The vowel sound / α:/ as in “car”
Read the instruction to learn how to make the long sound /α:/.
T
he
blade of the tongue is very low down in the mouth, it is retracted.
The tip of the tongue is also retracted from the lower teeth. The
back of the tongue is slightly raised towards the soft palate. The
jaw is considerably lowered. The lips are neutral.
Listen to the target sound and the words and repeat. Look at the mouth diagrams to help you position your lips, tongue and jaw for the target sound. Transcribe the words.
/ α: α: α:/
|
Spelling variations for the / α:/ sound. |
Highlighted bold letters are pronounced as / α:/. |
|
ar (“r” is silent) ear, er, al, au a before s, n and th |
art, arms, bar, mark, arch, bark, dark heart, sergeant, clerk, Derby, psalm, laugh bath, castle, fast, glass, disaster, rather, enhance |
Read these words with the sound / α:/. Transcribe them.
Far, card, harm, class, fast, ask, bar, cart, halve, gasp, after, path, heart, star, half, plant, aunt, heart, march, starve, raft, task, bath, France, calm, start, clerk, dance, past, laugh.
Listen to the sentences and repeat. Read each sentence aloud slowly at first, then as if you were telling it to someone in a natural way.
The marble bird-bath was hidden in the tall grasses near the path.
Let’s park our car at Barbara’s as the car park is rather far from the theatre.
At last Margaret’s anxiety passed and she chanced a disastrous dance with a laughing sergeant.
I’d rather take a chance and let my father drive me to the garage in his fast car.
Hard-hearted Margaret was reading psalms in the dark.
As an office boy I made such a mark, that I was given a post of a junior clerk.
Listen and copy the intonation and voice modulation on the CD.
Barbara’s car is a Jaguar
A
nd
Barbara
drives rather
fast.
Castles, farms and draughty barns,
She goes charging past.
When I, good, friends, was called to the bar,
I’d an appetite fresh and hearty,
But I was, as many barristers are,
An impecunious party.
Listen to the dialogues. Intone them. Learn and reproduce, paying attention to the pronunciation of the sound /α:/, intonation and tempo.
Dialogue 1
- Ask it to bark, Margaret.
- I rather think it can’t bark, Arnold.
- Can’t bark? But if it can’t bark, it can’t guard the house. Ask it to bark, Margaret.
- Er… er… Can’t you… bark?
- Bark, can’t you! Bark! Bark!
- Arnold can bark.
Dialogue 2
- Aren’t Carl and Marcia ghastly people?
- Ghastly, aren’t they?
- But aren’t their parties marvellous?
- Oh, they have marvellous parties, yes.
- Charles and Martha have ghastly parties.
- Mm. But they’re marvelous people, aren’t they?
- They’re marvelous people, yes.
- What time does their ghastly party start, by the way?
1975
The vowel sound /۸/ as in “duck”
Read
the instruction to learn how to make the short sound /۸/.
The tongue is in the central part of the mouth. The back of the tongue is raised towards the roof of the mouth. The front of the tongue is raised to the back of the hard palate. The tip of the tongue is retracted from the front lower teeth. The lips are neutral.
Listen to the target sound and the words and repeat. Look at the mouth diagrams to help you position your lips, tongue and jaw for the target sound. Transcribe the words.
/۸ ۸ ۸/
|
Spelling variations for the /۸/ sound. |
Highlighted bold letters are pronounced as /۸/. |
|
u o ou |
must, luck, dump, just, upper, nun, bus, lunch come, worry, front, love, done, once, cover rough, tough, country, couple, double, trouble |
Read these words with the sound /۸/. Transcribe them.
Shut, blood, flood, country, son, much, cut, ton, mother, luck, young, rough, courage, trouble, come, does, dove, duck, sun, must, cup, hut, couple, such.
Listen to the sentences and repeat. Read each sentence aloud slowly at first, then as if you were telling it to someone in a natural way.
For someone with a love of money, the sum of one hundred pounds was enticing.
Bud, love! Don’t worry; victory is in front of you!
I can’t understand the fun of travelling by bus on such rough country roads.
There are a number of nuns among us.
Here I am, in front of a tub with a rub and a scrub!
When you come to lunch in London on Sunday, remember to bring some money.
Practice reading the tongue twister as quickly as you can. Be careful not to mispronounce the target sound /۸/.
Double bubble gum bubbles double.
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.
It only doubles trouble, and troubles others too.
Listen to the tongue twister. Learn it by heart. Practice saying it as quickly as you can. Be careful not to mispronounce the target sound.
If you understand, say "understand".
If you don't understand, say "don't understand".
But if you understand and say "don't understand",
How do I understand that you understand?
Listen to the dialogues. Intone them. Learn and reproduce, paying attention to the pronunciation of the sound /۸/, intonation and tempo.
Dialogue 3
- Now, what’ve you done, young man?
- I’ve cut my thumb.
- Mm. Well, put out your tongue.
- But it’s my thumb. I’ve cut my thumb.
- Put out your tongue!
- Mummy! Mummy! Why doesn’t mummy come?
- Mummy’s coming – put out your tongue.
- It’s not my tongue, Mummy. It’s my thumb.
- Please, Sonny – just put out your tongue.
Dialogue 4
- I love buns.
- Buns make crumbs.
- I love guns.
- Guns cost money.
- I love Ms Hunt.
- Ms Hunt‘s a honey.
Listen to the words with sounds / α:/ and /۸/ in contrast and repeat. Look at the mouth diagrams to help you position your lips.
|
/
α:/
|
/۸/
|
|
father dark bath pardon startle rather target |
front duck bud punch stuck rough tough |
Read the following sentences. Mind the right articulation of the sounds / α: / and / ۸ /.
My mother’s brother’s my uncle; my uncle’s son’s my cousin.
Your uncle took the umbrella upstairs.
My puppy loves to run.
You must go to lunch but come back for supper.
The ugly duck is under the hut.
Put some honey on the bun, Mother.
Aunt Martha lives near Marble Arch, which isn’t far.
Listen to the dialogues. Intone them. Learn and reproduce, paying attention to the pronunciation of the sounds /α:/, /۸/ and / æ /, intonation and tempo.
Dialogue 5
- I shan’t pass the maths exam.
- I shan’t pass in art.
- Maths is too hard. I can’t understand it.
- I’m very bad at art.
- Perhaps you’ll pass.
- I shan’t. Perhaps you’ll pass.
- No, no! I can’t pass.
Dialogue 6
- We’ve passed!
- I haven’t passed in art, have I?
- You have! And I’ve passed in maths - by one mark!
- Isn’t that fabulous!
- We must have a party!
- We’ll have a fabulous party!
- Just imagine - we’ve passed!
- We’ve passed! We’ve passed!
Dialogue 7
- Sally’s come.
- Oh, I’m glad Sally’s come. Has her brother come too?
- No her brother hasn’t come actually. That doesn’t matter much, Ann.
- No, it doesn’t matter, Daddy.
- And Sally’s such fun.
- Oh, Sally’s lovely… But Daddy…
- Mm?
- Oh, Daddy, why hasn’t he come?
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ХІ. Learn the following graphical rules:
Vowel / α: / is represented in spelling by:
The digraph “ar” (part)
“a” followed by ”ss, st, sk, sp, ft, t, th, lf, lm” (after, past, ask, grasp, after, father, tomato, half, calm)
“ance”, “anch” in words of French origin (France, glance, ranch)
“and” when stressed (demand)
Rare Spellings: aunt, draught, laugh, clerk, sergeant, heart, hearth, bazaar, drama, aria, tomato, garage, moustache, vase
Vowel / ۸ / is represented in spelling by:
The letter “u” in stressed closed syllables (uncle)
“o” followed by “m, n, v, th” (come, son, love, mother)
The diagraph “ou” followed by “gh, bl(e), pl(e)” (tough, trouble, couple)
To memorise: “ou” + other consonants (country, courage, cousin, touch, young, southern)
Rare Spellings: blood, flood, worry
Irregular reading: stove
ХІІ. Find Ukrainian equivalents to the proverbs and sayings.Learn them:
/ α: /
He laughs best, who laughs last.
After a storm comes a calm.
Each dog barks in his own yard.
Art is long, life is short.
/ ۸ /
So many countries, so many customs.
Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.
Love me, love my dog.
When two Sundays come together.
A storm in a tea cup.
A man is known by the company he keeps.
As snug as a bug in a rug.
As hungry as a hunter.