Chapter 9 Vowels and Diphthongs

Objectives The key to improving pronunciation and articulation in English is the vowels. Mastering the correct vowel sounds and placement of stress on the correct syllable will dramatically improve one’s overall pronunciation. In this chapter we will cover the five distinct vowel categorizations: Front, Back, Mid vowels, Vowel Diphthongs and Consonant diphthongs.

Preview of vowels Front vowels: [i] as in see, [I] as in sit, [e] as in ate, [ε] as in bet, and [æ] as in bat Mid-Vowels: [Λ] as in up, [ə] as in banana, [ɝ] as in early, and [ɚ] as in father Back vowels: [ʊ] as in book, [u] as in too, [o] as in rope, [ɔ] as in awful, and [ɑ] as in calm Diphthongs: [ɑɪ] as in ice, [ɑ ʊ] as in how, [ɔɪ] as in coin, [eɪ] as in raid, and [o ʊ] as in robe [ɚ] Diphthongs: [ɪ ɚ] as in gear, [ε ɚ] as in pair, [ɑ ɚ] as in car, [ʊ ɚ] as in poor, and [ɔ ɚ] as in pore