Phonetics of the English language: how to improve pronunciation and overcome the accent. English phonetics

ENGLISH PHONETICS covers a wide range of issues. Here is the formation of sounds in English, and the classification of phonemes, and the processes of changing pronunciation norms, and many other topics covered by English phonetics.

In this section we are interested in to a greater extent practical English phonetics, but theoretical, because for practical knowledge of the language it is much more important to be able to pronounce sounds correctly, know transcription and be able to read.

Any language is, first of all, sound. Mastering any language begins with learning sounds. We invite you to learn more about English sounds – their pronunciation and designation in transcription.

Memorize 26 letters of the English alphabet quickly and easily. Go to this section and get acquainted with excellent materials that will help you easily master english alphabet.

Practical English phonetics begins with the ability to read transcription. What is it for? First of all, to find out correct pronunciation words The fact is that the spelling of English words is significantly different from the pronunciation. Sometimes even professionals are unable to read correctly unfamiliar word. Transcription comes to the rescue.

English phonetics includes classical pronunciation, i.e. “clean”, correct pronunciation of words and phrases, taking into account clear rules. However, in real life You will not meet a single native speaker who would correctly pronounce every sound with expressive diction. As a rule, in colloquial speech the pronunciation of words and phrases changes: various kinds of phonetic deformation occur, making it difficult for an inexperienced English speaker to perceive the speech of native speakers by ear. Our course helps eliminate this problem.

Pronunciation and transcription are not the whole of English phonetics. If you want to fully master the English language, you must master English rules reading. To be honest, many teachers prefer to avoid this topic, because, firstly, knowledge of the rules does not ensure correct reading words, and secondly, studying these very rules is not an easy job. However, we believe that without knowledge of the rules of reading, English phonetics would be incomplete, so we have prepared a simple but extremely effective course for you.

We invite you to get acquainted with the rules for reading English, given in a systematic (tabular) form. The tables can be saved and kept handy for reference.

Main function of language – be a means of communication between people. Through language, people ensure mutual understanding in the process of work and everyday life, express and make accessible to others their thoughts, feelings, moods and desires.

The English alphabet compared with Latin and Russian

Vowel sounds in English

Table of English vowel phonemes compared with Russian ones

Monophthongs – vowels with stable (fixed) articulation : , [i], [u], , [e], [q], [W], [L], [O],[P], [x], . There are 12 monophthongs in total.

Diphthongs – vowels with unstable (moving) articulation: , , , , , [ Fq ], [ u q ], [ i q ] ,with emphasis on the first element. There are 8 diphthongs in total.

Thrifthongs - a combination of three vowel sounds in one syllable: , [ au q ], sequentially pronounced with emphasis on the first element. There are 2 triphthongs in total.

Table of English vowel phonemes compared with Russian ones

Consonant sounds and letters in English

Table of phonetic and graphic signs of consonants

Consonants- speech sounds, opposed to vowels and consisting of voice or only noise, which are formed in the oral cavity, where a stream of air encounters various obstacles.

Table of phonetic and graphic signs of consonants

Transcription Transliteration Spelling

Transcription- this is the writing of a text (word, phrase) that allows you to identify as accurately as possible all the subtleties of the pronunciation of the language, without taking into account its graphic and spelling norms.

Phonetic transcription is a system of conventional graphic notations for sounds, in which each sound corresponds to a specific sign; Using phonetic transcription, you can also show the longitude of a sound and the place of stress.

fanatic fanatic With hange change

gold gold annual["xnjuql] annual

stand stand theorem["Tiqrqm] theorem

Transliteration- transfer of letters of one script using letters of another script, i.e. Writing words of one language with letters of another language.

Highmoor["haImuq] - Khaimur

Vyrnwy["vWnwI] - Vernoui

Sh- sh- Sholokhov

AND- zh- Zhukov

Spelling- write or spell a word, or spell a word:

o-n-e= one one

Four types of reading English vowels

First type of reading English vowels (alphabetic sound)

In short monosyllabic words, when a readable vowel is between two consonants, the last of which is adjacent to a “silent”, unreadable letter at the end of the word e .

Second type of reading English vowels (short sound)

Brief sound in full closed syllable, i.e. when a vowel is between two consonants, but the syllable must necessarily be loaded onto the consonant.

Third type of reading English vowels (long sound)

Letter combination r preceded by a vowel.

The fourth type of reading English vowels (diphthongization, triphthongization)

If a readable vowel is followed by a letter r, and followed by another vowel, the pronunciation changes.

Why is it important to learn English pronunciation? Yes, because pronunciation is the first thing people notice about your English!

Learn to pronounce correctly English words as soon as possible. English pronunciation is unpredictable! If you give up on practicing your pronunciation, you will start making mistakes that will become irreparable over time. The longer you ignore pronunciation problems, the more likely you will never be able to get rid of them. So fight procrastination!

How to learn pronunciation: algorithm of actions

The sounds of the English language are different from Russian ones. Do you want to speak English well? Then you will have to learn to recognize and pronounce them.

1. Learn sounds and their phonetic symbols. Learn to recognize each sound - then you can learn pronunciation by ear. To learn how to pronounce a word correctly, you must know what sounds you hear. For example, /dɒk/ and /dʌk/ - can you hear the difference? We must learn to hear.
2. Learn phonetic transcription and word stress.
3. Choose a pronunciation model, American or British.

Several recording systems exist to convey the sounds of English. Russian-speaking students are more familiar with the international phonetic notation system IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), but American dictionaries use an alternative system different from IPA (see Merriam-Webster Dictionary, New Oxford American Dictionary, American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Dictionary of the English Language). So if you see the symbols ā, ä, ī in the transcription, don’t be alarmed: this is an American transcription.

A dictionary, half a kingdom for a dictionary!..

English pronunciation, as we have already said, is unpredictable, so guessing how to pronounce a word is a futile exercise that will also reinforce a bad habit.

This is why (and especially at the beginning of learning!) it is so important to carefully check how a particular word is pronounced. Think of every word as a potential trap—not just “difficult” words like “determine” or “process.” The simplest English words, such as “of”, “won’t”, “does” or “most”, may surprise you.

If you are not 100% sure how to pronounce a word, don’t guess - if possible, try to check the dictionary before saying the word out loud.

As you read, ask yourself, “Do I know how to pronounce this word? Can I make a phonetic transcription of it?” If you're not sure, look in the dictionary. If you are a beginner, you should repeat this procedure as often as possible.

1. Make it a habit to check your pronunciation in a dictionary. If you are not 100% sure how to pronounce a word, don’t guess - if possible, try to check the dictionary before saying the word out loud. As you read, ask yourself, “Do I know how to pronounce this word? Can I make a phonetic transcription of it?” If you're not sure, look in the dictionary. If you are a beginner, you should repeat this procedure as often as possible.
2. Listen and remember. Any source will do oral speech: TV, podcasts, movies, audio books... While listening, pay attention to how words and sounds are pronounced. If a non-native speaker speaks, note his mistakes.
3. Practice! Practice can take different shapes. You can work on a system (for example, 15 minutes with a dictionary or pronunciation exercises) or just repeat a few words while doing something else (watching a movie or taking a shower). It is important to do this regularly - then you will notice progress.
4. Develop a system for learning pronunciation for yourself. For example, find a list of the most commonly used English words and learn how to pronounce them.

Good English pronunciation - what is it?

There are three levels of English pronunciation:

Level 1. People around you often don’t understand what you want to say. You pronounce English words incorrectly.

Level 2. People around you can understand you, but for this they need to make an effort.

Level 3. You are easily understood. Your pronunciation is clear and pleasant to the ear.

Learn more about Level 3

There are only two standards of English pronunciation:

1. American - General American, or GenAm;
2. British - Received Pronunciation (RP).

If you speak with a GenAm or RP accent, you will be understood around the world by both native speakers and non-native English speakers. GenAm and RP are heard on television, in films, on - that's why they are familiar to everyone.

Note that not all native English speakers have a GenAm or RP pronunciation and not all speak at Level 3. If you were born and raised in Scotland, any Scotsman will understand you - and most likely any Briton, an American - not necessarily, but those for whom English is not a native language - most likely not. With this pronunciation, you'll likely have some difficulty communicating with English-speaking residents of Houston, Berlin, or Seoul.

English pronunciation: complete chaos

And yet, mastering English pronunciation is not an easy task. At the beginning of the last century, the Dutch linguist Gerard Nolst Trenité (how to pronounce his name is a topic for a separate study) wrote an entire poem on this topic in his heart. And it’s called (you won’t be surprised): “Chaos”.

If you can correctly read every word in this wonderful poem, you speak English better than 90% of native English speakers in the world. One Frenchman, having tried it, said that he would prefer six months of hard labor to reading six lines out loud.

8 Pronunciation Mistakes That Helped the Development of Modern English

If you didn’t make a single discovery for yourself while listening to the previous poem, congratulations! You have mastered all the intricacies of English pronunciation and have reached a level that many native speakers will envy. For the rest of us, let’s note: your mistakes in pronunciation can serve the English language well!

There is a well-known story about how an emeritus English professor gave a speech. Addressing the students, the professor said: “You shouldn’t worry too much if your plans go oary after graduation.” The listeners looked at each other in bewilderment. Little by little those present began to understand: throughout During his long career, the respected professor incorrectly pronounced the word “awry” ([əˈraɪ] - obliquely; to one side; incorrectly; unsuccessfully).

Unfortunately, this can happen to anyone. A striking example: recently the public relations service of the English railway station St. Pancras (named after Saint Pancras) has released the results of a survey on the topic “The most common pronunciation errors.” By the way, the station itself is regularly called the pancreas - no wonder they had to hire PR specialists!

So: the researchers revealed an unjustified preference for the prefix “ex-”: out of 1000 English people surveyed, 340 pronounced “ex-cetera” instead of “etcetera”, and 260 ordered “ex-presso” instead of “espresso”.

Prefixes are also confused: in one case out of five, the doctor is asked not for “prescription,” but for “perscription” or “proscription.”

For better or worse, in real life English speakers quite often make mistakes in word usage and pronunciation. The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary contains 171,476 common words. But lexicon The average Briton has tens of thousands of words more modestly, and even fewer are used in everyday life. The situation when an Englishman does not know how to correctly read a word that is essentially familiar to him does not surprise anyone.

However, there is nothing more fickle in language than what is “right.” Errors force the language to develop: today it is an error, and tomorrow it is a norm recorded in dictionaries. Here are some of the most obvious examples of how incorrect pronunciation has become normative.

Words that once started with "n"

In the words "adder" (viper) and "umpire" (judge, mediator, arbitrator), the first letter was originally "n". However, in everyday speech, for example, “a nadder” was heard so often that the sound “n” was heard as part of the previous word: [æn] adder, umpire. In philology, this phenomenon is called re-decomposition.

When the sounds change places

Let's take examples from zoology: the word "wasp" (wasp) once sounded like "waps", "bird" (bird) - like "brid", "horse" (horse) - "hros". Remember this the next time you want to complain about people who say “aks” instead of “ask,” “nucular” instead of “nuclear,” or “perscription” instead of “prescription.”

This phenomenon is called “metathesis”.

When the sounds disappear

Although it is often difficult for a learner of English to make the connection between the writing of an English word and its pronunciation, in reality the English writing is a repository of information about the history of pronunciation. The ancient Britons would have thought their descendants lazy if they heard them pronounce the name of the third day of the week. Wednesday was named “Woden's day” (in honor of the Scandinavian god Odin), so the letter “d” in the word “Wednesday” is not for beauty - until recently it was voiced. No one pronounces the “t” in “Christmas” anymore - but the name of this holiday comes from the name of Christ. These are examples of syncopation.

When foreign sounds invade a word

Often the cause of phonetic changes is our physiology. When we move from a nasal sound to a non-nasal sound, a consonant can be inserted between them. Thus, “thunder” was once “thuner”, not “thunder”, and “empty” was “emty”, not “empty”. Now with the word “hamster” (hamster), in which the sound “p” slips through, the same process is happening.

When the "l" sound goes to the dark side

"Dark l" in linguist jargon is the sound "l" that is pronounced with the back of the tongue raised. In English it occurs after vowels, such as in the words "full" or "pole". You can raise your tongue so that the “l” sounds almost like a “w”. Once upon a time, the words “folk”, “talk”, “walk” had the sound “l” pronounced. Now almost everyone pronounces them with a “w”: “fowk”, “tawk”, “wawk”.

“Ch-ch-ch-changes,” as Bowie sang...

Your elderly second cousin from England would probably not like the way you pronounce the word “tune.” Be sure: she will definitely insert the sound “y” - “tyune” into this word. The same applies to the words "tutor", "duke" and the like. But the process of formation of affricates is ongoing, whether someone likes it or not. The younger generation already knows this pronunciation as the norm.

Looking for familiar words

Borrowings from other languages ​​can be a source of quite predictable and quite funny mistakes. Not knowing well foreign language, we are trying to find an analogy foreign words in our native language, we get some kind of compromise between the sound of words and their meaning. This is the so-called folk etymology.

Let's take for example the word "female", which is not at all derived, as one might assume, from "male", but comes from the Old French "femelle" (woman). Or "penthouse", which is not related to the house, "house", but comes from the Anglo-Norman "pentiz" - an extension (by the way, the building term "pentice" is preserved in modern English).

We speak as we write

Alas, when learning English spelling, we all face many difficulties. This is because the pronunciation of so many English words changed after their spelling became fixed.

For example, in Norwegian "sk" is pronounced "sh", so early English-speaking skiers "went shiing" rather than "skiing". And those who later read about it in magazines began to pronounce this word as it is spelled.

Based on the spelling of the word “salmon” (salmon), some modern Americans, when ordering a salmon roll at a sushi bar, pronounce “l” - by the way, this is exactly how this word was originally pronounced.

Your head is spinning, right? Let's stop here. And in your spare time, remember: what English words are you tempted to pronounce incorrectly? What pronunciation mistakes do you personally consider excusable? This could serve as a topic for self-study or discussions in English courses.

My accent is my enemy... How can I get closer to the ideal?

If you speak with a slight foreign accent, you will, of course, be understood. But keep this in mind: the more foreign signs in your accent, the more difficult it will be for your interlocutors (everyone is accustomed to the GenAm/RP standard, which cannot be said about a Russian or Spanish accent). The less your accent resembles the pronunciation of a native speaker, the more often you will be misunderstood and questioned.

Interesting fact: Native speakers, especially Americans, understand a wide range of foreign accents very well because they have to communicate with immigrants every day in their own country. For an American, a slight Spanish or Chinese accent is not difficult.
It's a different story for non-native English speakers - if you speak Chinese-accented English to someone from Germany or India, they'll have to work hard to understand you.

Not all pronunciation errors are equally serious. It's not a big deal if you say a couple of words English sounds a little differently than native speakers do.

It's much worse if you:

• speak too fast to show off;
• swallow sounds (worl instead of world);
• you put the emphasis in the wrong place (DEvelop instead of deVELop);
• pronounce the wrong sounds (determine, as if it rhymed with mine, or target with the j sound);
• you confuse the two different sounds(pronounce ship and hit as sheep and heat, and hope as hop).

“A foreigner will always speak with an accent”

This argument can discourage an English learner from taking pronunciation seriously! You were born and raised in a country where English is not the official language, so why bother trying to get the vowels right?

It's a fact that most foreigners speak with an accent, but no one is forcing you to be one of them. Many comedians perfectly imitate the speech of actors and politicians. Hugh Laurie as Dr. House speaks with a perfect American accent, although he himself is British.

Believe me, there are no barriers between you and perfect pronunciation. It's great if you have a talent for imitating sounds. If you can imitate the speech of those who speak the same language as you, this is already a good start. But even without this kind of inclination, you can achieve anything with perseverance and modern technology.

You may not end up being considered one of our own, but your clear, soothing pronunciation will undoubtedly earn you sympathy and respect among native English speakers.

And here are some more tips on how to achieve perfect English pronunciation from an Engvid.com teacher named Jade:

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Learning any foreign language is impossible without learning its alphabet. But memorizing letters without understanding how they sound and are used in words is pointless. Knowledge of phonetics is one of the significant stages of language acquisition. This is especially important when a person is juststarts learning English and the correct pronunciation of sounds, letters and, accordingly, words is a basic skill.

English letters and their sounds

There are 26 letters in English:

6 vowels– a, e, i, o, u, y;

21 consonants– b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z.

“How so? - you say - twenty-one plus six equals twenty-seven! That's all true, but the point is that the letter "y" is both a vowel and a consonant. This is what the academics who compiled and edited the Oxford Dictionary, one of the most important dictionaries of the English language, decided. Let's look at the English alphabet with transcription and pronunciation in Russian. Read!

First, to read sounds in English, you need to know how they are written. We can help you find out this in more detail at, but now let’s return to the article and try to figure it out, and they are written in square brackets - this is called phonetic transcription. In English there are vowels (vowel) and consonants (consonant). Just like in Russian, vowels are pronounced with open mouth, and consonants - with covered.

English sounds pronunciation table

Some words may have different numbers of letters and sounds. For example, the word help has 4 letters and 4 sounds, but the word six has three letters but 4 sounds. Each letter has its own sound, but in English there are such concepts as digraphs– these are two letters denoting one sound: gh [g] – ghost (ghost), ph [f] – photo ['foutou] (photography), sh [ʃ] – shine [ʃaɪn] (shine), th [ð] or [θ] – think [θɪŋk] (think), сh – chess (chess) and diphthongs– passing vowel sounds from one to another: ea – bread (bread), ie – friend (friend), ai – again [əˈɡen] (again), au – autumn [ˈɔːtəm] (autumn), etc.

It is worth noting that digraphs and diphthongs are read differently depending on what part the words are in. For example, gh in the middle of a word is not pronounced: light (light), and at the end it sometimes sounds like “f”: enough [ı’nʌf] (enough); oo can be pronounced as long [ʋ:], “u” in Russian: moon (moon), short [ʋ]: good (good), as short [ʌ], similar to “a” in Russian: blood (blood ), but together with “r” it is completely different, like [ʋə]: poor (poor).