Difference between revisions of "Sounds of English"
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<h2>Long "pure" vowels</h2> | <h2>Long "pure" vowels</h2> | ||
− | <span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ɑ:</b>/</span> | + | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ɑ:</b>/</span></h3> |
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− | </ | ||
+ | <ul> | ||
+ | <li> R, star, car, far</li> | ||
+ | <li> f<u>a</u>ther, b<u>o</u>ther, b<u>o</u>ttle</li> | ||
+ | <li>cl<u>er</u>k <sup style="color:darkblue;font-size:9px;">UK</sup></li> | ||
+ | </ul> | ||
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+ | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">i:</b>/</span></h3> | ||
− | < | + | <ul> |
+ | <li>B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V, Z, <sup style="color:darkblue;font-size:9px;">US</sup></li> | ||
+ | <li>h<u>e</u>, sh<u>e</u>, m<u>e</u>, w<u>e</u></li> | ||
+ | <li>s<u>ea</u>, t<u>ea</u>, s<u>ee</u>m, f<u>ee</u>t, k<u>ey</u></li> | ||
+ | <li>apostroph<u>e</u>, Socrat<u>e</u>s, catastroph<u>e</u> /<span style="color:darkgreen;">kə ˈtæ strə fi</span>/</li> | ||
+ | </ul> | ||
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+ | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">u:</b>/</span></h3> | ||
− | < | + | <ul> |
+ | <li>2, Q, U, W, y<u>ou</u></li> | ||
+ | <li>ch<u>oo</u>se, <u>u</u>se </li> | ||
+ | <li>n<u>ew</u>, fl<u>ew</u>, gr<u>ew</u>, kn<u>ew</u>, tr<u>ue</u>, bl<u>ue</u> | ||
+ | <li>t<u>o</u> <sup style="font-size:9px;">strong form only</sup>, thr<u>ough</u></li> | ||
+ | </ul> | ||
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− | <span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;"> | + | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ɔː</b>/</span></h3> |
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− | </ | ||
− | <span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ɒ</b>/</span> | + | <ul> |
− | <ul> | + | <li>4, 40</li> |
− | <li>primarily UK. US substitutes /<span style="color:darkgreen;">ɑ:</span>/</li> | + | <li>d<u>oo</u>r, fl<u>oo</u>r, sh<u>o</u>re, st<u>o</u>re |
− | <li>wh<u>a</u>t <sup style="color:darkblue;font-size:9px;>UK 1</sup></li> | + | <li>d<u>augh</u>ter, c<u>augh</u>t, th<u>ough</u>t, f<u>ough</u>t</li> |
− | <li>bottle /<span style="color:darkgreen;">ˈbɒ tl</span>/</li>, throttle | + | <li>l<u>aw</u>, s<u>aw</u>, l<u>aw</u>yer /<span style="color:darkgreen;>ˈlɔː jə</span><span style="color:grey;">r</span>/ </li> |
− | <li>sh<u>o</u>t, sp<u>o</u>t, l<u>o</u>ts, <u>o</u>f <sup style="color:darkblue;font-size:9px;>UK 1</sup>, p<u>o</u>ts</li> | + | <li>fl<u>uo</u>rine, chl<u>o</u>rine</li> |
− | </ul> | + | </ul> |
+ | |||
+ | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ɜː</b>r/</span></h3> | ||
+ | |||
+ | <ul> | ||
+ | <li>first, third, 30, 30<sup>th</sup></li> | ||
+ | <li>sh<u>ir</u>t, cl<u>er</u>k, c<u>er</u>tification, l<u>ear</u>n</li> | ||
+ | <li>Some people sometimes pronounce words like <b>sure</b> & <b>pure</b> with this sound rather than /ʃʊr/, /pjʊr/, (myself included).</li> | ||
+ | </ul> | ||
+ | |||
+ | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ɒ</b>/</span></h3> | ||
+ | |||
+ | <ul> | ||
+ | <li>primarily UK. US substitutes /<span style="color:darkgreen;">ɑ:</span>/</li> | ||
+ | <li>wh<u>a</u>t <sup style="color:darkblue;font-size:9px;>UK 1</sup></li> | ||
+ | <li>bottle /<span style="color:darkgreen;">ˈbɒ tl</span>/</li>, throttle | ||
+ | <li>sh<u>o</u>t, sp<u>o</u>t, l<u>o</u>ts, <u>o</u>f <sup style="color:darkblue;font-size:9px;>UK 1</sup>, p<u>o</u>ts</li> | ||
+ | </ul> | ||
<sup style="color:darkblue;font-size:9px;>US 1</sup> = <span style="color:darkgreen;">ʌ</span> in <i>wh<u>a</u>t</i> and <i><u>o</u>f</i> | <sup style="color:darkblue;font-size:9px;>US 1</sup> = <span style="color:darkgreen;">ʌ</span> in <i>wh<u>a</u>t</i> and <i><u>o</u>f</i> | ||
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<h2>Short vowels</h2> | <h2>Short vowels</h2> | ||
− | <span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ʌ</b>/</span> | + | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ʌ</b>/</span></h3> |
− | <ul> | + | |
− | + | <ul> | |
− | + | <li>1, 100</li> | |
− | + | <li>s<u>u</u>n, b<u>u</u>t, m<u>u</u>d, <u>u</u>ncle</li> | |
− | + | <li>s<u>o</u>n, w<u>o</u>n, br<u>o</u>ther, <u>o</u>ther, an<u>o</u>ther, ab<u>o</u>ve</li> | |
− | + | <li>fl<u>oo</u>d, bl<u>oo</u>d</li> | |
− | </ul> | + | <li>t<u>ou</u>gh, r<u>ou</u>gh, en<u>ou</u>gh /<span style="color:darkgreen;">ɪ ˈnʌf</span>/ |
+ | </ul> | ||
+ | |||
+ | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ʊ</b>/</span></h3> | ||
+ | <ul> | ||
+ | <li>L<u>oo</u>k!, a g<u>oo</u>d c<u>oo</u>kb<u>oo</u>k</li> | ||
+ | <li>p<u>u</u>t, p<u>u</u>sh, p<u>u</u>ll</li> | ||
+ | <li>w<u>o</u>man /<span style="color:darkgreen;">'wʊ mən</span>/ | ||
+ | </ul> | ||
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+ | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">ɪ</b>/</span></h3> | ||
− | + | <ul> | |
− | <ul> | + | <li>6, h<u>i</u>m, th<u>i</u>s, f<u>i</u>n<u>i</u>sh, m<u>i</u>n<u>u</u>te (n.) </li> |
− | <li>6, h<u>i</u>m, th<u>i</u>s, f<u>i</u>n<u>i</u>sh, m<u>i</u>n<u>u</u>te (n.) </li> | + | <li>b<u>ee</u>n, ag<u>ai</u>n</li> |
− | <li>b<u>ee</u>n, ag<u>ai</u>n</li> | + | <li>b<u>e</u>low, b<u>e</u>hind, b<u>e</u>tween, b<u>e</u>neath, b<u>e</u>moan, b<u>e</u>labor, b<u>e</u>smirch, etc. </li> |
− | <li>b<u>e</u>low, b<u>e</u>hind, b<u>e</u>tween, b<u>e</u>neath, b<u>e</u>moan, b<u>e</u>labor, b<u>e</u>smirch, etc. </li> | + | <li>w<u>o</u>m<u>e</u>n /<span style="color:darkgreen;">'wi min</span>/, <u>e</u>lectric, el<u>e</u>gance /<span style="color:darkgreen;">'el ɪ ɡəns</span>/, <u>e</u>nough /<span style="color:darkgreen;">ɪ ˈnʌf</span>/</li> |
− | <li>w<u>o</u>m<u>e</u>n /<span style="color:darkgreen;">'wi min</span>/, <u>e</u>lectric, el<u>e</u>gance /<span style="color:darkgreen;">'el ɪ ɡəns</span>/, <u>e</u>nough /<span style="color:darkgreen;">ɪ ˈnʌf</span>/</li> | + | </ul> |
− | </ul> | ||
<h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">e</b>/</span></h3> | <h3><span style="font-size:14px;">/<b style="color:darkgreen;">e</b>/</span></h3> |
Revision as of 01:30, 20 September 2017
Contents
Vowels
Vowels are always voiced (which means the vocal cords vibrate when the sound is made).
ˈvaʊəlz ər 'ɔːlwəz 'vɔɪst
Long "pure" vowels
/ɑ:/
- R, star, car, far
- father, bother, bottle
- clerk UK
/i:/
- B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V, Z, US
- he, she, me, we
- sea, tea, seem, feet, key
- apostrophe, Socrates, catastrophe /kə ˈtæ strə fi/
/u:/
- 2, Q, U, W, you
- choose, use
- new, flew, grew, knew, true, blue
- to strong form only, through
/ɔː/
- 4, 40
- door, floor, shore, store
- daughter, caught, thought, fought
- law, saw, lawyer /ˈlɔː jər/
- fluorine, chlorine
/ɜːr/
- first, third, 30, 30th
- shirt, clerk, certification, learn
- Some people sometimes pronounce words like sure & pure with this sound rather than /ʃʊr/, /pjʊr/, (myself included).
/ɒ/
- primarily UK. US substitutes /ɑ:/
- what UK 1
- bottle /ˈbɒ tl/ , throttle
- shot, spot, lots, of UK 1, pots
US 1 = ʌ in what and of
Short vowels
/ʌ/
- 1, 100
- sun, but, mud, uncle
- son, won, brother, other, another, above
- flood, blood
- tough, rough, enough /ɪ ˈnʌf/
/ʊ/
- Look!, a good cookbook
- put, push, pull
- woman /'wʊ mən/
/ɪ/
- 6, him, this, finish, minute (n.)
- been, again
- below, behind, between, beneath, bemoan, belabor, besmirch, etc.
- women /'wi min/, electric, elegance /'el ɪ ɡəns/, enough /ɪ ˈnʌf/
/e/
The precise realisation of this form varies. In South Africa the sound is closer to /e/, while in the US it is closer to /ɛ/. (fête, bête, lait, aime pouvaient). Since the distinction is not considered phonemic (since the long "A" sound is realized as the diphthong /eɪ/), the standard transcription is /e/ though the sound is closer to /ɛ/ than /e/ (fée, pourrai, pouvez, aimer.)
- 7, 10, 12, F, L, M, N, S, X, Zed
- health, wedding, nephew, elementary /ˌel ɪ ˈmen tri/
- says, said
/ə/
- The most common vowel sound in English (also the most central vowel) (quite lax) uh... (French "euh" is very similar, but with rounded lips)
- around, about, above, ago, asleep, etc.
- perpetual, residual, science, electric, elegant, woman, sermon
- -ous (famous, gelatinous, disastrous)
- -er (safer, cheaper, etc.)
- -able, -ible (understandable, comfortable 1, legible, incredible)
- Some transcribe the sound of the suffix -ion as /ən/, though most dictionaries simply use "syllabic" /n/. More terminology wars... :) e.g. nation, ration, consideration, fashion /ˈfæʃ n/, etc.
1 Most commonly the first schwa is dropped entirely. ˈkʌmf təbl / 'kʌm fə təbl
/æ/
- bad, faster, fastest, that 1
- laughter US + parts of UK,
1 As a demonstrative pronoun / determiner that is pronounced /ðæt/, as a relative pronoun, that is usually pronounced /ðət/, though it may be dropped entirely.
Diphthongs
/eɪ/
- A, H, J, K, 8
- they, grey
- take, plane, fate
- main, rain, paid,
said(/səd/) - day, way, say,
says(/səz/) - weigh, neighbour, freight
- vein
- aviation, (un)able, Asia (/'eɪ ʒə/)
/ɑɪ/
- I, Y, 5, 9
- rice, mice
- guide, quite quiet /'kwɑɪt 'kwɑɪ ət/
- light, sight, sigh, height
- align, benign, sign
/əʊ / oʊ/
- O, 0, (zero)
- close, clothes /kləʊðz/, chose, chosen
- though, although, thorough /ˈθɜː roʊ/ US /'θʌ rə/ UK, borough /ˈbɜː roʊ/ US /'bʌ rə/ UK
- own, grow, known, flown
- soap, foam
/ɑʊ/
- 1000
- out, about, around, announce, pounce
- how, now, power, tower, town
/eə/
- Mostly UK. North American English (NAME) is usually /er/
- there, where
- hair, pair
- share, care
- heir
/ʊə/
- Mostly UK. North American English (NAME) is usually /ʊr/
- poor 1, tour (guide)
- sure 1, (al)lure
1 both "poor" and "sure" can be pronounced with ɔː i.e. ʃɔː, pɔː
/ɪər/
- Mostly UK. North American English (NAME) is usually /ɪr/
- dear, near
- here
- tier
Consonants
Most consonants are paired: at each position one can make two sounds (one voiced, one unvoiced). For example:
Voiced | Unvoiced |
---|---|
b big | p pig |
v even Stephen | f enough phonetics |
d stewed | t cooked |
z reads | s writes |
ʒ pleasure | ʃ sure |
dʒ badge, joke | tʃ batch, choke |
g agree | k second, chemistry |
- Nasal consonants — m, n, ŋ — liquids —r, l — and glides — w, j (why, yellow) — are all voiced.
- There are forms of n and l which are syllabic, that is to say, roughly equivalent to /ən/, /əl/. (fashion, bottle)