Suggestions and less friendly when giving commands.
Have aholiday, Mrs Bloggs. Have a `holiday, Mrs Bloggs.
Stopwashing, Mrs Bloggs. Stop `washing, Mrs Bloggs.
Don’t drop that pot, Mrs Bloggs. Don’t drop that `pot, Mrs Bloggs.
Put it on the box, Mrs Bloggs. Put it on the `box, Mrs Bloggs.
Review questions and tasks.
1. What main features characterize English and Russian vowels and consonants?
2. Enumerate the most striking differences between the English and Russian sound
systems.
Unit 8
Section 1
Make a careful study of the text below and pick out the terms related to phonetics.
Vowels: Principles of Classification
Each English vowel has its quality and quantity. The quality of a vowel sound is determined by the size, volume and shape of the mouth resonator, which are modified by the movement of active speech organs, mostly the tongue and the lips.
The particular quality (timbre, or special colouring of vowels) also depends on the relative stability of the tongue and its tenseness. Besides, the English vowel phonemes differ in their quantity (length /duration). All these articulatory characteristics are interconnected but they may be described separately. Thus, all vowels are subject to classification.
There are 20 vowel sounds in the English language, which can be classified according to the following principles:
I. the stability of articulation;
II. the position of the tongue 1) in the horizontal plane; 2) in the vertical plane;
III. the lip position;
IV. the character of the vowel end;
V. the length.
The first 3 principles are the main ones because they reflect the qualitative characteristics of the English vowel phonemes, which are their most important features, while their quantitative characteristics are of secondary importance. That is, English vowel may change its quantity (length) in different positions while its quality remains unchanged: e.g. bee [bi:], bead [bi.d], beat [bit].
Now comes more detailed description of all these principles.
I. According to the stability of articulation the English vowels are divided into 3 groups: monophthongs (if the tongue position is stable and the articulation of vowels is almost unchanging), diphthongs * (if the organs of speech move from one position to another within one syllable), diphthongoids (if the organs of speech only slightly change their position). There are 10 monophthongs,
8 diphthongs and 2 diphthongoids in the English sound system.
II. As it is known, the tongue is the most flexible and movable organ of speech. In vowel production it may move forward and backwards (in the horizontal direction), upwards and downwards (in the vertical direction).
1. According to the position of the tongue in the horizontal plane vowels are divided into 5 groups: a) front (the tongue is in the front part of the mouth and the front part of it is raised to the hard palate): [ i: ], [ e ], [æ ]; b) front-retracted (the tongue is in the same position, but is slightly retracted): [ ı ]; c) central (the front of the tongue is raised towards the back part of the hard palate): [Λ], [ə], [з:];
d) back (the tongue is in the back part of the month and the back of it is raised towards the soft palate): [α:], [ɔ ], [ɔ:], [u:]; e) back-advanced (the tongue is in the same position, but is slightly advanced): [ u ].
2. According to the position of the tongue in the vertical plane vowels are divided into 3 groups: a) close (the front/back of the tongue is raised high towards the palate): [ i: ], [ ı ], [ u: ], [ u ]; b) open (the front/back of the tongue is in its lowest position in the mouth): [ æ ], [α:], [ɔ ], [ɔ:]; c) mid (the tongue is in intermediate position between the close and the open one): [ e ], [ Λ ], [ з: ], [ə ].
To make the classification more precise it is necessary to distinguish broad and narrow variants of close, mid and open vowels. When the tongue is raised a little higher for the vowel of the same group, a narrow variant is heard. A broad variant of the vowel is articulated when the front of the tongue is not so high in the mouth.
III. According to the lip position vowels may be rounded,i.e. produced with the rounded lips ([ u ], [ u: ], [ɔ] [ɔ:]), and unrounded, for which the lips are spread or neutral ([ i:], [ ı ], [ e ], [ æ ], [ Λ ], [ α:], [ з:], [ə ]).
IV. According to the character of the end vowels may be checked (if they are followed by strong voiceless consonants) and unchecked/free (if they are followed by weak voiceless consonants or occur in open syllables with no consonants at the end).
V. According to the length the vowels are generally divided into short ([ ı ], [ e ], [ æ ], [ə ], [ u ], [ɔ]) and long ([ i:], [ з:], [α:], [ɔ:], [u:]). [æ] may be both short (before a voiceless consonant) or long (if followed by a voiced consonant).
Section 2 [ ]
(back, open (narrow variant), rounded, long)
I. Observe the position of the lips and the tongue for the sound [ɔ: ]. Read the words in the columns. Pay attention to the positional length of [ɔ:].
or awed ought [ ɔ - ɔ:]cod - cord
bore board bought cot - caught
saw sawed sort pot - port
thaw thawed thought spot - sport
tore toward taught rod - roared
pour poured port fox - forks
II. Read the sentences. Follow the tonetic marks.
1. All aboard! Посадка окончена!
2. Draw in your claws. Умерь свой пыл.
4. To cut a long story short. Короче говоря.
5. It’s all your fault. Это твоя вина.
6. Paul’s eyes draw straws. У Пола слипаются глаза.
7. George always talks horse. Джордж всегда бахвалится.
8. Cora adores small talk. Кора обожает светскую болтовню.
9. August called his small but Август призвал свою немногочисленную,
disorderly audience to order. но шумную аудиторию к порядку.
III. Observe the correct pronunciation of the rhythmic groups and the vowel
sounds.
'All their 'daughters are `tall. | 'All the 'four 'daughters are 'very `tall. | 'All the 'four 'daughters of Mrs. 'Crawl are very `tall. ||
IV. Match the following English idioms, proverbs and sayings with their Russian
equivalents. Make up situations to illustrate their usage.
1. Velvet paws hide sharp claws. a. говорить о служебных делах в
нерабочее время
2. New lords – new laws. b. Мягко стелет, да жестко спать.
3. a small fortune c. на четвереньках
4. go back to the drawing board d. кругленькая сумма
5. on all fours e. Новая метла чисто метет.
6. to talk shop f. начать все сначала
Section 3
I. Test. Tick the words you recognize in the sentences you hear:
1. a) spots; b) sports
2. a) pots; b) ports
3. a) cod; b) cord
4. a) shot; b) short
5. a) Rod; b) roared
6. a) what; b) water
II. Listen to the dialogue and learn it by heart.
