English Language Aquisition: Vowels

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The articulation of vowels is when a voiced air-stream occurs using the tongue and the lips to modify the shape of the mouth.

While articulation the speaker will feel how the tongue changes its position, however, it doesn't stop or obstruct the airflow. It happens during the pronunciation of the following sounds; e.g.

                     /i:/ ; /e/ ; /æ/ ; /ɒ/ ; /ɔ:/ ; /u:/

The lip movement gives vowels their chief and unique characteristics. The distinction between phonemes hold lays in a differentiation between word meaning. This peculiar principle has been already analysed by means of minimal pairs;

         soap/səʊp/                  and                 soup/su:p/


We pronounce a particular words in a different way. This difference is audible by means of allophones – subtle differences in articulation, they do not change the meaning of the word.

To illustrate a difference between single vowel sounds from diphthongs we concentrate on a word 'pure'. The shape of the lips changes, first is rounded, that spread and at last natural.

Rounded shape occurs when lips are pushed forward into a shape of a circle: /ʊ/. Spread lips shape occurs when lips are moved away from each other, while smiling:/i:/. Neutral lips shape is relaxed, lips are not rounded or spread:/ə/ .

Let's look closer on the characteristics of vowels which are close, mid and open.


æ
While articulation the front of the tongue is raised to just below the half-open position. Lips are neutrally open.
hat, attack, plait, antique




˄
The center of the tongue is raised to just above the fully open position. Lips are neutrally open.

Run; Uncle; Front; Nourish; Does; Come; Flood




ɑ:
The tongue is between the center and a back in the fully open position, lips are neutrally open
far, part, half, class, command, clerk, memoir, aunty, hearth



ɒ
The back of the tongue is in the fully open position, lips are lightly rounded.

dog, often, cough, want, because, knowledge, Australia

For open vowels the tongue is low in the mouth. Moving from /æ/[front vowel] through to /ɒ/[back vowel].

The best way to differentiate of vowels during the pronunciation is their length; long vowels are marked by the following symbol/:/.

Vowels make a combination of vowels sounds which are called diphthongs. During the pronunciation the first sound in each phoneme is longer and louder than the second in English. Let's take for example a word house – the diphthong is /aʊ/ - sound /a/ is much more audible and longer that the final /ʊ/. English language had got eight diphthongs, which are categorized in the following way:
Centering: /iə/- clearing ;/ʊə/- sure; /eə/ - there.
Closing: /ei/ - they; /ɔi/- boy ; /ai/- mighty ; /əʊ/ - go ; /aʊ/- now.
Bear in mind that diphthongs are perceived as one sound and should be treated as such.

Bibliography:
Ellis, R. (1994): The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Larsen-Freeman, D. i M.H. Long (1991): An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research. London: Longman.
Harmer, J. (1998): How to Teach English – An Introduction to the Practice of English Language Teaching. London, Longman
Kelly, G (2000): How to Teach Pronunciation. London, Longman

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