The classification of English speech sounds is based on an analysis of the methods of pronunciation. So, when pronouncing vowel sounds, the vocal cords vibrate, and a stream of air from the lungs freely passes through the entire vocal apparatus. Therefore all vowels are ringing sounds musical tone. The differences between them are determined by the characteristics of the speech resonator: the lips can be rounded, neutral or stretched, the tongue can be moved forward, pulled back, raised up.
The consonant sounds of English speech are formed by overcoming obstacles created by the speech organs in the path of air flow, therefore all of them have a noise component to one degree or another. This could be, for example, a pop that occurs when the lips suddenly open, which initially completely blocked the air outlet. Example sounds:
[p] , [b] , [P] , [b] .
Or hissing, which occurs when air passes through the gap created by the speech organs, sounds:
[ʃ ] , [ʒ ] , [w] , [With] .
Classification of English consonant sounds.
It is convenient to consider the pattern of pronunciation of English consonants using the table presented in Figure 1.
Rice. 1. Classification of English consonants and their Russian analogues
The basic principles of the classification of English monophthongs are reflected in the diagram in Fig. 2.
Depending on the position of the tongue, vowel sounds are classified into:
- Front vowels
- Back vowels
- Mixed vowels
Front vowels: [i:, ɪ, e, æ], when pronounced, the body of the tongue is moved forward, the tip of the tongue rests on the lower teeth.
Back vowels: [ɔ, ɔ:, u:, u, ᴧ] - the body of the tongue is pulled back, the tip of the tongue extends from the lower teeth.
Mixed vowels: [ə:, ə ] - the tongue is evenly raised, and the entire back of the tongue lies as flat as possible.
Among the back vowels, those pronounced with rounded lips are distinguished labialized: [ɔ ] , [ɔ: ] , [u:] , [uuə] , [ou] , [ɔɪ ]
Vowels: [ i:] , [ɪ ] , [e] , [eɪ] , [ɪə ] are pronounced with stretched lips. For other vowels: [ ʌ ] , [æ ] , [ɑ ] , [ə: ] , [ə ], as well as the first elements of diphthongs [ aɪ] , [au] , [ɛə ] characterized by a neutral lip position.
According to the degree of elevation of the tongue in the oral cavity, monophthongs are divided into high, medium and low.
For high vowels [ i:] , [u:] , [ɪ ] , [u], also called closed, and the first elements of diphthongs [ ɪə ] , [uə] the bulk of the tongue rises high in the oral cavity.
Sound [ uy] . The lips are slightly rounded, but not drawn out. Due to the tongue pulled back [ u] has a sort of faint echo [ s] .
To pronounce a long sound [ u:] lips should be rounded more strongly, compared to [ u] , but do not pull it out. Open your mouth less and pull your tongue more than for [ u] .
When pronouncing the sound [ i:], long, as in the word willow, lips stretch, as if in a smile. The tip of the tongue is located at the lower teeth. The middle part of the tongue is raised.
Sound [ ɪ ] is more brief, like an unstressed [ And] in the word game. The tip of the tongue is slightly pulled away from the lower teeth. The lips are stretched less than for [ i:], and the mouth is slightly open wider.
When pronouncing middle vowels: [ e] , [ə: ] , [ə ] , [ɔ: ] and the first elements of diphthongs [ eɪ] , [ou] , [ɛə ] the bulk of the tongue is located in the middle of the oral cavity, the middle and back parts of the tongue are evenly raised.
When pronouncing the sound [ e] the tip is at the base of the lower teeth, the middle back of the tongue curves forward and upward, but not too high. This sound is somewhat similar to the Russian sound [ uh] in the words this, goal. If the tongue touches the lower teeth, [ e] And [ ɪ ] will turn into Russians [ And] And [ e], and if the tongue is pulled too far from the lower teeth, English sounds [ e] And [ ɪ ] will be similar to the sounds of Russian speech [ s] And [ uh]
When pronouncing the English sound [ ə: ] the flat tongue is slightly raised, the tip of the tongue touches the base of the lower teeth, the lips are tense and stretched, slightly opening the teeth, especially when pronouncing this sound after [ w] in words like world, work. There is no similar sound in Russian. The English pronounce the sound [ ə: ] at the moment of difficulty with the answer. In such cases we pronounce the sound [ mm...]
When pronouncing the sound [ ə ] lips are in a neutral position. It is always unstressed, the shortest in English, before the consonant [ n] And [ l] often disappears altogether. It may have shades depending on the influence of neighboring sounds; at the beginning or middle of a word it often resembles a very short [ ə: ], at the end of a word is similar to [ ʌ ] : col our,aft er .
Low vowels (open): [ ʌ ] , [æ ] , [ɑ: ] , [ɔ ] and the first elements of diphthongs [ ɔɪ ] , [aɪ] , [au] are pronounced with the tongue positioned low in the oral cavity.
Sound [ æ ] Unlike [ e] is pronounced with the mouth as open as possible, the lower jaw slightly lowered. Duration of sound [ æ ] longer than [ e] . It occupies an intermediate position between long and short vowels.
Equally open position mouth is also characteristic of the sound [ ɔ ], reminiscent of the very short Russian [ o], but much more open. The lips are slightly rounded, although they do not extend forward. The tip of the tongue is moved away from the lower teeth, and the back of the tongue is slightly raised.
When pronouncing a long vowel [ ɔ: ] the mouth solution is narrower than for [ ɔ ], lips are rounded, but not protruded. The back of the tongue rises higher than for [ ɔ ] . You cannot pronounce this sound with the initial sound [ at], characteristic of Russian [ O], so the tongue must be pulled back and the lips must be significantly rounded.
When pronouncing the sound [ ɑ: ] the root of the tongue is pulled back and down, the sound comes from the depths of the throat, reminiscent of the sound made when a doctor examines the throat. The tongue lies very low in the mouth. the tip of the tongue is pulled away from the lower teeth.
Sound [ ʌ ] is significantly shorter than Russian [ A] and resembles unstressed [ A] in the word d A la. It is pronounced briefly and abruptly, as if through clenched teeth. The tongue is pushed back a little. The distance between the jaws is less than when pronouncing [ ɑ: ] .
Vowel sounds, like consonants, are influenced by the immediate environment. For example, the sound [ æ ] in the words hand and land sounds different, because, being in the second case surrounded by alveolar consonants, in reality it is also pronounced with the tip of the tongue located in the area of the alveoli, and not at the lower teeth.
Similarly, consonant sounds are influenced by vowels. In the words two and tea the sound [ t] It has various shades due to subsequent labialized [ u:] and pronounced with stretched lips [ i:] .
Issues of developing the nuances of pronunciation of letter combinations are beyond the scope of this manual, but require their share of attention throughout the entire learning process. By the way, many people’s diction is not impeccable and native language.
rice. 2. Classification of English vowel sounds There are 24 consonant sounds in the English language. As in the Russian language, they are divided into voiceless and voiced, many have corresponding pairs.
Voiced consonants:[b] [d] [g] [v] [D] [z] [Z] [m] [n] [N] [r] [j] [w].
Voiceless consonants:[p] [t] [k] [f] [T] [s] [S] [h].
In Russian, most consonants have two pronunciations: soft And solid. This difference in the pronunciation of consonants is of a word-distinguishing nature. Compare: chalk - shallow, horse - horse, weight - all. Consonants in English don't soften They Always pronounced firmly.
English voiceless consonants [p] [t] [k] [f] [s] are pronounced more energetically, with greater muscular tension of the speech organs and with greater exhalation force than similar Russian sounds. In stop consonants [p] [t] [k] arises due to this aspiration, especially strong in stressed syllables before vowels.
Voiced consonants in English at the end of a word are weakened, but not completely deafened, as in Russian. Stunning may result in a change in meaning. Compare:
bad - bad, but: bat - bat
had - had, but: hQt - hat
Unlike the Russian language, voiceless consonants in the position before the voiced ones are not voiced, and voiced consonants in the position before the voiceless ones are not voiced, for example: Dis "dei, hiz "tiz.
Below is an approximate Comparative characteristics English and Russian consonants.
Correspond to Russian [t, d, l, n, s, z], but when pronouncing English, the tip of the tongue should be kept on the alveoli (tubercles above the upper teeth). The corresponding Russian consonants are dental.
English [t] and [d] are pronounced much more energetically than Russian ones, and [t] is aspirated. A closure occurs between the tip of the tongue and the alveoli, followed by a rapid “explosion.”
English [l] is pronounced softer than in the word onion, but harder than in the word hatch, and does not soften to [l], as in the word stranded
[p, b, f, v, k, g, m] correspond to Russian [p, b, f, v, k, g, m], but are pronounced more energetically, which is achieved by some tension of the lips for [b], [m], [f], [v ] and language for [k] and [g]. English [p] and [k] are pronounced aspirated.
[w] - There is no similar sound in the Russian language. This labiolabial sound is produced by the action of both lips while vibrating the vocal cords. Tense lips are placed in a position as if whistling, then the corners of the mouth are quickly and energetically moved apart in much the same way as is done when pronouncing the Russian [у] in the combination ua.
[N] - nasal sound. When pronouncing [N], the back of the tongue closes tightly with the soft palate, the tip of the tongue is lowered, and the air exits through the nasal cavity. There is no such sound in the Russian language.
They roughly correspond to Russian [ш,ж], but are pronounced more softly.
Corresponds to Russian [ch], but is pronounced harder.
Corresponds to Russian [j] in the word horseman.
They are interdental fricative consonants. The sound [T] is unvoiced, [D] is voiced. When pronouncing them, the tongue is spread out and not tense, the tip of the tongue is between the upper and lower teeth or pressed against the inner surface of the upper incisors. There are no similar sounds in the Russian language.
[r] is a voiced consonant. The tip of the tongue is raised to the posterior slope of the alveoli, where a gap is formed, wider than for noisy ones. When an air stream passes, the tip of the tongue does not vibrate, as with Russian [r], it is completely motionless. When pronouncing [r], you need to make sure that the tip of the tongue does not bend back and the lips do not move forward.
[h] - light, almost silent exhalation. The sound [h] does not have its own articulation. When pronouncing the sound [h], the speech organs are in position for the following vowel. There is no such sound in the Russian language.
[j] – voiced consonant. It resembles Russian [й], for example, in the word clear. However, in English [j] there is less noise, since the tongue is not raised to the hard palate as high as in Russian [i]. The sound [j] occurs only before a vowel, representing a transition to it.
Pivot table reading vowels in four syllable types
Vowel reading summary table
Sounds of English- this is a difficult and quite voluminous topic that will require perseverance and patience from you. In order for you to master this level more easily and quickly, I suggest you work with English sounds in the table. If you remember, there are 44 sounds in the British pronunciation system, and it is with them that we will work. With features American pronunciation can be found in a separate article. For convenience, the table is divided into separate theoretical blocks, which tell you how to correctly pronounce a particular sound.
Before starting work, be sure to read the following information:
British English has 44 sounds:
24 consonants:
- paired, voiced and unvoiced:
/b/-/p/, /z/-/s/, /d/-/t/, /v/-/f/, /dʒ/-/tʃ/, /ʒ/-/ʃ/, /ð /-/θ/, /g/-/k/ - unpaired, voiced and voiceless:
/l/, /m/, /n/, /j/, /r/, /w/, /h/, /ŋ/
With consonant sounds, everything is more or less clear: paired - unpaired, voiced - voiceless. From the school course on phonetics of the Russian language, we know about these categories. We also know that in Russian consonants can be soft and hard. In English there is no concept of softness and hardness of consonant sounds. There is the concept of palatalization - softening consonants in position before some vowels, by raising the back of the tongue to the hard palate. What exactly is the difference? The thing is that in Russian the softness and hardness of consonant sounds affects the semantic meaning of the word. Compare: “empty” - “let”, “out” - “stench”, “weight” - “all”. In English, softening consonant sounds does not affect the meaning of words, but is only the result of a mechanical change in sound in the flow of speech.
20 vowels:
- closed, long and short:
/iː/, /ɪ/, /uː/, /ʊ/ - medium-open, long and short:
/e/, /ɜː/, /ə/, /ɔː/ - open, long and short:
/æ/, /ʌ/, /ɑː/, /ɒ/ - diphthongs:
/eɪ/, /aɪ/, /ɔɪ/, /aʊ/, /əʊ/, /ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/
With vowels it’s a little more complicated: closed, open, mid-open. About what we're talking about? About the position of the tongue in the oral cavity. When pronouncing open vowels, the tongue lies low in the mouth and does not touch the palate. Pronounce the Russian sound /a/, which is open, and notice that the tongue lies low in the mouth. When pronouncing closed vowels, the tongue is very close to the palate. Pronounce the Russian sound /и/, which is closed, and notice that the tongue curves the back, like a kitten, and the back almost touches the hard palate. When pronouncing mid-open ones, the tongue takes an intermediate position. Pronounce the Russian sound /e/, which is mid-open and remember the position of the tongue. Long and short vowels. What is it about? About the duration of sound pronunciation. Long sounds last longer than short ones. Longitude of sound in English transcription is indicated as a colon sign, followed by the sound sign /iː/, /ɜː/, /ɑː/, /ɔː/. Diphthongs. What is this? This is a sound consisting of two vowel sounds, the first element of the diphthong sounds stressed, and the second weak. Well, now you can start working on English sounds in the table.
| /æ/ | We open our mouth in order to pronounce the Russian sound /a/, but at the same time we pronounce the sound /e/. To avoid mistakes like the Russian sound /e/, you should open your mouth wider, the tip of the tongue remaining at the lower teeth. In case of an error such as the Russian sound /a/, you should press the tip of your tongue to your lower teeth and open your mouth wider. (open, short) |
| /ɪ/ | We open our mouth in order to pronounce the Russian sound /и/, but at the same time we try to pronounce the sound /ы/. To avoid mistakes like the Russian sound /и/, you should not raise your tongue too high, you need to pull it back slightly and shorten the sound. If you make an error like Russian /ы/, you should move your tongue forward, stretch your lips and shorten the sound as much as possible. (closed, short) |
| /e/ | We pronounce the Russian words “chalk”, “warmed”, “stump”, “cedar”. We remember how the letter “e” sounds when pronounced in these words and use it as the sound /e/ in English. If you make an error like Russian /e/, you should open your mouth less, stretch your lips slightly and move your tongue forward. (medium open, short) |
| /ɒ/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /o/, but do not extend our lips forward. In case of an error like Russian /o/, you should open your mouth wider, lower and move your tongue lower, rounding your lips, do not pull them forward and slightly shorten the sound. (open, short) |
| /ʊ/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /у/, but at the same time we arch the back of our tongue, almost touching the hard palate with it and do not stretch our lips forward. The lips are slightly rounded. In case of an error such as the Russian vowel /у/, which is open sound, we monitor the position of the tongue, ensuring that the sound is closed and do not stretch the lips forward. (closed, short) |
| /b/ |
They practically correspond to the Russian sound /b/, but when pronounced at the end of a word, unlike the Russian sound, it is practically not deafened. Compare "oak" - /dup/ and "Bob" - /bob/. |
| /p/ |
It is similar to the Russian sound /p/, but is pronounced more dull. The dull sound is produced by aspiration. That is, the opening of the lips seems to be exhaled, and does not occur with an explosion. The sound is a bit like /pf/ or /ph/. In addition, at the end of words, English /p/ sounds strong, and does not weaken like Russian /p/. |
| /g/ |
It is similar to the Russian sound /g/, but sounds less sonorous at the beginning of words and is practically not deafened at the end of words. |
| /k/ |
Similar to the Russian sound /k/, but sounds more energetic and is pronounced with aspiration. The sound is a bit like /kf/ or /kh/. |
| /d/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /d/, but at the same time we do not touch the upper teeth with the tip of the tongue, but place it on the alveoli (tubercles on the hard palate, behind the upper teeth). Unlike the Russian consonant /d/, the English /d/ at the end of words is partially deafened. |
| /t/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /t/, but at the same time we do not touch the upper teeth with the tip of the tongue, but place it on the alveoli (tubercles on the hard palate, behind the upper teeth). The English voiceless consonant /t/ is stronger than the Russian /t/ and is pronounced aspirated. The resulting sound is a bit like /tf/ or /th/. |
| /n/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /n/, but at the same time we do not touch the upper teeth with the tip of the tongue, but place it on the alveoli (tubercles on the hard palate, behind the upper teeth). |
| /h/ | It resembles the Russian sound /х/, but is not pronounced energetically with an explosion, but is only a light exhalation. Occurs only before vowels. If you make an error like Russian /х/, you should weaken the consonant until you exhale lightly. |
big, ben, book, bog, ban - /bɪɡ/, /ben/, /bʊk/, /bɒɡ/, /bæn/
dig, den, hood, dog, bad - /dɪɡ/, /den/, /hʊd/, /dɒɡ/, /bæd/
tip, ten, took, top, tap - /ˈtɪp/, /ten/, /tʊk/, /tɒp/, /tæp/
get, gig, good, god, gap - /ˈɡet/, /ɡɪɡ/, /ɡʊd/, /ɡɒd/, /ɡæp/
kit, Ken, cook, cod, cap - /kɪt/, /ken/, /kʊk/, /kɒd/, /kæp/
Nick, net, nook, not, Nat - /nɪk/, /net/, /nʊk/, /nɒt/, /næt/
hit, hen, hook, hot, ham - /hɪt/, /hen/, /hʊk/, /hɒt/, /hæm/
Don't try to work through everything at once. Yes, you won’t be able to do this, since the volume of work with sounds is designed for several astronomical clock, least. Work through the theory in blocks, be sure to complete the exercises at the end of the block. The main thing in learning a language is regularity. It is better to work 15-20 minutes every day than 2-3 hours once a week.
Pay attention to the pronunciation of long vowel sounds and the pronunciation of consonant sounds, which have no analogues in the Russian language.
| /ɑː/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /a/, but at the same time we pull the tip of the tongue away from the lower teeth as far back as possible, without straining our lips. If you make an error like Russian /a/, you should pull your tongue back and lengthen the vowel somewhat and not open your mouth too wide. (open, long) |
| /ɔː/ |
We pronounce the Russian sound /o/, but at the same time we pull the tip of the tongue away from the lower teeth as far back as possible, without straining our lips or pulling them forward. If you make an error like Russian /o/, you should strive for a more open pronunciation and do not pull your lips forward. Compared to English /ɑː/, the /ɔː/ sound is less open. (open, long) |
| /uː/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /у/, but at the same time we do not stretch our lips forward, we round our lips, but do not tense them. In the process of pronouncing the sound /u:/, we pull the tip of the tongue away from the lower teeth as far back as possible. In case of an error like Russian /у/, you should first of all ensure that the lips are rounded, but not pulled forward. (closed, long) |
| /l/ |
We pronounce the Russian sound /l/, but at the same time place the tip of the tongue on the alveoli (tubercles on the hard palate). The English sound /l/ has two sounds:
|
| /m/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /m/, but at the same time we tense our lips more. |
| /r/ | We are preparing to pronounce the Russian sound /zh/, but at the same time we are trying to pronounce the Russian sound /r/. To pronounce the sound correctly, we make sure that the tip of the tongue is behind the alveoli (tubercles on the hard palate), but does not touch them, remains tense and motionless. |
| /w/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. Vaguely similar to Russian sound/ua/. To correctly pronounce this sound, we stretch our lips forward as for pronouncing the Russian sound /у/, while the lips are tense and rounded, in this position we try to quickly pronounce the Russian sound /v/. In case of an error like Russian /v/, make sure that the lower lip does not come into contact with the upper teeth and upper lip. In case of an error like Russian /ы/, we strain and round our lips even more. |
| /ŋ/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. To pronounce this sound correctly, we press the back of the tongue against the soft palate and try to pronounce the Russian sound /n/. In case of an error like Russian /n/, open your mouth wider and make sure that the tip of the tongue does not touch the upper teeth or alveoli, but is located at the roots of the lower teeth. |
| /v/ | Almost corresponds to the Russian sound /v/. English /v/ sounds weaker than Russian /v/, but at the end of words it is practically not deafened. |
| /f/ | Almost corresponds to the English sound /f/. English /f/ sounds stronger than Russian /f/, especially at the end of words |
| /z/ | Almost corresponds to the Russian sound /z/. But it sounds weaker. At the end of the words there is almost no deafening. |
| /s/ | Almost corresponds to the Russian sound /s/. But it sounds much more energetic. |
| /ð/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. In order to pronounce this sound correctly, we place the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower front teeth and try to pronounce the Russian sound /z/. At the end of words, this English voiced consonant is almost unvoiced. In case of an error like Russian /з/, we make sure that the tip of the tongue does not hide behind the teeth. In case of an error like Russian /d/, make sure that the tongue is not pressed against the upper teeth; there should be a small gap between the tip of the tongue and the upper teeth. In case of an error like Russian /v/, make sure that the lower lip is lowered. |
| /θ/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. In order to pronounce this sound correctly, we place the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower front teeth and try to pronounce the Russian sound /s/. In case of an error like Russian /s/, make sure that the tip of the tongue does not hide behind the teeth. In case of an error like Russian /t/, make sure that the tongue is not pressed against the upper teeth; there should be a small gap between the tip of the tongue and the upper teeth. In case of an error like Russian /f/, make sure that the lower lip is lowered. |
lark, look, lips, last - /lɑːk/, /lʊk/, /lɪps/, /lɑːst/
mood, moon, mask, mast - /muːd/, /muːn/, /mɑːsk/, /mɑːst/
rude, red, rock, room - /ruːd/, /red/, /rɒk/, /ruːm/
what, when, well, wool - /ˈwɒt/, /wen/, /wel/, /wʊl/
sing, sink, wink, pink - /sɪŋ/, /sɪŋk/, /wɪŋk/, /pɪŋk/
zip, zink, zing, zoo - /zɪp/, /ˈzɪŋk/, /zɪŋ/, /zuː/
silky, swim, sick, soon - /ˈsɪlki/, /swɪm/, /sɪk/, /suːn/
vase, voodoo, vest, vast - /vɑːz/, /ˈvuː.duː/, /vest/, /vɑːst/
farm, fool, food, fast - /fɑːm/, /fuːl/, /fuːd/, /fɑːst/
thin, think, threat, theft - /θɪn/, /ˈθɪŋk/, /θret/, /θeft/
this, the, then, them - /ðɪs/, /ði:/, /ðen/, /ðəm/
four, store, fork, door - /fɔː/, /stɔː/, /fɔːk/, /dɔː/
If you are reading these lines, it means you have worked through the first two blocks and you have successfully mastered as much as 50% of this difficult topic. Please accept my congratulations and let me praise you for your diligence, hard work and patience! After all, these are precisely the qualities that will lead you to triumph on the path to mastering the English language. Starting work on the third block English sounds in the table, do not forget that “repetition is the mother of learning.” Therefore, be sure to return to the completed blocks and do not be lazy to repeat them!
Pay attention to the pronunciation of the neutral sound /ə/, long vowels, and diphthongs.
| /ə/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. We pronounce the Russian words “mint”, “guys”, “Volodya”, the sound of the letter “ya” in these words vaguely resembles the English sound /ə/, only it sounds unstressed, weak, unclear, almost imperceptible. In case of an error such as the Russian unstressed /a/ as in the word “summer” - /l"`et A/, raise the entire tongue to the hard palate. (medium open, short) |
| /ɜː/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. We pronounce the Russian words “plait”, “bloom”, “chalk”, the sound of the letter “е” in these words vaguely resembles the English sound /з:/. When pronouncing this sound, we make sure that the tip of the tongue is at the lower teeth, the distance between the upper and lower teeth is kept small, we do not stretch our lips, we achieve their neutral position. (medium open, long) |
| /iː/ | It vaguely resembles the Russian sound of “ii” in the words “strong”, “marked”, “rare”. Two-level sound, i.e. sounds heterogeneous in the initial and final positions. In the initial position, the tongue is in the front of the mouth, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the middle part of the tongue is raised high to the hard palate, the lips are somewhat stretched. During the pronunciation process, the tongue moves from a lower and pushed back position to a higher and forward position. (closed, long) |
| /eɪ/ | It’s a bit reminiscent of the Russian sound of “hey” in the words “bolder”, “more cheerful”, “warm up”. The core of the diphthong is the mid-open, short vowel sound /e/. After pronouncing the nucleus, the tongue makes a slight upward movement in the direction of the sound /ɪ/, without, however, achieving its complete formation. Pronunciation of a sound like Russian /th/ should not be allowed. (diphthong) |
| /aʊ/ | A bit reminiscent of the Russian sound of “ay” in the words “round”, “bounty”. In case of an error like Russian /ay/ we make sure that the second element sounds unstressed and weakened. (diphthong) |
| /eə/ | The core of the diphthong is the English mid-open short vowel /e/, the second element is the unstressed English vowel /ə/. (diphthong) |
| /ʒ/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /zh/ but at the same time soften its sound. |
| /ʃ/ | We pronounce the Russian sound /sh/ but at the same time soften its sound. |
| /j/ | It is similar to the Russian sound /й/, but has a weaker pronunciation. |
should, shake, shame, shirt - /ʃʊd/, /ʃeɪk/, /ʃeɪm/, /ʃɜːt/
yes, yet, you, your - /jes/, /jet/, /ju/, /jə/
world, work, heard, word, bird - /wɜːld/, /ˈwɜːk/, /hɜːd/, /ˈwɜːd/, /bɜːd/
never, ever, fever, river - /ˈnevə/, /ˈevə/, /ˈfiːvə/, /ˈr.və/
sea, eat, beef, these, beans - /siː/, /iːt/, /biːf/, /ðiːz/, /biːnz/
stay, hey, play, hate, game - /steɪ/, /heɪ/, /ˈpleɪ/, /heɪt/, /ɡeɪm/
how, now, about, round, ground - /ˈhaʊ/, /naʊ/, /əˈbaʊt/, /ˈraʊnd/, /ɡraʊnd/
wear, hair, player, repair, theirs - /weə/, /heə/, /ˈpleɪə/, /rɪˈpeə/, /ðeəz/
Hooray! You have to master the last block English sounds in the table. This means that very soon you will begin to easily read the transcription English words in the dictionary and start with them independent work in our word library, which was created for you to develop and expand your vocabulary.
Pay attention to the pronunciation of the short sound /ʌ/, diphthongs, consonants, which have no analogues in the Russian language.
| /dʒ/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. A bit reminiscent of the Russian sound "dzh". In order to avoid mistakes like the Russian “j”, we make sure that both components sound together and not separately as in the words “jam”, “jazz”. Prepare to pronounce the Russian sound /ch/, but at the same time pronounce “dzh”. |
| /tʃ/ | It resembles the Russian sound /ch/, but sounds harder. |
| /ʌ/ | Pronounce the Russian sound /a/, but at the same time pull your tongue back, keep your mouth half open and your lips neutral. In case of an error like Russian /a/, the language should be reversed. English /ʌ/ sounds shorter than Russian /a/. (open, short) |
| /aɪ/ | A bit reminiscent of the Russian sound of “ai” in the words “paradise” and “boycott”. In case of an error like Russian /ai/, we make sure that the second element sounds unstressed and weakened. (diphthong) |
| /ɔɪ/ | A bit reminiscent of the Russian sound of “oy” in the words “fight”, “hero”. The nucleus of a diphthong is something between a long /ɔː/ and short /ɒ/. In case of an error like /oy/, the first element of the diphthong should be made more open, and the second element weakened. (diphthong) |
| /əʊ/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. The diphthong core is close in sound to English /з:/. After pronouncing the nucleus, the tongue makes a slight upward movement and moves back in the direction of articulation [ʊ]. In case of an error like Russian /оу/, we do not extend our lips forward. In case of an error like Russian /eu/, we do not stretch our lips, we round them. (diphthong) |
| /ɪə/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. The core of the diphthong is the short vowel /ɪ/. After pronouncing the nucleus, the tongue moves towards the center in the direction of /ə/. To avoid mistakes like Russian /ia/, we make sure that the second element of the diphthong sounds weakened. (diphthong) |
| /ʊə/ | There is no similar sound in the Russian language. The core of the diphthong is the short vowel /ʊ/. After pronouncing the nucleus, the tongue moves towards the center in the direction of /ə/. To avoid mistakes like Russian /ua/, we do not round or protrude our lips forward, and make sure that the second element of the diphthong sounds weakened. (diphthong) |
jug, jog, gem, general, jeep - /dʒʌɡ/, /dʒɒɡ/, /dʒem/, /ˈdʒenrəl/, /dʒiːp/
chest, chair, chain, choose, cheap - /tʃest/, /tʃeə/, /tʃeɪn/, /tʃuːz/, /tʃiːp/
why, tie, buy, fly - /waɪ/, /taɪ/, /baɪ/, /flaɪ/
boy, toy, joy, voice, employ - /ˌbɔɪ/, /tɔɪ/, /dʒɔɪ/, /vɔɪs/, /ɪmˈplo.ɪ/
near, dear, beer, here, gear - /nɪə/, /dɪə/, /bɪə/, /hɪə/, /ɡɪə/
pure, sure, tour, cure, lure - /pjʊə/, /ʃʊə/, /tʊə/, /kjʊə/, /lʊə/
cup, nut, mug, sun, bud - /kʌp/, /nʌt/, /mʌɡ/, /sʌn/, /bʌd/
Congratulations on your successful completion English sounds in the table! Now you can move on to mastering the second stage in studying English phonetics. Namely, learn the rules of word stress, the rules of copula and reduction of sounds, which will be discussed in our next article
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There are few rules for reading consonants in English. They can be compared with similar rules in Russian: the name of a letter does not always correspond to the sound it denotes.
There are only 20 letters in the English language that can convey 24 consonant sounds in different positions and combinations. Some English sounds are similar to Russian, while others are significantly different from them. There are also those that have no analogues in Russian: [ð], [θ], [w]
However there is a few rules. English consonant sounds are always:
- pronounce firmly - do not soften, as in the word suit
- at the end of words we do not deafen the voiced ones, we pronounce the unvoiced words more clearly: pin-pit
- doubled consonants are pronounced as one sound, for example swimmer [ˈswɪmər]
Rules for reading letters that convey one consonant sound
| Let's start with 15 consonants that convey one sound. They match the letters English alphabet and their transcription signs coincide. | |||
| Letter and sound | Pronunciation Features | Examples | Translation |
| always sounds like "b" |
boy |
||
| P [p] | reminds me of the Russian "p" |
panda [ˈpændə] |
pool |
| F[f] | similar to Russian "f" |
fire [ˈfaɪər] |
|
| V [v] | this is a Russian pure “v” |
minibus brave |
|
| T[t] | hard Russian “t”, with strong aspiration |
vertex |
|
| D [d] | identical to Russian "d" with stronger aspiration |
riddle [ˈrɪdl] |
mystery |
| M[m] | identical to Russian "m" | ||
| N [n] | identical to the Russian "n", but more nasal |
number[ˈnʌmbər] |
|
| K [k] | identical to the Russian "k" with intense aspiration | ||
| L [l] | identical to the Russian "l", always hard |
small |
|
| R [r] | This letter should be given a little more attention. The tongue rests on the upper palate and the Russian “r” is pronounced. It sounds at the beginning of a word after consonants and between some vowels. At the end of a word, it is usually not pronounced, or is barely audible |
writer [ˈraɪtər] |
writer |
| H[h] | this sound is pronounced with a slight aspiration, almost like an exhalation | ||
| W [w] | at the beginning of a word, like Russian [u], but more energetic | ||
| S[s] | identical to Russian "s" | ||
| Z [z] | identical to Russian "z" |
zebra [ˈziːbrə] crazy [ˈkreɪzɪ] |
crazy |
 |
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Rules for reading consonants that convey several sounds
| Letter and sound | Pronunciation Features | Example | Translation |
| C[s] | before vowels e, i, y | ||
| C [k] | in other cases | ||
| J | like [j], only softer | ||
| X | - How : |
next |
|
| X | - before a stressed syllable |
exotic [ɪgˈzɔtɪk] example [ɪgˈzɑːmpl] |
exotic |
| X [z] | - at the beginning of a word |
Xerox [ˈzɪərɔks] |
Xerox |
| G | - before vowels e, i, y |
Gym page |
|
| G[g] | - in other cases | ||
| Q | - occurs only in the letter combination qu - |
squirrel [ˈskwɪrəl] |
Queen |
 |
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Rules for reading letter combinations with consonants
|
Consonants often form letter combinations. Let's look at the main ones: |
|||
| Ch |
Basically this letter combination sounds like Russian "ch" |
||
| Ch [k] | - in Greek words |
character [ˈkærɪktər] |
character |
| Ch[ʃ] | - in words of French origin | machine | car |
| Sh [ʃ] | Sounds like Russian "sh" |
mushroom [ˈmʌʃrum] |
|
| Th [θ] |
At the beginning of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs; at the end of words; before a consonant or after a consonant. You need to stick the tip of your tongue between your teeth and pronounce the Russian “s” |
thick |
|
| Th [ð] | - second pronunciation option, like [ð] (in official words(article, pronouns), between vowels). Pronunciation method: tongue between teeth, pronounce Russian “z” |
father [ˈfɑːðər] |
|
| Ng [ŋ] |
At the end of a word. There is no analogue to it in Russian. Pronounced roughly like [ny], in the nose |
long |
|
| Ng [ŋg] | - inside a word: |
England [ˈɪŋglənd] finger [ˈfɪŋgər] |
|
 |
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There are many exceptions in the English language, and this does not make it any less attractive. Each word must be memorized separately. Let the dictionary be yours good friend and assistant, and teachers at the English language school via Skype are your personal consultants!
Watch the video on consonants
The English language is becoming more widespread every day. Today it is spoken by most of the world's population, which automatically makes it international language communication. In addition to the American continents, it is studied in Europe and Asia. Australia, being part of the former British Empire, has long recognized English state language. If in Western Europe American and British English are studied by children from a very early age, but in Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries they treat it very mediocrely. The school curriculum briefly goes over the most common words, but the rules for their use are not properly explained to children. All this forces people to learn on their own, which is much more difficult. Today we will look at how the vowels of the English alphabet are used in words. They influence the quality of pronunciation and perception of the language.
The consonants of the English alphabet are the basis of all words. The total number of letters is 26, of which there are 20 consonants, and there are only 6 vowels in English. Despite such a meager number, they can take various shapes pronunciation, as a result, about 20-24 sounds are obtained from 6 letters. All vowels and consonants are listed in the table below:
As you can see in the picture, the vowels in the English alphabet are highlighted yellow. Next to each letter there is a transcription, thanks to which you can learn to correctly pronounce a particular letter. The need for transcription has always been due to the fact that correct pronunciation using the Russian language as an example is simply impossible. If in Russian one letter is equal to one sound, then most of the vowels in the English alphabet are pronounced using a combination of two phonemes.
The final letter "Yy" can be a vowel or a consonant depending on the type of syllable. This should be taken into account when reading and morphemic analysis of words. Which sound will be determined by a particular letter depends on its position in the word and syllable.
Types of syllables of the English alphabet
In Russian language lessons, everyone learned an unshakable rule: the number of vowels in a word, the number of syllables in it. This also applies to the English language, which makes learning it much easier. For let's take an example the word "octopus", which translated means "octopus". Oc-to-pus – three vowels and three syllables. The example is remarkable because it has everything we need: open and closed syllables.
Open syllable
This concept means a syllable that ends with a vowel or consists of one vowel letter:
- A [ey] - the indefinite article, consisting of one letter, is an open syllable. Therefore, the article is read as indicated in the transcription.
- Rules (rules) - consists of two syllables, but only the first is open. Therefore, “u” is read as in transcription, and “e” practically disappears from the word when pronounced.
- Far (far) – the syllable is closed. Therefore, instead of [hey], a long [a] is pronounced.
Consonants and their combinations often change the phonetic meaning of vowel letters in the English alphabet, forming different types of syllables.
Closed syllable
Book, cook, root, meet, flat and other words where a consonant closes a syllable are words with closed syllables. In the examples listed above, “oo” is read as Russian “u”, “a” instead of [ey] is read as Russian “a”.
Vowel letters of the English alphabet: reading features
You already know that there are much fewer vowel letters in the English alphabet than their sounds. What else can affect the quality of phoneme pronunciation besides the type of syllable in a word? We will look at a few basic rules that will help you start pronouncing words correctly and improve your reading success in a foreign language.
- The presence of the letter “R” in a word. If the letter is present in open syllable, it is practically unreadable and merges with the adjacent vowel. This produces a sound similar to the Russian “e”. If the letter is in a closed syllable, then it affects the duration of the vowel pronunciation: long sounds become short and vice versa.
- Emphasis. If the emphasis falls on the letters “a”, “o” or “u”, then their pronunciation is practically not performed. They are read casually; the duration of emphasis on these sounds is extremely short. The result is again a sound similar to the Russian “e”. For example, the combination sofa-bed (sofa-bed) is pronounced together, its transcription looks like [‘soufǝbǝd]. If the emphasis falls on “i”, “e” or “y”, they are pronounced like the Russian “i”. For example: city, enemy.
- Pronunciation speed. When speaking quickly, it may happen that the stress in the word is not recognized at all. This results in the fact that a long vowel sound shortens the length of its pronunciation or disappears from the word altogether. All pronouns in English are pronounced with short vowels, although according to the rules it is necessary to speak with long sounding phonemes.
- Weak and strong forms. Short vowels are automatically considered weak because they cannot take on stress, but when combined with other letters they can form new sounds. Weak short forms are mainly expressed in particles, articles and pronouns. Strong long phonemes are much more common in full-fledged words.
The most incomprehensible thing for a Russian-speaking person in learning the vowels of the English alphabet is the analysis of diphthongs. The combination of two sounds to pronounce one letter is new to the Russian language. For a general understanding, it is worth noting that all diphthongs are pronounced briefly, but their position in the word relative to the consonants and the type of consonants themselves matter. Before voiceless sounds like “f”, “h”, “s”, “t” and others, diphthongs practically disappear from the sound pronunciation and become very short.
For a better understanding of speech and the rules of its origin, it is recommended to read texts in English with automatic voice acting. Special courses or films with subtitles are suitable.
