Chapter Three 第三章 中元音 Central Vowels: / Λ / / ә / / ә : / Time : 2 periods

Chapter Three The first period 第三章 第一学时 中元音 Central Vowels: / ә / / ә : /

Warning-up exercise The best player was injured. The wonderful weather was over. Were you ever hurt in an accident? Birds of a feather flock together.

/ Λ / / ә / / ә: / There are three central vowels: / Λ / / ә / / ә: / For all of them the tip tongue touches the base of the lower teeth or the teeth ridge. The tongue is flat in the mouth. The lips are spread or neutral with no lip-rounding.

/ ә : / The centre of the tongue is raised with considerable tongue tension. The opening between the jaws is narrow.

/ ә : / is usually read in the following combined letters: er ir ( w ) or ur ear our her serve nerve reserve certain girl sir first dirty bird work word worse world worm fur turn purse return church earth heard journy courtesy journal

Phrases & Sentences the girl’s curls the first term the third world the early bird thirty shirts and skirts a firm nurse The workers worked in the dirty workshop. I urged the thirsty nurse to drink first. I gave her some pearls for her thirty-first birthday. The German prefer a fur cap to a leather one.

/ ә / This sound is read somewhat like / ә: / but shorter and more relaxed.

/ ә / is usually read in the following letters and combined letters: a e I o u ar er or ur ou our ure ( They are read / ә / in an unstressed syllable. ) about again above ago around pavement government gentlemen possible horrible terrible oblige method Europe suppose difficult column delicious father better manner particular forward doctor effort famous colour figure

Phrases & Sentences around a corner better and better over and over again about the worker accept a member sooner or later We’ll have a get-together the day after tomorrow. I am teacher, she’s a dancer. Read the tongue twister again and again. Better late than never.

Comparison / ә // ә: / as ( 弱读 ) 同样地 earth 地球 but ( 弱读 ) 但 bird 鸟 was ( 弱读 ) 是 worse 更坏 mama 妈妈（儿语） murmur 咕噜

Games and activities

Dialogue A: Something’s burning. B: Oh, my buns! ( 小圆 ) 面包 A: Mm, I love burnt buns. B: Curse this oven! Curse it! A: But I prefer burnt buns. B: It’s the worst oven in the world! A: Wonderful! A perfect bun! B: There’re thirty of them. Oh, have another. Have them all if you like.

Read the following proverbs Never judge from appearance. 不要以貌取人。 First come, first served. 先来先得。 The early bird catches the worm. 笨鸟先得食； 捷足先登。 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 双鸟 在林，不如一鸟在手。

After-class assignments 1. Review and memorizes the words, phrases, sentences and proverbs learnt in class. 2. Make up three sentences with central vowels /  : / / ә /. 3. Find out a tongue twister with the central vowels involved.

Chapter Three The second period 第三章 第二学时 中元音 Central vowel / Λ /

Warning-up exercise Every country has its customs. It ’ s fun to run and jump in the sun. Could you come for lunch? What colour ’ s the brush?

/Λ//Λ/ The centre of the tongue is raised with the tongue resting in a relaxed fashion in the bottom of the mouth. The lips are spread in the shape of a rectangular.

/Λ/ is usually read in the following letters or combined letters: u o oo ou bus but truck brush cup dove colour come once nothing blood flood country enough young southern

Phrases & Sentences much lovea cup and some nuts just oncea wonderful sunset blood for blooda funny cover Hurry up. The bus is coming. He told the funny story just for fun. I love buns and butter for supper. Look, the sun has come up.

Comparison between / Λ / & / ɑ : / /Λ//Λ/ / ɑ : / /Λ//Λ/ hut 小屋 heart 心 much 多 march 行军 luck 运气 lark 云雀 come 来 calm 平静 cut 切 cart 马车 cup 杯 carp 鲤鱼 duck 鸭子 dark 黑暗 bun 小圆面包 barn 粮食

Advice to the students Many students confuse / ɑ : / and / Λ /, so that their much /m Λ t ∫ / sounds much like march /m ɑ :t ∫ /. To avoid this mistake, they should pay attention to the differences in the formation of the two vowels.

Advice to the students For / ɑ :/ the tongue almost lies flat in the mouth. The tip of the tongue does not touch the lower teeth. The lips are neutrally open. For / Λ/, the part of the tongue that is raised is the centre of the tongue. The tip of the tongue touches the base of the lower teeth. The lips are widely open but not as wide as that for / ɑ :/.

Games and activities

Practice Read the following dialogues, paying attention to the sound of / Λ / / ә / / ә: /.

Dialogue A: What’s wrong? B: Nothing’s wrong. A: Come on, Something’s wrong. B: Nothing much. A: What’s the trouble? Has Buddy come? B: Mm. Come, and gone.

Read for fun Hurry up! Hurry up! There comes the bus. Don’t worry, I’m always lucky. I surely can catch the bus.

After-class assignments: 1. Review and memorizes the words, phrases and sentences learnt in class. 2. Make up three sentences with central vowel /Λ /. 3. Find out a tongue twister with the central vowel involved. 4. 完成课后练习 葆青编著 高等教育出版社出版《实 用英语语音》 P117 练习三： 1 题 1 ）， P125 2 题 5. 完成课后练习 胡文仲 祝珏 马元曦 李贺 编 外语教 学与研究出版社出版 《大学英语教程》第一册 P35 9 题， P51 3 题， P53 7 题 1 ）、 2 ）