новая папка / English vowels as units of phonological system

11. English vowels as units of phonological system.

**Distinctive oppositions in the system of English vowels:**

**Position of the lips:**

Rounded vs unrounded: *don – darn*, *pot – part*.

**Position of the tongue (horizontal movement):**

Front vs central: *cab – curb*, *bed – bird*.

Back vs central: *pull – perl*, *cart – curt*, *call – curl*.

**Position of the tongue (vertical movement):**

Close vs mid-open: *bid – bird*, *put – port*, *week – work*.

Open vs mid-open: *lack – lurk*, *bard – bird*, *call – curl*.

**Tenseness and character of the end:**

Tense vs lax, checked vs free: *eel – ill*, *steel – still*, *done – darn*, *knit – need*.

**Length:**

There are long and short vowel phonemes in English. But the difference is not only quantitative but also qualitative. In *bead – bid* the [iː] is more front and high than [ɪ].

Long vowels are longest in terminal position, shorter before voiced consonants, shortest before voiceless consonants. E.g. *bee – bead – beet*, *bar – Bard – Bart*, *car – card – cart*.

**Stability of articulation:**

Monophthongs vs diphthongs: *bit – bait*, *bid – beard*, *dead – dared*, *cot – coat*.

Diphthongs vs stable vowels: *bite – bee*, *bait – beet*, *boat – boot*, *pail – pool*.

**The method of minimal pairs helps to establish 20 vowel phonemes:** 12 monophthongs and 8 diphthongs.