The Englishman has five vowels, and we know them all – a, e, i, o, u. However, what many people do not know is that English really has 20 vowel sounds. This means that these vowels are pronounced in twenty different ways depending on certain rules. We will cover some of these sounds in this article, which will reveal why we pronounce “fat” and “leaves” so differently in English. Yes, there is a logic.
The Englishman has 20 vowel sounds. The short vowels in the IPA are / ɪ / -pit, / e / -pet, / æ / -pat, / ʌ / -cut, / ʊ / -put, / ɒ / -dog, / ə / -bout. The long vowels in the IPA are / i: / – week, / ɑ: / – hard, / ɔ: / – ovenk, / ɜ: / – heard, / u: / – start. Diphtonggous vowels in the IPA are / eɪ / -place, / Oʊ / -Home, / Aʊ / -Mouse, / ɪə / -Clear, / eə / -care, / ɔɪ / -boy, / aɪ / -find, / ʊə / –Tour.
To start learning in a step by step, let us first understand that each of the vowels makes at least two sounds – the short and the long. They can also be silent sometimes. The sound made by the vowel depends on its position in the word and the letters surrounding it.
Souille of vowel Rule number 1:
When a word has only one vowel and ends with a consonant, the vowel makes a His short.
‘A' in ‘jam'
‘e' in ‘West'
‘o' in ‘hot'
‘I' in ‘Poisson'
‘u' in ‘cup'
VOWEL SONS REALITY NUMBER 2:
When a word has two vowels separated by two or more letters, The first vowel is a short sound.
As in ‘Apple'
As in “Octopus”
As in “basket”
As in “Elephant”
As in “umbrella”
Vowel Sons Ruition number 3:
When a word ends with the letter “e” (magic “e” / silent “e”), The first vowel makes a long sound.
“Cap” becomes “cape”
‘Kit' becomes ‘kite'
‘Bat' becomes ‘Tube'
As in the “game”
As in “time”
Vowel Sons Ruition number 4:
When a word has two vowels side by side, The first vowel makes a long sound and the second vowel remains silent.
As in “tie”
As in “boat”
As under “rain”
As in “value”
As in “feet”
Symbols indicating the pronunciation of short and long vowel
It is useful to place a brand on vowels. It indicates the sound of vowel to use. For example, a short vowel sound is indicated by a curved symbol above the vowel “ă” in “Măn”. While a long vowel is represented by a small horizontal line above, like “ā” in “māin”. These symbols will strengthen your child's ability to recognize and effectively use the appropriate vowel sound.
Examples of pronunciation practice:
AA
“Fat”, “map”, “hand”, “lamp”, “glass”
“Destiny”, “pain”, “game”, “mail”, “whale”
Ee
“Egg”, “red”, “nest”, “bell”, “smell”
“Ear”, “sea”, “healing”, “weak”, “three”
II
“Pig”, “Coast”, “Fist”, “milk”, “swimming”
“Hide”, “Tile”, “Lime”, “Wipe”, “Prix”
Oo
“Fox”, “hop”, “rod”, “drop”, “pond”
“Road”, “goat”, “bone”, “note”, “roast”
Uu
‘Bud', ‘Gun', ‘Hug', ‘Dump', ‘Puff'
“Rule”, “true”, “dune”, “flute”, “fruit
I hope this has allowed you to provide you with fundamental information in English pronunciation. Thank you for reading.
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At Learnopoly, Finn has championed a mission to deliver unbiased, in-depth reviews of online courses that empower learners to make well-informed decisions. With over a decade of experience in financial services, he has honed his expertise in strategic partnerships and business development, cultivating both a sharp analytical perspective and a collaborative spirit. A lifelong learner, Finn’s commitment to creating a trusted guide for online education was ignited by a frustrating encounter with biased course reviews.