Classification of English vowels according to the main principles

1. Lip position Unrounded (non-labialized) Rounded (labialized)

front- back- back-
2. Horizontal movement → front central back
retracted advanced advanced
long, tense [i:] [u:]
high-narrow

Length and degree of

short, lax
high

long, tense
high-broad
short, lax [ɪ] [ʊ]

4.
long, tense [ɜ:]
mid-narrow
short, lax [e]
mid
3.

long, tense [ɔ:]

mid-broad
short, lax [ə] / [ʌ]
long, tense
low-narrow
short, lax
low

long, tense [ɑ:]

low-broad
short, lax [æ] [ɒ]

According to the According to the Accordin According to According to the

Soun According to the lip
horizontal movements vertical movements of g to the the degree stability of
d position
of the tongue the tongue length of tenseness articulation
High-narrow (Close-
[i:] Front Unrounded (non-labialized) Long Tense Monophthong
narrow)
High-broad (Close-
[ɪ] Front Unrounded (non-labialized) Short Lax Monophthong
broad)
[e] Front Mid-narrow Unrounded (non-labialized) Short Lax Monophthong
Low-broad (Open-
[æ] Front Unrounded (non-labialized) Short Lax Monophthong
broad)
[ʌ] Central Mid-broad Unrounded (non-labialized) Short Lax Monophthong
Low-broad (Open-
[ɑː] Back/ Back-advanced Unrounded (non-labialized) Long Tense Monophthong
broad)
Low-broad (Open-
[ɒ] Back Rounded (labialized) Short Lax Monophthong
broad)
Low-narrow (Open-
[ɔː] Back Rounded (labialized) Long Tense Monophthong
narrow)
High-broad (Close-
[ʊ] Back-advanced Rounded (labialized) Short Lax Monophthong
broad)
High-narrow (Close-
[uː] Back Rounded (labialized) Long Tense Monophthong
narrow)
[ɜː] Central Mid-narrow Unrounded (non-labialized) Long Tense Monophthong
[ə] Central Mid-broad Unrounded (non-labialized) Short Lax Monophthong

Classification of monophthongs and diphthongs according to the position of the tongue

Horizontal →
front front-retracted central back-advanced back
Vertical ↓
high-narrow [i:] [u:]
low mid high

high-broad [ɪ] / [ɪə] [ʊ] / [ʊə]

mid-narrow [e] / [eɪ] [ɜ:]
mid-broad [eə] [əʊ] / [ə] / [ʌ] [ɔ:] / [ɔɪ]
low-narrow
low-broad [æ] [aʊ] [ɑ:] / [aɪ] [ɒ]

There are eight diphthongs in English. They are divided according to the glide. There are:

1) three diphthongs with a glide towards [ɪ]: [eɪ, aɪ, ɔɪ];

2) two diphthongs with a glide towards [ʊ]: [ǝʊ, aʊ];

3) three diphthongs with the glide towards [ǝ]: [ɪǝ, eǝ, ʊǝ].

The vowels in the articulation of which the organs of speech change their position but very slightly are called diphthongized
vowels or diphthongoids: [iː, uː].