Лекция: Vowels and their classification

Vowels/'vaVqlz/ are sounds in which there is no obstruction to the flow of air as it passes from the larynx to the lips. They differ from each other in several ways. We need a very accurate way of classifying the vowels. Phoneticians have developed a set of vowels, arranged in a diagram, which are not the vowels of any particular language. These are cardinal vowels which represent the extreme points of vowel quality that the human organs of speech can make. It is traditional to describe vowels of any language by comparing them with these cardinal vowels (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Vowels.

The first thing to consider is the shape and position of the tongue.

1. Tongue heightor the vertical distance between the tongue and the palate. It can be changed by moving the tongue up and down. According to this principle vowels can be divided into:

· close

· half-close

· half-open

· open

2. Shape of the tongue or the part of the tongue (front or back) which is the highest point in our mouth. According to this principle vowels can be:

· front

· central

· back

3. Lip-rounding or position of the lips. We will consider only three possibilities:

· rounded (corners of lips are brought towards each other and the lips are pushed forwards)

· spread (lips move away from each other, as for a smile)

· neutral (the lips are neither rounded nor spread)

4. Natural length of the vowels. Simple vowels can be:

· short

· long

5. Degree of muscular tension. According to this principle vowels are divided into:

· tense (long vowels)