vowels

Exercises P37-39 The Closing Diphthongs
Exercise 1:
No.13 No.14 No.15
No.16 No.17
[eI] tape bay name spade vague
[əu] toe boat nose spoke vote
[aI] tie buy night spy vice
An initial classification will divide the speech sounds in English into two broad categories: vowels and consonants. Here are two definitions of vowels:
monophthongs：单元音 ['mɔnəfθɔŋ]


① ② ③ ④
As in the production of vowels the air stream meets with no obstruction. Vowels are differentiated by the following factors: the position of the tongue the openness of the mouth the shape of the lips the length of the vowels
u & u:
P22
higher
ɔ: lower
ɔ &ɔ:
P21 P20
ɔ lowest æ & ɑ: ɑ:
Exercises P22-24 The Back Vowels
Exercise 1: Exercise 2: Exercise 3: Exercise 4: Exercise 5:
diphthongs ['difθɔŋ ] : 双元音
3.
4.
[aIə] tyre trial quiet buyer iron tired
[auə] tower towel coward bower flower shower
5.
[ɔIə] royal employer moiety



open vowels: [æ] [ʌ] [ɔ] [ɑ:]
the shape of the lips

unrounded vowels: without rounding the lips; in English, all the front vowels and the central vowels are unrounded vowels
[au] town bow now spout vow
[ɔI] toy boy noise spoil voyage
Exercises P37-39 The Closing Diphthongs
Exercise 2:
Exercises P37-39 The Closing Diphthongs
Exercise 3:
the front vowels
monophthongs: [„mɔnəfθɔŋ]
the central vowels
the back vowels the closing diphthongs the centrins: [„difθɔŋ ] triphthongs: ['trifθɔŋ]
P26
ə:
ə ʌ
higher ɑ:& ʌ
P26
lower ə:& ə
lowest
P28
Exercises P28-29 The Central Vowels
Exercise 1: Exercise 2: Exercise 3:
The Back Vowels
front central
u:
u
back highest 1
P40 P41

P42
Common feature: Figure 27 P39 The tongue is centralizing to the central vowel [ə ] from another position of the mouth.

Exercises P42-43 The Centring Diphthongs
rounded vowels: all the back vowels with the exception of [ɑ:] , are rounded.

the length of the vowels

long vowels: tense vowels; the larynx is in a state of tension short vowels: lax vowels; the larynx is quite relaxed
the position of the tongue:

Front vowels: the front part of the tongue maintains the highest position; [i:] [ I ] [e] [æ] Central vowels: the central part of the tongue maintains the highest position; [ə:] [ə] [ʌ]


“Vowels are modifications of the voice-sound that involve no closure, friction, or contact of the tongue or lips.” “A vowel is defined as a voiced sound in forming which the air issues in a continuous stream through the pharynx and mouth, there being no audible friction.”

. . . E.g. our ['auə] not ['auwə] tower [„tauə] not [„tauwə]
.
.
Exercises P38 The Triphthongs
Exercise 4:
1. 2.
[eIə] greyer player betrayal [əuə] grower follower thrower



The two definitions point to one important feature of vowels, i.e. in producing a vowel the air stream coming from the lungs meets with no obstruction whatsoever. This marks the essential difference between vowels and consonants. In the production of the latter category—the consonants, it is obstructed in one way or another.


1. 合口双元音(The Closing Diphthongs): [eI] [əu] [aI] [au] [ɔI]
P33

P34
P34
P35 P36

Common features: 1. The openness of the mouth is from open, semi-open to semi-close. 2. The position of the tongue is becoming higher.
Exercise 1: Exercise 2: Exercise 3:
Exercises P42-43 The Centring Diphthongs
Exercise 3:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
A. peace A. bear A. pear A. pier A. mare
B. pierce B. beer B. poor B. pear B. moor
Back vowels: the back part of the tongue maintains the highest position; [u:] [u] [ɔ:] [ɔ] [ɑ:]


the openness of the mouth

close vowels: [i:] [ I ] [u:] [u] semi-close vowels: [e] [ə:] semi-open vowels: [ə] [ɔ:]
Exercises P39
Exercise 5: Circle the words you hear.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
A. shed A. walk A. cart A. fined A. corn
B. shade B. woke B. kite B. found B. coin
2. 集中双元音(The Centring Diphthongs): [Iə] [εə] [uə ]

In English there are also a number of diphthongs, which are produced by moving from one vowel position to another through intervening positions. 1. 合口双元音(The Closing Diphthongs): [eI] [əu] [aI] [au] [ɔI] 2. 集中双元音(The Centring Diphthongs): [Iə] [εə] [uə ]