ENGLISH VOWELS

(PHONOLOGY GROUP PRESENTATION)

PAPER

BY
GROUP 1
SATRIO BINUSA
MARISA DIKA
SILVIA MAULANA SARI
TATIK WIJAYANTI
ZUHRIA HUSNA

(0710330034)
(0811112011)
(0811112016)
(081111201)
(0811112019)

BRAWIJAYA UNIVERSTY
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
2009

1. SEGMENTAL AND SUPRASEGMENTAL

1.1 Two speech features
According to the speakers utterance, the two features can be distinguished as
follows:
a. Segmental features, refers to sound units arranged in a sequential order. From the
example of the words good Heavens, has eight segmental features, phonetically
transcribe /gud-hvnz/
b. Suprasegmental features, refers to such features as stress; pitch; length; intonation;
and so on that accompany the production of segmentals.
Those dividing are only in theory for the sake of analysis. In practice, it is impossible
to produce one type of feature without involving the other. For example, someone
produce sound // this is employ the stress and use breath-force and some strength
of articulation: said as weak or strong stress. It also produced with some pitch either
low or medium, or high pitch.
1.2 Differences between the two speech features
a. Segmentals can be studied in isolation, whereas suprasegmentals can not. Every
utterance may be cut up or segmented into a linear sequence of segmental
features. The first segment quoted above namely /g/ maybe studied from its
mechanism of production, without considering the next sounds such as /u/, /d/ etc.
Thus it may be described in terms of its way of production as voiced velar stop;
this means that the sound is produced by putting the back of the tongue
completely against the velum to obstruct the outgoing air.
b. Suprasegmentals can not be studied in isolation. The utterance above cant be
segmented into its constituting suprasegmentals. For instance we distinguish three
degrees of stress, further statements have to be made as to where each of them
falls, whether the first, second or the third syllable. Suprasegmental features have
to be comparatively or relatively described. Stress for example; is said to be
primary or strongest because it is strongest when compared with the other stresses

in the same utterance; so it has to be analyzed and described in relation to the

other stresses.
2. ENGLISH VOWEL
When an utterance is stripped of its suprasegmental features such as its pitches,
stresses etc, the remaining features are called speech sounds or segmental features.
Vowels are speech-sound or segmental features made with vibration of the vocal
cords but without audible friction. It was articulated by place of articulation: tongue
position, lip rounding. Example: a, i, u, e, o.
This sound, which is known as voice in phonetics, is modified by the various shapes
and sizes of speech organ above the larynx, especially those of the mouth cavity.
These shapes and sizes of the mouth cavity which act as a resonating chamber for the
modification of the sound produced in the larynx are responsible for the different
qualities of vowel sounds.
The tongue, which is very mobile and can be moved in almost any direction in the
mouth, plays a very important role in modifying the sizes and shapes of the mouth
cavity, and thus in affecting the vowel qualities. Other features such as length,
strength of articulation, and nasalization may also be used in the description of vowel
sounds.
The lips, in producing a vowel sound, may be rounded, spread, or neutral. When the
tongue is highest in the mouth, the lips are extremely rounded. The lower the tongue,
the less rounded the lips are.
2.1 Three variables for describing vowels:

Which part of the tongue is raised

How high in the mouth some part of the tongue is raised (the degree of raising
the tongue).

The position of the two lips, that is, whether the two lips are rounded or unrounded.

2.2 Three characteristics of vowel sounds:

Oral: In the production of vowel sounds, the air goes out through the mouth and
not through the nose.
Voiced: Its production is always accompanied by the vibration of the vocal cords
which the air passes out freely and continuously throughout the middle of the mouth
without such narrowing as would cause any audible friction.
Central: During the production of vowel sounds, the air passes out along the
middle part of the tongue and not around the sides of the tongue.
2.3 Classification of vowels
All vowels sounds are principally produced by the vibration of the vocal cords,
which are situated in the larynx. This sounds which is known as voice in phonetics.
Then it is modified by the various shapes and sizes in speech organs above the
larynx, especially for those of the mouth cavity. The tongue, which is very mobile
and can be moved in any direction in the mouth, plays important role in modifying
the sizes and shapes of the mouth cavity.
Fundamentally, vowels can be classified in terms of:
1. Acoustics properties
Acoustics properties are the properties that are dealing with spectrograms
displaying resonating frequencies such as vibration that makes up speech sound.
The spectrogram is a running short-term diagram it displays a continuously
changing pattern of frequencies (a sound spectrum). The Acoustic Classification
of English Vowels: Spectrograms
A Pure Tone is a sound that is composed of vibrations of only one frequency:

A Complex Tone is a sound that is composed of vibrations of more than one

frequency:

Vowels are complex tones composed of two frequencies of formants,

designated as F1 and F2.

Examples:
F1 associated with Tongue High
/i/ (high/close vowels): low F1

F2 associated with Tongue Advancement

/i/ (front vowels): High F2

F1 associated with Tongue High

F2 associated with Tongue Advancement

/a/ (low/open vowels): high F1

/a (front vowels): low F2

2 . Articulatory properties
Articulatory properties are the properties that are dealing with articulation of speech
sound. Since in phonology we study about how to articulate/pronounce speech sound
based on the Standard English, so that articulatory properties of English vowels are
elaborated more than acoustics properties.
Based on the articulatory classification, English vowels are categorized on the three
fundamental of the following properties:
1. Tongue Advancement
Tongue advancement is the condition in which part of the tongue is raised for
practical purposes. Tongue advancement has three values:
a. Front tongue refers to a relative location in the front third of the mouth. When
the front tongue is raised, the vowel sounds called front vowels are produced.
English has the following front vowels: /i:/, /I/, /e/, //. These vowels can be
represented in the following examples:
beat

/bi:t/

bet

/bet/

bit

/bIt/

bad

/bt/

b. Central tongue refers to a relative location in the middle third of the mouth.
When the central part of the tongue is raised, the vowels called central vowels
produced. English has the following central vowels: //, and //. These vowels
can be represented in the following examples:
better

BE /bet/ - AE /betr/

hub

/hb/

c. Back tongue refers to a relative location in the back third of the mouth. When
the back part of the tongue is raised, the vowels called back vowels produced.
English has the following vowels: /u/, /U/, /:/, / /. These vowels can be
represented in the following examples:
coo /ku:/
could /kd/

2. Lips Position

cord
cod

/k:rd/
/kd/

The second property/variable is describing vowels sounds have to do with the

position of lips. In producing a vowel sound the lips may be rounded, spread, or
neutral.

In describing English vowel sounds, however the use of lip position is rather
inessential since lip position is predictable in term of which part of the tongue is
raised. The way to identify whether our lip position is rounded spread, or neutral
by noticing the characteristics of the lip position are:
# For all English front vowels the lips are always spread.
e.g. observe your lips while you are pronouncing the word beat /bi:t/
# For the back vowels the lips are always rounded
e.g. observe your lips while you are pronouncing the word cord /k:rd/
# For the central vowels the lips are always neutral
e.g. observe your lips while you are pronouncing the word hub /hb/
3. Tongue Height
The third property/variable is describing how high in the mouth some part of the
tongue is raised (the degree of raising of the tongue). There are four conditions of
our tongue height: Open (high), Half-open and Half-close (mid), and close (low).

a. Open (low)

Low refers to a relative location in the lower third of the mouth. The tongue
also remain low on the bottom of the mouth in producing some vowel sound, in
which case the vowel sound is called an open vowel.
e.g.

// ---- had /hd/

// ----- saw /s:/

b. Half-open and Half-close (mid)

Mid refers to a relative location in the middle third of the mouth. This condition
is between high and low tongue positions. When the tongue is in the mid
position in producing some vowel sounds, in which case the vowel sound is
called a half-open and half close vowel.
Half-close
/e/ --- head /hed/ (front vowel)
// --- hot /ht/ (back vowel)

Half-open
/:/ --- caught /k:t/ (back
vowel)

c. Close (high)
High refers to a relative location in the top third of the mouth. When the tongue
is in the highest in the mouth in such a way that it does not surpass the vowels
called vowel-limit / close vowels. e.g. /i:/ --- key /ki:/, /u:/ --- cool /ku:l/
3. Vowel diagrams
3.1 Diagram of English vowels
The diagram in the form of a trapezoid above is on the basis of the two variables
used in describing vowel sounds which is on the basis of which part of the tongue is
raised or which part of the tongue is highest in the mouth.
Horizontally the diagram shows which part of the tongue is raised, that is whether
front, central, or back vowels are produced. Then vertically the diagram indicates the
height of raising some parts of tongue, which is, whether the front, central, or back
of the tongue is raised to the close, half close, half open, open position, or in between
them.
The examples of English vowels with their keyword:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

/i:/
/I/
//
//
/a:/
/ /

in the word key

bit

bet

bat

bar

hot

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

/: / in the word cord

/U/ could
/u: /
cool
//
bud
/:/
bird
/ /
alive

3.2 Diagram of cardinal vowels

Diagram of cardinal vowels is considered as standardized vowel sounds. These are

eight vowels sounds with certain fixed articulatory as well as acoustic feature so that
in theory they can be used as point of reference in describing vowels sounds of any
given language.

1.
2.
3.
4.

/i/ is a close front vowel

/e/ is a half-close front vowel
/E/ is a half-open front vowel
/a/ is an open front vowel

5. /@/ is an open back vowel

6. /O/ is a half open back nowel
7. /o/ is a half close back nowel
8. /u/ is a close back vowel

The eight cardinal vowels are numbered from 1 up to 8. On the basis of the tongue
positions the 8 cardinal vowels may be described as follows: