Listening and Speaking: Monophthongs and Their Pronunciation for SS 1

Monophthongs

Performance Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. describe monophthongs;
2. identify monophthongs;
3. pronounce monophthongs;
4. give appropriate examples of words in which the monophthongs occur word- initially, medially and finally.

Introduction to Monophthongs

In English language, sounds are broadly divided into consonants and vowels. Vowel sounds are produced when air flows freely from the lungs through the mouth without any obstruction. Monophthongs are a specific type of vowel sound.

What Are Monophthongs?

A monophthong is a pure vowel sound that remains constant throughout its pronunciation, meaning the tongue and lips do not move or change position during its articulation.

The word “monophthong” comes from Greek, where “mono” means “one” and “phthong” means “sound.” Therefore, a monophthong is a single, unchanging vowel sound. English has 12 monophthongs, which are often divided into short vowels and long vowels.

The 12 Monophthongs of English

The 12 monophthongs are represented by specific symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). These symbols help to accurately represent the sounds, regardless of how they are spelled in words.

The monophthongs are categorised based on two main factors related to the tongue’s position in the mouth:

1. Tongue Height: How high or low the tongue is in the mouth (high, mid, low).
2. Tongue Part: Which part of the tongue is raised or lowered (front, central, back).

Additionally, the shape of the lips (rounded or unrounded) also plays a role in producing some vowel sounds.

Short Monophthongs (7)

These are generally shorter in duration when pronounced.

1. /ɪ/ as in ‘sit’, ‘kit’, ‘city’ (front, high, unrounded)
2. /e/ as in ‘bed’, ‘dress’, ‘men’ (front, mid, unrounded)
3. /æ/ as in ‘cat’, ‘trap’, ‘man’ (front, low, unrounded)
4. /ʌ/ as in ‘cut’, ‘strut’, ‘sun’ (central, mid, unrounded)
5. /ɒ/ as in ‘pot’, ‘lot’, ‘dog’ (back, low, rounded)
6. /ʊ/ as in ‘put’, ‘foot’, ‘good’ (back, high-mid, rounded)
7. /ə/ (schwa) as in ‘about’, ‘teacher’, ‘sofa’ (central, mid, unrounded, unstressed)

Long Monophthongs (5)

These are generally longer in duration when pronounced, indicated by the colon-like symbol (ː) after the vowel sound.

1. /iː/ as in ‘see’, ‘fleece’, ‘tree’ (front, high, unrounded)
2. /ɑː/ as in ‘car’, ‘palm’, ‘father’ (back, low, unrounded)
3. /ɔː/ as in ‘door’, ‘thought’, ‘saw’ (back, mid, rounded)
4. /uː/ as in ‘two’, ‘goose’, ‘blue’ (back, high, rounded)
5. /ɜː/ as in ‘bird’, ‘nurse’, ‘learn’ (central, mid, unrounded)

Pronouncing Monophthongs

To pronounce monophthongs correctly, it is important to understand how the tongue and lips are positioned for each sound. The key is to keep the tongue and lips steady throughout the sound’s production.

How to Articulate Monophthongs

The procedure for articulating monophthongs involves focusing on the stability of the vocal organs:

1. Identify the Tongue Position: Determine if the tongue needs to be high, mid, or low, and if the front, central, or back part of the tongue is raised.
2. Set Lip Shape: Decide if the lips should be rounded (like for /uː/ or /ɒ/) or unrounded (like for /iː/ or /æ/).
3. Produce the Sound Steadily: Once the tongue and lips are in the correct position, produce the vowel sound without any movement or glide. The sound should be pure and consistent from start to finish.
4. Use a Mirror: Observe your lip movements in a mirror to ensure they remain stable and adopt the correct shape for each sound.

Examples of Monophthongs in Words

Monophthongs can appear at the beginning (initial), in the middle (medial), or at the end (final) of words. Not all monophthongs occur in all three positions in common English words, especially in the final position.

Short Monophthongs with Examples

1. /ɪ/ (as in ‘sit’)
   1. Initial: in /ɪn/, it /ɪt/, igloo /ˈɪɡluː/
   2. Medial: sit /sɪt/, kit /kɪt/, win /wɪn/
   3. Final: city /ˈsɪtɪ/, happy /ˈhæpɪ/, very /ˈverɪ/ (often transcribed as /i/ or /ɪ/ in unstressed final syllables)
2. /e/ (as in ‘bed’)
   1. Initial: egg /eɡ/, end /end/, elbow /ˈelbəʊ/
   2. Medial: bed /bed/, men /men/, ready /ˈredɪ/
   3. Final: (Rarely occurs in final position in stressed syllables. Often part of diphthongs or unstressed syllables.)
3. /æ/ (as in ‘cat’)
   1. Initial: apple /ˈæpl/, act /ækt/, ask /æsk/
   2. Medial: cat /kæt/, man /mæn/, bag /bæɡ/
   3. Final: (Does not occur in final position.)
4. /ʌ/ (as in ‘cut’)
   1. Initial: up /ʌp/, under /ˈʌndə/, once /ʌns/
   2. Medial: cut /kʌt/, sun /sʌn/, love /lʌv/
   3. Final: (Does not occur in final position.)
5. /ɒ/ (as in ‘pot’)
   1. Initial: on /ɒn/, off /ɒf/, octopus /ˈɒktəpəs/
   2. Medial: pot /pɒt/, dog /dɒɡ/, hot /hɒt/
   3. Final: (Does not occur in final position.)
6. /ʊ/ (as in ‘put’)
   1. Initial: understood /ˌʌndəˈstʊd/, outlook /ˈʊtlʊk/ (less common)
   2. Medial: put /pʊt/, foot /fʊt/, good /ɡʊd/
   3. Final: (Does not occur in final position.)
7. /ə/ (schwa, as in ‘about’)
   1. Initial: about /əˈbaʊt/, alone /əˈləʊn/, ago /əˈɡəʊ/
   2. Medial: teacher /ˈtiːtʃə/, doctor /ˈdɒktə/, banana /bəˈnɑːnə/
   3. Final: sofa /ˈsəʊfə/, China /ˈtʃaɪnə/, mother /ˈmʌðə/

Long Monophthongs with Examples

1. /iː/ (as in ‘see’)
   1. Initial: eat /iːt/, even /ˈiːvn/, eagle /ˈiːɡl/
   2. Medial: see /siː/, fleece /fliːs/, treet /triːt/
   3. Final: see /siː/, tree /triː/, free /friː/
2. /ɑː/ (as in ‘car’)
   1. Initial: arm /ɑːm/, art /ɑːt/, archive /ˈɑːkaɪv/
   2. Medial: car /kɑː/, palm /pɑːm/, father /ˈfɑːðə/
   3. Final: car /kɑː/, far /fɑː/, star /stɑː/
3. /ɔː/ (as in ‘door’)
   1. Initial: awe /ɔː/, oar /ɔː/, author /ˈɔːθə/
   2. Medial: door /dɔː/, thought /θɔːt/, board /bɔːd/
   3. Final: saw /sɔː/, law /lɔː/, raw /rɔː/
4. /uː/ (as in ‘two’)
   1. Initial: ooze /uːz/, unit /ˈjuːnɪt/ (often with a /j/ sound before it), use /juːz/
   2. Medial: two /tuː/, goose /ɡuːs/, blue /bluː/
   3. Final: too /tuː/, blue /bluː/, do /duː/
5. /ɜː/ (as in ‘bird’)
   1. Initial: early /ˈɜːli/, urge /ɜːdʒ/, error /ˈerə/ (often unstressed)
   2. Medial: bird /bɜːd/, nurse /nɜːs/, learn /lɜːn/
   3. Final: (Does not occur in final position in standard English.)

Practical Pronunciation Practice

Regular practice is essential for mastering the pronunciation of monophthongs. Use a pronouncing dictionary to check the phonetic transcription of words and listen to audio examples.

The following steps can help improve your articulation:

1. Listen Actively: Pay close attention to how native speakers pronounce each monophthong. Use audio-visual materials to hear the sounds in different contexts.
2. Mimic and Repeat: Try to imitate the sounds you hear. Repeat words containing the target monophthongs multiple times.
3. Record Yourself: Use a recording device to record your pronunciation. Listen back and compare it to a model pronunciation. This helps you identify areas for improvement.
4. Use a Mirror: Observe your mouth and lip movements in a mirror while practising. Ensure your lips are in the correct position (rounded or unrounded) and remain stable.
5. Focus on Minimal Pairs: Practise words that differ by only one monophthong (e.g., ‘sit’ /sɪt/ vs. ‘seat’ /siːt/, ‘pot’ /pɒt/ vs. ‘part’ /pɑːt/). This helps to distinguish between similar sounds.