How many sound in a word

Phonetics of the English language: how to pronounce sounds and letters

How to read sounds correctly

First, to read sounds in English, you need to know how they are written. We can help you find out in more detail for conversational English courses, but now we will return to the article and try to figure it out, but they are written in square brackets — this is called phonetic transcription. English has vowel and consonant sounds. Just as in Russian, vowels are pronounced with an open mouth, and consonants with a closed mouth.

Pronunciation table of English sounds

In some words, the number of letters and sounds may differ. For example, in the word help — 4 letters and 4 sounds [help], but in the word six (six) — three letters, but 4 sounds [sɪks].

 Each letter has its own sound, but there are concepts in English such as digraphs — these are two letters denoting one sound: gh [g] — ghost [gəʋst] (ghost), ph [f] — photo [‘foutou] (photo), sh [ʃ] — shine [ʃaɪn] (shine), th [ð] or [θ] — think [θɪŋk] (to think), сh [tʃ] — chess [tʃes] (chess) and diphthongs — vowel sounds passing from one to another: ea — bread [bred] (bread), ie — friend [frend] (friend), ai — again [əˈɡen] (again), au — autumn [ˈɔːtəm] (autumn), etc. …

It is worth noting that digraphs and diphthongs are read differently depending on which part the words are in.

For example, gh is not pronounced in the middle of a word: light [laıt] (light), and sometimes it sounds like “f” at the end: enough [ı’nʌf] (enough); oo can be pronounced as a long [ʋ:], “y” in Russian: moon [mʋ: n] (moon), short [ʋ]: good [gʋd] (good), like a short [ʌ], similar to “a «In Russian: blood [blʌd] (blood), but together with» r «it is quite different, like [ʋə]: poor [pʋə] (poor).

Our teachers from the USA, Australia, Canada, Great Britain will help develop the ability to understand the speech of native speakers as quickly as possible, on intensive English courses in Kiev, SPEAKING IN ENGLISH QUICKLY AND CORRECTLY !!!

It is also interesting that there are words in English, the pronunciation of which is the same, but the spelling is completely different: know — no (to know — no), leave — live (to leave — to live), feel — fill (to feel — to fill), etc. Here another reason to learn to pronounce English letters and sounds correctly!

  Syllables in English

Let’s define what a syllable is. A syllable is the minimum spoken unit of speech, consisting of a sound (one vowel or in combination with a consonant sound), pronounced, one might say, in one breath. Considering that vowels are read differently depending on the type of syllable, consider what the same syllables are. In English, syllables are:

1.Open: the end of a syllable is a vowel sound: go, toy, my.

2. Conditionally open: the end of a syllable is a dumb «e» after a consonant: take, smoke, lime.

3.Closed: the end of a syllable is a consonant sound: get, sun, red.

How to highlight syllables in a word in English? It must be remembered: how many vowels there are in a word — so many syllables.

Basic rules for dividing words into syllables:

1. If there is one consonant letter on the border of syllables, then it moves to the right: stu-dent (student), pu-pil (student).

2. If there is only one consonant in a word, but there are sonorant (nasal) sounds [m], [n], [l], [w], [r], [j], there can be several syllables: mi-ld (soft ), fi-nd (find).

3. If there are two consonant letters on the border of a word, one of which is a consonant l, it is part of the next syllable along with the consonant letter in front of it: ta-ble (table), sta-ble (stable).

4. If there are more than two consonants on the border of syllables, then one of them closes the syllable, and the second opens the next one: lit-tle (small), sim-ple (simple).

The article provides only the basic rules for reading letters and sounds in English. The phonetics of the English language is a broad and interesting subject of study. Want to know more? Sign up for an English course at Native English School or, to get started, take advantage of our free trial lesson, which you can sign up for simply by filling out the form.

Read more, listen to audio, practice speaking! Come to lessons at the NES and improve your knowledge. See you in class!

Source: https://native-english.com.ua/blog/fonetika-anglijskogo-jazyka-kak-proiznosit-zvuki-i-bukvy/

Lesson 14. Pronunciation of English sounds [w] and [r]. Reading letter combinations wr, wh, rh, er / or

We continue our lessons on teaching reading in English. On the left plate, green arrows indicate the sounds that we have already passed. Since we have studied almost all consonants, in this lesson we will repeat 8 learned vowel sounds to consolidate their pronunciation. There are only 4 consonants left. Sounds [r] и [w] we go through in this lesson, and the sounds [j] and [ŋ] in the next. So, let’s begin!

From lesson number 14 you will learn:

• how are English consonants read Rr и Ww;
• how letter combinations are read  wr, wh, rh, er / or,

Let’s start with the pronunciation of sounds, and then move on to reading letter combinations.

So the letter Ww denotes a sound in writing [w]. Letter Rr denotes a sound in writing [r]. Both sounds are quite complex, because there are no similar sounds in Russian.

* * *

How to pronounce the English sound [w] correctly?

Exercise for the mouth, which will help you learn to pronounce the English sound [w]: pull your lips into a tube, as if you want to blow out a candle, and then sharply move the corners of your mouth to the sides, as if in a smile. And so many times: a pipe — a smile, a pipe — a smile, a pipe — a smile

Pronunciation of the English sound [w]. Now that your mouth is ready, let’s start pronouncing the sound. Pull your lips into a tube for a moment, as if you want to utter the sound «y», and when you start saying «u», immediately smile sharply. The result is a sound a bit like «v».

Actually sound [w] very often the letters «y» and «v» are conveyed in Russian. Even in official sources, the name William is spelled either William or William. Because in Russian there is NO such sound.

If you have not yet fully understood how to pronounce the English sound [w] correctly, then pronounce it like a short «y», but in no case, like «in».

Note again that when you say “w” your lips are rounded and NOT touching your teeth, the same lip position must be observed when pronouncing the sound [w].

When pronouncing the sound «in», the upper teeth touch the lower lip. This shouldn’t be!

* * *

How to pronounce English [r] sound correctly?

I will say right away that this is a very complex sound. At least it was like that for me.

What you need to do to make an English sound [r] right and how does English [r] differ from Russian “r”?

• When making a sound [r] can come from sound [ʒ], which you already know how to pronounce. Only the tip of the tongue needs to be bent even further back with a ringlet.
• Tip of the tongue when making a sound [r] located in the back of the upper palate, the tongue does not shake. Sounds like a bursting «r» sound.
• When pronouncing the Russian sound «p», the tongue shakes at the upper teeth: «pppp-pp-p»

Listen how the sounds [w] and [r] are pronounced correctly — HERE

Reading letter combinations with the sound R: wr, rh, er / or

1. Letter r and combination of letters re at the end of a word not readable: car, care and are used to designate type III of a syllable (as in the word car) and type IV of a syllable (as in the word care). You can read more about the types of syllables in English.

2. Letter combinations er, or at the end, words are read like [ə]: sister, doctor, etc.

3. wr, rh read how [r]: wrist [rist] — wrist, rhythm [‘rɪð (ə) m], as well as in such common words that we cannot read yet: write (to write), wrong (wrong)

* * *

Reading letter combinations with the sound W: wh

1. wh reads like [w]: what [wɔt] — what, as well as in such common words that we cannot read yet: why (why), white (white), while (while).

An exception.Wh before o read how [H]: who (who), whose (whose)

2. At the end of a word wnot readable: slow

Phonetic exercises for practicing the sounds [w] and [r] with audio recording (closed content)

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Phrases with the sounds [w] and [r] for practicing during the week:

1. What? — What?
2. When? — When?
3. Very well. — Very good.
4. The weather is terrible. — The weather is awful.
5. We will see. — We will think about it.
6. What did she see? — What did she see?
7. He is sorry. — He’s sorry.
8. We are ready. — We are ready.
9. Get well! — Get well soon!
10. Keep in touch [tʌʧ]. — We will be in touch.

Let’s sum up Lesson 14, from which you learned:

1. how to pronounce english sounds [w] и [r] correctly;
2. how letter combinations are read wh, wr, rh, er / or.

See you at the next English lesson. Learn to read English on your own and learn English on your own friends! The author of the lessons, Tatiana Nabeeva.

Source: http://englishstory.ru/urok-14-chtenie-angliyskih-soglasnyih-r-w-i.html

Table and rules for the pronunciation of consonants and vowels of English letters

By Natalia Mar 6, 2019

The sounds that English letters represent are 44 English phonemes, which are divided into two categories: consonants and vowels. Since sounds cannot be recorded, graphemes (letters or combinations of letters) are used to convey sounds in writing.

English alphabet

There are 26 letters in English. The standard English alphabet starts with a and ends with z.

When classifying alphabetic characters, the following are distinguished:

• 5 pure vowels: a, e, i, o, u;
• 19 pure consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x, z;
• 2 semi-vowels: y, w.

Learning the English alphabet requires knowledge of both the symbol representing each letter and the phonetic sounds associated with that letter. Learning English phonetics is difficult. Only a small number of letters have no exceptions in the basic sound.

In most cases, each letter has multiple phonemes. The letter B sometimes sounds like bat (bat) or does not sound, for example, in the words crumb (kram), dumb (dam). The letter C sounds like «k» for cat (cat) or «c» for ceiling (si: ling), or «pm» for church (tch: pm). And the list of exceptions is endless.

Vowel sounds

Vowels represent the main category of phonemes in English speech. There are 20 vowel sounds in spoken English. This discrepancy (in relation to alphabetic characters) underlies the difficulty of writing in English.

Short	Long	Diphthongs
a [æ]	A (ā) [eı]	[eɪ]
e [ɛ]	E (ē) [i:]	[aɪ]
i [ɪ]	I (ī) [aı]	[ɔɪ]
o [ɒ]	O(ō) [ou]	[ɪə]
u [ʌ]	U (ū) [ju:]	[eə]
[ʊə]
[əʊ]
[aʊ]

For short and long vowels, additional vowel sounds are used. For sounds a and e — when the vowel accompanies the sound r. For o, the options are varied.

Consonant Sounds

Deaf	Voiced	Others
p	b	c
t	d	h
k	g	j
f	v	l
s	z	m
n
q
r
w
x
y

Transcription and stress

Phonetic transcriptions tell about the pronunciation of words. In English dictionaries, this is a necessary condition, since the spelling does not say how the word is pronounced.

Phonetic transcriptions are written in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), in which each English sound is assigned its own symbol. For example, the IPA-based phonetic transcription of the word home is / hoʊm /, the transcription come is / kʌm /, although the spelling of the words is similar (both ends in -ome), but transcribed with differences.

Vowels	Consonants
ʌ	b
ɑ:	d
æ	f
e	g
ə	h
ɜ: ʳ	j
ɪ	k
i:	l
ɒ	m
ɔ:	n
ʊ	ŋ
u:	p
aɪ	r
aʊ	s
eɪ	ʃ
oʊ	t
ɔɪ	tʃ
eəʳ	θ
ɪəʳ	ð
ʊəʳ	v
w
z
ʒ
dʒ

The rules do not fully cover aspects of stress in English words. The language is characterized by the presence of exceptions, and the English themselves are mistaken, especially in polysyllabic words.

But, obviously, some basic rules still apply:

1. In 80% of two-syllable nouns and adjectives, the stress falls on the first syllable: PURple, PREsent, CARton, TABle, CLEver, CHIna.
2. In most verbs and two-syllable prepositions, the stress falls on the second syllable: reLAX, beCIN, deCIde, betWEen.
3. In English, there are many two-syllable words of the same spelling that will refer to nouns or verbs, depending on whether the stress falls on the first or second syllable. For example, PREsent as a noun, but if the second syllable preSENT is underlined, it becomes a verb, or OBject and obJECT.
4. The accent falls on the syllable before the suffix if the «ending» begins with the letters i or u: -ion, -ual, -uous, -ial, -ient, -ious, -ior, -ic, -ity, and so on. Examples: sufFICient, explaNAtion, residual, geoGRAPhic. The exceptions are -ist, -ism, -ize, and -ing.
5. Other suffixes do not affect the stress in the word: -al, -ous, -ly, -er, -ed, -ist, -ing, -ism, etc. The stress falls on the first syllable. ORderly, Silently
6. Words ending in consonants or y are stressed on the first syllable: RARity, OPtimal.

Prefixes in two-syllable words are not stressed, except in some nouns or adjectives. Two-syllable nouns starting with a prefix are studied individually.

English consonants

There are fewer consonants in the English alphabet than consonants. Therefore, to expand the alphabet, digraphs are used like «Ch», «sh», «th» and «zh», and some letters and digraphs represent more than just one consonant. For example, the sound written “th” in this is transcribed as / ð /, and “th” in thin is / θ /.

English consonants are classified according to their combination of functions:

1. Articulation method (how air comes out of the vocal tract).
2. Place of education (which organs are involved).
3. Phonation (how vocal chords vibrate).
4. The time of the beginning of the sound (time of formation of sounds), aspiration is part of the function.
5. Air flow mechanism (how air moves along the vocal tract).
6. Length (how long consonant obstruction lasts) — a feature of the English language, for example, wholly / hoʊlli / and holy / hoʊli /.
7. Articulating force.

In addition, there is a function «Dull alveolar stop», / t / when the airflow mechanism is down.

According to the method of formation, consonants are divided into:

1. Approximants: j, w, r.
2. Nine fricative consonants: f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h.
3. Lateral approximant: l.
4. Two affricative sounds: tʃ and dʒ.
5. Six explosive sounds: p, b, t, d, k, g.
6. Nasal consonants: m, n, ŋ.

Sound — [x] — voiceless fricative — non-standard for English. Although in some original words, such as ugh (ugh!), It is an additional marker of irritation. In writing, the fricative is represented as «gh».

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Features of English consonants

A consonant combination is a set of two or three consonant letters that, when pronounced, retain the original sound. Such sets occur either at the beginning or at the end of a word. For example, the word brave, where both «b» and «r» are pronounced, is an initial combination. In the word bank «-nk» is the final combination.

Classification:

1. Initial combinations are classified into sets with «l», «r», and «s». In «l», the combination ends in «l». An example would be the letters «bl» in blind. Likewise, the final sound in «r» combined with «r» when «br» and «cr», for example, in the words bridge, crane. In contrast, «s» starts with s, «st» and «sn» — stap, snail.
2. The final combinations are grouped into sets with «s», «l» and «n»: -st, -sk, -ld, -nd, -nk. Examples, first, desk, gold, sand, sink.

Digraphs

Consonant digraphs refer to a set of consonants that form one sound. Some digraphs are found both at the beginning and at the end of a word — «sh», «ch» and «th». There are also strict initial and final digraphs — «kn-» and «-ck».

Examples of digraphs:

Ch-	— ch
Kn-	— ck
Ph-	-sh
Sh-	-ss
Th-	-th
wh-	-tch
Wr-

Features of digraphs:

1. In some cases, consonants become unpronounceable:

Source: https://eng911.ru/words/transcription/zvuki.html

Vowel letters of the English alphabet

›Grammar and rules› Alphabet ›Vowel letters of the English alphabet with transcription and Russian pronunciation

English is becoming more widespread every day. Today it is spoken by most of the world’s population, which automatically makes it an international language of communication. In addition to the American continents, it is being studied in Europe and Asia. Australia, as part of the former British Empire, has long recognized English as the official language.

If in Western Europe, American and British English are studied by children from a very early age, in Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries, they are treated very mediocre. The school curriculum skims through the most frequent words, while the children are not really explained the rules for their use. All this forces people to learn on their own, which is much more difficult.

Today we will analyze how the vowels of the English alphabet are used in words. They influence the quality of pronunciation and language perception.

Constructing words in American

The consonants of the English alphabet are the basis of all words. The total number of letters is 26, of which consonants are 20, and there are only 6 vowels in English. Despite such a meager number, they can take various forms of pronunciation, as a result, from 6 letters, about 20-24 sounds are obtained. All vowels and consonants are listed in the table below:

As you can see in the picture, the vowels in the English alphabet are highlighted in yellow. A transcription is written next to each letter, thanks to which you can learn how to pronounce this or that letter correctly.

The need for transcription was always due to the fact that it is simply impossible to explain the correct pronunciation using the example of the Russian language.

If in Russian one letter is equated to one sound, then most of the vowels in the English alphabet are pronounced using a combination of two phonemes.

Letter	Transcription	transcript
Aa	[ei]	Hey
Her	[I:]	Long «and»
Ii	[ai]	Ай
Oo	[Where]	Oh oh
Uu	[ju:]	Long «yu»
Yy	[wai]	wye

The last letter «Yy» can be a vowel or a consonant depending on the type of syllable. This should be taken into account when reading and parsing words morpheme. What sound will determine this or that letter depends on its position in the word and syllable.

Types of syllables of the English alphabet

Source: https://speakenglishwell.ru/glasnye-bukvy-anglijskogo-alfavita/

How to quickly learn to read English from scratch on your own. Tips for English learners

When you study a foreign language, you learn not only a set of vocabulary and grammar, you in any case come across the culture and peculiarities of the mentality of the people who speak this language. The best way to learn language and culture is reading in original … And in order to read in a foreign language, you must first learn to read in that language.

You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. You can just get people to stop reading them.

~ Ray Bradbury

Does it exist an easy way to learn to read English ? If you studied English at school, you should have gotten an idea of ​​how English letters are read, you know what transcription is and how basic letter combinations are read. If your level is not beginner, but for example intermediate, then you will be interested in the article «Books in English for intermediate level»

But, if at school or university you studied German or French, or your school base turned out to be smaller than you would like, and now you have decided to learn English, then let’s start with the very primary and basic and learn a few methods of where to start in order to master reading rules.

English alphabet

I think you know that English is different from Russian and German, in which we basically read and write. In English, the system is a little more complicated. The very first thing we need to do is learn the alphabet.

The English alphabet has 26 letters, including 21 consonants and 5 vowels. Knowledge of letters and the ability to pronounce them correctly is the key to successful and competent reading in English.

English alphabet with transcription of the names of letters.

A very easy way to memorize letters visually and by ear is with the help of a song. Watch the video and sing the song until you memorize the letters of the alphabet.

You can use the same method to teach the alphabet to your children and sing along with your little ones.

After studying the alphabet, let’s start learning the combination of letters and reading short words. There are a number of rules in English that you need to learn, practice and remember if you want to read English words correctly.

The same letter can be read in different ways, depending on the letters that surround it, as well as whether it is closed or open syllable.

Rules for reading English consonants

Many consonants read similarly to Russian consonants, such as letters m, n, l, b, f, z … You can see it in words like mom, lemon, finger, boy, zebra.

Letters such as t и d sound similar, but pronounced with aspirated… For example, the words table, teacher, dad, dirty.

Letter c has two reading options. Before letters i, e, y it reads like [s]— city, face, cyber. And before the rest of the vowels it reads like [k]— cat, cake, factory.

The vowel rule i, e, y works with the letter g… In front of them, it reads like [dʒ]— gym, George, giant. Before other consonants, the letter is read as [g].

Letter q always occurs in a combination of letters qu and reads like [kW]— quick, queen, square.

Letter j always reads like [dʒ]— jacket, jam, joy.

Table of the ratio of consonants and sounds in English.

How vowels are read in English

In English, a word can end in an open or closed syllable, which affects pronunciation. For example, the words cat, pot, sit end in a closed syllable and have vowels a, o, i give sounds [a, o, i].

Words such as name, home, five end with an open syllable, since there is a letter at the end of the word ewhich is not readable. But, thanks to her, the vowels in the middle of the word are read in the same way as they are pronounced in the alphabet, that is, the word name is read [neɪm].

Types of English vowel reading in stressed syllables.

Reading vowel combinations in English

There are certain combinations of letters that have well-established rules for reading, although English is the language of exceptions, and when reading more complex words, you should refer to the dictionary. The table below shows English vowel combinations with examples how they are read and how they sound.

Table of combinations of vowels in English.

And of course, there are exceptions to all the rules. However, do not worry and think that you will never be able to learn it. Everything can be understood, you just have to try a little and practice.

English diphthongs with transcription

When you learn the basic rules of reading, you will see that there are diphthong sounds that are quite difficult to reproduce in English, especially if you start learning the language not from childhood, but in adulthood.

Table of English diphthongs with transcription.

Transcription of sounds in English

Practice shows that when children learn a language, they must necessarily learn transcription, while adults do not want to learn it and it can be difficult for them.

If you still want to learn how to write and read the transcription, then great! And if not, then you can use online dictionaries where the word will be pronounced for you. One of the best dictionaries today is Multitran and the Lingvo online dictionary.

Remember to use dictionaries, not translators!

Here’s an example of reading short words with transcription:

English vowel table and transcription.

There are some advantages to being in the internet age. Sitting at home, you can learn a variety of knowledge online. For your attention video tutorial, which explains the basic principles of reading. Nevertheless, even having received knowledge through an online lesson, they need to be consolidated in order to form a skill.

In this section, we want to share with you the experience that was gained in practice, teaching students of different levels. These tips have proven their effectiveness and usefulness in language learning. They can be used for beginner to advanced levels. Use)

Learn English tongue twisters

Here tongue twisters, which are often aimed at practicing one sound, can help you. Here are some examples you can use.

English translation

Source: https://ienglish.ru/blog/interesno-ob-angliiskom/kak-viuchit-angliiskiy-bistro-samomu/kak-bistro-nauchitsia-chitat-po-angliiski

Sounds [ɪ, i :, e, ǝ] in English and their pronunciation

It would seem that it is impossible to put the correct pronunciation without outside help. Let’s destroy this myth with our article workshop. With the help of a detailed analysis of each sound, comparison with our Russian «analogues», training videos and tongue twisters, we will bring your pronunciation of English sounds as close as possible to the ideal.

The sounds that we will analyze today can often seem to us, Russian-speaking, very similar to each other: / ɪ, i :, e, ǝ /. To “put in your head” the difference between them, go through each stage of the article sequentially and complete all the tasks

Source: https://corp.lingualeo.com/ru/2017/01/13/zvuki-i-e-v-angliyskom-yazyike-i-ih-proiznoshenie/

Consonants in English. P, b, k, f, v, m, z, h, t, d, l, n — we pronounce them correctly

Almost all sounds of the English language differ from the sounds of the Russian language. And even at first glance, similar sounds can be articulated in different ways. Articulation in this case is the position of the organs of speech (tongue and lips in the first place) during the pronunciation of a sound. However, as many as 12 consonant sounds in English can be easily pronounced by a Russian-speaking person. These are the sounds [p, b, k, f, v, m, z, h, t, d, l, n].

Phonetics is the area of ​​the English language that audio and video materials are best suited for learning. You can endlessly read about sounds, and you never learn how to pronounce them correctly.

Be sure to watch the video tutorial. There is an exercise for you to practice your pronunciation!

This video lesson is part of the RealStudy Starter Level Online Course.

I want try course for free

Sounds [p, b, k, f, v, m, z]

Pronounce the English sounds p, b, k, f, v, m, z — you can also pronounce them like their counterparts in Russian:

p = n, b = b | book [buk] — book, k = k | kite [kaɪt] — kite, f = f | fan [fæn] — fan, v = in | van [væn] — van, m = m | mole [məul] — mole,

z = s | zoo [zuː] — zoo

Pronunciation features

1. Z should be pronounced with less accent than we do in Russian. In general, the English pronounce muffled sounds more powerfully than voiced ones.

2. When pronouncing v, I highly recommend biting your lower lip with your upper teeth a little. This helps not to deafen the given sound in all positions. Do not forget that, unlike Russian, voiced consonants are never stunned in English. Therefore, for example, move will always be [muːv ~ mov], and never [muf].

3. The sounds [p], [t] and [k] at the beginning of the stressed syllable are pronounced aspirated or aspirated. After each of these sounds, we exhale a little (but so that it can be heard), and then we pronounce the next sound. Remember that if [p], [t] and [k] come after [s], for example, sport, skate, then there will be no aspiration. The whistling sound [s] seems to steal aspiration from the following [p], [t] and [k].

Sound [h]

The h sound is a simple exhalation without a voice. The easiest way to train him is with words that begin with this sound.

Source: https://realstudy.ru/articles/50-phonetics/161-english-consonants-pronounce-them-right.html

Enjoy learning English online with Puzzle English for free

Today there will be a small «culinary» master class. We will tell you what English speech consists of, what is the difference between letters and sounds, and how to bake and bite it all Oh, that is, read and pronounce.

We will master reading transcription in English, exercises to develop this skill. You will understand what sounds are, and how they are recorded. It will become easier to perceive written speech. Learn the rules of reading in English (exercises to help master difficult combinations are included).

But first, check out a poem that one little girl wrote:

Hanging tickut streams
And the first dosht pashol
And now the prashli of the maroza
And Visna has come

You have most likely noticed the difference between how it is written and how it SHOULD be written. From the first grade, teachers tell schoolchildren: do not finish, togeьNot visny, веsleep… But this is illogical, because it is precisely “finish».

Surprisingly, there are languages ​​in which you do not need to learn the «correct» option. For example, in Korean or Georgian, everything is spelled and heard. Imagine how easy it is for children to live there!

Meanwhile, English-speaking students have fun in competition spelling… The conditions are as follows: the presenter speaks the word out loud, and the contestant must pronounce it letter by letter. This is not an easy task because the oral form often does not match the spelling.

Why is it so hard?

Once upon a time, English was the same as Georgian. In the sense that, as it was heard, it was written. But then changes began to occur, and the spelling rules seemed to have frozen in place, remaining a kind of monument to the past.

Now we have what we have: handkerchief, conscience и pronunciation, Knight, wheel и thoroughly… How to read such words? The first thing to do is

learn the signs transcriptions.

Transcription Is a written expression sounds speech, that is, how we hear the word. Many transcription characters match the usual Latin alphabet. Transcribed words are placed in square brackets:

Cold — [cold]

Knight — [naɪt]

• Emphasis deserves special attention. In English, his sign is put before stressed syllable, and not over a vowel, as in Russian:

[ˈÆpl]
[ˈDɪfɪk (ə) lt]

• In different versions of pronunciation, individual sounds are either pronounced or not (this is especially true for [r]). Then they are written in parentheses:

 ˈFɑːðə(r)
 bɑː(r)

We bake the first layer. Consonant sounds

Let’s go back to our recipe. Consonants will be a good, solid base for our cake. They are obtained as a result of the closure of the speech organs.

In the table you can see the consonants of the English language, approximate Russian pronunciation and examples.

Zest. Sounds unlike anything

Some sounds like d, t, m, p have Russian counterparts. But there are those that are completely unfamiliar to us.

θ and ðSound [θ], which really looks like raisins — softer, invisible.

[ð] pronounced firmly and distinctly (perhaps you can compare it to a nut). Both sounds are interdental, that is, they are produced when the tip of the tongue is positioned between the teeth.

Both of these sounds are written the same — th… How do you know when to pronounce which sound?

Solid [ð] usually appears in articles, pronouns and similar words, as well as before a vowel e:

• the [ðə]
• those [ðəʊz]
• inther [ˈnaɪðə (r)]
• other [ˈʌðə (r)]

[θ] pronounced in all other cases:

• thanks [θæŋks]
• bath [bɑːθ]

Nasal «ŋ»

Russian-speaking people often do not pay attention to this sound. But he still exists! To pronounce it, you need to slightly lengthen the consonant n and direct a stream of air to the nose.

[Ŋ] occurs when after n there is another consonant sound:

• thank [θæŋk]
• Cling [klɪŋ]
• bingo [ˈbɪŋɡəʊ]

Sound «W»

It is very important to distinguish w и v.

For example, the wine и vine — different words (wine и vine). In the first case, the pronunciation will be «wine«, And in the second -«vine».

Speak with emphasis on the difference [w] и [v]:

• wis — vis
• wail — vail
• whyper — vhyper
• wbears — verse
• wize — visor

The rule of 11 yellow iPhones

Imagine 11 (Eleven) yellow (Yellow) iPhones (Iphones). This is a «memorization» for one rule of reading English (exercises will be a little further). It lies in the fact that the letters e, y и i affect the pronunciation of other letters.

Before e, y, i:

• g reads like [dʒ]
• c reads like [s]

• giant [dʒaɪənt]
• gym [dʒɪm]
• gel [dʒel]
• cinema [cinema]
• cyber [saɪbə (r)]
• cease [siːs]

A few more reading recipes:

«S» between vowels

S reads like [z] if it is between vowels:

• season [ˈsiːz (ə) n]
• muse [mjuːz]
• ofsin [ˈkʌz (ə) n]

In some cases, the ending -s the third person singular gives the sound [z] (find out which ones).

«X». How to read the word “Xerox«?

X before consonants and at the end of words it is read like [ks], and before a stressed vowel — [z] or [gz]:

• box [bɒks]
• mixture [ˈmɪkstʃə (r)]
• xerox
• exotic [ɪɡˈzɒtɪk]

The second layer of the English pie: vowels

These are the kind of sounds that you can stretch. Vowels — stringy and plastic, like nougat and chocolate cream. It is on them that intonation, music of speech, melodiousness of phrases depend.

English vowels are short and long. Longitude in English transcription is indicated by two dots: [ː]

There are also diphthongs — vowels, consisting of two sounds.

Sound «seam«- what kind of animal is this?

[ə] (in English it is called «schwa») Is a short vowel, which is worth mentioning separately. It appears in an unstressed position, when in the stream of speech the vowel ceases to be distinct and is almost lost.

To understand what this sound is like, read the word “dog», Very strongly shifting the stress on the second syllable to get [assembly].

That fuzzy sound that remained from the first vowel «about», will resemble a sound schwa:

• аbout [əˈbaʊt]
• o

Source: https://puzzle-english.com/directory/reading-exercises

English transcription in signs, sounds and examples

See how English transcription signs are spelled and listen to how they are pronounced in words. An explanation is given for each sign / sound. The letter (or letters) corresponding to the sound are shown in bold in words. When learning English, it is important to understand that transcription helps us learn pronunciation, and not vice versa, as many beginners believe. Unlike a letter, which in English can mean a range of sounds, a transcription sign represents one specific sound.

Pronunciation and reading (especially aloud) in English has always been one of the main difficulties for beginners. All English spelling is one big misunderstanding that native speakers admit. Read more about the oddities of English spelling here.

Based on the above, it is best to learn from typical examples. For this, we have prepared a voiced English transcription table. By listening and repeating behind the announcer, you will very soon master the basics of English reading and pronunciation.

As a rule transcription is written in square brackets [square brackets] or inside two backslashes — backslash .

Emphasis in phonetic transcription of the English language there are 2 types: the main stress is placed in front of the stressed syllable at the top and the secondary stress is placed in front of the stressed syllable at the bottom. For example, an English word with double stress pronunciation (pronunciation) will look like this: prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃn

On some sites, you may come across incorrect display of the phonetic font. To solve this problem, you must have installed on your system phonetic font.

Now read, listen and repeat English sounds. Transcription signs to help you!

print version

Vowels (Monophthongs)

Compare the phonetic characters of the IPA with the transcription used in dictionaries Merriam Webster.
There are, of course, similarities, but how could it be otherwise, because the basis for all is the same — the Latin alphabet, but there are also noticeable differences.

Pronunciation Symbols
As mentioned above, in addition to the phonetic alphabets presented here, there are other ways to write English transcription. If you are interested in this topic in more detail, take a look, for example, on Wikipedia. However, I do not advise you to get too hung up on this, unless you are a professional linguist. Everyone else — to look into the dictionary more often, read and listen more!

Source: https://audio-class.ru/symbols.php

English letters and sounds

Learning a foreign language is a time-consuming process, which implies acquaintance with its various sections. Each of them needs to be given a sufficient amount of time and effort: otherwise, it will not be possible to achieve the desired results.

One of the most important goals that the student faces is to learn the letters and sounds of the English language. Knowledge of phonetics will allow you to read texts of any complexity, competently conduct a dialogue and feel confident when working with foreign sources of information.

If you ignore the study of this section, you can forever lose the opportunity to learn how to pronounce words and phrases correctly, because mistakes will gradually take root more and more firmly in your mind.

Basic Information

First of all, you need to find out how many letters and sounds there are in the English language. This will help you quickly navigate when further studying the topic. So, the English language has 26 letters, which represent 44 sounds. Of these, 24 are consonants and 12 are vowels. In addition, there is a special group — diphthongs — 8 pieces. We will get to know each of these elements in more detail a little later.

Newbie students can relax a little: the foreign alphabet is a little «poorer» than Russian, which makes the task much easier. The most important thing is to try to remember as carefully as possible the spelling and pronunciation of certain letters, as well as their application in different parts of the word.

So, below is a special memory table containing letters and sounds of English with transcription.

Letter table with transcription

Remember that in some cases, the pronunciation of a particular letter may differ.

Useful Tips

The first thing to learn is the need for constant use of the vocabulary. Insidious traps can lie in wait even in the simplest, at first glance, word. And the electronic or paper version of the dictionary with transcription will help you avoid mistakes or make sure that your opinion is correct on a particular issue.

It is extremely useful to perceive information by ear as often as possible: TV and radio broadcasts, computer games, and even your favorite songs of foreign performers are suitable. Even in a relaxed environment, many words can be memorized this way.

Regular practice is essential. For this, conversations with native speakers on Skype (interlocutors can be found on specialized portals), group lessons or banal repetition of phrases after the heroes of films or TV presenters are suitable for this. This process needs to be given at least fifteen minutes a day, and even then you can see noticeable results.

Regular practice is essential!

If at first this path seems difficult and thorny, remember that English pronunciation is considered very difficult. This is confirmed by the famous Dutch linguist’s poem, which bears the symbolic name «Chaos». It is devoted to the subtleties of pronouncing certain sounds. You can get acquainted with it by watching this video:

Thus, it will take a lot of effort to master at least part of the wisdom of the phonetic section. You will have to go through a lot of lessons and complete assignments for the letters and sounds of the English language.

Source: https://englishbooster.ru/proiznoshenie/bukvy-i-zvuki-anglijskogo-jazyka/

7 most difficult sounds in English: pronounce it correctly!

English is far from the most difficult phonetically, but it also has pitfalls: complex sounds and problems that mispronunciation can cause. Don’t believe me? Ask a native English speaker or read our article!

Th sound [θ]

The voiceless interdental sound [θ], written as “th,” is one of the most difficult sounds in the English language. This sound occurs in commonly used words (for example, think, mouth, theater, thing, though), but is absent in most Germanic, Romance, and Slavic languages.

The complexity of this sound is not so much in direct articulation (English learners try to replace it with [s] or [f]), but rather in the need to sharply change the position of the tongue (between the teeth) in the stream of speech, and then again return to easier-to-articulate sounds.

Th sound [ð]

The voiced interdental sound [ð] is pronounced almost the same as [θ], but sound is added. Foreigners often replace this sound with [z] or [d], but such a replacement can sometimes distort the meaning of the word.

By the way, the native speakers of the English language, or rather, the London vernacular dialect of Сockney, replace these sounds with [f] and [v], respectively.

Sound N [ŋ]

The nasal palatal (from Latin palatum hard palate) consonant [ŋ] is often confused with alveolar [n]. The nasal [ŋ] is everyone’s “favorite” endings –ing and the letter combinations eng.

For all the apparent similarities, these two sounds are produced in completely different ways. It is quite easy to check if the pronunciation is correct: if you pinch your nose, you will not be able to pronounce the sound [ŋ]. If the sound comes, then you say [n] or another similar sound.

Sound R [r]

English [r] differs from Russian [r] both in the place of education and in the way it is pronounced. Russian [r] is vibrating, while Angian [r] is pronounced with a motionless tongue, the back of which is raised to the sky. An easy way to feel the difference is to squeeze your cheeks with your hands and say Russian [r] until your tongue stops vibrating.

Sound [a:]

A long vowel sound [a:] in writing is indicated by a combination of letters «a + r» (park, dark), a combination of «a + s + consonant» (mask, ask, class) or the letter «a» before f, nt, th ( after, bath, plant).

Unlike the open and abrupt Russian vowel sound [a], English [a:] is a long, closed (mouth opens much less than for pronouncing Russian [a]) sound, for which the back of the tongue rises to the sky. This sound is similar to the sound you make when the doctor looks at your sore throat and asks you to say «a».

Sound W [w]

In Russian, as in many European languages, there is no analogue of the English labial consonant [w]. Attempting to ground it with [f] or [v] often leads to a change in the meaning of the word. For example, if instead of [w] in the word wet («raw») you say [v], you get vet — «veterinarian.»

Sound H [h]

Unlike Russian [x], English [h] is lighter, less intense. The quality of the articulation of this sound will not distort the meaning. The real difficulty with this sound is experienced by the French, since in French, like some other Romance languages, this sound or its analogue is completely absent.

Source: https://www.start2study.ru/blog/7-samyx-slozhnyx-zvukov-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

Learning English Sounds — Pronunciation Chart

Phonetics is the section that studies sounds. Its main goal is to teach you how to pronounce English sounds and words correctly, as well as to develop your ability to comprehend the speech of native speakers. Therefore, in order to learn how to speak and read English correctly, you need to know the English alphabet and learn the pronunciation of individual phonemes and words in which they are used.

English phonetics

The English language is built on the Latin alphabet, has only 26 letters (instead of the usual 33), but almost twice as many sounds are superimposed on these familiar letters, namely 46 different phonemes. English sounds are very important for learners of this language, so you need to understand how they are used in speech and why.

As mentioned above, the hallmark of the English language is a huge number of sounds that do not correspond to the number of letters available. That is, one letter can convey several phonemes, depending on the letters that are next to each other. Based on this, it is necessary to speak very carefully and accurately. Misuse of a particular sound leads to misunderstandings.

For example, the word “bed” and the word “bad” are pronounced and spelled almost the same, so it is easy to get confused. At this stage of learning English, many begin to transcribe pronunciation in Russian in order to facilitate the memorization process.

However, this «relief» is very misleading, as it often leads to even more confusion between words with similar pronunciation. After all, both words «bed» and «bad» in Russian can be transcribed exclusively as «bad», without reflecting the duality of sound. Therefore, it is better to learn sounds in isolation.

How to learn English sounds correctly?

Learning the phonetics of the English language will undoubtedly bring some clarity to the pronunciation and mastering of all phrases and words that will come across on your way during training.

First of all, you should create a dictionary in which you will designate all sounds in traditional transcription, and after that, next to them — their version of the sound in your native language.
It is also worth pointing out special cases of pronunciation, indicating that this word needs to be pronounced in a special way or written down, which is impossible to bring an analogy to the Russian sound.

London — London

For convenience, phonemes are best divided into groups. For example, consonants, vowels, diphthongs, and triphthongs. You also need to constantly practice and perform exercises of this type:

The main city of Great Britain is London. London — [‘lʌndən]— 6 letters, 6 sounds. Let’s find it on the map of England. Where is it? Then, we will clarify with our friend: How do you write it? How do you spell it? Spell this name for us:

[el] [ou] [en] [di:] [ou] [en] — London — [Landen]

Thus, you will practice not only the pronunciation of sounds, but also learn useful words and phrases in a foreign language.

And now let’s move on directly to their writing and pronunciation.

Sounds of English

Let’s get acquainted with a brief description of all sounds using this table

Sound	Pronunciation
Vowels
[I]	short [and] as in «outsideи»
[e]	similar to [e] — «wеst «
[ɒ]	short [o] — «inоt
[ʊ]	short, close to [y]
[ʌ]	similar to Russian [a]
[ə]	unstressed, close to [uh]
[i:]	looks like a long [and]
[ɑ:]	deep and long [a] — «gаlka «
[ə:] = [ɜ:]	long [yo] in «svёkla «
[u:]	long [y] like “bуlka «
[ᴐ:]	deep and long [o] — «dоlgo «
[æ]	Russian [e]
Diftogi (two tones)
[eı]	[hey] — same
[ʊə]	[ue] — poor
[əʊ]	[oh] — tone
[ᴐı]	[oops] — join
[aı]	[ay] — kite
[eə]	[uh] — hair
[ıə]	[ie] — fear
Triftongs (three tones)
[aʊə]	[aue] — power
[juə]	[yue] — European
[aɪə]	[а́е] — fire
Consonants
[B]	Russian [b]
[v]	analogue [in]
[j]	weak Russian [th]
[D]	how [d]
[w]	short [y]
[k]	[to] aspirated
[ɡ]	how [r]
[z]	how [h]
[ʤ]	[d] and [w] together
[ʒ]	how [w]
[l]	soft [l]
[m]	as M]
[n]	like [n]
[ŋ]	[n] «in the nose»
[p]	[n] aspirated
[r]	weak [p]
[t]	[t] aspirated
[f]	like [f]
[H]	just exhale
[ʧ]	how [h]
[ʃ]	middle between [w] and [w]
[s]	how [c]
[ð]	voiced [θ] with voice
[θ]	tip of tongue between upper and lower teeth, no voice

Notes:

• Double vowels are read as one sound: moon — [mu: n] — [moon] or bitter — [‘bitǝ] — [bit]
• Voiced consonants in English, unlike Russian, do not become voiceless: in good [gud], the sound [d] is pronounced clearly, just like [g] in dog [dog], etc.

The meaning of correct pronunciation

As I said, it is very important and extremely necessary to improve English pronunciation, because a large number of words in this language differ by only one or two sounds. But sometimes, even such a small difference is critical for correct and accurate contact with the primary native speakers.

Pronunciation

I repeat once again that some words that have approximately similar sounding need to be written down, their spelling memorized and their pronunciation learned. For better mastering and ease of learning, you can create phrases and sentences with them, constantly pronounce them.

For example, the word «row» can mean both «quarrel» and «row» at the same time, depending on how you pronounce them. To remove this ambiguity and remember the correct option, you need to make sentences or just phrases with these words: a terrible row — a terrible quarrel, row of apple trees — a row of apple trees.

The only sure way to deliver the correct speech is listening and repetition with a professional, as well as live communication with native speakers. You can listen to how the sounds are pronounced in the next article.

Have a good mood! Bye!

Source: https://englishfull.ru/uroki/fonetik.html

Transcription and reading rules in English

Transcription Is a recording of the sound of a letter or word in the form of a sequence of special phonetic symbols.

The transcription may not be interesting to everyone, but it is undoubtedly useful. Knowing the transcription, you will correctly read the unfamiliar word without assistance. In the classroom, you yourself can read the transcription of a word (for example, from the blackboard) without asking others, thereby facilitating the process of assimilating lexical material, etc.

At first, there will be errors in the correct reading, tk. there are always some subtleties in pronunciation. But this is just a matter of practice. A little later, if necessary, you can transcribe the words yourself.

Transcription is directly related to reading rules… In English, not everything that is seen (letter combinations) is read (as in Russian and Spanish, for example).

When textbooks (mostly Russian) tell about the rules of reading, much attention is paid to the type of syllable. Usually about five of these types are described. But such a detailed theoretical presentation of the rules of reading does not greatly facilitate the fate of a beginner, and may even mislead him. It must be remembered that a good knowledge of the rules of reading is a great merit of practice, not theory.

Your attention will be presented the basic rules for reading individual letters and letter combinations. «Behind the scenes» will remain some phonetic moments that are difficult to convey in writing.

A little patience! Both transcription and reading rules are easy to learn in a short time… Then you will be surprised: «How easy it has become to read and write!»

However, do not forget that, despite its widespread distribution, the English language does not cease to be a LANGUAGE, full of exceptions, stylistic and other delights. And at any stage of language learning, and especially at the initial stage, often look into the dictionary.

Symbols.Consonant Sounds	Sound pronunciation(similar Russian)	Symbols.Vowel sounds	Sound pronunciation(similar Russian)
[b]	[b]	Single sounds
[d]	[d]	[Λ]	[a] — short
[f]	[f]	[a:]	[a] — deep
[3]	[f]	[i]	[and] — short
[d3]	[j]	[i:]	[and] — long
[g]	[ G ]	[o] 1	[o] — short
[h]	[ NS ]	[o:]	[o] — deep
[k]	[ To ]	[u]	[y] — short
[l]	[l]	[u:]	[y] — long
[m]	[m]	[e]	as in the word «plaid»
[n]	[n]	[ε:]	as in the word «honey»
[p]	[ NS ]	Diphthongs2
[s]	[ with ]	[əu] 3	[ OU ]
[t]	[ T ]	[au]	[ay]
[v]	[ v ]	[ei]	[ Hey ]
[z]	[h]	[oi]	[ Oh ]
[t∫]	[h]	[ai]	[ay]
[∫]	[ NS ]
[r]	Soft [r] as in the word Russian
[ O	The sign of softness as in the Russian letter Ё (Christmas tree)
Sounds without analogies in Russian
[θ]	[æ]
[ð]
[ŋ]	Nasal, in French style, sound [n]	[ə] 4	[neutral sound]
[w]

Notes:

1. In many school textbooks and in some Russian dictionaries, this sound is designated as [o]. But, in modern English dictionaries, this sound is usually denoted as shown in the table.

2. Diphthong Is a complex sound with two sounds. In most cases, a diphthong can be «split» into two sounds, but not in writing.

   Since in many cases one of the constituent sounds of the diphthong, if used separately, will have a different designation. For example diphthong [au]: there is no transcriptional mark like [a] separately.

   Therefore, most diphthongs are indicated not by a set of different transcription symbols, but by their own sign.

3. In many school textbooks and in some Russian dictionaries, this sound is designated as [ou], which is more descriptive. But, in modern English dictionaries, this sound is usually denoted as shown in the table.

4. This sign often denotes unstressed vowel sounds in transcription, regardless of the letters (combinations) that this sound give.

English words have several types of syllables. However, to understand the whole system, it is necessary to remember and distinguish between the following two types: open and closed.

Open syllable ends in a vowel: game,, stone — a vowel in a word is read in the same way as in the alphabet.

Closed syllable ends in a consonant: pen, cat, bus — a vowel in a syllable gives a different sound.

Stress in transcription and words is indicated by a vertical bar before the stressed syllable.

Single vowel sounds

Sound	Rules
[e]	usually gives the letter e in a closed syllable: get [get], vet [vet] as well as the combination of letters ea: dead [ded], pleasure [´ple3ə] Note: the same combination of letters often gives the sound [i:] (see below)
[i]	usually gives the letter i in a closed syllable: hit [hit], kill [kil] and also the letter y in a closed syllable: gym [d3im], cylinder [´silində] Note: the same letters in an open syllable give the sound [ai] (see . below)
[i:]	occurs in the following letter combinations: e + e (always): meet [mi: t], deep [di: p]; letter e in an open syllable: tree [tri:], Steve [sti: v]; in letter combination e + a : meat [mi: t], beam [bi: m] Note: the same letter combination (ea) often gives the sound [e] (see above)
[o]	usually gives the letter o in a closed syllable: pot [pot], lottery [´lotəri], as well as the letter a in a closed syllable after w: wasp [wosp], swan [swon]
[o:]	occurs in the following letter combinations: o + r: corn [ko: n], fortress [´fo: trəs]; more [mo:] almost always in a + u: fauna [´fo: nə], taunt [to: nt]; the exception is only a few words, for example, aunt Consonant (except w) + a + w: dawn [do: n], hawk [ho: k]. always in the combination of letters a + ll: tall [to: l], small [smo: l] The letter combination a + ld (lk) also gives this sound: bald [bo: ld], talk [to: k] Not often, but you can find the combination of letters ou + r, giving this sound: pour [po:], mourn [mo: n].
[æ]	usually gives the letter a in a closed syllable: flag [flæg], married [´mærid]
[Λ]	usually gives the letter u in a closed syllable: dust [dΛst], Sunday [´sΛndei]. Also: ouble: double [dΛbl], trouble [trΛbl] ove: glove [glΛv], dove [dΛv] Note: but there are also exceptions : move [mu: v] — (see below); flood [flΛd], blood [blΛd] — (see above)
[a:]	occurs in the following letter combinations: a + r: dark [da: k], farm [fa: m] (see note) regularly the letter a in a closed syllable: last [la: st], father [fa: ðə] — therefore it is necessary to check with the dictionary, because a closed syllable traditionally gives the sound [æ] as in cat [kæt]; consonant + alm also gives this sound stably: palm [pa: m], calm [ka: m] + note Note: 1. very rarely a + r gives the sound [o:] warm [wo: m]; 3. Rarely: salmon [sæmən]
[u] [u:]	the length of this sound in most cases varies for historical reasons rather than spelling. That is, for each word, it is determined individually. This difference in longitude does not carry a huge meaningful load, as in other sounds. And in oral speech it does not need to be specially emphasized. This sound occurs in the following cases: always o + o: foot [fut], boot [bu: t], took [tuk], moon [mu: n]

Source: https://www.study.ru/article/fonetika-angliyskogo/transkripciya-i-pravila-chteniya

English alphabet: A to Z

Today, the role of learning foreign languages, including English, is becoming more and more significant. His knowledge is required not only in travel, conversations with foreigners, but also in the everyday life of the Russian hinterland.

This is often a prerequisite when working with a computer, and for many, proficiency in English is a rather weighty item on their resume. That is why today people start studying it at any age and with great interest.

However, before diving into the complex system of tenses, articles and various grammatical schemes, it is worth learning the English alphabet.

What is the alphabet?

Some linguists argue that the alphabet is an integral system, a reflection of the picture of the world and the way of thinking of a particular people. The native speakers themselves consider the alphabet to be the basis of the entire language.

The British, for example, say: “It’s as easy as ABC” (“It’s just like an alphabet”), which means that they perceive their system of written signs as simple and accessible to everyone.

The alphabet is a form of writing in which individual characters — letters — correspond to certain sounds, and in some languages ​​- to syllables.

The letters of the English alphabet are borrowed from the Latin language. There are 26 of them. However, the number of letters in the English alphabet was not always the same. At the beginning of the 23th century, an alphabet is mentioned that consisted of 6 Latin letters, supplemented by four letters based on the Anglo-Saxon runes. In the process of development of the language, the writing system changed, and with it the composition of the alphabet. Today it consists of 20 vowels and XNUMX consonants.

The letters A, E, I, O, U, Y are used to convey vowel sounds in writing, and therefore the vowel letters of the English alphabet are called. In written speech, they can be used both independently and as part of digraphs — combinations of letters that convey one sound.

The consonants of the English alphabet B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Z are designed to convey consonant sounds and , as well as vowels, can be part of digraphs.

The order of letters in the alphabet

The strict order of the letters is of great importance in the study of the alphabet. The principle of compiling dictionaries and reference books is built on an alphabetical basis. To make the order of the English letters easier to remember, a song was invented, in which the names of the letters are given instead of words.

In addition, the table will help you remember the English alphabet:

Letter	Name	Pronunciation	Transcription	Russian notation of the name of the letter
a	a	a	[ei]	Hey
b	bee	b	[bi:]	би
c	cee	c	[Yes:]	yours
d	dee	d	[gave:]	ди
e	e	e	[i:]	и
f	ef	f	[ff]	eff
g	gee	g	[dʒi:]	Ji
h	aitch	h	[eitʃ]	heych
i	i	i	[ai]	ouch
j	jay	j	[dʒei]	jay
k	kay	k	[kei]	kei
l	el	l	[he]	el
m	em	m	[em]	Em
n	hen	n	[en]	en
o	o	o	[Where]	OU
p	pee	p	[pi:]	пи
q	cue	q	[kju:]	q
r	ar	r	[a:]	a, ar
s	ess	s	[it]	es
t	tee	t	[you:]	you
u	u	u	[ju:]	ю
v	vee	v	[vi:]	in and
w	double-u	w	[`dʌbl` ju:]	double
x	ex	x	[eks]	the ex
y	wy	y	[wai]	wye
z	zed, zee	z	[zed], [zi:]	zed, zee

The correct pronunciation of the names of the letters of the English alphabet can be heard in the video below. It is important to note that the pronunciation of letters and their names are significantly different, therefore, in order not to be mistaken in reading a particular letter in the text, you can use transcription.

In everyday life, the names of letters are practically not used. Exceptions are abbreviations and some simple words, for example:

— the word OK («okay, okay») is usually spelled — okay;

— MC (short for master of ceremonies — entertainer) is pronounced as emcee;

— DJ (short for disc jockey) is pronounced deejay.

Due to the similarity in the pronunciation of some letters (such as p and b, m and n), confusion often arises, especially when it comes to a telephone conversation or radio communication. Therefore, police, pilots and some other services use the spelling alphabet. In it, each letter corresponds to a specific word, which allows you to distinguish the spoken letters by ear. For example, m is named Mike and n is November.

Numerical value of letters

In some ancient languages, in addition to the sound content, the letters were also assigned a numerical value. There are several systems for alphabetical notation of numbers based on different languages. Echoes of this principle are today preserved in the school grading system in the United States, where the marks are the letters of the English alphabet. Instead of the usual «fives», American students get «A», instead of «fours» — «B» and so on in descending order.

Outside the alphabet

Often in writing, English-speaking peoples use additional characters that are not included in the alphabet, but nevertheless are readable. These signs include:

— diacritical marks (mainly in borrowed words, which lose them over time and adapt to the main set of letters in the alphabet);

— ampersand — better known as the & — is used to denote the union and (and);

— apostrophe — denoted as a comma above a letter and is used to shorten words. For example: it’s instead of it is. Some groups of words (it’s and its, we’re and were, sister’s and sisters) in writing can only be distinguished by using an apostrophe.

Source: https://1hello.ru/alfavit/alfavit-anglijskogo-yazyka-ot-a-do-z.html