English Pronunciation

of Vowel Sounds
How do you make English
vowel sounds?
All English vowel sounds are
VOICED
That means if you take your hand
and place it on your throat, you will feel
vibrations as you say each vowel
sound (we use our voice).
Lets feel:
/E/ /]/ /)/
The air and the sound flow out of our
mouths when we say vowels
/)/ // // /E/ /*/ /[/
/]/ /O/
They're not blocked or obstructed
in any way
English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
Position:
O Lip position;
O Tongue Position;
O Vowel Length (long or short);
O Tense Relaxed

English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
Lip Position:
O Our lip can be rounded /O/
O Our lip can be spread /)/
O Our lip can be relaxed /*/
English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
Tongue Position:
O Our tongue can be high inside our mouth
/)/
O or it can be low //
O or it can be somewhere in the midle /*/

English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
Vowel Length:
Vowels are long or short
O Some vowels are very short // Sit
O and some vowels are longer /)/ See
English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
Tense versus Relaxed:
Some vowels are more tense than others
O /)/ More tense
O // More relaxed

How many vowel sounds are
there in English?

ONot all books and dictionary present the
same number of vowel sound.

OIn this class Ill present 17 vowel sounds.




Lets Start...

English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
Wheres my mouth more closed,
and where is it more open?
/u/
//
/E/
/O/
//

/)/
//
/]/
//
//
/[/
/*/
/)/
//



// /a/
/O/
more closed
more open more open
more closed
English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
Exercises Answer the questions:
1. Say gat and get

Wich vowel sound is longer
a. The a in gat - /get/
b. The e in get - /get/
English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
2. Say spun and spoon

Wich vowel sound is longer
a. The u in spun - /spn/
b. The oo in spoon - /spu:n/

English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
3. Say choose and cheese

Wich vowel sound makes you round
your lips (like in a circle)
a.The oo in choose - /tu:z/
b.The ee in cheese - /ti:z/

English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
4. Say father and further

Wich vowel sound makes you open
your mouth more?
a.The a in father - /f:r/
b.The ur in further - /f:/

English Pronunciation of
Vowel Sounds
4. Say hey and hoe

Wich vowel sound makes you back of
your tongue rise higher?
a. The ey in hey - /he/
b. The oe in hoe - /ho/

Referncias Bibliogrficas
SILVEIRA, Rosane; ZIMMER, Mrcia C.;
ALVES, Ubirat Kickhfel. Pronunciation
instruction for Brasilians: Students book.
Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009.