Vowels: Front Vowels & Central Vowels

1. Vowels: Front Vowels & Central Vowels Unit 5

2. Vowels & Consonants • Consonants: • Consonants refer to the sounds produced with a complete or partial obstruction(阻碍) which prevents the air from going freely through the mouth. • Vowels: • Vowels refer to the sounds which go freely through the mouth without obstruction(阻碍).

3. Vowels Classification • The English pure vowels can be classified according to: • the height of the raised part of the tongue • the part of the tongue raised • the position of the lips

4. Vowels Classification • Three dimensions: • length of the sound • position of the tongue • close --- open • front --- back • shape of the lips • rounded • neutral • spread

5. Vowels Classification • Three factors for the description of English vowels: • The height of the body of the tongue – highest point of tongue (vertical axis); • The front-back position of the tongue – highest point of tongue (horizontal axis); • The degree of lip rounding - lip posture

8. Tongue positions for English front & central vowels (unrounded):

9. central back front i: close u: I ʊ з: e mid ɔ: ə ʌ open ɒ ɑ: æ Vowel Charts: English Pure Vowels

10. Pure Vowels 单元音 Front Vowels Central Vowels Back Vowels 单元音可按发音时舌头前、中、后哪一部分抬得最高而分成三类：一是前元音，二是中元音，三是后元音。

11. Front Vowels 前元音 • /i:/ /i/ /e/ /æ/ • The tongue body is shifted forward, causing the vowel to be made in the front of the mouth. • Close --- /i/ /i:/ • Middle --- /e/ • Open --- /æ/

12. /i:/ • The front of the tongue nearly touches the front part of the hard palate, and the muscles of the tongue and cheeks are tense. The lips are drawn back (往后缩) in “smile” and a long voiced sound is produced. • Skills： • 舌尖抵下齿，舌前部向硬颚尽量抬起，舌的两端须抵住上齿两侧； • 口形扁平,和微笑时口形相似； • 上下齿之间的距离很窄,约能容纳一个火柴棍； • 舌部和脸颊肌肉紧张,嘴角微微向两边展。

13. Practice • three weeks • green tea • team leader • Swedish cheese • eat a piece of meat • Seeing is believing . • A friend in need is a friend indeed. • She agreed to leave the beach at three.

14. /i/ • The general position of the tongue resembles that of /i:/, but the front of the tongue is lower and drawn back a little. The lips are loosely spread and the tongue is lax (relaxing). • Skills： • 舌尖抵下齿,舌前部向硬颚抬起，但舌位比/i:/稍低、稍后； • 口形扁平,和/i:/相似，但比/i:/稍大；上下齿之间的距离比/i:/ 稍大，可容纳一个小指尖。

15. Practice • a big ship • six sticks • bit by bit • a silver lid • little by little • A little learning is a dangerous thing. • His six-year-old sister is as fit as a fiddle. • Silly Jim slipped into the ditch.

16. /i:/ & /i/ 发音区别 • /i:/ • 舌端靠近下齿； • 舌前部抬高，但不接触上齿龈； • 唇形扁平； • 牙床很小，接近闭合。 • /i/ • 舌端靠近下齿； • 舌前部抬高，略低于/i:/ 的舌位； • 唇形扁平； • 开口比/i:/ 略大，接近半闭。

17. Pair Work • weak wick • seat sit • sheep ship • field filled • beat bit • deed did • peak pick • read rid

18. /e/ • The lips are more loosely spread and slightly further apart than /i/.The front of the tongue is near the upper teeth ridge. • Skills： • 舌尖抵下齿,舌前部稍抬起,但舌位比/ i /稍低； • 唇形扁平,牙床张开程度(开口度) 比/ i /要宽,上下齿之间距离相当于一个中指。

19. Practice • seven beds • the next lesson • fresh and energetic • the best text • wet with sweat • Ten wealthy men met twelve beggars and fed them with fresh eggs and bread. • Remember to tell Ted about the test . • Better late than never. • All's well that ends well. • East or west, home is best.

20. /æ/ • The front of the tongue isslightly raised.The whole tongue lies low in the mouth. The lips are spread with the widest opening between jaws among the front vowels. • Skills： • 舌尖轻触下齿,舌前部向硬颚抬起程度比 /e/更低，/i/ /i:/ /e/ /æ/ 中最低的一个； • 双唇向两旁平展,嘴张得较大，/æ/ 是四个前元音中开口度最大的一个,上下齿之间距离相当于食指加中指尖。

21. Practice • a happy man • caps and hats • hand in hand • a sad lad • bags and sacks • Cat, cat, catch that fat rat. • The rat is running on a narrow track. • Sam lets the cat out of the bag. • He's carrying a map of Japan in his hand.

22. /e/ & /æ/ 发音区别 • /e/ • 舌端靠近下齿； • 舌前部抬高，但略低于/i/ 的舌位； • 牙床介于半合半开之间，比/i/的牙床略大； • 唇形扁平。 • /æ/ • 舌端靠近下齿； • 舌前部抬高，但其舌位是四个前元音中最低的； • 开口比/e/大，是四个前元音中开口最大的音，介于半开和开之间； • 唇形扁平自然。

23. Pair Work • bed bad • dead dad • men man • said sad • led lad • peck pack • net nap • pet pat

24. Contrasting /i:/, /i/, /e/ & /æ/ • beat bit bet bat • breeze brick bread brad • peat pit pet pat • teen tin ten tan • keen kin ken can • dean din den Dan • feed fid fed fad • heed hid head had • lead lid led lad

25. Central Vowels 中元音 • /ə:/ /ə/ • The center of the tongue is raised with the tongue resting in a relaxed fashion in the bottom of the mouth. The lips are spread in the shape of a rectangular.

26. /ə:/ & /ə/ 发音区别 • /ə:/ • 发/ə:/ 时舌中部略略隆起,比/ə/高； • 双唇稍扁，牙床近乎半合，长音，喉头肌肉较紧张； • 英式英语/ə:/与美式英语发音有不同，其中最大的不同是发/ə:/美式英语要卷舌。 • / ə / is somewhat like / ə :/, but shorter and more relaxed. • /ə/ • 发音方法与/ə:/相似但有些不同：牙床半开，短音，喉头肌肉松弛，发/ə/时，唇、舌、牙床都很自然； • 与/ə:/相似也存在着美式与英式的区别。

27. Practice • /ə:/ • fur her were stir prefer • urge heard serve curl turn • earth hurt worse search first • /ə/ • about again annoy arrive alive • amount agree correct forget balloon • polite potato pictures bottom August

28. Practice • /ə:/ • fur her were stir prefer • urge heard serve curl turn • earth hurt worse search first • /ə/ • about again annoy arrive alive • amount agree correct forget balloon • polite potato pictures bottom August

29. Practice • a dirty skirt the girls curls the first term • the worker's verse the third world • bread and butter at the counter • attend a lecture sugar and salt • First come, first served. • It's the early bird that catches the worm. • If you read the tongue twisteragain and again, you'll be able to say it better and better. • The students and teachers will have a get-together the after tomorrow.

30. Front vowels & central vowels: their descriptions • / i:/ high, front, unrounded vowel • / i / lower high, front, unrounded vowel • / e / mid, front, unrounded vowel • / æ / low, front, unrounded vowel • / ə: / mid, central, unrounded vowel • / ə / mid, central, unrounded vowel

31. Thank you! See you next time!