2. Pronunciation
• "Pronunciation" refers to the way in which we
make the sound of words.
• To pronounce words, we push air from our
lungs up through our throat and vocal chords,
through our mouth, past our tongue and out
between our teeth and lips. (Sometimes air
also travels through our nose.)
3. Contin…
As well as creating correct vowel and consonant
sounds using the muscles of our mouth, tongue
and lips, there are other important aspects of
pronunciation, including:
word stress - emphasis on certain syllables in a
word
sentence stress - emphasis on certain words in a
sentence
linking - joining certain words together
intonation - the rise and fall of our voice as we
speak
4. Phonetic Chart
• This phonemic chart uses symbols from the
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). IPA
symbols are useful for learning pronunciation.
The symbols on this chart represent the 44
sounds used in British English speech
(Received Pronunciation or RP, an educated
accent associated with but not exclusive to
south-east England).
7. Classifying the vowel sounds in English
• The classification of vowels is based on four major aspects:
• Tongue height - according to the vertical position of the
tongue (high vowels, also referred to as close; low vowels,
also referred to as open; intermediate - close-mid and open-
mid)
• Frontless vs. backless of the tongue - according to the
horizontal position of the highest part of the tongue.
• Lip rounding - whether the lips are rounded (O-shape) or
spread (no rounding) when the sound is being made.
• Tenseness of the articulators - refers to the amount of
muscular tension around the mouth when creating vowel
sounds. Tense and lax are used to describe muscular tension.
8. Front vowels
(tongue body is pushed
forward)
Central vowels
(tongue body is neutral)
Back vowels
(tongue body is pulled
back)
High/close
vowels
(tongue body
is raised)
/i:/ see
/I/ sit
/u:/ boot
/U/ book
Mid vowels
(tongue body
is
intermediate)
/e/ bait*
/E/ bet
/ᵊ/ sofa**, /3:/ bird
/o/ boat*
/):/ bought***
Low/open
vowels
(tongue body
is lowered)
/œ/ bat
/ᶺ/ under**
/a:/ father, /ᵅ/ sock(BrE)
Classifying the vowel sounds in English
10. Classifying the Consonants Sounds of
English
• According to the Manner and Place of
Articulation the consonants are:
stops, also known as plosives, fricatives,
affricates, nasals, laterals, and approximants.
Nasals, laterals and approximants are always
voiced; stops, fricatives and affricates can be
voiced or unvoiced.
11. Manner and Place of Articulation
Stops
/Plosives/
During production of these sounds, the airflow from the lungs is
completely blocked at some point, then released. In English, they are
/p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, and /g/.
Fricatives
The flow of air is constricted, but not totally stopped or blocked. In
English, these include /f/, /v/, /ᶱ/, /ð/,
/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ᶾ/, and /h/.
Affricates
These sounds begin like stops, with a complete blockage of air/closure
of the vocal tract, and end with a restricted flow of air like fricatives.
English has two affricates - the /tʃ/ sounds of "church" and the /dᶾ/ of
"judge".
Nasals
Nasals are sounds made with air passing through the nose. In English,
these are /m/, /n/, and /ᶯ/.
Laterals
Lateral consonants allow the air to escape at the sides of the tongue.
In English there is only one such sound - /l/
Approximants
In the production of an approximant, one articulator is close to
another, but the vocal tract is not narrowed to such an extent that a
turbulent airstream is produced. In English, these are /j/, /w/ and /r/.
Approximants /j/ and /w/ are also referred to as semi-vowels.
12. The place of articulation
• According to the place of articulation (where
in the mouth or throat the sound is produced)
the consonants are:
13. Contin…
Bilabial: with both lips /p/, /b/, /m/
Labiodental: between lower lip and upper teeth /f/, /v/
Dental/Interdental: between the teeth /ᶱ/, /ð/
Alveolar: the ridge behind the upper front teeth /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/, /l/, /r/
Alveo-palatal (or post-alveolar): it is the area
between
the alveolar ridge and the hard palate
/ʃ/, /ᶾ/, /tʃ/, /dᶾ/
Palatal: hard palate, or 'roof' of the mouth' /j/
Velar: the soft palate or velum /k/, /g/, /ᶯ/
Glottal (laryngeal): space between the vocal
cords
/h/
