vse_otvety / 26_sistema_glasnykh_fonem

System of vowel phonemes

There are 12 monophthong and 8 diphthongs.

Monophthongs are characterized by the part of the tongue raised

1. front: [i:], [е], [æ];

2. front-retracted: [i];

3. central: [з:], [ǝ], [ʌ];

4. back: [ɒ], [ɔ:], [u:], [α:];

5. back-retracted: [ʊ].

The height of the tongue:

1. high narrow variant: [i:], [u:];

2. high broad variant: [i], [ʊ];

3. mid narrow variant: [е], [з:];

4. mid broad variant: [ǝ];

5. low narrow variant: [ʌ], [ɔ:];

6. low broad variant: [æ], [а:], [ɒ].

There are 6 phonemes in Russian vowel subsystem.

By the part of the tongue raised

1. front: [и], [э];

2. central: [ы];

3. back: [а], [о], [у].

The height of the tongue:

1. high: [и], [у];

2. mid: [э], [о];

3. narrow: [а], [э].

There are 6 oppositions in English subsystem of vowels by the part of the tongue raised: (one and the same level)

[i:-u:] - beat-boot; [ı-ʊ] kick-cook; [е-з:] - bed-bird; [æ-а:] - cat-cart; [а:-ɒ] - heart-hot; [ʌ-ɔ:] - tuck-talk.

There are 4 oppositions in Russian subsystem of vowels by the part of the tongue raised

[и-у] — пить-путь] [ы-у] — мыл-мул; [э-о] — мел-мол; [и-ы] — бил-был.

There are the following oppositions by the height of the tongue raised in English:

1. One and the same level: [i:- ı] — feel-fill; [ɜ:-ǝ] foreword-forward;

[u:-ʊ] — pool-pull; [ɔ:-ɒ] — port-pot.

There are no such oppositions in Russian.

2. On different levels:

[i:-æ] — seed-sad; [ʊ-ʌ] — look-luck; [i:-e] — neat-net; [ı-е] — bill-bell; [ʊ-a:] — look-lark; [и:-э:] — fool-fall; [u:-ɒ] — soup-sop.

In Russian subsystem of vowels:

[и-э] — пил-пел;[у-о] - тут-тот;[э-а] — села-сало;[о-а] — сом-сам; [у-а] — стул-стал; [у-э] — ухо-эхо.

There are 9 diphthongs in English subsystem of vowels: [eı, aı, ɒı; aʊ, oʊ; ıǝ , ɛǝ, ɒǝ , ʊǝ]. There are no diphthongs in Russian. Phonetic diphthongs which exist in some words are not phonological diphthongs, because they consist of 2 phonemes – a vowel and asyllabic [й].

Distribution of vowel phonemes in both languages has typological differences. In English only long vowels and diphthongs can finish the open syllable and in unstressed position the vowel [ǝ], potato.

In Russian there are no any restrictions except [ы], which can be posed only after hard consonants: был).

Exercises to teach phonetics:

1. Exercises on active listening and distinguishing sounds, their length. For example, when pupils hear the necessary sound they raise or clap their hands. The words can be both known and unknown. A teacher can ask pupils to distinguish between Russian and English sounds.

2. Exercises on repetition. Pupils repeat words, word combinations or phrases after a teacher or a tape recording. Here beside the pronunciation itself a teacher must pay special attention to the rhythm, stress, pauses and intonation. The work can be made individually or all together.