Introduction

The aim of this unit is to provide you with a working knowledge of the English vowel system, as well as suggesting a general approach to dealing with vowel problems. Don’t worry if you have trouble trying to work out how the different vowels are formed – you may at least have a better appreciation of the problems learners face.

Tasks

1 Accent

Vowels, more than consonants, distinguish accents. For example, the following couplets would rhyme in some parts of the English-speaking world, but not in others. Which, if any, of the following rhyme in your speech?

• a Who’s that knocking? Could it be the Duke?

• Give me the lantern – I’ll go and take a look.

• b The day dawned clear, the sea was calm.

• The sun rose up like an atom bomb.

• c Into the cave the tourist peers.

• Let’s go in! But no one dares.

• d Archimedes was having a bath.

• Archimedes was doing the math.

• e Open up, open up, in the name of the law!

• If you don’t open up we’ll smash down the door.

2 Vowel sounds

Here are two lists of words representing the full range of vowel phonemes. One list is RP (or Received Pronunciation, i.e. the standard accent of British English) and the other is General American (GA).

• a Which is which? How do you know?

• b Compare these lists to your own vowel system. Do you distinguish between all of these vowels?

3 Tongue position

Try saying the following names, prolonging the vowel sound in each case: JEAN, JOHN, JUNE. Note the shape of the oral cavity in each case. Try and focus only on the tongue – this might mean reducing the movement of the lips as much as possible.

In case you’re having difficulty locating the difference, here is what should be happening with the words Jean, John and June:

Now, add two more names: JEN and JAN. How do they compare? Can you identify the sounds where the tongue is high in the mouth, as opposed to low? Can you identify those where the front of the tongue is high, as opposed to the back?