2. Основное и второстепенное значение букв The primary and the secondary meaning of letters.

In English one letter can denote a few different sounds (polysemantic letters). That’s why there are the primary and the secondary sound meanings of them. The primary meaning of a letter is the sound which this letter:

1. denotes in the alphabet: a – [ei], e – [ɪ:]. E.g. bake, be;

2. doesn’t correspond to the alphabetical letter: a – [æ]. e.g. cat;

3. approximates the alphabetical letter: f – [f], y – [ai].

The secondarɔy meaning of a letter is the one which differs from its primary alphabetical meaning and depends on the consonants preceding or following this letter. E.g. a – [a:] - staff, [ɒ] – wander, [o:] – war.

The sound formation of the English language distinguishes long and short vowels. According to this peculiarity in English each stressed vowel can have two meanings: alphabetical (long) and short.

The primary sound meanings of the vowel letters are represented by diphthongs and monophthongs. Diphthongs and long monophthongs can be found in the stressed open and closed syllables of monosyllabic and polysyllabic words. E.g. my, me, go.

In closed syllables the vowel letter should be followed by a consonant + mute “e”. e.g. mat, pat, typical.

Each language has its own primary and secondary meanings of the letters. They are important for learning the rules of reading of the English language.

The rules of reading which express the primary meanings of letters spread onto majority of the words of the language. The secondary meanings spread onto a small number of words.

But if the word ends in –y, -ie as in the words lady, Edie the letters “a”, “e” have their alphabetical (long) meaning.

LETTERS’ MEANING IN ENGLISH: VOWELS

letter	meaning
	primary	secondary
Aa	[eı] make	[α:] master [ :] Malta [εə] Mary
	[æ] marry	[ɒ] manqué [e] many [ı] message
Ee	[i:] me
	[e] merry	[ı] menagerie [ɒ] ennui
Ii	[aı] mine	[i:] police
	[ı] mid
Oo	[əυ] mold	[ :] Dorian [u:] move
	[ɒ] mock	[Λ] mother [υ] woman [ı] women
Uu	[(j)u:] mute
	[Λ] much	[υ] put [ı] minute
Yy	[aı] my
	[ı] Tommy

3. Чтение ударных гласных в различных типах слогов The primary sound meaning of vowels in different types of syllables.

In disyllabic and polysyllabic words the vowel letter has its alphabetical (long) meaning if:

1. it is separated from the following vowel letter or from the combinations –le, -re by only one consonant letter e.g. pilot, idle, fibre;

2. it is followed by a consonant + r +vowel e.g. library, April;

3. it is followed by a readable vowel letter e.g. diet, going.

The vowel letter has its short primary meaning:

1. if it is separated from the following vowel or the combination –le by two or more consonants e.g. render, silly, fiddle.

2. if the vowel letter (apart from “u”) is in the third stressed syllable from the end e.g. family, cylinder; but: funeral;

3. if the vowel letter is followed by a single letter “v” e.g. avid, oblivion; but: uvula, fever, over;

4. if the vowel letter is followed by a consonant and one of the combinations, such as –ic, -ish, -ity e.g. tragic, polish, cavity;

5. in disyllabic words with the sound [i] and [ju:] in the last unstressed syllable the vowel letter of a stressed syllable has a short meaning: e.g. tribune, facet; but: stupid.

But if the word ends in –y, -ie as in the words lady, Edie the letters “a”, “e” have their alphabetical (long) meaning.

READING SINGLE VOWEL LETTERS IN STRESSED NON-FINAL SYLLABLES

meaning	spelling	examples	exceptions
I. Primary long	1) vowel + sounding vowel	diet
	2) vowel + consonant + vowel vowel + consonant + “r” + vowel vowel + consonant + “le” vowel + consonant + “re”	pilot library idle fibre
II. Primary short	1) vowel + consonant cluster + vowel vowel + consonant cluster +“le”	Render fiddle
	2) vowel + consonant + “ic” vowel + consonant + “ish” vowel + consonant + “ity”	tragic polish cavity
	3) vowel + “v” + vowel	oblivion	∙fever ∙over ∙uvula
	4) vowel + syllable + syllable	fa∙mi∙ly	cases with “u”: funeral
	5) vowel + [ı]-closed syllable vowel + [(j)u:]-closed syllable	fa∙cet tri∙bune	stupid

Reading of a stressed vowel in its short meaning. Short vowels of the English language.

If there is no indicator of length (it means the second vowel or a combination “gh” after a stressed vowel immediately or in one consonant) the English vowel is read shortly.

The short sound meaning of “e, i, o” almost coincides with the sound meanings of these letters in the Latin alphabet.

1. The letter “e” denotes the short sound [e] representing the first element of the diphthong [ei].

2. The letter “i” with the following consonants denote a very short sound [i].

3. The letter “o” in its short meaning is read as the short [ɒ].

4. Short sound meanings of the letters “u, a” in English differ from their sound meanings in the Latin alphabet. The letter “u” with following consonant denotes the short sound [ʌ] which reminds the Russian sound [a] in unstressed position.

5. The letter “a” denotes the short sound [æ] the longest of all short vowels. There is no such equivalent in Russian. For the correct pronunciation of the sound [æ] it is necessary:

   • to put the force part of the tongue low and to put the tip of the tongue lower. It causes comparatively small rise of the tongue.

   • To pull down the lower jaw.

   • To give voice and pronounce the similar to Russian [a] and [э]. The lips must be half open.

6. Doubling of a consonant is an indicator of a short meaning of the previous vowel. Doubling of a consonant doesn’t mean, as a rule, doubling of a consonant sound: e.g. bill.

In particular, a short vowel sound with the following consonant sound [r] can be denoted only with the help of doubling of the consonant “r”: e.g. carry, hurry, sorry.

7. the letters “l, s” at the end of monosyllabic word, as a rule, are doubled. The combination “ss” means the voiceless sound [s] : e.g. less [les].

8. The combination”ck” denotes the sound [ k] and is used for doubling as of the letter “k” so of the letter “c”.

9. In a few words, as an exception, short sounds are denoted by combinations: e.g. in the word build and in the words of the same roots building, builder the second vowel is read in its short meaning. The same is in the words friend, friendship.

The combination “ea” as an exception in some words before the letters “d, r, v” and combinations “th, lth” can denote a short sound [e]: e.g. head, bread, already, heavy, healthy.

Ex. 1 (from Test your pronunciation Unit 8, disc)

Read the following names and decide, from their spelling, if the vowel is short or long. (If there is more than one vowel, focus on the vowel receiving most stress.) If you are not sure, check the recording.

Example: Mick = short Susan = long

Mick	Susan	Dean	Sammy	Cathy
Martha	Jane	Luke	Tammy	Rose
Bert	Muriel	Patty	Pete	Ross
Ted	David	Becky	Bud	Simon
Beth	Mike	Mary	Tom	Jean
Timmy	Joan	Bonnie	Sheila	Bill

Short vowel sound	Long vowel sound

Ex. 2 (from Test your pronunciation Unit 26)

A: Here are the twelve pairs of rhyming words. In each case, one has an expected spelling for the particular sound and one has not. Choose which is the more predictable spelling.

Example: cheque neck

(compare neck with peck, deck, wreck, speck and so on)

1	droop	soup	5	rich	stitch	9	file	style
2	mash	cache	6	chest	breast	10	taste	waist
3	steak	make	7	wand	bond	11	worm	squirm
4	moon	prune	8	blood	mud	12	tomb	loom

B: And here are some pairs of words which look as though they should rhyme, but don’t. Choose the one which has the more predictable relationship between pronunciation and spelling.

1	cut	put	5	bear	fear	9	call	shall
2	warm	charm	6	cork	work	10	word	lord
3	worm	storm	7	wart	dart	11	dome	some
4	boot	foot	8	said	maid	12	want	pant

Ex. 3 (from Test your pronunciation Unit 27, disc)

A: In this section the spelling is 100% predictable from the pronunciation. Listen to the recording and write these individual words down.

1	________	5	________	9	________	13	________
2	________	6	________	10	________	14	________
3	________	7	________	11	________	15	________
4	________	8	________	12	________	16	________

B: Now see if you can read the following words aloud before you listen to them on the recording. Remember that the pronunciation is still predictable from the spelling.

	1		scoop					5		patched	9	puddle	13	shun
2	muted	6		rotter	10	stutter	14		candle

3	glitch	7	hugged	11	handy	15	rumbled
4	spine	8	treck	12	budge	16	trash

C: Now do the same with the following nonsense words.

1	flape	5	snork	9	frake	13	spump
2	spline	6	preck	10	drumble	14	flinge
3	smotted	7	glumpy	11	duddle	15	chinker
4	gatter	8	chandy	12	shunker	16	strended

• It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what the words in A and B mean; you can always check them in a dictionary afterwards. Don’t look in a dictionary for the nonsense words in C.

Ex. 4 Each word on the left rhymes with one word on the right. Match the words that rhyme and try to write a short poem using some of the rhyming words.

Brain, teeth, lost, foot, boast, suit, weight, slight, death, says, dull, phrase, war, full, chef, leaf, glued

Deaf, great, beef, breathe, skull, Les, reign, days, tossed, post, height, wreath, food, shoot, put, law, wool

Ex. 5 Practice reading vowels in their short meanings:

Letter” A”

a) Read as quickly as possible:

A cat, a black cat, a black cat sat, a black cat sat on a mat, a black cat sat on a mat and ate. A black cat sat on a mat and ate a fat rat.

b) Read the sentence:

There was a red van traveling West, and several cars and vans behind it. The van driver suddenly turned and crashed into the taxi. The taxi driver wasn’t badly hurt, but he was very angry.

c) Proverbs and idioms:

Flat as a pancake.

A hungry man is an angry man.

d) Rhymes and tongue-twisters:

Pat’s black cat is in Pat’s black hat.

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat

Can you catch that bad fat rat?

If you catch that bad fat rat,

You will have some milk for that.

Letter “E”

a) Hens, red hens, best red hens, ten best red hens, Ted sells ten best red hens. Every day Ted sells ten best red hens.

b) Only ten per cent of Kensington Express readers take regular exercise. Ten per cent felt that they were healthy or very healthy.

c) All’s well that ends well.

Better late than never.

d) Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.

Fred fed Ted bread and Ted led Fred bread .

Can you retell ten texts in twelve seconds?

letter “O”

a) Bob’s dog got a hot pot of porridge and some chops.

b) I’ve got a job in a sports shop at the moment.

c) Honesty is the best policy.

A proper cup of coffee from a proper copper coffee pot.

Ex. 6 Practice reading vowels in their long meanings:

Letter “E”

a) A man of words and not of deeds

Is like a garden full of weeds.

b) He speaks Chinese and Japanese with equal ease.

c) Easy come easy go.

Letters “I, Y”

a) As fit as a fiddle.

Which witch wished which wicked wish?

b) Needles and pins, needles and pins,

When a man marries, his trouble begins.

Letter “U”

a) A duck, an ugly duck, an ugly duck was in a cup, an ugly duck was in a funny cup, an ugly duck was in a funny cup on Sunday. An ugly duck was in a funny cup on a sunny Sunday.

b) Lucky in cards unlucky in love.

c) Mummies munch much mush.

Double bubble gum bubbles double bubbles.

Letter “A”

a) This amasing lake in Wales is a famous place for great races.

b) I can explain. The Daily Mail came late.

c) Make hay while the sun shines.

A stitch in time saves nine.

d) Rain, rain, go away,

Come again another day.

Billy, Billy, come and play

While the sun shines bright today.

Letters “I, Y”

a) Mike likes spicy pies with fried pike.

b) Hi, Mike! I’m busy typing. I have ninety-nine pages to type by Friday.

c) Out of sight out of mind.

Variety is a spice of life.

d) Why do you cry, Willy?

Why do you cry?

Why, Willy, why, Willy?

Why, Willy, why?

Letter “O”

a) The road below goes from Rome to the south coast. We are very close to our home.

b) Chip-chop, chip-chop,

Chipper-chopper Joe,

One big blow.

Oh! My toe!

Ex. 7 Put the words given below into a suitable column according to the rules of reading:

twilight, crying, Friday, magic, transport, limit, fiddle, panic, student, trying, bypass, never, uncle, letter, river, alphabet, timid, numeral, being, stupid, apricot, atomic, cinema, majority, better, hunting, visit, novel, palace, luggage, sentence, alcoholic, beginner, British, cucumber, famine, forever, Labrador, laser, microphone, noble, novel, poet, printer, puritan, puzzle, regular, Roman, secret, stupidity, syllabic, typical.

Test I

1. Read the words and explain the reading of stressed vowels:

Language, hunting, Friday, plate, sentence, primary, stupid, teeth.

2. Transcribe the words:

Fibre, April, going, render, family, avid, cavity, facet, lady, fever, over, funeral.

3. Find the odd word:

1. little, silly, fiddle, middle, quite

2. tragic, pathetic, paste, falls

3. ruling, tulip, truthful, trustee, numeral

4. Train the reading of the sounds [æ],[I],[i:]:

a) Can you imagine an imaginary menagery manager, imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?

b) I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.

5. Read the poem, find the word with stressed vowels in their short meaning and write them down:

The Rainy Day.

by H. W. Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary:

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,

But at every gust the dead leaves fall,

And the day is dark and dreary.

6. Read the proverbs, explain the reading of the underlined words:

1. Ask no questions and you’ll be told no lies.

2. There’s no smoke without fire.

3. Nothing ventured, nothing have.

4. Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I’m sixty-four?

7. Divide the words into syllables:

^|Apricot, ^|spindle, _׀tribu^׀lation, _׀intro^׀duction, con^׀glomerate, ^׀raga_׀muffin.

8. Divide the words into two columns:

1) words with stressed vowels in their alphabetical meanings;

2) words with vowels in their short meanings.

Television, nice, fever, bypass, under, hunting, boxing, refuse, twilight, letter, bicycle.