021 vowels spellings transcriptions

ending ss singing s inging plural & past cccchurches hurches Less common women w omen m myth yth • Basic vowel pattern in the spelling.. • This is a checked vowel, this means that it

The English Pure Vowels

A vowel is a “sound in the production of which the air-stream comes out through the mouth (and nose), centrally over the tongue, and metes a stricture of open approximation” (Finch & Ortíz-Lira,

1982, p 189)

Characteristics of vowels:

They can stand on their own Some MONSYLLABIC WORDS illustrate this point: ear, or, out, err,

air, I, owe, etc

They occur in the nucleus of the syllable, so they are CENTRAL E.g peas, ease, pee

The air escapes freely through the mouth This means that they are CONTINUANT because the airflow does not stop Also, they are FRICTIONLESS because the organs are sufficiently apart so

as not to produce turbulence

They are normally VOICED because there is vibration of the vocal folds

They are mainly ORAL because the air escapes through the ORAL cavity However, they can be

NASALISED when they are in contact with

compare the word reader with morning Which of the two has a continuous nasal resonance?

They are better described AUDITORILY because it is difficult to see what happens inside your mouth Also, it takes a lot of practice to be able to manipulate your organs of speech at will! The articulatory features that make vowels different from each other are: TENSENESS, the shape

of the lips, their relative length and QUALITY Remember that the last feature is the most transcendental

The vowel chart is used as a visual aid for understanding the quality of the vowel system in a language It is based on the cardinal vowel diagram, devised by Daniel Jones These cardinal vowels do not exist in any language in particular; they are abstractions which serve as a reference point to describe and compare the vowels in a language, and also across languages The vertical axis of the chart indicates the degree of opening of the jaw and its connection with the raising or lowering of the tongue The horizontal axis shows the part of the tongue that is raised the most and forms the narrowest stricture in the oral tract

Vowel chart adapted from Cruttenden (2014)

Listen to

.H.

Trim (1995, p.15)

<-ing> ending ss singing s inging

<e> plural & past cccchurches hurches

Less

common

<e> women w omen

<y> m myth yth

• Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

• This is a checked vowel, this means that it cannot occur in word

• This is similar to the Spanish sound in the incredulous version of “sí, sí” (sometimes spelt “se se”the words “Sixto, mixto”

• Think of Spanish /i/ and drop your jaws a bit more

• This sound can be stressed (e.g s

extremely frequent words, contain this sound:

Transcribe:

1 Phil is ill

2 Is this fish English?

3 Will Miss Lynch live in this village?

inging ss setting etting etting .!rdsHM.

hurches added added .!zcHc.

omen E English nglish nglish .!HMfkHR.

yth hythm hythm .!qHCl.

illage certificate certificate r?!sHeHjHs.

w women omen omen .!vHlHm.

bbbbusy usy usy .!aHyh.

uilding biscuit biscuit .!aHrjHs.

s ss sieve ieve ieve .!rHu.

Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

This is a checked vowel, this means that it cannot occur in word-final position

This is similar to the Spanish sound in the incredulous version of “sí, sí” (sometimes spelt “se se”

Think of Spanish /i/ and drop your jaws a bit more

This sound can be stressed (e.g sit .!rHs.) or unstressed (e.g sitting .!rHsHM.) The following weak, and extremely frequent words, contain this sound: in, is, it, its, it’s, if, this, with, his, him, etc

Will Miss Lynch live in this village?

Miss Willis Smith is in this film

final position

This is similar to the Spanish sound in the incredulous version of “sí, sí” (sometimes spelt “se se”) or

) The following weak, and

in, is, it, its, it’s, if, this, with, his, him, etc

Contrast

FLEECE – Vowel N°1

Trim (1995, p.16)

Most <e> Pete Pete

Most <ea> m mean ean ean

Less

common

<i> machine m achine

<ie> p pp piece iece iece .

• Spellings: silent <-e>, magic <

• This is similar to the Spanish sound in the

• Think of Spanish /i/ and close

Transcribe:

1 Phoebe eats cream cheese

2 Will we greet these people?

3 Feed these three beasts, please!

4 Leave these seats free, Jean

5 Keep these green leaves clean

w weep eep eep .!vh9o.

hese hese .!Ch9y.

feast feast .!eh9rs.

achine kilo kilo .!jh9k?T.

believe believe .aH!kh9u.

rrrreceive eceive conceit conceit .j?m!rh9s.

kkkkey ey ey .!jh9.

p pp people eople

e>, magic <-y>, two vowels together where the first one says its nameThis is similar to the Spanish sound in the the words “tía, mía”

close your jaws a bit more Smile a bit, this helps!

Phoebe eats cream cheese

Will we greet these people?

these three beasts, please!

Leave these seats free, Jean

Keep these green leaves clean

y>, two vowels together where the first one says its name

Focus on the stressed syllabes and

Trim (1995, p.33)

• It’s the “Queen of English” because it’s the most frequent vowel by far!

• Most unstressed syllables take Schwa

• The following weak words take schwa: am, are, can, had, has, have, does, do (+consonant), must, shall, was, were, her, us, them, a, an, the (+consonant), and, as, but, than, that, at, for, from, of, to (+consonant), some, there

• Make sure you cram and lower the volume of those syllables containing Schwa (E.g “There were some professors at the conference”

Transcribe:

1 The fisher has visited the teacher

2 My niece, Melissa, is from the south of England

3 The old spinsters are eating at the local cinema

4 Mr Smithson and Miss Simpson are

5 An infamous but interesting sinner

S P E L L I N G S

again can can .j?m.

professional of of .?u.

centre her her .g?.

easily easily !h9y?kh.

album album .!zka?l but but but .a?s.

particular particular .o?!sHji?k?.

actor for for .e?.

neighbour neighbour .!mdHa?.

nature nature .!mdHsR?.

famous

famous .!edHl?r.

It’s the “Queen of English” because it’s the most frequent vowel by far!

Most unstressed syllables take Schwa

The following weak words take schwa: am, are, can, had, has, have, does, do (+consonant), must,

r, us, them, a, an, the (+consonant), and, as, but, than, that, at, for, from, of, to

Make sure you cram and lower the volume of those syllables containing Schwa (E.g “There were some professors at the conference” . !edr !jPme?q?mr

The fisher has visited the teacher

My niece, Melissa, is from the south of England

The old spinsters are eating at the local cinema

Mr Smithson and Miss Simpson are the winners

An infamous but interesting sinner

The following weak words take schwa: am, are, can, had, has, have, does, do (+consonant), must,

r, us, them, a, an, the (+consonant), and, as, but, than, that, at, for, from, of, to Make sure you cram and lower the volume of those syllables containing Schwa (E.g “There were

Listen to

Trim (1995, p.17)

D I S T R I B U T I O N : R e s t r i c t e d

s ss said aid

• Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

• Think of Spanish /e/ and drop your jaws a bit more

/e/ It may be found in Spanish words like “perro, ley”

Transcribe:

1 Wednesday the 10th of September, 2012

2 Geoffrey Reynolds has buried many dead men

3 Helen, Melanie and Emily are from Reading

4 Dreadful weather, isn’t it Rebecca?

5 Why should I represent her at the French embassy?

d dead ead s ss steady teady teady .!rsdch.

ffffriend riend riend .!eqdmc.

any Thames Thames .!sdly.

bury bury .!adqh.

Leicester Leicester .!kdrs?.

against against .?!fdmrs.

Geoffrey Geoffrey .!cYdeqh.

Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

/ and drop your jaws a bit more The English /e/ is more open than the Spanish /e/ It may be found in Spanish words like “perro, ley”

of September, 2012

has buried many dead men

Helen, Melanie and Emily are from Reading

Dreadful weather, isn’t it Rebecca?

ent her at the French embassy?

The English /e/ is more open than the Spanish

Listen to

Trim (1995, p.31)

All stressed, word

final <er, ir, ur>

All <er, ir, ur> +

<our> journey

<ear> search

Exceptions Colonel !j29mk., milieu Colonel , milieu

Tips:

• There’s generally an <r> involved in the spelling

• This is similar to a long Schwa: e.g but

• You should do NOTHING to produce this sound Bot

your lips, don’t lower your jaw,

Transcribe:

1 Colonel Quirk has referred to Ernest Byrne

2 Does Shirley still work for a Turkish firm?

3 HER word is worthless, sir

4 Some Germans lived in the worst circumstances

5 A 1st rate surgeon was murdered in Birmingham

S P E L L I N G S

her fir fir, fur , fur , fur .!e29.

curl curl .!j29k.

word world wor worth th th

wor wor

worse se wor worst st st .!v29rs.

journey courtesy courtesy .!j29srh.

search heard heard .!g29c.

, milieu , milieu !lh9ki29., bleu , bleu , bleu !ak29.

s generally an <r> involved in the spelling

similar to a long Schwa: e.g but .a?s. vs Burt .!a29s.

You should do NOTHING to produce this sound Botox effect: don’t spread your lips, don

t lower your jaw, and don’t raise your jaw! ☺

Colonel Quirk has referred to Ernest Byrne

Does Shirley still work for a Turkish firm?

is worthless, sir

Some Germans lived in the worst circumstances

rate surgeon was murdered in Birmingham

t spread your lips, don’t round

Listen to

Trim (1995, p.18)

Tips:

• Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

• This sound is very clear in American English (think of “The Nanny”)

• You need to lower your jaw and spre

Transcribe:

1 Thanks! That was really fantastic, Grandad!

2 Daniel Appleby has married Janet Atkinson

3 The manager is having a massive salmon sandwich

4 Antony and Gary fancy that activity

5 That wild animal has attacked a lamb, ma’am

plait plait .!okzs.

timbre timbre .!szla?.

reveille reveille .q?!uzkh.

guarant guarantee ee ee .$fzq?m!sh9.

> are never .z

Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

sound is very clear in American English (think of “The Nanny”)

You need to lower your jaw and spread your lips Smile! ☺

Thanks! That was really fantastic, Grandad!

Daniel Appleby has married Janet Atkinson

The manager is having a massive salmon sandwich

Antony and Gary fancy that activity

That wild animal has attacked a lamb, ma’am

4

Contrast

STRUT – Vowel N°10

Trim (1995, p.21)

Tips:

• Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

• It may be spelt with <o> or <u> but never <a>

• You need to look “miserable” when you produce this sound, as you need to lower your jaw and avoid smiling

Transcribe:

1 Are the buns in the oven, Duncan?

2 Cousin Humphrey has just rung up the company

3 They may come to London for

4 Southern Russia has been flooded

5 Justin and Dustin are in front of the judges

southern country country .!jUmsqh.

enough enough .?!mUe.

flood flood .!ekUc.

does doesn’t doesn’t .!cUyms.

U

Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

It may be spelt with <o> or <u> but never <a>

You need to look “miserable” when you produce this sound, as you need to lower your jaw and

buns in the oven, Duncan?

Cousin Humphrey has just rung up the company

They may come to London for lunch this Monday

Southern Russia has been flooded

Justin and Dustin are in front of the judges

You need to look “miserable” when you produce this sound, as you need to lower your jaw and

Contrast

BATH – Vowel N°5

Trim (1995, p.23)

Most <ar> hard

Some <a> + nasal

+ consonant

Some <a> + voiceless fricative past

<oire> repertoire

Tips:

• Note that some BATH words take

grass, pass, answer, laugh, etc.)

• This vowel is produced at the back of your oral cavity and you need to lower your jaws a lot

is similar to the sound you produce when you yawn

Transcribe:

1 Are the Parkers from Argentina?

2 Charles and Charlotte aren’t in France now

3 Martin Grant can’t pass his drama class, Francis

4 Our aunt married a bank clerk from Derby

5 The dance can start after half past one

hard bar bar .!a@9.

answer chance chance .!sR@9mr.

past after after .!@9es?.

heart hearth hearth .!g@9S.

Derby sergeant sergeant .!r@9cY?ms.

laugh aunt aunt .!@9ms.

calm half half .!g@9e.

reservoi memoir memoir .!ldlv@9.

repertoire repertoire .!qdo?sv@9.

, etc.) (See BATH WORDS overleaf.) This vowel is produced at the back of your oral cavity and you need to lower your jaws a lot

is similar to the sound you produce when you yawn

Are the Parkers from Argentina?

Charles and Charlotte aren’t in France now

Martin Grant can’t pass his drama class, Francis

Our aunt married a bank clerk from Derby

The dance can start after half past one

in American English (e.g class, This vowel is produced at the back of your oral cavity and you need to lower your jaws a lot This

Contrast

LOT – Vowel N°6

Tips:

• Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

• This is similar to the Spanish sound

• Think of Spanish /o/ and dro

Transcribe:

1 The fashion model lost her horror novel in Florence

2 What a common officer Thomas was!

3 Those socks have cost me five dollars

4 Nonsense! This is not a monotonous song, Oliver

5 The Austins got us a horrible orange coffee pot

Common BVP <o> boss

All <-ock> sock

Exceptions

<au>

because cauliflower bureaucracy

<ow, ou> cough

<a> quarrel

Basic vowel pattern in the spelling

This is similar to the Spanish sound in “Hola” when people try out a microphone in a sound test

/ and drop your jaws a bit more

on model lost her horror novel in Florence

What a common officer Thomas was!

Those socks have cost me five dollars

Nonsense! This is not a monotonous song, Oliver

The Austins got us a horrible orange coffee pot

R e s t r i c t e d

Final

.

S P E L L I N G S

boss snog snog .!rmPf.

sock clock clock .!jkPj.

quality quantity what what .!vPs.

because because .aH!jPy laurel laurel sausage cauliflower bureaucracy bureaucracy .aiT?!qPjq?rh.

Gloucester quarrel ya yach ch chtttt .!iPs.

when people try out a microphone in a sound test

Contrast

THOUGHT – Vowel N° Vowel N°7

Trim (1995, p.28)

• Spellings with <or> or a combination of several vowels (e.g <au, our, oa, aw, etc.)

• This is similar to the Spanish sound

1 Sean saw the thunderstorm from the shore

2 Your daughter is drawing a white horse

3 George ordered some more port from the store

4 Walk with me We need to talk, Laura

5 There’s some chalk in the top drawers

board board .!aN9c.

talk all all .!N9k.

war quarter quarter .!jvN9s?.

door floor floor .!ekN9.

court four four .!eN9.

bought ought ought .!N9s.

broad broad .!aqN9c.

w water ater ater !vN9s?

sure pure pure .!oiN9.

Spellings with <or> or a combination of several vowels (e.g <au, our, oa, aw, etc.)

This is similar to the Spanish sound found in the speech of elderly “señoras paquetas

,” “Graciela Booooorges,”) and the idiosyncratic

thunderstorm from the shore

Your daughter is drawing a white horse

George ordered some more port from the store

me We need to talk, Laura

There’s some chalk in the top drawers

7

Spellings with <or> or a combination of several vowels (e.g <au, our, oa, aw, etc.)

señoras paquetas” (e.g “la ) and the idiosyncratic “Ooooocho” as spoken