Let's Try This Vowel !!
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VOWELS
Though
there are many consonants in English (and in general), much more than can be
individually represented by the 26 letters in the alphabet, vowels can
sometimes be even harder to describe.
While consonants can at least be described with precise terms and actions, vowels tend to be more of approximations in the IPA. This is because vowels tend to lie more on a spectrum than consonants, and also because vowels can change subtly from accent to accent and from language to language.
However,
these subtleties can make a noticeable difference to our ears. Because I personally
am an American English speaker, I am most familiar with the standard American
accent (General American) and some of its variations, as well as the standard
British accent (Received Pronunciation).
So
some of the following examples will mostly serve as a way to get you familiar
with some of these IPA symbols. But even the same symbol can represent slightly
different vowels, since, as mentioned before, vowels tend to lie on a spectrum.
Really,
it is best to use your ears to listen to how English is spoken by different
people, and then compare that to the IPA symbols.
Three
major factors in the production of vowels are the openness, or height, of the
mouth, the position of the tongue, and the roundness of the lips.
·
If a vowel is produced while the
mouth is almost closed, it would be considered a closeIf the vowel
is slightly more open, it would be considered a mid vowel. And
if the mouth is open very tall, it would be considered an open vowel.
·
If the tongue is positioned near
the front of the mouth, any vowel produced would be a front If
the tongue were set slightly more back in the mouth, the vowel would be a central vowel.
If the tongue were set in the far back of the mouth, the vowel would be a back vowel.
·
If a vowel is produced while the
lips are tense and rounded, it would be considered a rounded. If
the vowel is produced while the lips are relaxed, it would be considered
an unrounded vowel.
In
order to better visualize these differences, it’s helpful to look at a chart.
Think of the following chart as a diagram of the mouth facing left sideways,
where the position of the tongue traces along the different points to produce
different vowels.
/Æ/
Found
in words like: cat, lad, bat
Letters that usually represent it: “a”
/Ɑ/
Found
in words like: off, loss, cloth (General American)
Letters that usually represent it: “o,” “a”
Notice
that this symbol is different from the symbol /a/, which some people pronounce
in the word “father.” However, the symbol has been omitted from this list.
/Ɔ/
Found
in words like: law, caught, all, talk
Letters that usually represent it: “a,” “aw,” “au,” “al”
At
least in the General American accent, this is an interesting sound because it’s
starting to fall out of usage. For example, there used to be a clear
geographical distinction in the United States between people who pronounced the
words “cot” and “caught” the same and those who pronounced with different
vowels (/ɑ/ and /ɔ/).
These
days, however, there is a much blurrier distinction between these two
pronunciations, and many more Americans are beginning to pronounce both “cot”
and “caught” with the /ɑ/ vowel. This is what linguists call the “cot-caught
merger” and is an example of how certain sounds are currently dying out of
English pronunciations.
/Ə/
Found
in words like: about, the, spotted, lemon, basil,
analysis, acumen
Letters that usually represent it: almost any vowel
This
symbol is known as the “schwa” and is often called the neutral vowel.
Technically, it is the “mid central unrounded vowel,” and in English, it is only
used for unstressed vowels. Stressed vowels that make a similar sound are
represented by the /ʊ/ symbol.
What’s
interesting about the schwa is that almost any vowel letter in English can make
this sound, probably because it is the neutral vowel, and therefore
a logical go-to for any vowel that becomes weakened from a lack of stress.
/Ɪ/
Found
in words like: sit, hidden, amiss
Letters that usually represent it: “i,” “y”
/I/
Found
in words like: city, see, meat, theme, fluorine,
people
Letters that usually represent it: “ee,” “ea,” “y,” “i”
This
is one of the few IPA symbols where its uppercase counterpart is a separate
symbol. Notice the difference between /i/ and /ɪ/.
/Ɛ/
Found
in words like: bed, instead, friend
Letters that usually represent it: “e,” “ea”
In
Australian and other accents, this sound is replaced entirely by the /e/ sound,
which is a more close, front vowel and has a brighter sound.
/ɹ̩/ OR /ɚ/
Found
in words like: burn, herd, earth, bird, worm,
amateur, winner (General American)
Letters that usually represent it: “er,” “ear,” “ir,” “or,” “ur,” “eur”
These
two symbols feature diacritics, which are small markings added to IPA symbols
to modify their sounds. The small notch placed beneath the /ɹ/ symbol indicates
that it can constitute its own syllable without the help of a vowel. Meanwhile
the little tail added to the schwa colors it with the /ɹ/ sound.
/Ɜ/
Found
in words like: burn, herd, earth, bird, worm
(Received Pronunciation)
Letters that usually represent it: “er,” “ear,” “ir,” “or,” “ur,” “eur”
Not
to be confused with the /ɛ/ symbol.
/Ʌ/
Found
in words like: run, won, flood, sudden, alumnus
Letters that usually represent it: “u,” “o,” “oo”
/Ʊ/
Found
in words like: put, look, would
Letters that usually represent it: “oo,” “oul,” “u”
Remember
that this sound is very similar to the schwa sound, but it is typically
reserved for stressed syllables.
/U/
Found
in words like: tube, you, choose, through, threw,
issue
Letters that usually represent it: “oo,” “u,” “ou,” “ew”
In
a broad transcription (general use of the IPA) of English, it is acceptable to
simply use the /u/ symbol alone.
However,
it is more accurate to use this symbol for sounds such as the “u” in the
Spanish word “tú” or “luna,” where the vowel is much purer than
in English. For a narrower transcription in English, you can use the symbols
/ʊu/ or /əu/, depending on the accent.
/O/
Found
in words like: no, toe, soap, throw, though
Letters that usually represent it: “o,” “oe,” “oa,” “ow”
Similar
to /u/’s case, this symbol is acceptable to use in a broad transcription of
English, but it really represents the sound that “o” makes in the Spanish word
“hola” or “gato.”
In
English, the “o” is sound is typically more of a diphthong and can be
represented with something like [oʊ]. In Australian English, the sound is more
of an [ɔʊ].
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