Understanding the English Vowel System: A Comprehensive Analysis
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The English Vowel System
In phonetics, "vowel" refers to a vowel sound or a letter representing it in writing. Vowels are speech sounds produced without obstructing airflow from the lungs, allowing breath to pass freely through the mouth. Vowels are always voiced (vocal cords vibrate).
The English alphabet has six vowel letters: a, e, i, o, u, y (or five if Y is considered a consonant). Y can represent a consonant/semivowel (yes, yard) or a vowel (mystery, try, play). All vowel sounds together form the vowel system.
Essential Elements in Vowel Sound Classification
- Tongue Position: Front, back, and central vowels.
- Tongue Height: Close and open vowels.
- Lip Position: Rounded and unrounded vowels.
- Spread vowels.
- Close and open lip-rounding.
The Received Pronunciation (RP) variety of British English has twenty vowel phonemes: seven short vowels, five long vowels, and eight diphthongs. The vowels and their corresponding phonemic symbols can be represented as:
Front Central Back
High i: I u:
Mid-high
Mid low e
Low
Vowel qualities depend on tongue and lip positions. Classifying them by the main part of the tongue is important. Vowels can be arranged by the highest point of the tongue.
Depending on where they are formed in the mouth, vowels are described as front, central, or back.
Front Vowels
Front vowels are [i:], [ɪ], [e], [æ]. The front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate.
Central Vowels
Central vowels are [ə], [ɜː], [ʌ]. They are intermediate between front and back vowels.
Back Vowels
Back vowels are [u:], [ʊ], [ɑ:], [ɔː], [ɒ]. The back of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate.
Rounded and Unrounded Vowels
Lip shape during vowel production can be rounded or unrounded (spread or neutral). Rounded vowels are [ɔː], [ɒ], [u:], [ʊ]. Unrounded vowels are [i:], [ɪ], [e], [ə], [ɜː], [æ], [ɑ:].
Long and Short Vowels
There are five long vowels: [i:], [ɑ:], [ɔː], [u:], [ɜː], and seven short vowels: [ɪ], [e], [ə], [æ], [ɒ], [ʊ], [ʌ].