Vowel sounds: Classification and Description Professor/Author: Navarro, Maria Laura.

Revision: What are pure vowel sounds? What makes them different from consonant sounds? How many vowel sounds does English have? Give examples that illustrate the difference in meaning when a phoneme is wrongly used in a word.

Classification of vowel sounds We can classify vowel sounds according to: Quality Quantity Part of the tongue which is raised Height of the tongue Lip position

Quantity and Quality According to quantity, vowel sounds can be either short or long. According to quality, vowel sounds can be either strong or weak, depending on the stress of the syllable.

Diagram of the english pure vowels The diagram is a representation of the vowel space in the centre of the mouth where vowel sounds are articulated. It indicates tongue position: Part of the tongue which is raised Height of the tongue. Diagram of the english pure vowels

Part of the tongue and height of the tongue According to the height of the tongue, vowel sounds can be close, half clase (or close-mid), mid, half open (or open- mid) and open. Height of the tongue refers to the distance between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. According to the part of the tongue which is raised, vowel sounds can be front, central or back.

Position of the lips According to the position of the lips, vowel sounds can be rounded, spread and neutral. These are the basic lip positions which are used in describing the articulation of vowel sounds.

Position of the lips

Activity: classify vowel sounds Quantity Quality Part of the tongue Height of the tongue Position of the lips N° 1 / / N° 2 / / N° 3 / / N° 4 / / N° 5 / / N° 6 / / N° 7 / / N° 8 / / N° 9 / / N° 10 / / N° 11 / / N° 12 / /