COMM01: Oral Communication in Context

1 The Vowel Sounds &

Commonly Misstressed Words
Developed by:
Lilia V. Ibo, LPT; Albert L. Paguntalan, LPT, M.Ed; Sievney Klyze G. Quidet, LPT; Miguel P.
Bolo Jr., LPT

The learner…
Content Standards
Performance Standards
Learning Competencies
Intended Learning Outcome
Objectives
Duration
realizes the rigors of crafting one’s speech.
proficiently delivers various speeches using the principles of effective
speech delivery.
uses principles of effective speech delivery focusing on articulation.
(EN11/12OC-IIcj-26.1)
Practices the pronunciation of words in the English language, focusing on
misstressed words, to reinforce clarity and intelligibility of their spoken
communication.
understands some issues relating to the use of English in various areas
around the world;
develops an awareness of the IPA symbols as a guide for accurate
pronunciation;
confidently delivers a short speech exemplifying intelligible and pleasant
pronunciation, enunciation, diction, stress, and intonation patterns for
speech clarity.
180 minutes (1 week)

BATTLE IT OUT! [15 minutes]

INSTRUCTIONS: You will be grouped according to your column. Below are eight
tongue twisters; each column is assigned one tongue twister according to your
column number. Each member of the column is to recite the tongue twister aloud
clearly and loudly, then the next person follows. If one person makes a mistake,
the column has to start again from the first person. The first group to say all the
assigned tongue twisters perfectly in the shortest amount of time wins.

COLUMN TONGUE TWISTER

1 Rory the warrior and Roger the worrier were reared wrongly in a
rural brewery.
2 Through tough thorough thought the thought though through,
though through the thought threw too.
3 Ingenious iguanas improvising an intricate impromptu on
impossibly-impractical instruments.

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 4 Betty bought butter but the butter was bitter, so Betty bought
better butter to make the bitter butter better.
5 Can you can a canned can into an un-canned can like a canner
can can a canned can into an un-canned can?
6 Denise sees the fleece, Denise sees the fleas. At least Denise
could sneeze and feed and freeze the fleas.
7 The greener green grapes are, the keener keen apes are to
gobble green grape cakes.
8 She saw Sherry’s shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure those
were Sherry’s shoes she saw?

Once the game is done, ask yourself the following questions:

What issues did you encounter while playing this game?

What did you do to overcome these challenges?

The World Englishes.

The term World

Englishes, as coined by
linguist Braj Kachru,
refers to differences in
the English language
that emerge as it is used
in various ethnic and
national communities
across the world. Scholars of World Englishes—sociolinguists—identify the
varieties of English used in different sociolinguistic contexts, analyzing their
history, background, function, and influence.

While there is no single way for a new variety of English to emerge, its
development can generally be described as a process of adaptation. A certain
group of speakers take English and adapt it to suit the needs of their social

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context and cultural identity. This, in effect, is known as the phenomenon of
dialects and accents.
Refer to the diagram on the previous page on the three concentric circles.
On your own, identify countries that are part of the concentric circles, and try to
come up with 2-3 phrases describing the common characteristics of each circle.
What do these countries have in common in terms of the way they speak
English? You might be called to share, so be ready!

The Inner Circle The Outer Circle The Expanding Circle

The International Phonetic Alphabet.

Due to the challenge of globalization, people from various cultural and

linguistic backgrounds must converge and interact with one another to share
knowledge, ideas, discoveries, and insights with one another for the
advancement of society. To do so, they use the English language. However, to
participate in our global village in every possible field, it is important not just to
be proficient in English, but to also have clear pronunciation so we are
understood quickly without repetitive clarification. Effective communication
requires not only well-constructed messages but also efficient delivery. With this
emerges the need to use a standard reference for pronunciation, to foster
intelligibility among peers despite different cultural backgrounds and
nationalities. This is what we now know as the International Phonetic Alphabet,
or the IPA.

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), developed in the 19th century,

assists in accurate pronunciation of languages, not just English. One of its goals
has been to provide a unique symbol for each distinctive sound that exists in
every language, particularly for English. This simply means that every single
sound distinguishes one word from another. Thus, this makes each word unique
and distinctive from others.

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 Needless to say, proper pronunciation and production of vowel and
consonant sounds does not only add up to a favorable impression but most
importantly, it helps communication to become more effective and successful.

The Vowel Triangle.

The vowel sounds in the International Phonetic Alphabet are divided into
three categories: the front, central and back vowels. Below, the simplified Vietor
triangle shows you where in the mouth the sounds come from.

The Front Vowels.

These are called the front vowels as the sound resonates from the front of
the mouth.

/a/ /æ/ /ɛ/ /e/ /i/ /ɪ/

Bach fat French Main Geek Kick
Block Gas Fell Pail Leak Lick
Pot Catch Get Same Meal Mill
Model Lack Lecture Take Peel Pill
Modern Pal Men Hate Seen Sin

Can you think of any words that exemplify these sounds? Write them
down on the blank spaces on the table above!

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The Central Vowels.

The central vowels resonate from the space in the middle of the mouth,
from the hard palate down to your tongue, as long as you open your mouth.

/ʌ/ /ə/ /ɚ/ /ɝ/

Country Apart Never Return
Oven Away Mister World
Onion Memory Standard Were
Nuptial Moment Editor First
Sun Again Butter Turn

What words can you think of that exemplify these sounds? Write them
down on the last row of the table above.

The Back Vowels.

The back vowels are sounds that come from the back of the oral cavity,
usually from the back of the oesophagus, or the void of the soft palate.

/ͻ/ /o/ /U/ /u/

Belong Own Book Pool
Orator Boat Bushel Pooch
Short Coat Could Shoe
Tall Chose Cushion Suit
Water Don’t Foot Shoot

What words do you think use these sounds? Fill in the last row of the
table.

Commonly Mispronounced Words.

Despite being proficient in the English language compared to other

nationalities, Filipinos have a tendency to mispronounce certain words; some
words are a bit tricky because we read every letter that is used in spelling the
word. In other words, we over-enunciate and hypercorrect because we want to
sound clear and perfect, but we end up doing the opposite of what we want to
do. To be intelligible on the world stage, we must recognize the habits we
commit when speaking aloud, and be aware of proper and correct pronunciation,
especially with some of the words listed below:

1 1
Chocolate [tʃͻklIt] Monotonous [mənatnəs]
1
Isolate Aren’t [arnt]
[aIslet]

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 1 1
Favorite [fevrIt] Capitalist h
[k æpətlIst]
1 2 1
Gasoline Ventilate [vɛntlet]
[gæslin]
2 1 1
Adolescence [ædlɛsns] Reasonable [riznəbl]
1 1
Ordinary [ͻrdnɛrI] Resonance [rɛznəns]
1 1
Listening [lIsnIŋ] Restaurant [ r ɛ s th ə r ə n t ]
1 1
Literature [ l I t r ə t ʃ U r] Country [ kh ^ n t r I ]
1 1
Veteran [ v ɛ th ə r ə n ] Salmon [sæmən]
1 1
Family [fæmlI] Almond [amənd]
1 1
Difference [dIfrəns] Embalm [ɛmbam]
1 1
Temperament [ th ɛ m p r ə m ə n t ] Oven [^vən]

Commonly Misstressed Words.

Not all words stress the first syllable. Stress refers to the most
pronounced syllable of a particular word. For single-syllable words, the whole
word is stressed, but English does not only consist of single-syllable words; most
words in the language contain multiple syllables. As is frequent for people part of
the outer circle, we sometimes commit errors in identifying the most emphasized
syllable of the word, or the stressed syllable, which sometimes makes us sound
a little funny when speaking. Read the words below aloud, these are some words
whose stress is usually misattributed to a different syllable. The correct stressed
syllable is indicated with a ‘1’ above it.
1 1
Catholic [ kh æ θ l I k ] Reasonable [rizənəbəl]
1 2 1
Interval [ I n th ə r v l ] Guitarist [ ɡ ɪ th ɑ r ɪ s t ]
1 1
Professor [p r ə f ɛ s ə r ] Cashier [ kh æ ʃ ɪ r ]
1 2 1
Semester [ s ə m ɛ s th ə r ] Understand [ ʌ n d ə r s th æ n d ]
1 1 2
Determine [ d ə th ɜ r m ə n ] Secretary [ s ɛ k r ə th ɛ r i ]
1 1 2
Committee Registrar
[ kh ə m ɪ t i ] [rɛʤɪstrɑr]
2 1 1
[ æ f th ə r n u n ] Canteen [ kh æ n th i n ]
Afternoon
2 1 1
Personnel h
[p ɜrsənɛl] Lunatic [ l u n ə th ɪ k ]
2 1 1
Cafeteria h
[k æfət ɪriə] h Colleague h
[k ɑliɡ]
1 2 1 2
Frustrate Rebate [ r i b eɪ t ]
[ f r ʌ s t r eɪ t ]

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 1 1
Duet Abdomen [æbdəmən]
[duɛt]
1 2 1
Primary Motif [ m o th i f ]
[ p r aɪ m ɛ r i ]
1 2 1
Magazine [mæɡəzin] Argue [ɑrɡju]
1 1
Etiquette [ ɛ th ə k ə t ] Intestine [ ɪ n th ɛ s th ə n ]
1 2 1
Ancestors [ æ n s ɛ s th ə r z ] Integral [ ɪ n th ə ɡ r ə l ]
1
1 [ p ə r s ɛ n th ə ʤ ] or
Cartoon [ k ɑ r th u n ] Percentage 1
[ p ə r s ɛ n th ɪ ʤ ]
1 2 1
Aerobic [ ɛ r oʊ b ɪ k ] Satisfactory [ s æ th ə s f æ k t r i ]
1 1
Cadaver [ kh ə d æ v ɚ ] Employee [ ɛ m p l ɔɪ i ]

Noun-verb pairs.
As avid users of the English language, we might have realized that there are
words whose meanings (and the part of speech they are categorized under)
change if we put stress on a different syllable.

For example, the word 'record' [rɛkɚd]. If we place stress on the [rɛ] syllable, we
are uttering the noun, which means a physical medium where information is
placed for the purpose of preserving it and making it available for future
reference. On the other hand, when we place stress on the [kɚd] syllable, we are
uttering the verb, which means to make an audio, video, or multimedia
recording.

It's important for us to understand that there are words in English whose
intonation alters the meaning of the word, to help us convey correctly what we
intend to say, and to be better understood by our listeners.

See below for a list of words that reflect this rule:

Noun Verb
1 1
Present [pɹɛzənt] [pɹɪzɛnt]
1 1
Contract [kɒntɹækt] [kɒntɹækt]
1 1
Conduct [kandʌkt] [kɒndʌkt]
1 1
Conflict [kanflɪkt] [kanflɪkt]

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 1 1
Object [ a b d͡ʒ ɛ k t ] [ a b d͡ʒ ɛ k t ]

Can you think of one more word that has two different pronunciations, whose
stress affects the definition and usage of the word? Write it down in the space
provided!

EXIT TICKET: 4-3-2-1

(on your notebook)
4 Keywords that will help you remember the topic:

3 Quotes that you found memorable from the session – it can be part
of the lesson or something funny you heard during class:

2 Questions/areas of confusion that you need clarification on:

1-sentence summary of the day’s lesson:

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INSTRUCTIONS: Below are the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s All Too Well (Taylor’s
Version) with certain sounds underlined. Listen carefully as the song plays, and
identify the vowel sounds being exemplified by the singer by listing the words in
your notebook. [15 points]

I walked through the door with you

The air was (1)cold
But something about it felt like home somehow
And I left my scarf there at your sister's house
And you've still got it in your drawer even now

Oh, your sweet disposition

And my wide-eyed gaze
We're singing in the car, getting lost upstate
(2)
Autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place
And I can picture it after all these days

And I know it's long gone and that magic's not here no more
And I might (3)be okay but I'm not fine at all

'Cause there we are again on that little town street

You almost ran the red 'cause you were (4)lookin' over at me
Wind in my hair, I was there
I (5)remember it all too well

Photo album on the counter

Your cheeks were (6)turning red
You used to be a little kid with glasses in a twin-sized bed
And your (7)mother's telling stories 'bout you on the tee-ball team
You told me 'bout your (8)past thinking your future was me

And I know (9)it's long gone and there was nothing else I could do
And I forget about you long enough to forget why I needed to

'Cause there we are again in the middle of the night

We're dancing 'round the kitchen in the (10)refrigerator light
Down the stairs, I was there
I remember it all too well, yeah

And maybe we got lost in translation

Maybe I asked for (11)too much
But maybe this thing was a (12)masterpiece 'til you tore it all up
Running scared, I was there
I remember it all too well

And you call me up again just to break me like a (13)promise

So casually cruel in the name of being honest
I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
Cause I remember it all, all, all
Too well

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 Time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it
I'd like to be my old self again
But I'm still trying to find it
After (14)plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own
Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone
But you keep my old scarf from that very first week
'Cause it reminds you of innocence
And it smells like me
You can't get rid of it
'Cause you remember it all too well, yeah

'Cause there we are again when I loved you so

Back before you lost the one real thing you've ever known
It was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well

Wind in my hair, you were there, you remember it all

Down the stairs, you were there, you remember it all
It was rare, I was there, I remember it all (15)too well

Table Reading

Objectives: At the end of this activity, the students are expected to have:
1. demonstrated knowledge of the IPA symbols through a transcription
exercise; and
2. produced orally the sounds of English as used in media.

INSTRUCTIONS: Before a TV show or a movie is filmed or dubbed over, the

actors practice together in one room around a table. This is what we call a ‘table
read’.

In pairs where you choose your own partner, you are to look for a script of a TV
show or movie of your choice to perform on the second session of the week. The
script must use at least one of each of the IPA vowels presented, with correct
stress.

Each person in the duo must have an equal amount of lines, and the
performance should only be 2-3 minutes long. You may use props or costumes,
but this does not add to your score.

Provide a printed copy of your script for your instructor to look at while you
perform—highlight the words, underline the syllable, and provide the IPA symbol
above the letter or syllable, like in the next page:

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 /o/ /ə/ /u/
Regina: No! Do you know what everyone says about you? Hmm?
/ɛ/ /i/
They say that you're a homeschooled jungle freak that's a less hot
/ɚ/
version of me! Yeah!

RUBRIC
1
4 3 2
Does Not
CRITERIA Exceeds Meets Approaching
Meet
Standards Standards Standards
Standards
Correctness of sound
Flow
- Pronunciation
sounds natural
- Pattern of speech
is fluent
Stress and Emphasis
- Able to identify
the best syllable
for stress
- Clarity of sound
TOTAL 30/30

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REFERENCES:

International Phonetic Alphabet | Definition, Uses, & Chart. Encyclopedia

Britannica. (2020). Retrieved 4 August 2020, from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/International- Phonetic-Alphabet.

IPA - Vowels. Cmed.ku.edu. (2003). Retrieved 8 August 2020, from

https://cmed.ku.edu/ipafolder/vowels.html.

Isotalo, P. (2003). IPA Chart. Ipachart.com. Retrieved 8 August 2020, from

https://www.ipachart.com/.

The Vowel Sounds. Speech Therapy Education. (2019). Retrieved 8 August 2020,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpS8l6q7wsU.

Assi, K. (2023, March 29). 105 top English tongue twisters that you’ll have fun
trying to say. Berlitz. August 20, 2023,
https://www.berlitz.com/blog/english-tongue-twisters

Rosal, A. (2008). Aural-Oral Communication. (6th ed.). Mandaue City, Cebu:

Carangue Publishing.

Swift, T., Martin, X., Shellback (2022). All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) [Recorded
by T. Swift]. On Red (Taylor’s Version). TN: Republic Records. (2021)

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