Functions of phonemes

1. distinctive

2. constitutive

3. recognitive

The English Vowel System

The vowelis a speech sound in the production of which the air stream coming out of the lungs meets no obstruction on its way.

The English vowel system consists of 20 vowel phonemes, which can be classified according to the following principles:

1. According to the stability of articulation we distinguish 12 monophthongs(2 diphthongoids among them) and 8 diphthongs.

2. According to the position of the bulk of the tongue we distinguish:

• front vowels with: the fully front /i:, e/; the front-retracted /, æ/;

• central vowels /, ǝ, ᴧ/;

• back vowels with: the back advanced /ʊ/ and the fully back /u:, ɒ, ɑ:, ͻ:/.

3. According to the tongue-height we distinguish:

• high: narrow /i:, u:/ and broad /,ʊ/:

• mid: narrow /e, / and broad /ǝ, ᴧ/;

• low: narrow /ͻ:/ and broad /æ, ɒ, ɑ:/

4. According to the duration (length) we distinguish long and short vowel phonemes.

5. According to the degree of muscular tension we classify them into tense (all long vowels) and lax (all short vowels).

6. According to the lip position they are distinguished as labialised (rounded) and non-labialised (unrounded).

English Diphthongs

The diphthong is a monophonemic combination of two vowel elements with gliding articulation.

The stressed element of a diphthong (which is always the first one in English) is called the nucleus, the second one is called the glide.

There are eight diphthongs in English. According to the type of nucleus they fall into three groups:

• front diphthongs /ǝ, e, eǝ, a, aʊ/;

• central diphthong /ǝʊ/;

• back diphthongs /ͻ, ʊǝ/.

According to the type of glide they are grouped into:

• // gliding diphthongs: /e, a, ͻ/;

• /ǝ/ gliding diphthongs: /ǝ, eǝ, ʊǝ/;

• /ʊ/ gliding diphthongs: /aʊ, ǝʊ/

The English Consonant System

The consonant is a speech sound in the production of which the air stream coming out of the lungs has to overcome a certain obstruction on its way.

The English consonant system consists of 24 consonant phonemes which can be classified as follows:

1. According to the type of obstruction

• occlusive: a) plosives: /p, b, t, d, k, g/; b) nasals: /m, n, ŋ/

• constrictives:

a) fricatives: /f, v, Ɵ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/;

b) sonorants:

medial /w, r, j/;

lateral /l/;

• occlusive-constrictives(or affricates): /ʧ, ʤ/.

2. According to the articulatory organ

• labial: a) bilabial: /p, b, m, w/; labio-dental: /f, v/;

• lingual:

1. forelingual:

dental: /Ɵ, ð/;

apico-alveolar: /t, d, n, s, z, l/;

palate-alveolar: /ʃ, ʒ, ʧ, ʤ/;

post-alveolar: /r/;

2. media-lingual: /j/;

3. back-lingual: /k, g, ŋ/;

• pharyngal: /h/.

3. According to the prevalence of noise over the musical tone (noise consonants and sonorants).

4. According to the work of the vocal cords (voiced and voiceless).

5. According to the position of the soft palate (oral and nasal).