Chapter Nine: Vowels
Objectives:
•
To review the characteristics and classifications of vowels
•
To examine each vowel phoneme with regard to production and classification
•
To present drill material for each vowel phoneme
•
To note any special problem areas
Content:
•
Introduction of vowels
•
Front vowels
•
Back vowels
•
Mid vowels
•
Diphthongs
Activities:
•
Work with students seated in front of mirrors (as in a theater dressing room). Run through
the tongue placement and lip shaping required for each of the vowel phonemes.
•
Videotape students reading the vowel/diphthong checklist.
Application Questions:
Ask your students to write responses to these questions; use them for class
discussion; or ask students to personally apply the questions.
Focus Messages:
The various tips and messages for specialized interests are fairly general for this chapter.
Basically, it is important that students achieve facility with vowel and diphthong
production. Individuals may experience some phonemes that are more challenging than
others and should spend more time drilling with those sounds.
Discussion questions:
1.
Why do vowels carry the “music” of language?
2.
Which vowels might more easily be extended in sounding?
3.
Do some vowels sound higher pitched than others? Which ones?
Quiz questions:
Fill in/Short answer
1.
The following vowels are said to be produced with tension. These are:
2.
The highest front vowel is: [i]
3.
The lowest back vowel is: [ A ]
4.
The three most commonly heard diphthongs are:
5.
What is the most common phoneme in the English language? [ ´ ]
6.
Of what use are diacritical markings in dictionaries? (These are used by individual
7.
What vowel phonemes are found in only two positions in words?
8.
What vowel phoneme is found in only one position in words? [U]
9.
Explain the difference between the so-called pure vowels [e] and [o] and the diphthongs
10.
Explain the difference between [ ‘ ] and [ Œ’ ]. Use examples. (The first is found only
Matching
1.
In the following list of words there is one vowel sound per word.
On the left is a list of the vowel phonemes and diphthongs. Write the correct IPA symbol for
the correct phoneme represented by the sample word.
(Answers are in the third column.)
Sample word
A
B
_b 1. up
[i]
[ √ ]
_b 2. key
[ I ]
[ i ]
_b 3. boy
[e]
[ çI ]
_b 4. get
[ Q ]
[ E ]
_b 5. the
[æ]
[ ´ ]
_b 6. lose
[ ´ ]
[ u ]
_b 7. old
[ √ ]
[oU ]
_b 8. full
[ ‘ ]
[ U ]
_b 9. now
[ o ]
[aU ]
_b 10. bird
[ A ]
[ Œ’]
_b 11. ate
[ ç ]
[eI ]
_b 12. sit
[ o ]
[ I ]
_b 13. law
[ U ]
[ ç ]
_b 14. cat
[ u ]
[æ]
_b 15. after
[ aI ]
[ ‘ ]
_b 16. cot
[ aU]
[ ç ]
_b 17. ice
[ çI ]
[aI ]
Chapter Nine Checklist
Note to Instructors: While the directions for student use and the text of the checklist appear
in this manual, the IPA symbols do not. You will need to refer to the textbook. Apologies for
any inconvenience this creates.
Vowels/Diphthongs
Directions: The following passage includes words which contain front vowels, back
vowels, mid vowels and diphthongs in the sequence in which they appeared in the chapter.
There are at least three or four words containing each phoneme.
IPA symbol above letters and underlining aid you in identifying sounds. To the right of
the passage is a checklist column for vowel/diphthong phonemes.
Use an audio or video recorder or a partner for each student. Make a check mark beside
the phoneme for which the student requires additional practice.
Each of us thinks it is easy enough to believe in important issues. In the city