Peculiarities of English Vowels

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 602.

(Russian Learners Mistakes)

In the system of English vowels there are the following peculiarities, which do not exist in the system of the Russian vowels:

1) long and short vowels: [i:] - [i], [ɔ:] - [ɒ], [u:] - [ʋ], [ɑ:] - [ʌ], [ɜ:] - [ə]:

2) slightly rounded, but not protruded vowels: [u:], [ɔ:];

3) vowels articulated with the "flat" position of the lips in the [i:], [i], [e], [ei] production;

4) very low vowels, such as [æ], [ɒ];

5) front-retracted and back-advanced [i], [ʋ], [ɑ:];

6) mixed [ə], [ɜ:];

7) diphthongoidal pronunciation of [i:], [u:] and stable articulation in the [ɔ:] pronunciation;

8) diphthongs [ei], [ai], [ɔi], [iə], [ɛə], [ɔə], [ʋə], [аʋ], [əʋ].

In connection with these peculiarities Russian learners make the following mistakes:

1) they do not observe the quantitative character of the vowel (that is the length);

2) they do not observe the qualitative difference in the articulation of such vowels as[i]-[i:],[ʋ]-[u:],[ɒ]-[ɔ:];

3) they substitute English vowels for similar Russian vowels;

4) they pronounce [i:], [i], [e], [ei] without the "flat position" of the lips;

5) they soften consonants which precede front vowels as a result of which the latter become narrower [i:], [i], [e], [æ], [ei] (this phenomenon is known as adaptation) and the former are palatalized;

6) they articulate [ɒ], [ɔ:], [ʋ], [и:], [əʋ] with the lips too much rounded and protruded;

7) they make the sounds [æ], [ɒ] narrow because they don't open the mouth properly;

8) they do not observe the positional length of vowels;

9) they make both elements of the diphthongs equally distinct;

10) they pronounce initial vowels with a glottal stop [^s].

Questions for self-control:

1. What do we call cardinal vowels?

2. What are the main principles of classification of English vowels?

3. In what way does the stability of articulation influence the classification

of English vowels?

4. Do the systems of English and Russian vowels differ?

5. What are the differences in the articulation bases of English and

Russian?