Vowels and consonants

Speech sounds are divided into vowels and consonants.

A vowel is a voiced sound in the articulation of which the air passes through the mouth freely (there is no obstruction to the stream of air).

A consonant is a sound in the production of which an obstruction is formed to the flow of the air by the active organs of speech. In the articulation of voiceless consonants the air stream is strong, while in voiced consonants it is weaker.

Vowels have no fixed place of articulation, the whole of the speaking apparatus takes part in their formation, while an obstruction or a narrowing for each consonant is formed at a definite place of the speaking apparatus .

In producing vowels all the organs o f speech are tense, while in making consonants the active organs of speech are tense only in the place of obstruction.

Vowels are sounds of pure musical tone while consonants may be either sounds in which noise prevails over tone (noise consonants) or sounds in which tone prevails over noise (sonorants).

An obstruction is formed in the articulation of sonorants as well, but the air- passage is wider than in the formation of noise consonants. This results in very little friction produced by the rather weak air-stream . That is why in the articulation of sonorants tone prevails over no is whereas in all the other consonants (both voiced and voiceless) noise prevails over tone. The English sonorants are /m/, /n/, /ή/ and /w/, /l/, /r/, /j/.

The classification of english vowels

The English vowel phonemes are divided first of all into two large groups: monophthongs and diphthongs. This division is based on the stability of articulation.

A monophthong is a vowel in the articulation of which the organs of speech do not perceptible change their position throughout the duration of the vowel, as in /i/, /e/, /æ/, /a:/, /ɒ/, /ɔ:/, / ɜ:/, / ə/, / ʌ/, / u/.

A diphthong is a vowel sound in the articulation of which the organs of speech start in the position f one vowel and glide gradually in the direction of another vowel, the full formation of which is generally not accomplished.

Thus a diphthong is a combination of two vowel elements pronounced so as to form a single syllable. The first element of an English diphthong is called the nucleus. It is a strong, clear and distinct vowel sound. The second element is rather weak; it is called the glide.

There are eight diphthongs in English: /ei/, /ai/, /ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/, /ɔi/, /au/, /ɜu/.

Besides these diphthongs, there are two vowels in English /i:/ and /u:/ which may have a diphthongal pronunciation: in the articulation of these vowels the organs of speech change their position but very slightly. These vowels are called diphthongized vowels, or diphthongoids.

The particular qualit, or tamber of vowels depends on the volume and shape of the mouth-resonator. The shape and size of the mouth-resonator are changed by the movements of the tongue and the lips. The lips may be rounded, protruded, neutral or spread. When the lips are rounded or protruded they increase the volume o the mouth-resonator.

In vowel production the tongue may move in a horizontal direction (i.e. it may move forward and backward) and in a vertical direction (i.e. it may be raised to various heights in the mouth).

As a result of these movements, the tongue may take up various positions in the mouth cavity.

Different positions of the tongue determine the shape of the mouth-resonator and, consequently, the quality, or tamber of the vowels.

However, in English the character of certain vowels varies not only with their quality, but also with their quantity, or length, there being long and short vowels in the given language.

The difference in the length of the English vowels is accompanied by a difference in the muscular tension of the speech organs involved: the long vowels are generally pronounced with greater muscular tension than the short ones.

Cf. /i:/- /i/, /ɔ:/ - /ɒ/, /u:/ - /u/.

Thus the English monophthongs may be classified according to the following principles:

1. According to the position of the tongue

2. According to the position of the lips.

3. According to the length of the vowels.

4. According to the degree of tenseness.