2.2 Central vowels

E: is long and tense. It is central, half-way between open and close: the centre of the tongue is raised between close-mid and open-mid, no firm contact being made between the tongue and the upper molars. The lip position is neutral (the lip-rounding should be avoided). It coincides in quality with /q/, the difference between them being only in length. Care must be taken not to pronounce /r/ after it and to avoid any /r/-colouring of the sound.

q is short and lax. This is the most frequently occurring vowel in English, which always stands in unstressed syllables. Sometimes it is called schwa. It is half-way between open and close, it is central. The lips are neutral.

2.3 Diphthongs and their classification

A diphthong /'dIfTPN/ is a movement or glide from one vowel to another. A vowel which remains constant and does not glide is called a pure vowel. Diphthongs are equivalent to the long simple vowels in their length. The first part of the diphthong is much longer and stronger than the second part. As the glide towards the second vowel happens, the loudness of the sound becomes less. As a result, the second element is shorter and quieter.

Diphthongs can be divided into two groups (see Figure 4):

Figure 4. Classification of diphthongs.

D iphthongs

centring closing

ending in q ending in I ending in V

Iq eq Vq eI aI OI qV aV

2.4 Closing diphthongs

The closing diphthongs all end with a glide towards a closer vowel. Because the second part of the diphthong is weak, they often do not reach a position that could be called close. The important thing is that a glide from a relatively more open towards a relatively more close vowel is produced.

eI the glide begins from slightly below the close-mid front position of /e/ and moves in the direction of /I/. The second part of the diphthong should be only lightly touched on, and should not reach the position of close /I/.

aI begins with an open vowel which is between front and back; it is quite similar to the /A/ and moves in the direction of /I/, though the tongue is not usually raised to a level closer than for /e/. The glide for this diphthong is greater than for /eI/. The lips change from a neutral to a loosely spread position. Care should be taken not to glide to too close a position.

OI the first part has the same quality as /L/ (between the open-mid and open back position) and the glide moves in the direction of /I/, generally not reaching a level closer than for the sound /e/.The lips are slightly rounded for the first element, changing to neutral for the second.

For two diphthongs ending in /V/ there is a rounding movement of the lips. This movement is not a large one because the second element of the diphthong is weak.

qV the beginning is the same as for the ‘schwa’ vowel (a central position, between close-mid and open-mid). The lips may be slightly rounded waiting for the glide towards /V/. You should avoid starting the glide with a back vowel or a rounded vowel. In addition, proper prominence must be given to the first element.

aV begins with a vowel similar to /R/ but a little more front and moves in the direction of /V/. Since this is an open vowel, a glide will necessitate a large movement. That’s why this glide is not completed, the end of the diphthong being between half-close and half-open in tongue height. There is only slight lip-rounding for the second element.