Tuesday, March 15, 2011 VOWELS Posted by lieni at 4:54 PM

Module: 1
Posted by: :Lieni Immarie R. Monteron
Sources:  1. A Handbook in Speech and Effective Communication by Milagros Castillo-Espina
               2. Effective Speech Communication in Various Situition by Judy Imelda L. Igoy                                 and Apolinario S.  Saymo
               3. http://www.google.com.ph/images




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At the end of module, the students are expected to:

• Enumerate the different vowel symbols;
• Identify the vowel symbols used in the words;
• Produce the sound of the vowels correctly.

A vowel is a speech sound consisting either of a syllable or the center of a syllable produced through an open throat and mouth without obstruction.

Vowels are classified according to these factors:

1. According to the part of the tongue, there are three sound; front, back and central made respectively by the front, back and middle part of the tongue.
2. According to the height or position of the tongue, vowels are classified as high, mid and low. Vowels in which any part of the tongue is as high as possible are called high vowels. These vowels require the greatest arching of tongue. These in which the tongue is as low is as possible are called low vowels.
   
   
   

   

/i/- The lips are not rounded and the lower jaw is as close to the front of the mouth as possible bringing the upper and the lower teeth, the sides press against the upper bicuspids and the blade rises high toward the hard palate so that the voice sound passes through a narrow oral opening.

Word Drill

Initial                         Medial                     Final

Easy                          teacher                     three

Equal                        meat                          free

Even                         deep                          see

Ease                         seat                           tea

Eel                            beach                        glee

/I/- When pronouncing, the lips are unround though more relaxed than for lower, and toward the back of the mouth making the oral opening a little wider. The jaw and tongue movements ease the pressure of the teeth of the tongue against the eating edge of the lower teeth and the sides against the upper bicuspids.

Word Drill

Initial           Medial

Ill                 ship

Itch              brick

Ink               kick

It                  lick

Inside           pill

/e/- Some speakers make the sound diphthong /EI/ rather than a pure vowel. This is found and unround. The jaw drops to the mid-height and the front of the tongue takes a lower position than that for /I/ making the oral passage wider.

Word Drill

Initial                 Medial

Ache                  wait

Aim                   blade

Able                  raid

Ape                   eight

/ε/- The jaw drops to mid-height, just a little bit lower than for /e/. The lips are unround and the tongue tip touches the lower teeth while the sides touch the upper bicuspids very lightly. There is no tension and the sound produced is short.

Word Drill

Initial                    Medial

End                        head

Enter                     web

Excellent              heavy

Extra                    pen

/æ/- To produce the sound, drop your jaw and spread your lips in a wide smile the front of the tongue is low with the tip lightly touching the back of the lower front teeth. Muscles of both tongue and jaw are tense. This is low, front, unround, tense and long vowel.

Word Drill

Initial                  Medial

Apple                  black

Add                     contract

Angry                  jab

Absent                pack

/u/ or / uw/- the jaw height is close to the roof of the mouth as possible and there is more lip rounding and protrusion than in any other vowels. The tongue is tense with the back raised height toward the soft palate as a long sound is produced. This sound is high, back, round, long and tense.

Word Drill

Initial                   Medial                    Final

Ooze                    suit                         shoe

Oozing                 move                      who

Oozy                    rude                       two

Oodle                   loose                      true

/U/- The jaw is raised higher than for /o/ and the lips are slightly rounded and protruded. The tongue is raised high at the back toward the velum and muscles are relaxed as a short sound is produced. This sound is a high back, round, short, and lax vowel.

Word Drill

Medial

Push

Could

Woman

Bullet

/o/ or /ow/- There is a rounding and protrusion of lips and the mid-position of the jaw. The tongue is drawn back and toward the soft palate. During phonation, the tongue is raised to the high back position causing a slight depth organization. The sound /o/ is often used as a diphthong than a pure vowel.

Word Drill

Initial                 Medial            Final

Ocean                home               go

Over                  both                shoe

Open                 cold                 so

Only                  wrote               know

Ode                   loan                 foam

/ɔ/- The jaw is in low position but is raised a little higher than for /a/. There is slight protrusion and rounding of lips. The tongue is drawn a little toward a back of the mouth and raised slightly toward the velum. It is a low back, unround vowel.

Word Drill

Initial                 Medial

Author               fall

Alway                shall

Audit                 bought

Ought                taught

/ɜ/- The jaw height is midway and the lips are unround. The tongue is in the position for /ә/ but with tip curled toward the alveolar ridge.

Word Drill

Initial               Medial

Earn                curly

Earth               work

Early                sir

/ɚ/- It’s almost identical in the pronunciation of the first and the second syllables. It is because /ɚ/ is the unstressed counterpart of /ɜ/. They are both lax, unrounded, mid vowels. The tongue position for this sound is slightly lower.

Word Drill

Final

Master
Leader

Wiser

Victor

/ә/- The unstressed vowel have been reduced to a neutral one called the schwa /ә/, a mid, central, unround, short and lax vowel. There is no much effort involved in the production of this sound. The lips are slightly parted, the tongue is relaxed at the bottom of the mouth with the center slightly raised toward the hard palate.

Word Drill

Initial                        Medial                    Final

Above                      policy                       banana

Allow                       suppose                    lava

About                      famous                     sofa

Again                      bottom                      papa

/^/- There is no lip rounding and the jaw is in mid-height. The tongue is relaxed with the central part raised toward the hard palate, somewhat lower than for /ɚ/. The sound /^/ is mid, central, unround, lax and short.

Word Drill

Medial

Hut

But

Cut

Luck

Mud

/a/- The jaw height is at its lowest position. The lips are opened wide but neither spread nor rounded. The tongue rest at the bottom of the mouth and the tip and sides no longer touch the upper and lower teeth.

Word Drill

Initial                         Medial

Artist                         politics

Odd                           stock

Arm                           rock

Army                         sod

Guide Questions:

            Transcribe or replace the vowels being underlined in the words by the vowel symbols.

Example: beat – bit

1. green                            6. live                            11. throw
2. but                                 7. murmur                     12. fit
3. naught                           8. laid                            13. book
4. moon                            9. lad                             14. burger
5. red                                10. ago                          15. look