外教教你學英語音標 元音發(fā)音注意事項

Now, we're gonna talk a little bit about vowel sounds...

Pamela Prather

...and this information is applicable to every vowel sound you'll work with.

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A vowel sound is an uninterrupted stream of air or breath, in which the articulators do not move.

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That means there's no movement once you start the sound.

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And here's an example.

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/i/, /?/, /?/.

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Notice in each of those three voicings of /i/, /?/, and /?/,...

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...there was no movement of my mouth once the sound started.

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Now, there is one kind of vowel sound where there is movement and those are called diphthongs.

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A diphthong is when there's two vowel sounds that come together and the second sound is very quick and short.

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So, here are the examples of diphthongs in American English.

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/e?/, /a?/, /a?/, /??/, /o?/.

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Notice that there is a flow of air, but a slight movement, and no movement of my tongue.

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For all of your vowel sounds, your tongue is relaxed and slightly touching the back of your lower front teeth.

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Keep this information in mind when you're practicing your individual vowel sounds.

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Good luck!