VowelsLIN 3201

Vowels Vowels vs.vs. ConsonantsConsonantsVowels

Pulmonic Egressive Airstream

Usually voiced, but can be voiceless

Maintainable articulations

More open than approximants; all equal to or more open than [i]

Serve as the nucleus of a syllable (carry pitch, tone)

Consonants

Many different airstreams – pulmonic glottalic or velaric

Voiced or voiceless

Maintainable and momentary articulations

Less open than [i]; no more open than approximants

Found at edges of syllables, before and after vowels

Some caveats about Some caveats about vowels…vowels…Vowels are naturally more difficult

than consonants because there are no physical boundaries from one to another

Vowels form a continuum, so some of the delineation of vowels is acoustic and auditory, not articulatory

A caveat for native A caveat for native speakers of American speakers of American

Englishes…Englishes…

Your natural tendency is to GLIDE vowels

What is a What is a GLIDEGLIDE??

Vowels are produced either as PURE vowels or GLIDED vowels

A PURE vowel means that throughout the production of the vowel the tongue stays in the same location and maintains the same sound during the entire production of the vowel

i.e. [i], [e], [o], [u]

A GLIDED vowel is a slightly longer vowel, in which the tongue moves towards or from production of second vowel during the production

GLIDES are combinations of vowels with semi-vowels [j], [w] or []

i.e. [uw], [oj]

Wait a sec…a semi-vowel?Wait a sec…a semi-vowel?The approximants [j], [w] and [] are

considered semi-vowels

although they share many characteristics with vowels, they can not serve as syllable nuclei (the center of the syllable)

Considered “non-syllabic” versions of [i], [u] and [y]

They combine with vowel as vowel glides

GLIDES may be considered:

ON-GLIDES - glide occurs in syllable initial positionArticulates as rapid glide movement from high

vowel position [j], central vowel position[], low vowel position [w] or retroflex [] to following vowel

Examples: [jo], [wa]. [e]

OROR OFF-GLIDES

Glide occurs in syllable final positionRapid gliding movement toward high vowel

position [j], central vowel position [], low vowel position [w] or retroflex [[

Examples: [ow], [ay]

So just remember…So just remember…

Be VERYVERY careful to produce

PURE vowels when needed

4 Parameters for Vowels4 Parameters for Vowels

1. Tongue Height (high, mid, low) (close, close-mid, open-mid, open in IPA)

2. Tongue Backness (front, central, back)

3. Tongue Tenseness (tense or lax)

4. Lip Rounding (rounded or unrounded)

Tongue Height

Location, or vertical placement of tongue in the mouth

High, High-Mid, Mid, Low-Mid, Low[IPA: Close, Close-Mid, Open-Mid, Open]

High: [i], [y], [], [], [], [u] Mid (Mid-High/Mid-Low): [e], [o], [] [], []Low: [a], [æ], []

Tongue Backness

Location, or horizontal placement, of tongue in the mouth

Front, Central, Back

Front: [i], [e], [], [æ], [a] Central: [], [], [] Back: [y], [], [o], [u], []

Lip Rounding

Whether lips are rounded or unrounded during vowel production

Rounded: [y], [u], [o]Unrounded: [i], [e], []

The front, unrounded vowelsThe front, unrounded vowels

1. [i] close

2. [] close/close-mid

3. [e] close-mid

4. [] open-mid

5. [æ] open-open-mid

6. [a] open

The back, rounded vowelsThe back, rounded vowels

1. [u] close

2. [] close/close-mid

3. [o] close-mid

4. [] open-mid