Professor Flávia Cunha vowel sounds

VOWELS Basically vowels are described in terms of the position of the tongue in the mouth when they are produced. The vowel chart represents the shape of our mouth.

THE VOWEL CHART

THE VOWEL CHART The four vowels on the left of the chart above are front vowels which are produced at the front of the mouth. 

THE VOWEL CHART The five vowels on the right are back vowels, and our tongue is more retracted when producing their sounds:

THE VOWEL CHART The three vowels in the centre are centralized vowels.

THE VOWEL CHART – Tongue Height High Vowels 1. /i:/ (the phoneme spelled ee in beet): high front vowel. 2. /I/ (the phoneme spelled i in bit): high front vowel. 3. /u:/ (the phoneme spelled oo in food): high back vowel. 4. /U/ (the phoneme spelled u in put): high back vowel.

THE VOWEL CHART – Tongue Height Mid Vowels

THE VOWEL CHART – Tongue Height Low Vowels 1. /æ/ - low front vowel 2. /^/ - low central vowel 2. /a:/ - low central vowel

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