Phonological System of the English Language

We can define pronunciation in two senses. First, it is used as part of a code of a particular language. Second, it is used to achieve meaning in contexts of use. In the phonological system of a language, we should distinguish between the segmental elements and the supra-segmental elements. The phonemes constitute the segmental elements of speech. In turn, stress, prominence, rhythm, and intonation are considered the supra-segmental elements.

Segmental Elements

Vowel System

There are 20 distinct vowel sounds that exist; 12 correspond to pure phonemes and 8 are related to two pure phonemes, the so-called diphthongs. There are three main descriptive criteria we call vowel parameters:

• Lip position
• Vertical tongue position
• Horizontal tongue position

Daniel Jones introduced a set of universal reference vowels, the so-called Cardinal Vowels. The following picture describes the 12 pure phonemes previously mentioned:

Consonant System

There are 26 consonant phonemes and they are classified paying attention to:

1. Place of articulation: where the air stream gets obstructed;
   • Bilabial
   • Labio-dental
   • Alveolar
   • Palato-alveolar
   • Palatal
   • Velar
   • Uvular
   • Glottal
2. Manner of articulation: how the air stream gets obstructed, some of them are:
   • Plosive
   • Nasal
   • Fricative
3. Force of articulation: with how much energy the sound is produced:
   • Voiced
   • Voiceless

A description of two consonants should be specified:

• /b/: voiced bilabial plosive
• /s/: voiceless alveolar fricative

Suprasegmental Elements

Stress: We can use the word stress to refer to the way we emphasize something or give it prominence. English word-stress appears chaotic and "without rules."

Prominence: Prominence may be used by the speaker with a concrete communicative objective, emphasizing an element of a sentence from a semantic point of view.

Rhythm: Nursery rhymes, chants, and songs are very useful when learning rhythmic groups as we can mark their rhythm by clapping to the rhythm of the accentuated syllable.

Intonation: Consists of different tones:

• Fall (wh-questions, statements...)
• Rise (yes/no questions, expression of surprise)
• Rise-fall (list of items...)

Learning Models

When choosing a pronunciation model in the teaching of English, we should bear in mind a series of factors, such as:

• The number of speakers that use that accent...

We as teachers should:

• Be a clear model for students
• Focus on problems
• Show students how sounds are made
• Give help in articulation