English has 5 vowels, and everyone knows them – a, e, i, o, u. Nonetheless, what many individuals don’t know is that English truly has 20 vowel sounds. This implies these vowels are pronounced in twenty other ways relying on sure guidelines. We are going to cowl a few of these sounds on this article, which is able to reveal why we pronounce “fats” and “destiny” so in a different way in English. Sure, there’s a logic to it.
English has 20 vowel sounds. Quick vowels within the IPA are /ɪ/-pit, /e/-pet, /æ/-pat, /ʌ/-cut, /ʊ/-put, /ɒ/-dog, /ə/-about. Lengthy vowels within the IPA are /i:/-week, /ɑ:/-hard,/ɔ:/-fork,/ɜ:/-heard, /u:/-boot. Diphthong vowels within the IPA are /eɪ/-place, /oʊ/-home, /aʊ/-mouse, /ɪə/-clear, /eə/-care, /ɔɪ/-boy, /aɪ/-find, /ʊə/-tour.
These twenty sounds are categorized into two teams: monophthongs and diphthongs. A monophthong is when there is just one vowel sound in a syllable. A diphthong is the mix of two vowel sounds collectively.
To start studying in a step-by-step method, let’s perceive first that every of the vowels make no less than two sounds – the quick one and the lengthy one. They can be silent typically. The sound the vowel makes is determined by its place within the phrase and the letters that encompass it.
Vowel Sounds Rule Number one:
When a phrase has just one vowel and ends with a consonant, the vowel makes a quick sound.
‘a’ in ‘jam’
‘e’ in ‘west’
‘o’ in ‘sizzling’
‘i’ in ‘fish’
‘u’ in ‘cup’
Vowel Sounds Rule Quantity 2:
When a phrase has two vowels separated by two or extra letters, the primary vowel makes a brief sound.
as in ‘apple’
as in ‘octopus’
as in ‘basket’
as in ‘elephant’
as in ‘umbrella’
Vowel Sounds Rule Quantity 3:
When a phrase ends with the letter ‘e’ (magic ‘e’/ silent ‘e’), the primary vowel makes an extended sound.
‘cap’ turns into ‘cape’
‘package’ turns into ‘kite’
‘tub’ turns into ‘tube’
as in ‘recreation’
as in ‘time’
Vowel Sounds Rule Quantity 4:
When a phrase has two vowels subsequent to one another, the primary vowel makes an extended sound and the second vowel stays silent.
as in ‘tie’
as in ‘boat’
as in ‘rain’
as in ‘worth’
as in ‘ft’
Vowel Sounds Rule Quantity 5:
When a vowel is current on the finish of the syllable (open syllable), then it’ll have an extended sound. For instance, the phrase ‘brand’ has two syllables ‘lo’ and ‘go’. Each the syllables finish in a vowel and therefore it can take an extended sound.
Vowel Sounds Rule Quantity 6:
When a vowel precedes a consonant in a syllable (closed syllable), then it can take the sound of a brief vowel sound. For instance, the phrase ‘puppet’ has two syllables ‘pup’ and ‘pet’. Each the syllables finish in consonants and therefore they take the quick type sound of the vowels.
Symbols denoting quick and lengthy vowel pronunciation
It’s helpful to put a mark on prime of the vowels. It signifies the vowel sound for use. As an illustration, a brief vowel sound is indicated by a curved image above the vowel-like ‘ă’ in ‘măn’. Whereas an extended vowel sound is represented by a small horizontal line above it, like ‘ā’ in ‘māin’. Such symbols will reinforce your child’s capacity to acknowledge and use the suitable vowel sound successfully.
Examples for Pronunciation Observe:
Aa
‘fats’, ‘map’, ‘hand’, ‘lamp’, ‘glass’
‘destiny’, ‘ache’, ‘recreation’, ‘mail’, ‘whale’
Ee
‘egg’, ‘pink’, ‘nest’, ‘bell’, ‘scent’
‘ear’, ‘sea’, ‘heal’, ‘weak’, ‘three’
Ii
‘pig’, ‘rib’, ‘fist’, ‘milk’, ‘swim’
‘cover’, ‘tile’, ‘lime’, ‘wipe’, ‘prize’
Oo
‘fox’, ‘hop’, ‘rod’, ‘drop’, ‘pond’
‘highway’, ‘goat’, ‘bone’, ‘be aware’, ‘roast’
Uu
‘bud’, ‘gun’, ‘hug’, ‘dump’, ‘puff’
‘rule’, ‘true’, ‘dune’, ‘flute’, ‘fruit
Hope this helped present you some foundational data in English pronunciation. Thanks for studying.
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