Criteria to classify Vowels

CL ASSIFICATION OF
ENGLISH VOWELS


CLASSIFICATION OF ENGLISH
VOWELS

Vowel sounds are classified according

to: the position of the tongue in the mouth,
the openness of the mouth, the shape of the
lips, and the length of the vowels.


1) THE POSITION OF THE TONGUE IN THE
MOUTH
Front vowels are the ones in the
production of which the front part of the
tongue is raised the highest such as [i:] [i] [e]
[æ] [a].


When the central part of the tongue maintains
its highest position, the vowels thus produced
are central vowels such as [3:] [Ə] and [Λ] .
If the back of the tongue is held the highest, the
vowels thus produced are back vowels such as
[u:][u]


2)THE OPENNESS OF THE MOUTH

Close vowels: [i:] [i] [u:] and [u];
Semi-close vowels: [e] and [3;]
Semi-open vowels: [ə] and [Չ :]
Open vowels: [æ] [a] [Λ] [Չ ] and [α:].


3) THE SHAPE OF THE LIPS
•Rounded vowels: All the back vowels in English
are rounded except [ɑ :].
•Unrounded vowels: All the front vowels and
central vowels in English are unrounded.


4) THE LENGTH OF VOWELS
Long vowels: They are usually marked
with a colon such as[i:] and [ɑ :]
Short vowels: other vowels in English
are short vowels such as [e],[ə] and [æ].


GIVE THE FOLLOWING PHONETIC
SYMBOLS:
Voiced palatal affricate
Voiceless labiodental
fricative


Voiced alveolar stop
Front close short
Voiced bilabial stop

GIVE THE PHONETIC FEATURES OF EACH
OF THE FOLLOWING SOUNDS
[s]
[z]
[k]


Assimilation rules:
Word-final alveolar become dental before
dental fricatives;
not thin
ten thumps
well thought


 Bilabial and alveolar nasals /m, n/
become labio-dental before labiodental fricatives;
ten forks
come for me


 Word-final labio-dental fricatives may
become bilabial before bilabial plosives;
live bird
v ß


 Word-final /l/ is non-velarised if

followed by an initial vowel;
fill it


 Word-final /t/ become bilabial before
bilabial consonants /p, b,m/;
that pen /..p pen/
that boy/..p b../
that man /..p m../


 Word-final /d/ become voiced bilabial
before bilabial consonants /p, b,m/;
good pen /gub pen/


 Word-final /t,d/ become velar before
velar plosives;
that cup /..k k..
that girl /..k g../
good cup /gug k../


 Word-final /n/ becomes bilabial before
bilabial consonants;
ten pens
ten boys
ten men

 Word-final /n/ becomes velar
before velar plosives/k, g/:
Ten cups
ten girls


 Word-final /s,z/ become palato-alveolar
before palato-alveolar fricatives and the
palatal frictionless continuant/;
This ship
This year
has she


 Word-final

/t,d,s,z/

alveolar

affricates

fricatives(/s,z/)

become

before

(/t,d/)
/j/

palatoor
and

/j/disappears;
Would you, What you want, As yet, In case
you need it


 Word-final /d/ becomes a nasal before a
nasal, at the place of articulation of the nasal;
 Word-final /v/ becomes a nasal before a nasal;
 Word-final lenis fricatives become fortis before
an initial fortis consonant;