Booklet

monophthongs

Phonetics and Phonology

of the Foreign Language I

Prof. Esp. María Natalia Ocantos

IES “San Fernando Rey”

Profesorados para la Educación
Superior y Secundaria en Inglés
2021

1
English Phonemic Chart 1

1 Source: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/about/english/pronunciation_english
2
MONOPHTHONGS

A vowel sound whose quality does not change over the duration of the vowel sound production
is known as a monophthong. Monophthongs are sometimes called “pure” or “single” vowel sounds as
throughout their duration they have a single constant articulatory position, and they are present in all
languages.
The phonetic values vary considerably by language. There is not necessarily a direct one-to-one
correspondence between the vowel sounds of a language and its vowel letters. In many languages that
use a form of the Latin alphabet, the standard set of five vowel letters can have much more vowel sounds
related. In English ordinary spelling, the five letters A - E - I - O - U can represent a variety of vowel sounds.
For instance, letter A sounds different in the following words:

aˈbove /əˈbʌv/
ˈapple /ˈæpl/
car /kɑː(r)/
fate /feɪt/
share /ʃeə(r)/
ball /bɔːl/

The consonant letter Y is frequently related to vowel sound #2 (gym /dʒɪm/, happy /ˈhæpi/) and
W is also connected with some diphthongs (as in how /haʊ/).
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) has a set of symbols to represent the range of basic
vowel qualities, plus a further set of diacritics to denote variations from the basic vowel patterns.

VOWEL DIAGRAM

As regards vowel sound realisation and discrimination, it is necessary to consider:

✓ the vertical distance between the upper surface of the tongue and the palate (or, which is the same,
the opening of the jaw: close – mid – open)
✓ the part of the tongue which is raised highest/the most against the palate (front – central – back)
✓ the position and shape of the lips (rounded – unrounded: neutral – spread)
✓ the quality-quantity complex: sound strength and length (weak/strong – short/long)
✓ the tenseness of muscles (tense – lax)

3
 e.g. tongue positions

/i:/ /u:/

vowel area

vowel backness

part of the tongue which is raised the most against the palate
vertical distance between the surface of the tongue and the palate

FRONT CENTRAL BACK

CLOSE
vowel height

MID

OPEN

4
 iː uː
ɪ ɜː ʊ
e ə ɔː
æ ʌ ɒ
ɑː

iː uː
ɪ ɜː ʊ
e ə ɔː
æ ʌ ɒ
ɑː

The vertical axis of the chart is mapped by vowel height. Vowels pronounced with the tongue
lowered are at the bottom, and vowels pronounced with the tongue raised are at the top. For example,
/ɑ:/ in palm is at the bottom because the tongue is lowered in this position, along with an open jaw
(therefore, an open vowel sound). However, /i:/ in meet is at the top because the sound is said with the
tongue raised, near the roof of the mouth (a close vowel, as the jaw position).
In a similar way, the horizontal axis of the chart is determined by vowel backness. Vowels
produced with the tongue moved towards the front of the mouth such as /e/ in met are to the left in the
chart, while those in which it is moved to the back such as /ʌ/ in cut are placed to the right in the chart.

Sources

CRUTTENDEN, A. (2014). Gimson's Pronunciation of English. Routledge.

CUNNINGHAM, S. and B. BOWLER. New Headway, Pronunciation Course. Intermediate. Oxford University Press.
HANCOCK, M. English Pronunciation in Use. Cambridge University Press.
ROACH, P. (2012). English Phonetics and Phonology, A practical course. 4th Edition. Cambridge University Press.

5
Vowel sound # 1 / iː /

It is a relatively close vowel sound, between close and half-close.

It is a front vowel, and the sound is long and strong.
The lips are unrounded, spread as in a smile, and the muscles
are tense when producing the sound.

Words containing the target sound:

cheese – see – free – sheep – keep – bee – BE

ˈfreedom – ˈkeeping – r̩ efugˈee – a̩ ddressˈee
leave – tea – T – seat – heat – sea – please – speak – read “Peter seats and reads.”

ˈleaving – ˈspeaker
reˈceive – deˈceive – ˈceiling
field – piece – priest – believe
these (demonstrative pron. /ðiːz/) – ˈpeople – ˈeven /ˈiːvn/

In spelling, the sound / i: / is generally associated with the letter combinations “ee”, “ea”, “ei” and “ie” in
accented syllables.

Note: Vowel # 1 is often noticeably diphthongised, especially in final position.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• Peter seats and reads.

/ˈpiːtə(r) siːts ən riːdz //

• Steve keeps the cheese in the freezer.

/ stiːv kiːps ðə ʧiːz ɪn ðə ˈfriːzə(r) //

6
Vowel sound # 2 / ɪ /

It is a half-close vowel sound, generally centralised.

It is a front vowel. The sound is short and weak.
The lips are unrounded, slightly spread (in a neutral position).
The muscles are lax when producing the sound.

Words containing the target sound:

in – lip – miss – bit – will – quick – think – thin

is /ɪz/ – isn’t /ɪznt/
ˈsister – ˈimage – ˈfinish
beˈtween – beˈhave – beˈlong – beˈgin /bɪ-/
ˈvery – ˈangry – ˈsilly – ˈsecretary – ˈany “Jim drinks milk.”

ˈmonkey – ˈhoney – ˈtrolley

linkage – manage – village /-ɪdʒ/

In spelling, the sound / ɪ / is generally associated with letter “i” in accented syllables. In non-accented
syllables, with the suffix –age and the letter “y” in final position (at the end of a word), and with the
syllable be- at the beginning of words.

Note: Word-final unaccented / ɪ / has now been replaced in all but the oldest BBC English speakers by / i
/ in word-final position, e.g. in copy /ˈkɒpi/. In this case, # 2 does not change the quality of sound but its
quantity instead, as it is a bit longer than usual due to its position in an open syllable.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• Jim drinks milk.

/ ʤɪm drɪŋks mɪɫk //

• Tim bit a bit of Kitty’s biscuit.

/ tɪm bɪt ə bɪt əv ˈkɪtiz ˈbɪskɪt //

7
Vowel sound # 3 / e /

It is a mid vowel sound.

It is a front vowel. The sound is usually short and strong.
Lips are unrounded, spread or slightly spread, and muscles are lax.

Words containing the target sound:

pet – met – ten – when – bed – bet – end

hell – then – best – vet
ˈnever – ˈbetter – ˈtrendy
bread – head – dead – ˈhealthy – ˈdreadful
said /sed/ – says /sez/ – friend /frend/
ˈany – ˈmany

In spelling, the sound / e / is generally related to the letter “e” when stressed, as well as to the letter
combination “ea”.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• It's best to rest, said the vet to the pet.

/ ɪts best tə rest / sed ðə vet tə ðə pet //

8
Vowel sound # 4 / æ /

It is a relatively open vowel sound, between open and half-open.

It is a front vowel. Generally, the sound is short (longer before voiced
consonants) and strong.
Lips are in between neutral and spread position, and muscles are quite
lax.

Words containing the target sound:

bat – bad – cat – fact – flat – black – glad

that (demonstrative pronoun)
have (strong form) – has (strong form) – had (strong form)
shall (strong form) – can (strong form)
haven’t – hasn´t – hadn’t
hand – sand – man – plans – lamp (“a” + nasal sound)
ˈsavage – ˈmarriage – ˈmanage – exact –ˈmatter – ˈfamily

In spelling, the sound / æ / is generally associated with the letter “a” in stressed syllables.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• The fat cat sat on the man's black hat.

/ ðə fæt kæt sæt ɒn ðə mænz blæk hæt //

9
Vowel sound # 5 / ɑ: /

It is an open vowel sound.

It is a back vowel, as the back of the tongue is raised against
the palate.
The sound is long and strong.
Lips are unrounded, in a neutral position, but muscles are tense.

Words containing the target sound:

car – far – card – hard – start – scar – part

ˈparty – ˈhardly – ˈgarden
last – fast – ask – pass – grass
calm /kɑːm/ – half /hɑːf/ – palm /pɑːm/
ˈfather – ˈafter – diˈsaster – ˈanswer – heart
aunt – laugh
are (strong form)
aren’t – can’t – shan’t (shalln´t)

In spelling, the sound / ɑ: / is generally related to the letter combination “ar”, and sometimes to the
clusters “al” and “as”.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• It's hard to park a car in a dark car park.

Br / ɪts hɑːd tə pɑːk ə kɑːɾ ɪn ə dɑːk kɑː pɑːk //

Am / ɪts hɑːrd tə pɑːrk ə kɑːɾ ɪn ə dɑːrk kɑːr pɑːrk //

10
Vowel sound # 6 /o/ or /ɒ/

It is an open vowel sound (between open and half-open).

It is a back vowel. The sound is generally short and strong.
The lips are slightly rounded, and muscles lax.

Words containing the target sound:

pot – John – stop – shot – hot – soft – top – long

shop – got – dog – God
ˈcomma – ˈprobably – ˈpromise – ˈchocolate
ˈcopy – ˈhonest – ˈsorry – ˈbody
doll – solve – inˈvolve
cough – ˈknowledge
ˈquantity – ˈquality – ˈquarrel
beˈcause – ˈsausage – Ausˈtralia – ˈlaurel
watch – ˈwashing – what – want
was (strong form) – wasn’t

In spelling, the sound / o / generally represents the letter “o” when in a stressed syllable. Vowel # 6 is also
generally related to the clusters “wa” and “qua” in accented syllables.

Note: This vowel sound does not occur in a final, open syllable (-V).

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• John wants to watch Walter wash the dog.

/ ʤɒn wɒnts tə wɒʧ ˈwɔːɫtə wɒʃ ðə dɒg //

11
Vowel sound # 7 /ɔ:/

It is a mid vowel sound (between open-mid and close-mid).

It is a back vowel. The sound is long and strong.
The lips are strongly rounded, and the muscles are tense
when producing the sound.

Words containing the target sound:

port – cord – short – sport – horse – floor – ˈmorning

Paul – ˈLaura – ˈauditory – ˈlaundry
pour – court – four – ˈmourning
your (strong form)
thought – bought – brought – ought
fall – all – called – small – talk – ˈwalking
beˈfore – more
dawn – law – jaw – ˈawful – ˈawesome
war – ward – ˈwater
sure – pure (Br)

In spelling, the sound / ɔ: / generally represents the letter combinations “or”, “our”, “al”, “all” and “aw”
when stressed. It is also associated with irregular past tenses ending in “-ought”.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• Laura's daughter bought a horse and called it Laura.

Br / ˈlɔːrəz ˈdɔːtə bɔːt ə hɔːs ən kɔːɫd ɪt ˈlɔːrə //

Am / ˈlɔːrəz ˈdɔːtər bɔːt ə hɔːrs ən kɔːɫd ɪt ˈlɔːrə //

12
Vowel sound # 8 /ʊ/

It is a half-close vowel sound.

It is a back vowel, and the sound is generally
short and weak.
The lips are slightly rounded, and muscles are lax.

Words containing the target sound:

put – push – pull – full – ˈbushes – ˈbutcher – ˈsugar – ˈcushion

look – book – took – wool – good – ˈcooking
wolf – ˈwoman – ˈbosom
do /dʊ/ (weak form before vowel sound)
you /jʊ/ (weak form before vowel sound)

would – could – should (strong forms)

wouldn’t – couldn’t – shouldn’t

In spelling, the sound / Ʊ / is generally associated with the letter “u” when stressed, in isolation or
followed by “l”, and the letter combination “ou”.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• That cook couldn't cook if he didn't look at a cook book.

/ ðæt kʊk ˈkʊdnt kʊk ɪf (h)ɪ dɪdnt lʊk ət ə ˈkʊk bʊk //

13
Vowel sound # 9 /u:/

It is a vowel sound between half-close and close.

It is a back vowel. The sound is long and strong.
Lips are rounded (moderately), and muscles are tense.

Words containing the target sound:

boot – pool – food – cool – moon – soon – fool – school

too – two – loose /lu:s/ (adj)
move – lose /lu:z/ (v) – prove
blue – truth
grew – flew – blew – Jews
juice – fruit – suit
group – soup – wound – route
use /ju:z/ (v) – use /ju:s/ (n) minimal pairs

do (strong form) – you (strong form)

In spelling, the sound / u: / is generally associated with the letter combinations “oo” and “ui”, and with
some words ending in “ew”.
This vowel is also present in some sound clusters like the case of /ju:/ → knew /nju:/, Tuesday /ˈtjuːzdeɪ/,
accuse /əˈkjuːz/, or due /dju:/.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• Sue knew too few new tunes on the flute.

Br / suː njuː tuː fjuː njuː tuːnz ɒn ðə fluːt //

Am / nuː/ / nuː tjuːnz /

14
Vowel sound # 10 /ʌ/

It is a vowel sound between half-open and mid.

It is a central vowel (just the central part of the tongue is raised).
The sound is normally very short, but strong.
Lips are unrounded, in a neutral position. Muscles are lax
when producing the sound.

Words containing the target sound:

cut – cup – bus – much – such – lunch – run

ˈstudy – ˈSunday – ˈhusband
us (strong form) – but (strong form)
love – cover – glove – come – one
ˈwonder – ˈtongue – ˈcolour – ˈnothing – ˈworry – ˈmoney – anˈother – ˈcomfort
some (strong form) – touch – ˈtrouble – ˈcouple – ˈdouble
does (strong form) – doesn’t
flood – blood
̩underˈstand – unˈfair – unˈconscious (preffixes)

In spelling, the sound / ʌ / is never associated with letter “a” and it is never in final position in words with
open syllables (-V).

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• My mother's brother's my uncle; my uncle's son's my cousin.

/ maɪ ˈmʌðəz ˈbrʌðəz maɪ ˈʌŋkɫ // maɪ ˈʌŋkɫz sʌnz maɪ ˈkʌzn //

15
Vowel sound # 11 /ɜ:/

It is a vowel sound between half-close and mid.

It is a central vowel sound.
The sound is long and strong.
The lips are unrounded (neutral position), and muscles are tense.
It is known as the hesitation sound.

Words containing the target sound:

preˈfer – ˈcertainly – ˈservice – ˈperfect

shirt – skirt – first – third – ˈbirthday – ˈthirty
work – word – world – worst – worse
turn – church – hurt – ˈsurface – ocˈcur
earth – heard – ˈearlier – ˈearly
ˈjourney – ˈjournalist – ˈcourtesy
her (strong form) – were (strong form) – weren’t

In spelling, the sound / ɜ: / is associated with letter combination “er” whenever stressed, and with the
sequence V+“r”+C in a stressed syllable.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• The girl heard the nurse work.

Br / ðə gɜːɫ hɜːd ðə nɜːs wɜːk //

Am / ðə gɜːrɫ hɜːrd ðə nɜːrs wɜːrk //

16
Vowel sound # 12 /ə/ or “schwa”

It is a mid central vowel sound.

The sound is very short and weak, many times omitted.
The lips are unrounded in neutral position (the air just flows),
and muscles are lax.
It is always placed in unstressed or weak syllables.

Words containing the target sound:

ˈPeter – ˈteacher – ˈletter – ˈnever – ˈover

ˈactor – ˈmentor – inˈstructor
aˈbout – aˈgain – aˈway – ˈwritten – ˈcamel
deˈlicious – ˈsocial – ˈwonderful – yourˈself
was – were (weak forms)
has – have – had (AV - weak forms)
does – do (AV - weak forms)

In spelling, the sound / ə / is never in a stressed position. As it is a weak sound in a non-accented syllable,
it can be elided (deleted). “Schwa” is generally associated with the letter combination “er” in final
position, and with “or” for performers of actions.

Note: In terms of sentence structure and function of words, /ə/ is normal in the usual weak patterns of
pronunciation of such words as pronouns, prepositions, articles, quantifiers and conjunctions. It is also
the current pronunciation pattern for auxiliary verbs either in initial or mid position in sentences.

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

• I ate an apple and a banana in a cinema in Canada.

Br / aɪ et/eɪt ən ˈæpl ən ə bəˈnɑːnə ɪn ə ˈsɪnəmə ɪn ˈkænədə //

Am / eɪt / / bəˈnænə /

17