ/ tense and /ɚ/ is the weaker versions of the same sound.
- /ɝ/as in “herder” (unstressed). You would transcribe this as /hɝdɚ
- /ɚ/ as in “herder” (stressed)
Diphthongs:
/aɪ, ɔɪ, aʊ, eɪ, oʊ/
Diphthongs
/аʊ/
Diphthong (Merging two sounds into one)
Right Low Front to High Back (off-glide)
cow - kaʊ
cloud - klaʊd
brow - braʊ
“now”, “town”, “out”, “h_ow”_, “mouse”
Two vowels that move from one position to another. *The first sound in a diphthong is typically longer and louder.
Glide from /ɑ/ + /ʊ/ = /aʊ/ blend
Pronunciation Guide:
Start with making the /ɑ/ sound. Open your mouth as wide as possible. Relax your lips and allow them to rest in a neutral position. Flatten your tongue and place it very low in your mouth. The tip of your tongue should be touching the back of your bottom front teeth. Next, connect the /ɑ/ to the /ʊ/ sound. Smoothly move your jaw up, until your mouth is almost closed. Then pull the back of your tongue to your throat.
Diphthongs
/ɔɪ/ Diphthong (Merging two sounds into one)
Rising Mid Back to High Front (off-glide)
boy - bɔɪ
coin - kɔɪn
decoy - dɛɔɪ
oil, loyal, lawyer, choice, moist, toilet
Two vowels that move from one position to another. *The first sound in a diphthong is typically longer and louder.
Glide from /ɔ/ + /ɪ/= /ɔɪ/ blend
Pronunciation Guide:
Start with making the /ɔ/ sound. Open your mouth as wide as possible and round your lips. Flatten your tongue and pull it far back to your throat. Place it very low in your mouth. The tip of your tongue should be touching the back of your bottom front teeth. Next, connect the /ɔ/ to the /ɪ/ sound. Smoothly move your jaw up, until your mouth is almost closed. Relax your tongue and push it forward.
