A pronunciation respelling is a regular phonetic respelling of a word that has a standard spelling but whose pronunciation according to that spelling may be ambiguous, which is used to indicate the pronunciation of that word. Pronunciation respellings are sometimes seen in word dictionaries.
Is a pronounced A or uh?
The only time “a” (uh) is not the correct choice is when it precedes a vowel and therefore must be changed to “an.” It is never, ever correct to pronounce “a” as “ay.” And yet, every week that little old article, “a” (uh) loses ground to the other ridiculous pronunciation.
How do you write words phonetically?
Sound out the word that you want to write. Pronounce it syllable by syllable. Write out each syllable as it sounds. Leave a space between each syllable.
Is it pronounce or Pronunciate?
The correct verb in English is pronounce, not pronunciate. An articulate and well-educated fluent English speaker who used pronunciate as a verb might be assumed to be making a joke.
How do you pronounce Barasingha?
- Phonetic spelling of barasingha. baras-ing-ha. Add phonetic spelling.
- Meanings for barasingha. deer dwelling in swamps of India. Add a meaning.
- Examples of in a sentence. Dorcas perhaps; Cervus Wallichii, the Indian barasingha, and probably some other Indian deer, in the north-eastern mountains.
What is Barasingha in English?
The barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii), also called swamp deer, is a deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent. Populations in northern and central India are fragmented, and two isolated populations occur in southwestern Nepal.
How do you write the phonetic alphabet?
To create a phonetic alphabet, you simply replace the letter that you want to say with a word that starts with the same letter, a concept which is called acrophony. For example: ‘C’ can be replaced by ‘Charlie’. ‘G’ can be replaced by ‘Golf’.
How many phonetic sounds are there?
44 sounds
Which letters to teach first?
Teach children the names of letters first. The exceptions are h, q, w, y, g, and the short vowels. Your learner will also experience more success this way. Once they have mastered the letter names, it will be easier to learn the sounds.
What are the 44 Graphemes?
- Consonant Sounds:
- /b/ b, bb.
- big, rubber.
- /d/ d, dd, ed.
- dog, add, filled.
- /f/ f, ph.
- fish, phone.
- /g/ g, gg.
What are Graphemes examples?
The basic unit of written language is the letter. The name grapheme is given to the letter or combination of letters that represents a phoneme. For example, the word ‘ghost’ contains five letters and four graphemes (‘gh,’ ‘o,’ ‘s,’ and ‘t’), representing four phonemes.
How do you identify Graphemes?
A Grapheme is a symbol used to identify a phoneme; it’s a letter or group of letters representing the sound. You use the letter names to identify Graphemes, like the “c” in car where the hard “c” sound is represented by the letter “c.” A two-letter Grapheme is in “team” where the “ea” makes a long “ee” sound.
How do you teach Graphemes?
Students SEE each letter or grapheme in both book print and manuscript printing on a flash card; they HEAR their teacher SAY the sound or sounds (phoneme/s). They repeat (SAY) the sound(s) aloud and WRITE the form of the corresponding letters on their dotted line paper.
What is a 4 letter grapheme called?
Graphemes can be made up from 1 letter e.g. p, 2 letters e.g. sh, 3 letters e.g. tch or 4 letters e.g ough.
What is Graphemes in a word?
A grapheme is a letter or a number of letters that represent a sound (phoneme) in a word. Another way to explain it is to say that a grapheme is a letter or letters that spell a sound in a word. The sound /ee/ is represented by by the letters ‘e a’. Here is a 3 letter grapheme: n igh t.
How many Graphemes are there in English?
250 graphemes
What is a CVC word?
A CVC word is a word that is made up of a consonant, vowel and consonant sound. Cat, hot, tip, man and hut are all CVC words.
Is Ch a grapheme?
The grapheme ‘ch’ represents the three sounds /ch/, /k/ and /sh/ as in the three columns above. Sound out and blend all the words. Discuss the meanings of the words and say them in simple sentences.
Why is CH pronounced k?
The “ch” words with the k sound are derived from classical Greek, while the “ch” words with the sh sound come from modern French. Most of the “ch” words with the tch sound come from Old English and are Germanic in origin (like “child,” “church,” and “each”).
Does Ch make the K sound?
English. In English, ch is most commonly pronounced as [tʃ], as in chalk, cheese, cherry, church, much, etc. Ch can also be pronounced as [k], as in ache, choir, school and stomach. Most words with this pronunciation of ch find their origin in Greek words with the letter chi, like mechanics, chemistry and character.
Is cow a CVC word?
A CVC word is a word with a consonant phoneme, a vowel phoneme and then a consonant phoneme – it is not referring to letters. Therefore hot, bed, boat and ship are all CVC words but cow and toy are not.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or language in a specific dialect («correct» or «standard» pronunciation) or simply the way a particular individual speaks a word or language.
Contested or widely mispronounced words are typically verified by the sources from which they originate, such as names of cities and towns or the word GIF. [1] Words’ pronunciations can be found in reference works such as dictionaries. General-purpose dictionaries typically only include standard pronunciations, but regional or dialectal pronunciations may be found in more specific works.[2] Orthoepy means pronunciation considered correct, or the study thereof.
A word can be spoken in different ways by various individuals or groups, depending on many factors, such as: the duration of the cultural exposure of their childhood, the location of their current residence, speech or voice disorders,[3] their ethnic group, their social class, or their education.[4]
Linguistic terminology[edit]
Syllables are combinations of units of sound (phones), for example «goo» has one syllable made up of [g] and [u:]. The branch of linguistics which studies these units of sound is phonetics. Phones which play the same role are grouped together into classes called phonemes; the study of these is phonemics or phonematics or phonology. Phones as components of articulation are usually described using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).[5]
See also[edit]
- Elision
- Elocution
- Epenthesis
- Help:IPA/English — the principal key used in Wikipedia articles to transcribe the pronunciation of English words
- Help:Pronunciation respelling key — a secondary key for pronunciation which mimics English orthography
- Metathesis (linguistics)
References[edit]
- ^ «Gif’s inventor says ignore dictionaries and say ‘Jif’«. BBC News. May 22, 2013.
- ^ The Oxford Handbook of Lexicography, 2016, page 303
- ^ Beech, John R.; Harding, Leonora; Hilton-Jones, Diana (1993). «Assessment of Articulation and Phonology». In Grunwell, Pam (ed.). Assessment in Speech and Language Therapy. CUP Archive. p. 55. ISBN 0-415-07882-2.
- ^ Paulston, Christina Bratt; Tucker, G. Richard (February 14, 2003). «Some Sociolinguistic Principles». In Labov, William (ed.). Sociolinguistics: The Essential Readings. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 234–250. ISBN 0-631-22717-2.
- ^ Schultz, Tanja (June 12, 2006). «Language Characteristics». In Kirchhoff, Katrin (ed.). Multilingual Speech Processing. Elsevier. p. 12. ISBN 0-12-088501-8.
External links[edit]
How do dictionaries show the pronunciation of a word?
It shows you the phonetic pronunciation of every word To find out how to say the word, look at the phonetic transcription of the word (which you can see right next to the word itself in the dictionary). So for example, next to the word ‘bed’ you will see the phonetic transcription /bed/.
What is the accent mark called?
diacritics
What do you call the pronunciation in a dictionary?
Phonetic spelling is a system of spelling in which each letter represents one spoken sound. In English, some words are pronounced exactly as they look.
What are the Spanish accent marks?
Spanish uses three such diacritics: the diaeresis (ü), the acute accent (é), and the tilde (ñ). You’ll never see a grave accent (è) or a circumflex (ê) in Spanish.
How do you know when to use accent marks in Spanish?
*If the word ends with s or n or any of the 5 vowels, a, e, I, o, u, then the accent is placed on the second to the last syllable of the word. The accent does not need to be marked. Most Spanish words fall into this category.
How do you put the accent over the e?
If you’re working on a laptop without a separate numeric keyboard, you can add most accented characters using the Insert > Symbol > More Symbols command in Word….Keyboard shortcuts to add language accent marks in Word.
To insert this | Press |
---|---|
á, é, í, ó, ú, ý Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý | CTRL+’ (APOSTROPHE), the letter |
â, ê, î, ô, û Â, Ê, Î, Ô, Û | CTRL+SHIFT+^ (CARET), the letter |
What is the Alt code for O with an accent?
Spanish Accents Alt Codes Keyboard Shortcuts
Alt – 0193 | Á – A acute |
---|---|
Alt – 0241 | ñ – n tilde |
Alt – 0211 | Ó – O acute |
Alt – 0243 | ó – o acute |
Alt – 0218 | Ú – U acute |
How do I type an accent over a letter?
Insert Accented Letters with Keyboard Shortcuts You’ll use the Ctrl or Shift key along with the accent key on your keyboard, followed by a quick press of the letter. For example, to get the á character, you’d press Ctrl+’ (apostrophe), release those keys, and then quickly press the A key.
How do I type é on my keyboard?
é: Press Ctrl and type “‘” (apostrophe). Release both keys and type “e”.
Where is the accent grave on the keyboard?
Grave on iOS and Android Mobile Devices Press and hold the A, E, I, O, or U key on the virtual keyboard to open a window with accent options for that letter.
How do you put accents on letters in Windows?
To type accented characters on Windows using their Alt codes, you need to:
- Move your mouse cursor to where you want to type the accented character.
- Make sure your Num Lock is turned on.
- Press and hold the Alt key on your keyboard.
- With the Alt key still held, type the Alt code for the accented character you want.
What is the keyboard shortcut for French accents?
Try these Windows ALT codes for French accent marks by just using your number pad:
- Alt+0233 (é)
- Alt+0224 (à)
- Alt+0232 (è)
- Alt+0249 (ù)
- Alt+0226 (â)
- Alt+0234 (ê)
- Alt+0238 (î)
- Alt+0244 (ô)
How do you put an accent over an E in Google Drive?
A. How to type accents in Google docs:
- On the toolbar at the top of the document, click “Insert”.
- Choose “Special characters”.
- Change “Symbol” to “Latin”.
- Find the letter with the accent you need, click on it, then OK.
- It should now be in your document!
How do I type accents in Google Docs?
You can use different keyboard languages, sometimes called input methods, on your Pixelbook to: Change your typing language….Add accent marks.
Acute (é) | ‘ + letter |
---|---|
Tilde (ñ) | Right Alt + ~ + letter |
Circumflex (ô) | Shift + ^ + letter |
Umlaut/diaeresis (ü) | Shift + ” + letter |
Cedilla (ç) | ‘ + c |
How do you do easy accents?
Easy Accents allows users to easily insert accents for different languages directly from a side-bar within their Google Doc or Google Slides projects. To use this Add-on you will need to click on the “Add-ons” menu item, and then choose “Easy Accents” then “Easy Accents – Start”.
How do you add accents on Windows 10?
Windows 10 Look for the keyboard icon on the right-hand side of your taskbar, bring up the on-screen keyboard, and hold down (or left-click and hold) your cursor over the letter you’d like to accent. You’ll see a grid of potential accented letters you can choose from.
How do I type French accents in Windows 10?
Windows: International Keyboard
- To type accent grave (à, è, etc), type ` (to the left of 1) then the vowel.
- Accent aigu (é), type ‘ (single quote) then e.
- Cédille (ç), type ‘ then c.
- Circonflexe (ê), type ^ (shift + 6) then e.
- Tréma (ö), type ” (shift + ‘) then o.
How do I type Spanish accents on Windows 10?
If you have the U.S. international keyboard installed, you can type Spanish accents on Windows by simply typing an apostrophe followed by the vowel you want to accent. ¡ = alt + ! ¿ = alt + ? You can install this keyboard by searching language settings > options > add a keyboard > United-States International.
How do you type Spanish accents on a Windows laptop?
PC Laptop
- Hold down your Shift key and press the NumLock key (usually located in the top right corner of the keyboard).
- Add the accent by holding down the Alt and Fn (function) keys and then use the secondary numeric keypad to type the numeric sequence code (Alt-code).
How do you type Spanish accents on a PC?
For Android Devices Go to Settings>Languages. Depending on your device, you may need to disable the “use system languages” switch but once you do that you’ll have the option of inputting the other languages that appear on your screen. Hit the switch beside Spanish to add it then return to the home screen.
How do you do Spanish accents on Windows?
On a PC
- For accented vowels, press Ctrl + ‘, then the vowel you want to accent.
- For the Spanish ñ, press Ctrl + ~, then the n key.
How do you use Spanish accents?
Spanish accents (tildes) can only be written over the five vowels (a, e, i, o, u), and the accent is written from lower left to upper right: á, é, í, ó, ú. In Spanish, an accent mark over one vowel of some word, indicates that the vowel is stressed.
How do you make é?
Microsoft Windows users can type an “é” by pressing Alt + 1 3 0 or Alt + 0 2 3 3 on the numeric pad of the keyboard. “É” can be typed by pressing Alt + 1 4 4 or Alt + 0 2 0 1 . On US International and UK English keyboard layouts, users can type the acute accent letter “é” by typing AltGR + E .
pronunciation (noun): the way in which we pronounce a word
pronounce (verb): to make the sound of a word
«Pronunciation» refers to the way in which we make the sound of words.
To pronounce words, we push air from our lungs up through our throat and vocal chords, through our mouth, past our tongue and out between our teeth and lips. (Sometimes air also travels through our nose.)
To change the sound that we are making, we mainly use the muscles of our mouth, tongue and lips to control the shape of our mouth and the flow of air. If we can control the shape of our mouth and the flow of air correctly, then our pronunciation is clearer and other people understand us more easily.
Speakers of different languages tend to develop different muscles of the mouth for pronunciation. When we speak a foreign language, our muscles may not be well developed for that language, and we will find pronunciation more difficult. By practising the foreign language pronunciation, our muscles develop and pronunciation improves.
As well as creating correct vowel and consonant sounds using the muscles of our mouth, tongue and lips, there are other important aspects of pronunciation, including:
- word stress — emphasis on certain syllables in a word
- sentence stress — emphasis on certain words in a sentence
- linking — joining certain words together
- intonation — the rise and fall of our voice as we speak
Note the spelling of the verb pronounce and the noun pronunciation (NOT
pronounciation
).
Rules for reading English words for beginners to learn the language
SchoolRate.ru administration, 20.06.2018 23:54
Knowledge of the Russian alphabet is sufficient for reading, while in English there are much more discrepancies between pronunciation and spelling of words. There are many exceptions to existing rules that are not easy to remember. The designation of sounds with certain signs, transcription, allows you to read in English without much difficulty. Transcription symbols directly reflect the sound that needs to be pronounced.
Learning to read
You should train in correct pronunciation on the same type of lexemes, in relation to which the general rule applies. In English lessons for beginners, students of linguistic courses get acquainted with audio recordings and other didactic material. In the process of learning, over time, the meaning, spelling and pronunciation of new words begins to be perceived as a whole.
Modern English is influenced by its ancient dialects, in which the same letter combinations sounded differently. For example, through, though and thought differ by only one letter, and the combination of letters «ough» is read differently in each case. The combination «gh» that came from the Anglo-Saxon, which occurs in night, light and flight, is not sounded at all.
Transcription is needed to convey the words of the English language as they should be heard or pronounced. Good pronunciation makes it easier to understand living speech, trains speaking skills, and at the initial stage of learning a foreign language greatly facilitates memorizing new lexemes. Also, poor pronunciation often becomes a barrier to enter into confident dialogue.
The phonetic systems of Russian and English do not match. Each language has sound combinations that simply do not exist in the other, so it would be wrong to use the Cyrillic alphabet to convey them. Correct transcription can reflect long and short sounds or the almost elusive [ə] that occurs in coherent speech.
Russian letters do not convey the nuances and subtleties of the phonetics of the language belonging to the West Germanic group. That is why it is customary to use a standardized system for accurately conveying the sounds of English.
Online dictionaries make it possible to listen to the pronunciation of a specific word, but the need for them disappears after getting acquainted with the transcription.
Reading rules and learning English
For everyone who wants to master the correct pronunciation, teachers of linguistic courses recommend the development of N. Vakulenko with the reading rules set out in the author’s textbook “English. 1-4 classes in diagrams and tables «. Students of English courses and those who independently study a foreign language, this and other teaching aids, are introduced to how to read a transcription and begin to freely operate with its symbols.
There are various combinations of consonants and vowels within the same word. The pronunciation of specific letter combinations also depends on the type of syllable — open or closed. In Russian, this sequence of sounds does not affect the sound. In understanding the rules for reading English transcription, it helps the idea that an open syllable is always
- ends with a vowel (my, go, sky, be), which sounds the same as in the alphabet;
- a vowel can be followed by a consonant, followed by a vowel again (safe, rose,, nose);
- the vowel is followed by another vowel (they, see, money, boy).
In an open syllable, one of the 6 vowels available in the English alphabet sounds extended and smooth (blue — [bluː], age — [eɪdʒ]). In a closed, which ends in one or more consonants, it is pronounced briefly and abruptly (cut — [kʌt]).
Reading rules with a large number of exceptions are general guidelines. They should be studied, but you still need to be guided by pronunciation by transcription.
Source: https://www.schoolrate.ru/article/stati/pravila-chteniya-anglijskih-slov-dlya-nachinayushih/
How to read transcription in English — table of signs
The English language is famous all over the world for its divergence in spelling and pronunciation of words. Therefore, absolutely every foreigner who studies English must certainly get acquainted with the concept of word transcription.
It usually helps to study the question of how to read transcription in English, a table of the comparison of sounds and signs. In this material, it will also be presented, but along with a number of other important factors.
So, today our goal is to learn to understand English transcription and understand all the nuances of its application. Let’s get started!
What is English transcription and why is it needed
The first step is to define the very concept of transcription in English. So what is it? To understand, you need to make a small digression towards the structure of language systems.
Any language (Russian, English, German, etc.) has written and oral components in itself, and they are united by a phonetic system, i.e. sounds. Look, even in Russian we pronounce what is written not according to grammatical rules, but according to the established norms of phonetics: gatehouse — [old man]. Remember the tasks on phonetic analysis in Russian. Here is the transcription of English words exactly the same phenomenon. Thus, the following definition can be derived:
A transcription is a notation that expresses the correct pronunciation of a word.
Once again, we draw your attention to the fact that we are talking about the sound, and not about the grammatically correct spelling!
However, if in Russian we initially know how to pronounce a word, then in the case of a foreign language, the opposite situation arises: in order to correctly pronounce the term, you need to familiarize yourself with the transcription in English. As a rule, transcriptions are given in most dictionaries, and there are plenty of online services on the Internet with such information.
But here a small surprise awaits you: in English, pronunciation is written not in ordinary letters, but in special characters. That is why we need a character mapping table, which we will present a little later. For now, just remember the information that it is impossible to read words in English in letters.
To do this, you need to know the transcription signs.
As for the purpose of the transcription, we have already expressed it in essence. Nevertheless, we will derive a separate definition:
English transcription is needed in order to correctly pronounce an unfamiliar word.
And in conclusion, we note that for the English language, transcription is extremely relevant, since there are many inconsistencies in the spelling and pronunciation of words.
English transcription vs English alphabet — what’s the difference
Before talking about how to read the transcription of English words, we will highlight a few equally significant points. And let’s start with the topic that we have already touched on a little in the section above: we will distinguish between the concepts of the English alphabet and transcription.
So, we compared the transcriptional record with phonetic analysis familiar to us from school. Indeed, these two phenomena are related. But there is a huge difference between them, which is expressed in the way the sound is recorded. Let’s compare once again Russian phonetics and the style of writing transcriptions in English.
Parsing the Russian word | English transcription sample |
notebook | machine |
[t’itrat ‘] | [məˈʃiːn] |
It is immediately striking that in English transcription, in addition to letters, additional characters are used. Why is this done? The reasons lie again in the discrepancy between spelling and pronunciation.
For example, if in Russian the letter «and» corresponds exclusively to the sound [and], then English words are suggested to read «i» in 4 different ways! Accordingly, each of them needs its own designation: just writing one letter «i» is not enough here.
That is why a separate system of transcription signs was invented.
So, we found out that the spelling of letters and their pronunciation are two different concepts. So it’s not enough to know the English alphabet to read transcriptions of words. Yes, some points in the sound of the letters here will coincide, but in general these are completely different grammatical systems, and the goals of mastering them also differ. The alphabet teaches us writing, and transcription teaches us pronunciation. Therefore, both concepts are studied separately.
Do I need to write and memorize the transcription of English words
The next vital question is memorizing the transcription. We have already noted that the pronunciation of a word is often indicated directly in the English-Russian dictionary. But since many people keep personal dictionaries, a dilemma arises: whether to write a transcription in English or just get along with the translation. Let’s face it — the situation here is ambiguous.
On the one hand, if you indicate the transcription of each word, then a lot of effort will be spent on writing and memorizing. On the other hand, without recording the pronunciation, there is a risk of memorizing the word incorrectly and subsequently making a speech error.
So the ideal solution, perhaps, will be the golden mean: write transcriptions in English for those words that are really difficult for you to read.
Moreover, during the recording, it is advisable to read the given word aloud several times, thereby including the auditory memory in the work.
What about English transcription with Russian letters?
Source: https://speakenglishwell.ru/kak-chitat-transkriptsiyu-na-anglijskom-yazyke-tablitsa/
The concept of transcription
Transcription— these are special characters denoting the actually pronounced sounds of speech. The need to master transcription is due to the discrepancy between spelling and pronunciation in English. There are a large number of words that have either unreadable letters or exceptions to the rules. No wonder they say: «London is written — read Liverpool.» In the English pronunciation system, there are 48 sounds, therefore, there are 48 transcription symbols.
Sign-phonetic transcription for the image of the sounds of the English language:
Consonants | |
[f] five | [d] do |
[v] very | [k] key |
[θ] thick | [g] gas |
[ð] this | [tʃ] chin |
[s] so | [dʒ] Jim |
[z] zoo | [m] mother |
[ʃ] ship | [n] no |
[ʒ] pleasure | [ŋ] long |
[h] horse | [l] less |
[p] park | [r] river |
[b] book | [j] yellow |
[t] tea | [w] white |
Vowels | |
[i:] eat | [ei] lake |
[i] it | [ai] |
[e] pen | [au] house |
[æ] bad | [ɔi] boy |
[a:] art | [ou] home |
[ɔ] box | [iə] ear |
[ʌ] cup | [ɛə] air |
[u] cook | [uə] poor |
[u:] school | [juə] Europe |
[ju:] tune | [aiə] fire |
[ə:] girl | [auə] hour |
[ə] paper | [ɔ:] all |
Next: English alphabet
English alphabet
The English alphabet consists of 26 letters, which in writing represent 48 sounds.
A [ei] | Nn [ru] |
Bb [bi:] | Oo [ou] |
Cc [si:] | Pp [pi:] |
Dd [di:] | Qq [kju:] |
Ee [i:] | Rr [a:] |
Ff [ef] | Ss [es] |
Gg [dʒi:] | Tt [ti:] |
Hh [eitʃ] | Uu [ju:] |
Ii [ai] | Vv [vi:] |
Jj [dʒei] | Ww [`dʌbl` ju:] |
Kk [kei] | Xx [eks] |
Ll [el] | Yy [wai] |
Mm [em] | Zz [zed] |
Sounds [p, b, k, g, f, V, m]
English consonants [p, b, k, g, f, v, m] are called sympathetic, because when they are pronounced, the organs of speech close, and then quickly open. Pronunciation of English semantic sounds [p, b, k, g, f, v, m] coincides with the pronunciation of the corresponding Russian semantic consonants [n, b, k, g, f, c, m]. English voiceless consonants [p, k, f] at the end of words are pronounced vigorously. Voiced consonants [b, g, v] at the end of a word are not stunned before voiceless consonants.
Compare:
[n] — [p] stump — pen (pen) [b] — [b] box — box (box) [k] — [k] wedge — clean (clean) [g] — [g] goose- goose ( goose) [f] — [f] football — football (football) [in] — [v] news — vest (vest) [m] — [m] cape — miss (miss)
In writing, the sounds [p, b, k, g, f, v, m] are respectively denoted by letters: Pp[pi:], Bb[bi:], Kk[kei], Gg[dʒi:], Ff[ef], Vv[vi:], Mm[em].
Letter combinationph[`pi:` eitʃ] also reads [f]: photo [`foutou].
Source: https://studfile.net/preview/3269973/page:2/
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:
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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:
|
[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:
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:
|
Source: https://www.study.ru/article/fonetika-angliyskogo/transkripciya-i-pravila-chteniya
Do I need to learn English transcription?
Do you want to know if you need to learn English transcription? Then check out our article, it will tell you what transcription is used for and whether you need to learn it.
Is it worth learning English transcription? If before everyone polls started learning a language by learning transcription, now some beginners consider it a waste of time. Yes, with the advent of online dictionaries that pronounce a word in the voice of a native speaker, it has become much easier for us to live: we do not need to read the squiggles in square brackets.
It is enough to enter a word into an online dictionary, listen to its sound, repeat several times after a native speaker, and you’re done. It is a convenient and modern way to learn a language. Its advantage is that you do not need to spend time learning transcription.
At the moment, more and more often, teachers save the time and nerves of students and do not force them to learn the signs of transcription.
At the same time, we would like to tell you why to learn transcription of English, how it can help you in the process of mastering the language.
1. By studying transcription, you learn the rules of reading English
Studying the first couple of hundred words, reading the transcription, you will establish logical connections, identify patterns in the English language. Thus, you will quickly remember that, for example, the combination “ck” reads like “k”. You will not need to constantly check the dictionary. Gradually, you will stop thinking about how to pronounce this or that word, and will begin to do it automatically.
Where can I get the transcription of a word? Any regular dictionary or online dictionary like Macmillan. Some opponents of learning transcription say that similarly, reading rules are remembered if you just listen to the sound of a word, and not watch its transcription.
However, when reading the transcription of a word, you use visual memory, and in most people it is much better developed than auditory, so reading rules will be remembered faster.
2. Online dictionaries are not always convenient
Even at the Beginner level, students begin to read the first simple texts in English. By reading aloud, you improve not only your reading skill, but also your pronunciation.
If you do not read from an electronic device, but in a book, then it is not very convenient to search and listen to every word in an online dictionary.
In books with adapted English texts, a dictionary is always provided, so you will not have to waste time looking for an unfamiliar word in online sources, you can learn how to pronounce a word without interrupting your reading.
3. Correct transcription teaches us good pronunciation
Don’t have perfect hearing? Learn the transcription of English. Of course, the letters in square brackets alone will not teach us how to speak. But provided that you learn new words by reading the English transcription, mastering the English accent will become much easier than reading the “transcription for the lazy” — Russian letters.
And all because Russian letters cannot accurately convey all the sounds of the English language. If you are taking your first steps in English, you do not have a very good ear for music, it may be difficult for you to recognize all sounds correctly by ear in the online dictionary.
In this case, it is worth spending a couple of days studying transcription and using it when you need to learn how to pronounce a word.
1. Phonetic — accurate recording of the sound of a word
Phonetic transcription is written in square brackets, you can see it in any dictionary. Example: night — [naɪt]. This type of transcription is the most correct one, it is with it that experienced English teachers advise to work. It will take you only 3-4 days to study it, but the positive effect will be felt throughout the entire period of learning English.
2. Phonemic — notation of phonemes
Phonemic transcription is used when you need to show the structure of a word, and not how it sounds. Example: night — / nayt /. The average student of English does not need to use this type of notation: phonemic transcription does not convey the sound of a word.
3. Russian-speaking — English in Russian letters
Recently, the authors of some textbooks on «easy» / «for fools» / «for dummies» learning English have been using Russian transcription, that is, they write English words in Russian letters. They see it as a simplified option that will help a person learn English quickly and easily.
BUT such a transcription cannot convey the exact sound of the word, because in the Russian language there are no letters that could convey some English sounds. For example, the word «winter» — / screw /. How to read it? Only by opening the English transcription, it becomes clear that the sound is w, not v.
As you can see, the Russian transcription is easy to use, but it often becomes the culprit for the accent.
Several rules for reading English transcriptions for beginners
- The stress in the transcription is always put BEFORE the stressed syllable: development — [dɪˈveləpmənt].
- A long vowel sound in transcription is indicated by a colon: tea — [tiː].
- In the transcription of the English language there are vowels (i, e, u, ʌ, i :, u :, ε and consonants (p, t, d, n, k, l, etc.) sounds, as well as diphthongs — two vowels connected in one syllable (əu, ai, ei, oi, au).
- For more details on the transcription of the English language and the rules of reading, see the article «Transcription of the English language».
LetterTranscriptionPronunciation
Aa | [ei] | Hey |
Bb | [bi:] | би |
Cc | [Yes:] | yours |
Dd | [gave:] | ди |
Ee | [i:] | и |
Ff | [ff] | eff |
Gg | [dʒi:] | Ji |
Hh | [eitʃ] | heych |
Ii | [ai] | ouch |
Jj | [dʒei] | jay |
Kk | [kei] | kay |
Ll | [he] | el |
Mm | [em] | Em |
Nn | [en] | en |
Oo | [Where] | OU |
Pp | [pi] | пи |
[kju:] | q | |
Rr | [a:] | ар |
Ss | [it] | es |
Tt | [you:] | you |
Uu | [ju:] | ю |
Vv | [vi:] | in and |
Ww |
Source: https://englex.ru/is-it-worth-learning-transcription/
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/
Pronunciation table for English sounds. English transcription: pronunciation of letters and sounds in English. When classifying alphabetic characters, the
There are 26 letters in English. In different combinations and positions, they denote 44 sounds. In English, 24 consonants are distinguished, and they are conveyed in writing by 20 letters: Bb; Cc; Dd; Ff; Gg; Hh; Jj; Kk; LI; Mm; Nn; Pp; Qq; Rr; Ss; Tt; Vv; Ww; Xx; Zz. In English, 12 vowel sounds and 8 diphthongs are distinguished, and they are transmitted in writing by 6 letters: Aa; Ee; li; Oo; Uu; Yy.
[English. Initial course. Maria Rarenko. First educational channel.]
Transcription and stress
Phonetic transcription is an international notation system needed to accurately show how words should be pronounced. Each sound is displayed with a separate icon. These icons are always written in square brackets.
In transcription, verbal stress is indicated (which syllable in the word is stressed). Accent mark [‘] put before the stressed syllable.
English consonants
- Features of English consonants
- English consonants conveyed by letters b, f, g, m, s, v, z, are similar in pronunciation to the corresponding Russian consonants, but should sound more energetic and tense.
- English consonants are not softened.
- Voiced consonants are never stunned — neither before voiceless consonants, nor at the end of a word.
- Double consonants, that is, two identical consonants side by side, are always pronounced as one sound.
- Some English consonants are aspirated: the tip of the tongue must be pressed firmly against the alveoli (the bumps where the teeth attach to the gums). Then the air between the tongue and teeth will pass with effort, and you will get a noise (explosion), that is, aspiration.
Rules for reading consonants in English:,
Pronunciation table of English consonants
Phonetic transcription | Examples | |
[B] | bname, box | sonorous sound corresponding to Russian [b] in the word бwar |
[p] | ops, pet | a dull sound corresponding to Russian [n] in the word пerobut aspirated |
[D] | did, day | sonorous sound similar to Russian [d] in the word дohmbut more energetic, «sharper»; when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue rests against the alveoli |
[t] | tit’s at, tfake | a dull sound corresponding to Russian [t] in the word тyermos, but pronounced aspirated, with the tip of the tongue resting on the alveoli |
[v] | veye, visit | sonorous sound corresponding to Russian [v] in the word вoscbut more energetic |
[f] | find, fINE | a dull sound corresponding to Russian [f] in the word фinikbut more energetic |
[z] | zoo, has | sonorous sound corresponding to Russian [z] in the word зthere is |
[s] | sFame, see | a dull sound corresponding to Russian [s] in the word сsuckerbut more energetic; when pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised to the alveoli |
[g] | give, go | sonorous sound corresponding to Russian [g] in the word гiryabut pronounced softer |
[k] | cat, can | a dull sound corresponding to Russian [k] in the word кmouthbut pronounced more energetically and aspirated |
[ʒ] | vision, pleaone | sonorous sound corresponding to Russian [w] in the word жmacawbut pronounced harder and softer |
[ʃ] | she, Russia | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [w] in the word шina, but pronounced softer, for which you need to raise the middle part of the back of the tongue to the hard palate |
[j] | yellow, you | a sound similar to the Russian sound [th] in the word йonebut pronounced more energetically and tensely |
[l] | lherele, like | sound similar to Russian [l] in a word лisa, but you need the tip of the tongue to touch the alveoli |
[m] | m, merry | sound similar to Russian [m] in a word мirbut more energetic; when pronouncing it, you need to close your lips tighter |
[n] | no, nsoul | sound similar to Russian [n] in a word нaxis, but when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli, and the soft palate is lowered, and air passes through the nose |
[ŋ] | sing, finger | a sound in which the soft palate is lowered and touches the back of the tongue while air passes through the nose. Pronounced as Russian [ng] is wrong; there should be a nasal sound |
[r] | rand, rabbit | a sound, when pronounced with the raised tip of the tongue, you need to touch the middle part of the palate, above the alveoli; tongue does not vibrate |
[H] | help, how | sound reminiscent of Russian [x] as in the word хaos, but almost silent (barely audible exhalation), for which it is important not to press the tongue to the palate |
[w] | wet, winter | a sound similar to very quickly pronounced Russian [ue] in a word Uebald; in this case, the lips need to be rounded and pushed forward, and then vigorously moved apart |
jmouth, jump | sound similar to [j] in Russian loanword jins, but more energetic and softer. Cannot be pronounced separately [d] and [ʒ] | |
check, much | sound similar to Russian [h] in a word чasbut harder and more intense. Cannot be pronounced separately [t] and [ʃ] | |
[ð] | thyeah, they |
Source: https://orlova-center.ru/zhivotnye/tablica-proiznosheniya-angliiskih-zvukov-angliiskaya-transkripciya/
In English, like no other, there are many words whose spelling is difficult to explain. The fact is that the writing of the Angles and Saxons, who conquered Britain, did not change with the same intensity as the pronunciation during the transition from the runes to the Latin alphabet. The conquests of the Franks, Vikings and the Catholic Church had a huge impact on the development of speech.
For this reason, many lexical units in the English language are pronounced far from how they are written, and there are also words that are read differently in different contexts. For example, for a beginner to read a word fall it is almost impossible without the help of a native speaker, and the pronunciation of the verb read (in the past time read) sounds different in different contexts.
Transcription in English Is a system of special characters denoting actually pronounced sounds of speech and created in order to most accurately convey the pronunciation of words or whole phrases.
Transcription is used for the written transmission of the reference sound of English vocabulary, and its knowledge allows you to easily correctly pronounce previously unfamiliar words yourself. The need to master English transcription is also due to some discrepancies between the spelling and pronunciation of individual words that have either unreadable letters or exceptions to the rules.
Transcription Symbols
There are different classifications English sounds on the participation of the organs of speech, methods of forming obstacles to air currents, the place of pronunciation and other options for articulation. In total, modern linguists in the English language have 44 sounds, which correspond to certain transcription signs. Along with them, the following service characters are used in the English transcription:
- square brackets denoting the transcription record itself:
pen[ pen ] — a pen
- colon character used to express the longitude of a sound:
dark[ da: k ] — dark
- parentheses — if it is possible to «drop out» of a certain sound:
summer [ ˈSʌmə (r) ] — summer
- accent marks of two types — the upper one, similar to an apostrophe, and the lower one in the form of a stroke at the bottom before the syllable:
demonstration [ ˌDemənˈstreiʃn ] — demo
As well as individual characters, transcribed words are enclosed in square brackets. According to the type of stress, the transcription of words can be divided into three groups:
- monosyllabic, where there is no need to put an accent mark:
desk [ desk ] — desk |
bad [ bæd ] — bad |
- words with single stress:
public[ ˈPʌblik ] — public |
entire [ inˈtaiə ] — whole, whole |
- words with double stress, one of which is called weak and the other strong:
population[ ˌPɒpjəˈleiʃn ] — population |
accidental [ ˌÆksiˈdentl ] — random |
In transcription, you can record whole phrases, in this case, some changes may occur in the pronunciation of words.
In the text[ in ðə text ] — In the text |
Is this a pencil? [ izðisəpensl ] — This is a pencil? |
teach Tim to ski [ ti: tʃ tim tə ski: ] — teach Tim how to ski |
Sounds of English transcription
Our guide to English phonetics provides detailed descriptions of individual sounds with examples of their pronunciation. Here we will look at a brief explanation of the pronunciation of sounds used in English transcription.
For ease of memorization, we will distribute sounds into consonants, vowels and diphthongs (indivisible vowels, consisting of two elements that form one syllable). It is not recommended to find complete correspondences of English sounds to the transcriptional signs of the native language. Some of them are unique, others are pronounced with significant differences, and some of them are very close in pronunciation to Russian sounds.
Consonant Sounds
Vowel monophthongs
Vowel diphthongs
Thus, taking into account the above, it is safe to say that the value English transcription hard to overestimate. Without it, independent language learning is almost impossible. This system of auxiliary characters allows you to practice correct English pronunciation and greatly reduces the time for recognizing new words and mastering speech skills.
Source: https://www.native-english.ru/pronounce/english-transcription
English phonetics. Reading transcription of English
So where do you start learning English? I once asked myself this question. To begin with, I wanted to learn how to read English words and translate them using a dictionary, but in the dictionary after the words there are some incomprehensible signs called transcription. How to decrypt them? Therefore, my first step was to learn how to read transcriptions and pronounce English sounds.
The material on this page is for you if you have never studied English, that is, you start from scratch, if you, like me at first, do not know how to read English words. At school, you most likely learned some other language, which means that the basics of this language firmly sit in your head. But nothing, it’s fixable.
And now, if you are on this page and are in no hurry to leave it, then you have come to the right place.
Well, start your journey into the fascinating world of the English language, rejoicing in your achievements.
The English alphabet consists of 26 letters — 6 vowels and 20 consonants, and y can mean both a consonant and a vowel sound. But since the same letter, the same combination of letters can convey different sounds and, conversely, the same sound can be depicted in writing with different letters or combinations of letters — in other words, the English word is not pronounced the way it is written, — therefore, for the sound image, words are used with special symbols — transcription.
The difference between Russian and English pronunciation consists of three main features:
- In the Russian sound system, there is the concept of hardness-softness of consonants, for example, n — ny, d — db etc. There is no such phenomenon in the English sound system.
- In Russian, a voiced consonant at the end of a word is stunned: the sound г in a word lg sounds almost like к, д в ice almost like т, etc. This phenomenon is also absent in the English language.
- When pronouncing English vowels, the work of the lips is not as energetic as when pronouncing similar vowels in the Russian language. Avoid sharp lip movements.
Below is given basic information about the sounds of the English language in their literal equivalent — transcriptions, a description of their literal pronunciation and the opportunity to listen to this pronunciation is provided.
There is one important point: if you are having problems with sound playback, it may mean that you do not have a program for playing sound for this file on your computer in the browser in which you access this site.
I can advise you to try to open the site from another browser. For example, I don’t have any problems when using Google Chrome and Yandex Browser.
When you exit from other browsers, they either offer to install additional software, or nothing happens at all.
Vowel sounds
[I] |
short sound и, abrupt |
|
[i:] |
long sound и |
|
[e] |
Russian sound е in the word light |
|
[æ] |
more choppy sound эthan in this word. It is necessary to open the mouth wider, lower the lower jaw, press the tongue to the lower jaw |
|
[ɑ:] |
long deep sound а |
|
[ɔ] |
short, open, staccato sound о |
|
[ɔ:] |
A long o sound, a bit like a double oa sound, with an emphasis on о |
|
[ʌ] |
Remembers the pronunciation of an unstressed vowel in the word «what», «bass». The tongue is slightly pushed back, the back of the tongue is raised to the front of the soft palate, the lips are slightly stretched, the distance between the jaws is quite large | |
[u] |
Looks like Russian уbut the lips are noticeably rounded and almost pushed forward. The tongue is pulled back, the back of the tongue is raised to the front of the soft palate, but as high and far as when pronouncing Russian у |
|
[u:] |
|
|
[ə:] |
Long sound reminiscent of Russian sound ёbut longer. |
|
[ə] | Unstressed sound, in between о, а, еlike unstressed а in the words room, hammer. |
Two-vowel (double vowel) sounds
[ei] | |
[ai] | |
[ɔi] | |
[au] | |
[əu] | |
[iə] | |
[ɛə] / [eə] | |
[uə] |
Note.
- 1. Two points [:] next to the sound indicate that the sound should be pronounced for a long time.
- 2. In two-vowel signs, the stress falls on the first sound, the second is not pronounced so strongly.
Consonant Sounds
[p] | Corresponds to the Russian sound п, but pronounced more energetically, which is achieved by some tension of the lips. The lips should be held in a closed position and then, with the pressure of a stream of air, open and release and release the air through the mouth. |
[B] | Corresponds to the Russian sound б, but pronounced more energetically, which is achieved by some tension of the lips. The lips should be held in a closed position and then, with the pressure of a stream of air, open and release and release the air through the mouth. |
[f] | Corresponds to the Russian sound ф, but pronounced more energetically, which is achieved by some tension of the lips. The lower lip is slightly pressed against the upper teeth, and a stream of air passes into the formed gap. |
[v] |
Corresponds to the Russian sound в , but pronounced more energetically, which is achieved by some tension of the lips. The lower lip is pressed against the upper teeth and a stream of air passes into the formed gap. |
[s] |
Similar to the Russian sound c. |
[z] | Corresponds to the Russian sound z, but pronounced more energetically. |
[k] | Pronounced almost the same as the Russian sound кbut with a burst, and sounds more distinct at the end of a word. This is achieved by some tension of the tongue. The explosion is carried out as a result of the closing of the back of the tongue with the soft palate. |
[g] | Pronounced almost the same as the Russian sound гbut less tense. |
[t] | Corresponds to Russian т, pronounced much more energetically and explosively. This is achieved by raising the tip of the tongue while pronouncing and pressing it against the alveoli, forming a complete obstruction. a jet of air with a noise (explosion) breaks this barrier, and a sound is obtained t. |
[D] | Corresponds to Russian д, but when pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised and pressed against the alveoli, forming a complete obstruction. A jet of air with a noise (explosion) breaks this barrier, and a sound is obtained d. |
[l] | Corresponds to Russian л, but when pronouncing, the tip of the tongue should be raised to the alveoli. English l pronounced softer than a word onionbut harder than a word Lukeand never softens until eh in a word strand. |
[n] | Corresponds to Russian н, but when pronouncing, the tip of the tongue should be raised to the alveoli |
[ʃ] | Similar to Russian ш, but pronounced somewhat softer (sh) due to the fact that the middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate, while when pronouncing Russian ш the front part of the tongue is raised. However, this sound should not be as soft as Russian щ. |
[ʒ] | Similar to Russian ж, but pronounced somewhat softer well due to the fact that the middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate, while when pronouncing Russian ж the front of the tongue is raised. |
[ʧ] | The combination of two sounds, reminiscent of Russian чbut with a clearer first element-t… Pronounced harder. Sound is not a simple combination of two consonants. It is pronounced by touching the tip of the tongue to the alveoli, in one motion. |
[ʤ] | Double consonant sound reminiscent of consonance j in words jumper, horseman… Sound is not a simple combination of two consonants. It is pronounced by touching the tip of the tongue to the alveoli, in one motion. |
[m] | Corresponds to the Russian sound м, but pronounced more energetically, which is achieved by some tension of the lips. |
[j] | Similar to Russian й. |
[r] | Make a sound рbut without vibration of the tip of the tongue. The tongue should reach the palate with the tip, as far as possible to the larynx. |
[w] | The sound is approximately correct if you stretch your lips forward with a tube, as if you had to make a sound у, and then sharply part your lips to the sides, while uttering the sound в… Sometimes people who do not pronounce the sound л, pronounce this sound in a word horse. |
[H] | The sound is produced by simply exhaling. |
[ŋ] | The sound produced by making a double sound ng without the participation of the language. |
[θ] | Clamp the tip of your tongue between your teeth and make a sound с. |
[ð] | Clamp the tip of your tongue between your teeth and make a sound з. |
Now, knowing how to read transcriptions, you can learn to pronounce the letters of the English alphabet, which would not hurt to memorize.
Source: http://enjoy-eng.ru/pervyi-shag-ili-s-chego-nuzhno-nachinat-tem-kto-nikogda-eshche-ne-uchil-angliiskii
Every student dreams of having native speaker pronunciation. Unfortunately for most, this will never be a reality as a result of mother tongue influences. That, however, should never be used as an excuse for not trying to assist your students to improve their pronunciation. As will become evident, many of their errors are correctable, and only require the teacher to either visually portray mistakes using a phonetic chart or to engage the students in pronunciation games and activities. Like grammar, a thorough knowledge of the sound system of the English language is fundamental.
So as to acquaint the teacher with this sound system and to maximize the teacher’s classroom performance in this area, the following sections have been written.
- Pronunciation
- Phonemic Symbols
- Accent
- Stress
- Intonation
- Pronunciation Errors
- What is Pronunciation?
Pronunciation is comprised of 3 components.
- The first being the physical ability to articulate sounds, where to place your tongue and lips!
- The second is stress, both in individual words and in sentences.
- Thirdly, intonation, the pitch and ‘music’ used to change this (falling or rising).
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Why use phonemic symbols?
The alphabet we use to write English has 26 letters but English has 44 sounds. Inevitably, English spelling is not a reliable guide to pronunciation because:
- Some letters have more than one sound. «O in Nose, Hot, Ton and For»
- Sometimes letters are not pronounced at all. «Knife»
- The same sound may be represented by different letters. «Eye, Tie, and Pine»
- Sometimes syllables indicated by the spelling are not pronounced at all. «Vegetable, chocolate and clothes»
The letters of the alphabet can be a poor guide to pronunciation. Phonemic symbols, in contrast, are a totally reliable guide. Each symbol represents one sound consistently.
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Is it important for teachers to know phonemic symbols?
To be frank, yes. Every profession has specialist knowledge that is not widely known outside the profession. If you are a doctor, you will be able to name every bone in the human body, which most people can’t do. If you are a language teacher, then you know phonemic symbols, which most people don’t. Students can learn these symbols by themselves and one day you might meet a student who asks you to write a word on the board using phonemic symbols. It is best to be prepared.
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Is it difficult to learn?
Absolutely not! 19 of the 44 symbols have the same sound and shape as letters of the alphabet.
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The Known IPA Symbols
These can be seen below. You already know them! Note that most of these are consonants.
*Note that with the last symbol / j / you need to be careful. It is pronounced as in «Yes» and not as in «Jack».
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The Unknown IPA Symbols
That leaves just 17 to learn. Compare that with the hundreds of different pieces of information in a grammar book or the thousands of words in a small dictionary. Moreover, it is visual and shapes are easy to remember. Anyone who can drive is able to recognize more than 17 symbols giving information about road conditions. Even if we go beyond separate, individual sounds and include linking, elision and assimilation, there is still a limited and clearly defined set of things to learn.
The 17 phonemes that we need to learn can be seen below. Note that most of these are vowels.
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IPA Diphthongs and Tripthongs
In addition to the 19 consonants which you already know, and the 17 new symbols for the IPA, there are also 8 diphthong combinations of vowel sounds (and even a number of triphthongs). These are straightforward to learn once you have mastered the single vowel sounds. An example can be seen below:
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Do I need to have a perfect English accent?
Not at all. It is true that the 44 phonemes in British English are based on Received Pronunciation, an accent which is not frequently heard nowadays (approximately 7% of the current British population speak it and often it is called colloquially ‘The Queen’s English’).
Most native-speaker teachers do not have this accent but still use phonemic symbols. When the symbols are arranged in a chart, each one occupies a box. This indicates that the real sound that you actually hear can vary up to certain limits, depending on the influence of other sounds and on individual ways of speaking. There is not just one perfect way to say each sound — there is an acceptable range of pronunciations. Think of the pieces in a game of chess. They can vary considerably in size, shape and appearance but we can always recognize a knight because it behaves like a knight and not like a king.
The point is that such words such as ‘ship’, ‘sheep’, ‘sip’ and ‘seep’ should sound different from each other, not that each sound is pronounced exactly like the sounds of RP.
Learning phonemic symbols will help students to understand the importance of length and voicing. Simply knowing that the symbol : indicates a long sound can be very helpful.
There is no end to our study of grammar and vocabulary but phonemic symbols are limited, visual and physical. They may seem challenging at first but it is like learning to swim or ride a bike. Once you do it, it is easy and you never forget.
What students need to learn:
Students need to be understood and to be able to say what they want to say. Their pronunciation should be at least adequate for that purpose. They need to know the various sounds that occur in the language and differentiate between them. They should be able to apply certain rules, eg. past tense endings, t, d or id. Likewise, a knowledge of correct rhythm and stress and appropriate intonation is essential.
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Phonetic Chart
The standard IPA phonemes can be seen in the chart below:
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Stress
This is more important than mispronounced sounds! Getting the stress wrong can make the word incomprehensible to native speakers. There are two kinds of stress; word and sentence.
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Word Stress
For ALL new words show the stress on the board. Sometimes it is easier to grasp stress by seeing, not listening.
- Use ‘ before the stressed syllable, or a box above, even use your hands and clap
- Highlight changing stress i.e. photograph/photographer
- Show the grammatical function ie. ‘permit’ as a verb and a noun: ‘permit’ and ‘permit’
A suitable technique to highlight these ideas is:
a) Write a list of new vocabulary on the board
b) Teacher models using correct and incorrect stress and elicits which are correct
c) Students listen for stressed syllables (the teacher can even use nonsense syllables i.e. da-da-DA
d) Return to the first list, students identify correct stress by clapping (to emphasize louder)
e) In pairs, student reads dialogue and partner marks the stress
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Sentence Stress
There are two aspects to this, 1) important words and 2) meaning
Have you ever PLAYED VOLLEYBALL? I can RUN can be compared to I CAN run
The Schwa, the most common sound in English which sounds like «uh» is used in unstressed syllables of words and weak forms in a sentence. It can replace every vowel in English.
Some techniques that are useful are:
a) Use list games i.e. I’d like a cup of coffee, please. I’d like a cup of coffee and a sandwich, please etc.
b) Students highlight words that they think are the most important in a sentence; this is useful for listening skills as
students identify the main message.
c) Use songs: the stress and schwa are usually clear and singers exaggerate stressed syllables.
d) Newspaper headlines are reduced to keywords, therefore stressed. The contrast highlights stress patterns.
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Intonation
This is very important for intelligibility, it says something about the speaker’s intentions.
Misunderstanding occurs when the speaker, for example, sounds bored as they use different pitch/variation in their language.
For example,
«What time’s the Amsterdam train?» (with downward intonation)
«Eleven»
«Sorry, what time?» (with upward intonation).
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Common Pronunciation Errors by Russian Speakers of English
Sounds Confused
is confused with
There is no short and long vowel differentiation.
is confused with
Use of A instead of E For example in sat/set or bed/bad
is confused with
Again there is no short and long vowel differentiation. Note, also, that there are often no differences in these two sounds in various dialects of English (Scottish etc).
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Sounds Mispronounced
is trilled
Use of a trilled R instead of the soft R is the most recognizable aspect of a Russian accent!
is pronounced as in the Scottish word «Loch»
This sound needs to simply be made softer and aspirated. Teach the students that it DOES NOT sound like the first phoneme in the Russian word for bread, «Xleb» but is a far softer sound like in the English word for «House».
This sound is often separated in Russian into two distinct sounds. It should be taught that this must be a soft, singular sound.
is said as
Often there is the use of G or N instead of NG i.e. Wing-wig or win. This is because the Nasal NG does not exist in Russian. Students will need to be shown the position of the tongue and the airflows diagrammatically on the whiteboard.
is said as or even
There is the use of S/Z instead of TH i.e. Sin for thin, useful for youthful, Zen for then. To correct this, have the students start with T and then show that the tongue must protrude from the teeth in order to make the TH sound.
is said as
We often also see a use of V instead of W. This causes real problems with work, worm, worth and worse etc. The students need to be shown that the teeth rest upon the bottom lip in and English V, and vibrate, while the W is a rounded mouth sound.
is said as or even
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Long Vowels that get Shortened
is said as
For example, Cart will become Cat.
is said as
For example, Bird will become Bed.
is said as
For example, Torn will become Ton.
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Miscellaneous Russian Pronunciation Points:
a) Generally, long vowels sounds like short vowels i.e. field-filled, seat-sit.
b) T/D/L/N are aspirated by the tongue touching the top teeth-this sounds «foreign»
c) Final voiced consonants (T, D, G) are devoiced in Russian ie. lab-lap, said-set
d) P, K, T are not aspirated. Therefore, mispronounced at beginning of words ie. Pit-bit, come-gum.
e) Dark L (full, hill) replaces Clear L (light, fly)
f) Consonant Clusters are very difficult for Russians! i.e. Months, clothes, sixth.
g) Initial Clusters; TW, TR, PR, DR, BR cause problems i.e. twice, tree, price.
h) 2nd part of diphthongs and 2nd/3rd part of tripthongs tend to be over pronounced.
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Phonology is the study of the sound system of a language. A language’s sound system is made up of a set of phonemes which are used according to phonological rules.
In this article, we’ll look at:
- What phonology is
- Phonological awareness
- Phonemes
- Dialect and accent
- Phonotactics
- Phonology in the English language and
- Examples of phonology in linguistics
- Assimilation, dissimilation, insertion, and deletion
Phonology meaning
Phonology describes sound contrasts which create differences in meaning within a language. Phonological systems are made up of phonemes (we’ll come back to phonemes in a bit), and each language has its own phonological system. This means that the study of phonology is language-specific.
- For example, the phoneme /ɛ/ is different from the phoneme /i:/, so if we use the word set [sɛt] instead of seat [si:t], the meaning of the word will change.
Note: slash marks are used to indicate a phoneme /t/ (an abstract segment i.e. the representation of the sound), as opposed to the square brackets [t], used to indicate a phone (a physical segment i.e. the actual sound produced).
Phonological awareness
Phonological awareness is the ability to be aware of, identify and manipulate phonological units (phonemes) in elements of spoken language such as syllables and words.
Phonological awareness comes from the analysis of the following language elements:
- Phonemes
- Dialects and accents
- Phonotactics
Phonemes
A phoneme is the smallest unit of meaningful sound. Phonemes are the basic phonological units and form the building blocks of speech sounds. Phonemes are single sounds represented by a single written symbol.
Symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) are used to represent phonemes. The IPA is a system of symbols where each possible speech sound has a representative written symbol.
Minimal pairs
In Phonology, you can use minimal pairs to distinguish phonemes from each other.
A minimal pair is when two words have different meanings but only one sound (or phonemic) difference.
An example of minimal pairs in phonology would be:
- mire /maɪə/ and mile /maɪl/.
- bad /bæd/ and bed /bɛd/.
- crowd /kraʊd/ and cloud /klaʊd/.
- rock /rɒk/ and lock /lɒk/.
As you can see, these words are very similar, but each pair contains one phonemic difference which creates different meanings.
The rules for identifying minimal pairs are:
-
The words in the pair must have the same number of sounds.
-
Two or more words in the pairs must be identical in every sound except for one.
-
In each word, the sounds must be in the same position.
-
The words must have different meanings.
Dialects and accents of English
People can pronounce sounds in different ways. This can depend on multiple factors, for example:
- Social class
- Ethnic group
- Speech or voice disorders
- Education
- Geographical area
Accent and dialect are a result of all these factors.
Dialects are variations of the same language spoken by people in particular areas or social groups. Dialects differ in pronunciation, grammatical patterns, and vocabulary. It is important to remember that whilst these factors impact speech, people can have different dialects and speak the same language.
-
For example, Scottish, Irish, Yorkshire, Cockney, Welsh English, may all be said to be dialects of the UK English language.
-
Regional dialects may differ in their pronunciation or use particular grammatical patterns or vocabulary. For example, the British English dialect does not pronounce the /r/ in words like ‘car’ [ka:] whereas the American English dialect often pronounces the /r/. This is called rhoticity.
Accents have developed because of regional phonological differences. Sometimes accents are based on the pronunciation of words by non-native speakers. A foreign accent is marked by the phonology of other languages.
Examples of phonological differences are:
- The word potato: — In British English it is pronounced po-tayh-to [pəˈteɪtəʊ].- In American English it is pronounced po-tay-to [pəˈteɪˌtoʊ].
- The word laughter:- In British English it is pronounced la-fte [ˈlɑːftə].- In American English it is pronounced la-fter [ˈlæftər].
- The word banana:- In British English it is pronounced be-na-na [bəˈnɑːnə].- In American English it is pronounced be-nah-na [bəˈnænə].
Phonotactics
One of the branches of phonology is phonotactics.
Phonotactics is the study of the rules governing the possible phoneme sequences in a language.
— Oxford English Dictionary
Within phonotactics, we can look at syllables. A syllable is a phonological unit that involves one or more phonemes. Syllables can show us how phonemes appear in particular sequences.
Each syllable has:
- a nucleus — always a vowel,
- an onset and a coda — usually consonants.
Let’s have a look at an example of a syllable study in phonology:
In the word cat /kaet/, /k/ is the onset, /ae/ is the nucleus and /t/ is the coda.
These are the rules concerning phoneme sequences in syllables:
- The nucleus of a syllable is essential for the word and is the vowel in the middle of the syllable.
- The onset is not always present but you can find it before the nucleus if it is.
- The coda is also not always present but you can find it after the nucleus if it is.
These phonotactic rules are specific to the English language as phonology is language-specific. Other languages will have different phonotactic rules.
Phonology in the English language
As we’ve said, each language has its own phonology. That is, its own set of phonemes. These phoneme sets are often shown through phonemic charts.
A phonemic chart for a language contains all of the phonemes that exist in that language. It is much more specific than the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) chart which includes all possible speech sounds across all languages.
Phonological rules
Each language’s phonological system contains rules which govern the pronunciation of phonemes.
Phonological rules are related to the spoken or written principles which control the changes of sounds during speech.
These describe the process of articulation (how a speaker produces speech sounds stored in the brain). Phonological rules help us understand which sounds change, what they change to, and where the change happens.
Examples of phonological rules can be divided into four types: assimilation, dissimilation, insertion, and deletion.
Examples of phonology in linguistics
We’ll now look at the phonological rules: assimilation, dissimilation, insertion and deletion. Examples of these phonological rules occurring in the English language are given below. Pay attention to the examples with ‘/’ and ‘[‘ that are used in studying phonology.
Assimilation
Assimilation is the process of changing one feature of a sound to make it similar to another.
This rule can be applied to the English plural system:
- The -s can change from voiced to voiceless depending on whether the preceding consonant is voiced or unvoiced.
So, the English plural -s can be pronounced in different ways depending on the word it is part of, for example:
- In the word snakes, the letter ‘s’ is pronounced /s/.
- In the word baths, the letter ‘s’ is pronounced /z/.
- In the word dresses, the letter ‘s’ is pronounced /ɪz/.
Dissimilation
Dissimilation is the process of changing one feature of a sound to make it different.
This type of rule makes two sounds more distinguishable. It can help non-native speakers to pronounce words.
- The pronunciation of the word chimney [ˈʧɪmni] as chimley [ˈʧɪmli], with the change of [n] to an [l].
Insertion
Insertion is the process of adding an extra sound between two others.
For example, we usually insert a voiceless stop between a nasal and a voiceless fricative to make it easier for English speakers to pronounce a word.
-
In the word strength /strɛŋθ/, we add the sound ‘k’ and it becomes /strɛŋkθ/.
-
In the word hamster /hæmstə/, we add the sound ‘p’ and it becomes /hæmpstə/.
Deletion
Deletion is the process of not pronouncing a sound (consonant, vowel, or whole syllable) present in a word or phrase, to make it easier to say.
For example:
In the phrase “you and me” [ju: ənd mi:] it is possible not to say the sound /d/.
- You and me [ju:ənmi:].
This also occurs in some words:
- /h/ in him [ɪm].
- /f/ in fifth [fɪθ].
Phonology — Key takeaways
-
Phonology is the study of the “sound system” of language. It refers to the phonemes used in a language and how these are organised.
-
A phoneme is the smallest meaningful unit of sound.
-
Dialects are variations of language associated with a geographic area and social class. Accents feature regional phonological or phonetic differences.
-
Phonotactics studies the constraining rules of phoneme combinations.
-
Each language has a phonological system (set of phonemes) which can be shown in a phonemic chart.
-
Phonological rules (assimilation, dissimilation, insertion and deletion) help us understand which sounds change, what they change to, and where the change happens.
By
Last updated:
January 28, 2022
When you look in an English dictionary, you probably only look at the word and its definition.
But did you know that dictionaries also give you a guide on how to pronounce the words?
Next to a word in the dictionary are some strange-looking symbols. These letter-like symbols are actually a pronunciation guide!
For example, here is how to pronounce the word dictionary:
ˈdik-shə-ˌner-ē
Wait, what? That doesn’t look like the word dictionary at all! How does this work?
Learning how to use the dictionary’s pronunciation guide is not as difficult as it looks. Once you understand the rules, you will be able to check the dictionary for the definition of a word, and you will know how to read it correctly.
But first you need to understand…
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Why Dictionaries Use Symbols
Letters are symbols—they are small drawings that represent sounds. So what is the point of creating a whole different way of writing these same sounds?
Try reading these words out loud:
pit
pie
Both are three-letter words with the letter i as the second letter. The letter i is read very differently each time, though! In each word, the letter i makes a different sound. Now try these two words:
garage
vision
In these words, the second g in garage makes the same sound as the letter s in vision. We bet you never noticed that before!
As you can see, letters have different sounds, depending on where they are in the word or the sentence, or even which country the speaker is from. Some letters have many sounds. Some sounds don’t have their own letter.
The International Phonetic Association
People who study language, called linguists, have come up with a pronunciation guide called the International Phonetic Association, or the IPA for short. Most dictionaries use a version of the IPA for their pronunciation guide.
The IPA on its own is not very easy to understand—it is mostly for scholars and linguists, people whose job it is to figure out sounds and how to write them down.
Dictionary pronunciation guides are a little different though. They are meant for anyone to use, so you can learn to read them too! They use some simple symbols, and they are not as complicated as they seem. You just need to learn what sounds the symbols stand for.
Why Should I Learn to Use the Pronunciation Guide?
Good question!
When you learn a new word, you learn what it means and how it is used in a sentence. You might even learn the different forms of the word. For you to actually use this word while speaking, though, you need to know how to pronounce it.
There are a few ways you can learn the correct pronunciation of a word.
You could ask someone to say it for you, or find an example of the spoken word in a video.
However, a dictionary will still be very helpful to you while you learn English.
First of all, a dictionary allows you to look up a huge diversity and quantity of English words. Even if you have apps in your phone, there may be times when you need to use a dictionary. For example, you may be in a classroom or meeting where you cannot use your cell phone or maybe your phone’s battery just died.
Maybe you do not like using apps, and prefer to have a paper dictionary!
No matter the situation, reading the dictionary pronunciation guide can be an incredibly useful tool for English learners. You will know at a glance that the two g’s in garage make two different sounds, and that the o in boot is not the same as the o in boat.
Take a little time to figure out the pronunciation guide, and you will be saving yourself a lot of time (and effort) in the future as you improve your English speaking skills!
British or American?
This guide will cover the American dictionary pronunciation guide. The American and British guides are slightly different—they use different symbols for the same sounds. The British guide uses more actual symbols (instead of letters) or old Greek letters, so it can be a little harder to learn.
If you are interested in British pronunciation, check out the Oxford English Dictionary’s guide to British vs. American symbols and sounds.
5 Things You Must Know About All English Pronunciation Guides
Before you start learning the pronunciation guide, here is a quick outline to help you understand how the IPA works:
- Consonants: Consonants are all of the letters that are not vowels. The English language might have 21 consonants, but there are less consonant sounds. Letters like c and k, and c and s can have the same sound depending on where they are in the word. Other sounds are a combination of consonants, like ch and sh. These make different sounds too. There are not that many consonant symbols to learn, and they are mostly easy to understand—so that is a relief!
- Vowels: The vowels in the English language are a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y. Vowels can be combined with other letters, and each other, to create new sounds. There are a few different ways of pronouncing each vowel, and a symbol for each of those pronunciations.
- Diphthongs: Even if you have heard of vowels and consonants, you probably have never heard this word! Diphthongs are the sounds made by two vowels put together. Sometimes this is just one sound, like the oo sound. Other times the sound starts in one vowel and moves into the next, like the oa in soak.
- Syllables: Along with pronunciation guides for the letters, dictionaries break up words into syllables. These make it easier to spell and speak the word, since they turn one word in a few easy to say parts.
- Stresses: Words in the English language uses stresses. Where you put the stress is important to pronouncing the word right, and can even change the meaning of the word. For example, “when you addRESS the Internet, do not give out your ADDress!”. These two differently stressed versions of address mean two different things, just because of the stress! Dictionary guides show you where the stress goes, and they let you know when a different stress will change the meaning of the word.
- Advanced Sounds: Linguists define vowels as sounds made without placing anything in the way (like your tongue or teeth). Syllables are also created around them—you can’t have too many voiced (non-silent) consonants without a vowel in between, or it is impossible to read. Consonants, on the other hand, are sounds made by partially blocking your breath when you speak. Some sounds, like p, b and g, are actually made by completely stopping your breath! (In case you are wondering, these are called plosives).
Now you are ready to start!
Pronouncing Consonants
You will recognize many of the letters in the guide. Most of the consonants are read exactly the way you would read a letter, and there are not that many of them.
Here are the consonants found in the pronunciation guide, which sound exactly the way they look:
- b like in bed
- d like in done
- g like in grow
- h like in hat
- l like in lamp
- m like in mat
- n like in nice
- p like in pat
- r like in run
- v like in view
- w like in wet
- y like in yes
All consonant symbols stand for just one sound, but some sounds can be made in more than one way.
When you see these letters in the guide, just remember the sound they make—even if the word doesn’t have that letter at all! It might help to read these words out loud, so you can hear how similar the sound is:
- f like in fire, rough, or phone
- j like in jump or dodge
- k like in make, quit, pick, or cat
- s like in stop or cent
- t like in top or some -ed endings like mopped
- z like in zebra or xylophone
- zh like in vision or garage
There are some consonants that make a different sound when they are put together. These sounds are also mostly written the same way in the guide as they are in a word. They are:
- ch like in chat
- wh like in white
- ng like in thing (this sometimes looks like this: ŋ)
- sh like in ship
- th like in thin
- th like in this
Say the last two words out loud to hear the difference.
The first th (in thin) sounds “soft,” and is made by placing your tongue between your teeth. The second th sound (in this) is “hard,” and is made by putting your tongue between your teeth but then moving it away. It is a very slight difference—most native speakers don’t even realize there are two different sounds.
A quick note about the wh sound. If you are confused about the difference between w and wh, don’t worry, you are not alone. These days, many people pronounce wine and whine the same way. The wh sound is supposed to be more stretched out, as though you are saying the letter h very slightly before the letter w. According to this blog, if you put your hand in front of your mouth, you can feel a puff of air for the wh sound, but not the w.
That is all for consonants. You are about halfway to being a dictionary pro!
Pronouncing Vowels
Vowels are a little tougher to read than consonants because they have so many different sounds. If you can learn all the different sounds, you will find it much easier to pronounce English words correctly. So it is worth the effort!
Some of the differences are very slight, and some are big. Also keep in mind that some dictionaries have different symbols for vowel sounds.
Below are the different pronunciations of English vowels. We have included one or two of the most common symbols for each sound. Which symbol you see will depend on the dictionary you use.
Here is a quick rule of thumb: A line above a letter means you say its name. A small v or nothing above a letter means it is a short sound. Two dots above a letter means it is a long sound.
The letter a
- ă or a like in cat or apple. This is a short ah sound.
- ā like in stray or vacation. This is pronounced like the letter’s name, ay.
- ä like in father or calm. This is a longer uhh sound, like the sound you would make when you show the doctor your throat.
The letter e
- ĕ or e like in pet or person. This is pronounced like a short eh.
The letter i
- ĭ or i like in pit or hitch. This sounds like a grunt, a short eeh sound made in the back of the throat.
- ī like in pie or bye. Say this the way you would say name of the letter i.
The letter o
- ŏ or ä like in mop or bother. This is a similar sound to the a in father, a long “uhh” sound. (Some dictionaries see it as the same sound).
- ō like in toe or go. Say this as you would say the name of the letter o.
- ô like in paw or caught. This is the kind of sound you would say if something is cute, “aww.”
The letter u
- ŭ like in cut or grunt. This is a short uh sound.
- yü like in youth or cute. Say this as you might say the letter u.
All the vowels
There is one sound all the vowels make. Here it is:
- ə like in about, item, edible, gallop, circus. This is a sound somewhere in between ŭ and ă. It is a short uh sound. It might be difficult to hear at first, so practice saying these words out loud and try to see the difference between these and other words using these letters.
Does this look like too much information to take in? Here is a quick cheat that usually works when you are not sure how to pronounce a letter:
- If the word has a vowel, consonant, vowel pattern (like cute—u is a vowel, t is a consonant, e is a vowel), say the first vowel’s name. In the example of cute, this means you pronounce u like the letter u.
- If the word has a vowel, consonant pattern (like cut—u is a vowel, t is a consonant) or a vowel, consonant, consonant (like cutting), use one of the other pronunciations.
Of course there are exceptions and other rules. If you look at the pronunciation guide for new words, you will start to see the different rules and patterns.
Diphthongs
Don’t let the strange name scare you. Diphthongs are just sounds made by two vowels placed together.
Here is what they look like:
- a like in out or about. This sounds like you just got hurt, “ow.”
- ē like in bee or feet (or easy). This sounds like you are saying the name of the letter e.
- oi like in noise or boy. This sounds like the letter o’s name followed right away by ee, or like you are saying “Oy vey!”
- ū like in loot or boot. This is an oo sound made by making your lips into an o shape.
- ʊ like in foot or could. To make this oo sound, don’t move your lips!
You can hear and see the difference between the two oo sounds in this video.
R-controlled Vowels
Vowels have a slightly different pronunciation when they are followed by the letter r. They are called “r-controlled vowels” and they sound like the letter’s non-name sound getting cut off by the letter r.
It is easier to hear than explain: say the word abound out loud, then the word around. Do you hear the difference? It is a very small difference!
This is such a slight difference in most cases, that some dictionaries don’t have a special symbol for it. One symbol that does get used by many, though is this one:
- ər like in butter or further. This is an er sound made in the back of your mouth with your tongue right in the middle of your mouth, not touching any sides.
And that is all for pronunciations!
You now know how to read the pronunciation guide for vowels and consonants.
If this seems like a lot of information, we recommend that instead of memorizing this right away, you use it as a guide. Whenever you are not sure how to pronounce a new word you just learned, look at the dictionary’s pronunciation guide and keep this page open.
You will learn the guide quickly this way, without even realizing that you are learning it.
Bonus: Dashes and Lines
When you look at a pronunciation guide you will notice that the words are broken up into parts with dashes and lines in between them. What do all these mean?
- The pronunciation of a word is usually written between forward slashes: / Or backward slashes:
- Words are usually split up into syllables with dashes: –
- The stressed syllable (the one that you say more strongly) is marked with an apostrophe: ‘
- The secondary stress (a slightly stronger syllable, only found in longer words) is marked with a comma: ,
Now you try!
Whew that was a lot! Let’s see how well you can use the information in this guide. Can you figure out what words these are?
- ˈdik-shə-ˌner-ē
- ˈal-fə-ˌbet
- vō-ˈka-byə-ˌler-ē
Here are the words spelled in the guide above:
- Dictionary
- Alphabet
- Vocabulary
How did you do?
Practice reading the dictionary’s pronunciation guide with words you know, and then words you don’t know.
Before long, you will find it much easier to pronounce new words, even if you have never heard them before!
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