On this page you can find rules for pronunciation of the English short sound - [i]. English letter - I. Letter combination nd. Diphthong
This lesson will look at new sounds and letters, their comparisons, and you will also become familiar with the concept of diphthong.
First, the concept of diphthong will be discussed. If you study the composition of this word, you can see that it is derived from two others: “di” - two, “ftong” - sound. Thus, it is already clear from the name that diphthongs are sounds that include two different components. For example, diphthong, which will be covered in this lesson.
Diphthong.
To designate it, the letter I, i is used in the cases below.
Firstly, this sound corresponds to this letter in the alphabetical type of reading. For example, dive - to go diving; side - side; lie - lie, deception; mile - mile; smile - smile.
Also, remember that the pronoun I is also pronounced , and is always capitalized in writing.
Secondly, this sound is indicated by this letter in monosyllabic words that contain the letter combination nd. For example, kind - kind, kind.
But in addition to the fact that the letter I,i corresponds to the sound, it can also be denoted by the letter Y,y, in the same cases as the letter I,i. For example, sky - sky. You also need to remember the possessive pronoun my - mine, mine, mine, mine. Thus, if we, for example, want to say “my tea,” then the translation will be my tea.
Now let's study another sound - the short vowel sound [I].
It is contained in the words in the positions shown below.
1) The short vowel sound [I] corresponds to the letter e if it comes before a stressed syllable. For example, effect - result, effect; elect - to elect (by voting). Please note that in these words the letter k corresponds to the letter C,c, this will also be shown in the following lessons.
2) If disyllabic or polysyllabic words end in ie, ey, y (unstressed), then these letter combinations or the letter y convey the sound [I]. For example, ninety ["nainti] - ninety; milky ["milki] - milky; male name Teddy ["tedi] - Teddy; kidney ["kidni] - kidney (anatomy); donkey ["dAŋki] - donkey; hippie ["hipi] - hippie.
3) The sound [I] corresponds to the letter i if the syllable is closed. For example, the pronoun it - he, she, it (about inanimate objects, animals, babies); lift - rise; slim - slender, thin.
4) And the last case of sound transmission [I] is the letter i, if it is unstressed. For example, limit ["limit] - border, limit.
To make the topic more clear, consider the first and second types of reading the letters i and y.
: side, type, mile.
[I]: slim, lift, in.
And the final part of this lesson consists of comparing the following pairs of sounds: and.
: meal - food - mill - mill; beat - beat - bit - piece, particle.
: sit - sit, sit down - set - set, set, set (in tennis); till - to - tell - to speak.
This concludes this lesson, and here you learned what a diphthong is, learned new letters and sounds, and compared some of them.
There are 26 letters in the English language. In different combinations and positions they represent 44 sounds.
In the English language, there are 24 consonant sounds, and they are represented 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 the English language, there are 12 vowel sounds and 8 diphthongs, and they are represented in writing by 6 letters: Aa; Ee; li; Oo; Uu; Yy. 
Video:
[English language. Beginner course. Maria Rarenko. First educational channel.]
Phonetic transcription is an international system of symbols used to show exactly how words should be pronounced. Each sound is shown with a separate icon. These icons are always written in square brackets.
The transcription indicates verbal stress (which syllable in the word the stress falls on). Accent mark [‘]
placed before the stressed syllable.
Rules for reading consonant letters in English: ,
| Table of pronunciation of English consonants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phonetic transcription | Examples | |
| [b] | b ad b ox | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [b] in the word b rat |
| [p] | o p en, p et | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [p] in the word P ero, but pronounced aspirated |
| [d] | d i d, d ay | a voiced sound similar to Russian [d] in the word d ohm, but more energetic, “sharper”; when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue rests on the alveoli |
| [t] | t ea, t ake | unvoiced sound corresponding to Russian [t] in the word T hermos, but is pronounced aspirated, with the tip of the tongue resting on the alveoli |
| [v] | v oice, v isit | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [v] in the word V osk, but more energetic |
| [f] | f ind, f ine | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [f] in the word f inik, but more energetic |
| [z] | z oo, ha s | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [z] in the word h ima |
| [s] | s un, s ee | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [s] in the word With silt, but more energetic; when pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised towards the alveoli |
| [g] | g ive, g o | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [g] in the word G Irya, but pronounced softer |
| [k] | c at, c an | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [k] in the word To mouth, but pronounced more energetically and aspiratedly |
| [ʒ] | vi si on, plea sur e | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [zh] in the word and macaw, but pronounced more tense and softer |
| [ʃ] | sh e, Ru ss ia | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [ш] in the word w ina, but pronounced softer, for which you need to raise the middle part of the back of the tongue to the hard palate |
| [j] | y ellow, y ou | a sound similar to the Russian sound [th] in a word th od, but pronounced more energetically and intensely |
| [l] | l itt l e, l ike | sound similar to Russian [l] in the word l Isa, but you need the tip of the tongue to touch the alveoli |
| [m] | m an m erry | sound similar to Russian [m] in the word m ir, but more energetic; when pronouncing it, you need to close your lips more tightly |
| [n] | n o, n ame | sound similar to Russian [n] in the word n OS, 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] | si ng, fi ng er | a sound in which the soft palate is lowered and touches the back of the tongue, and air passes through the nose. Pronounced like Russian [ng] is incorrect; there must be a nasal sound |
| [r] | r ed, r abbit | 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 doesn't vibrate |
| [h] | h elp, h ow | sound reminiscent of Russian [х] as in the word X aos, but almost silent (barely audible exhalation), for which it is important not to press the tongue to the palate |
| [w] | w et, w inter | a sound similar to a very quickly pronounced Russian [ue] in a word Ue ls; in this case, the lips need to be rounded and pushed forward, and then vigorously moved apart |
| j ust, j ump | sound similar to [j] in a Russian loanword j inces, but more energetic and softer. You cannot pronounce [d] and [ʒ] separately | |
| ch eck, mu ch | sound similar to Russian [ch] in a word h ac, but harder and more intense. You cannot pronounce [t] and [ʃ] separately | |
| [ð] | th is, th ey | a ringing sound, when pronounced, the tip of the tongue must be placed between the upper and lower teeth and then quickly removed. Do not clamp the flat tongue between your teeth, but slightly push it into the gap between them. This sound (since it is voiced) is pronounced with the participation of the vocal cords. Similar to Russian [z] interdental |
| [θ] | th ink, seven th | a dull sound that is pronounced in the same way as [ð], but without a voice. Similar to Russian [s] interdental |
Rules for reading vowels in English: ,
| Pronunciation table for simple English vowel sounds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phonetic transcription | Examples | Approximate matches in Russian |
| [æ] | c a t,bl a ck | a short sound, intermediate between the Russian sounds [a] and [e]. To make this sound, when pronouncing Russian [a], you need to open your mouth wide and place your tongue low. Simply pronouncing Russian [e] is wrong |
| [ɑ:] | ar m, f a ther | a long sound, similar to Russian [a], but it is much longer and deeper. When pronouncing it, you need to yawn, but do not open your mouth wide, while pulling your tongue back |
| [ʌ] | c u p, r u n | a short sound similar to the Russian unstressed [a] in the word With A yes. To make this sound, when pronouncing Russian [a], you need to almost not open your mouth, while slightly stretching your lips and moving your tongue back a little. Simply pronouncing Russian [a] is wrong |
| [ɒ] | n o t, h o t | short sound similar to Russian [o] in the word d O m, but when pronouncing it you need to completely relax your lips; for Russian [o] they are slightly tense |
| [ɔ:] | sp o rt, f ou r | a long sound, similar to Russian [o], but it is much longer and deeper. When pronouncing it, you need to yawn, as if with your mouth half-open, and your lips tense and rounded |
| [ə] | a bout, a lias | a sound that is often found in the Russian language is always in an unstressed position. In English, this sound is also always unstressed. It does not have a clear sound and is referred to as an unclear sound (it cannot be replaced by any clear sound) |
| [e] | m e t, b e d | a short sound similar to Russian [e] under stress in words such as uh you, pl e d etc. English consonants before this sound cannot be softened |
| [ɜː] | w or k, l ear n | this sound does not exist in the Russian language, and it is very difficult to pronounce. Reminds me of Russian sound in words m e d, St. e cla, but you need to pull it out much longer and at the same time stretch your lips strongly without opening your mouth (you get a skeptical smile) |
| [ɪ] | i t, p i t | a short sound similar to the Russian vowel in a word w And t. You need to pronounce it abruptly |
| h e, s ee | a long sound, similar to Russian [i] under stress, but longer, and they pronounce it as if with a smile, stretching their lips. There is a Russian sound close to it in the word poem II | |
| [ʊ] | l oo k, p u t | a short sound that can be compared with the Russian unstressed [u], but it is pronounced energetically and with completely relaxed lips (lips cannot be pulled forward) |
| bl u e, f oo d | a long sound, quite similar to the Russian percussion [u], but still not the same. To make it work, when pronouncing Russian [u], you need not to stretch your lips into a tube, not to push them forward, but to round them and smile slightly. Like other long English vowels, it needs to be drawn out much longer than Russian [u] | |
| Diphthong pronunciation table | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phonetic transcription | Examples | Approximate matches in Russian |
| f i ve, ey e | diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in Russian words ah And h ah | |
| [ɔɪ] | n oi se, v oi ce | somehow. The second element, the sound [ɪ], is very short |
| br a ve, afr ai d | a diphthong similar to a combination of sounds in a Russian word w to her ka. The second element, the sound [ɪ], is very short | |
| t ow n, n ow | a diphthong similar to a combination of sounds in a Russian word With aw on. The first element is the same as in ; the second element, the sound [ʊ], is very short | |
| [əʊ] | h o me, kn ow | a diphthong similar to a combination of sounds in a Russian word cl OU n, if you do not pronounce it deliberately syllable by syllable (in this case, the consonance resembles ew ). Pronouncing this diphthong as a pure Russian consonance [ou] is wrong |
| [ɪə] | d ea r, h e re | a diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word such; consists of short sounds [ɪ] and [ə] |
| wh e re,th e re | a diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word dlinnosheye, if you do not pronounce it syllable by syllable. Behind the sound resembling Russian [e] in the word uh That, followed by the second element, an unclear short sound [ə] | |
| [ʊə] | t ou r, p oo r | a diphthong in which [ʊ] is followed by a second element, an unclear short sound [ə]. When pronouncing [ʊ], lips should not be pulled forward |
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
Vowel sound [i:] resembles the Russian sound [ and ] in a word willow.
Vowel sound [i] resembles the short Russian sound [ and ].
Vowel sound [e] close to the Russian sound [e] in words these, tin, but not in words this, echo.
Vowel sound [æ] does not resemble any Russian sound, it can be described as “something in between the Russian sounds [e] and [a].” When pronouncing this sound, the lips are somewhat stretched, the lower jaw is lowered, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, and the middle back of the tongue bends slightly forward and upward.
Vowel sound [ei] – a diphthong whose core is the vowel [e], and the glide occurs in the direction of the vowel [i]. When pronouncing the diphthong [ei], it is necessary to ensure that the core is not as wide as the Russian vowel [e], and the second element does not turn into the Russian sound [й].
Vowel sound [ə] is called a neutral vowel and is the result of reduction, i.e. weakening of vowels in an unstressed position. It is always unstressed and is easily influenced by neighboring sounds. Hence a number of shades of the neutral vowel. One of them coincides with the Russian final unstressed [a] in words such as room, paper. It should not resemble either [uh] or a distinct [a].
Vowel sound [a:] resembles the Russian sound [a], but the tongue moves further back and down and lies flat.
Vowel sound [u:] . When pronouncing the sound [u:], the lips are strongly rounded, but moved forward much less than when pronouncing the Russian sound [у]. The English sound [u:] is longer and more intense than the Russian sound [у].
Vowel sound [ɔ:] – long vowel. In order to correctly pronounce the sound [ɔ:], you should give the speech organs a position as when pronouncing the sound [a:], then significantly round your lips and move them forward somewhat; pronounce the sound [ɔ:], without allowing the overtone [у] in front of it, characteristic of Russian [о].
Vowel sound [ɔ] . In order to pronounce the sound [ɔ], you should proceed from the position of the speech organs when pronouncing the sound [a:], then slightly round your lips and pronounce a short sound [ɔ].
Vowel sound [u] – short monophthong. In contrast to the Russian sound [у], when pronouncing the English sound [u], the lips almost do not move forward, but they are noticeably rounded.
Vowel sound [ou] – diphthong. It begins with a vowel sound, which is a cross between the Russian sounds [o] and [e]. When pronouncing the beginning of this diphthong, the lips are slightly stretched and rounded. The glide occurs in the direction of the vowel [u].
Vowel sound [ʌ] similar to the Russian pre-stress sound [a] in words Which, posts, bass.
Vowel sound [au] – a diphthong, the core of which is the sound [a], as in the diphthong [ai], and the glide occurs in the direction of the vowel sound [u], which, however, is not clearly pronounced.
Vowel sound [ɔi] – a diphthong, the core of which is the vowel sound [ɔ], and the glide occurs in the direction of the vowel sound [i].
Vowel sound [ə:] . When pronouncing the sound [ə:], the body of the tongue is raised, the entire back of the tongue lies as flat as possible, the lips are tense and slightly stretched, slightly exposing the teeth, the distance between the jaws is small. In the Russian language there is no sound that matches the sound [ə:] or similar to it. Care must be taken not to replace the sound [ə:] with the sounds [е] or [о].
Vowel sound [iə] – diphthong. The core of the diphthong is the vowel [i], and the glide occurs in the direction of the neutral vowel, which has the connotation of the sound [ʌ].
Vowel sound [ɛə] – diphthong. The core of a diphthong is a vowel similar to the Russian sound [e] in a word This. The glide occurs in the direction of a neutral vowel with a connotation of the sound [ʌ].
Vowel sound [uə] – diphthong. The core of the diphthong is the vowel [u], the glide occurs in the direction of the neutral vowel, which has the connotation [ʌ].
Consonant sound [m] close to the Russian sound [m], but when pronouncing the English sound, the lips close more tightly than when pronouncing the Russian sound.
Consonants [p, b] similar to Russian sounds [p, b], but English sounds are pronounced with aspiration, the lips first close and then instantly open.
Consonant sound [f] is pronounced more energetically than the corresponding Russian consonant [f].
Consonant sound [v] , unlike the Russian sound [v] at the end of a word is not deafened.
Consonants [t, d] resemble Russian sounds [t, d], but before vowels they are pronounced aspirated.
Consonants [n, l, s, z] close to Russian sounds [n, l, s, z].
Consonant sound [w] similar to the Russian sound [у], but when pronouncing the English sound, the lips are more rounded and significantly moved forward.
Consonant sound [θ] has no analogue in Russian. This sound is dull. When pronouncing it, the tongue is spread out and relaxed, the tip of the tongue forms a narrow flat gap with the entire cutting edge of the upper teeth, loosely pressing against it. A stream of air passes through this gap with force. The tip of the tongue should not protrude too far beyond the upper teeth or press too tightly against the teeth (otherwise you will get [t]). The teeth should be exposed, especially the lower ones, so that the lower lip does not touch the upper teeth or come close to them (otherwise you will get [f]).
Consonant sound [ð] similar to the previous sound, when pronounced, the speech organs occupy the same position, but the sound [ð] is voiced.
Combination of sounds [pl] before a stressed vowel is pronounced together. The sound [p] is pronounced so energetically that the sound [l] is partially deafened.
Consonant sound [k] is pronounced almost the same as the Russian sound [k]. The difference is that the English sound is aspirated and sounds more distinct at the end of the word.
Consonant sound [g] It is pronounced almost the same as the Russian sound [g], but less tense, and is not stunned at the end of the word.
Consonant sound [ʃ] resembles the Russian sound [ш], but is softer. However, the sound [ʃ] should not be as soft as the Russian sound, denoted by the letter shch.
Consonant sound [ʒ] differs from the sound [ʃ] only in its sonority. The sound [ʒ] differs from the Russian sound [zh] in softness.
Consonant sound [tʃ] resembles the Russian sound [ch], but differs from it in that it is pronounced harder.
Consonant sound [ʤ] pronounced the same way as [tʃ], but only loudly, with a voice.
Combination of sounds [kl] , just like the sound combination [pl], before a stressed vowel is pronounced together, and the sound [k] is pronounced so energetically that [l] is partially deafened.
Consonant sound [h] absent in Russian. In English, it occurs only before a vowel and sounds like a light, barely audible exhalation. Unlike the Russian sound [х], the English sound [h] is formed without any participation of the language.
Consonant sound [j] resembles the Russian sound [й], however, when pronouncing the English sound [j], the middle part of the tongue rises to the sky less than with the Russian sound [й], and therefore, when pronouncing the English sound [j], less noise is heard than when pronouncing the Russian sound [ th].
Consonant sound [r] similar to Russian [r], but pronounced less sharply and loudly.
Consonant sound [ŋ] . When pronouncing a sonata [ŋ], the back of the tongue closes with the lowered soft palate, and air passes through the nasal cavity. In order to achieve the desired position of the speech organs, you can inhale through the nose with the mouth wide open, then pronounce the sound [ŋ], exhaling air through the nose.
Combination of sounds [s], [z] with sounds [θ] and [ð] . When pronouncing combinations of the sound [s] or [z] with the sound [θ] or [ð], it is necessary to ensure that there is no vowel overlap or a pause between them and at the same time maintaining the quality of each sound. If the sound [s] or [z] comes before the sound [θ] or [ð], then you need to, without finishing pronouncing the first sound, gradually move the tip of your tongue to the interdental position. If the sound [s] or [z] comes after the sound [θ] or [ð], then the tip of the tongue makes the opposite movement.
Combinations of sounds [aiə] and [auə] . These combinations are compounds of the diphthongs [ai] and [au] with the neutral vowel sound [ə]. However, the middle elements of these sound combinations are never pronounced clearly. It is necessary to ensure that the sound [j] is not heard in the middle of the sound combination [aiə], and the sound [w] is not heard in the middle of the sound combination [auə].
Combination of sounds [wə:] . When pronouncing this sound combination, you must be careful not to soften the sound [w] and not replace the sound [ə:] with Russian sounds [о] or [е].
Combination of sounds [t] and [k] with sound [w] . In order to correctly pronounce combinations with the sounds [tw] and [kw], you should pronounce the sounds [t] and [k], while simultaneously rounding your lips to pronounce the sound [w]. After a voiceless consonant, the sound [w] is muted (has a voiceless beginning).
It would seem that it is impossible to get 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 “analogs,” educational videos and tongue twisters, we will bring your pronunciation of English sounds as close as possible to ideal.
The sounds that we will analyze today can often seem very similar to each other to us Russian speakers: / ɪ, i:, e, ǝ /. To “get the difference between them in your head,” go through each stage of the article sequentially and complete all the tasks :)
Pronounced in words: kill, give, bit etc. The sound is short, of the front row pushed back, of a wide variety (I will explain the terms after watching the video).
How does it differ from the Russian version, and how does the speech apparatus work:
1. Russian / and / – front row. This means that the language is advanced as far as possible: say the words peace, shooting range, strength, and then just a union AND and track the position of your tongue. Do you feel that it is resting on your lower teeth?
English sound /ɪ/ front pushed back row. Tip language when pronouncing it located near the lower teeth(but does NOT concern them).
2. Russian sound is more closed. This happens due to the fact that we raise the middle back of the tongue very high to the palate (say the conjunction again AND and track the position of the tongue).
To pronounce English sound the back of the tongue does not rise so high, this makes the sound wider, more open, I would even say “relaxed”.
3. Another important difference: mouth position, which leads to the difference between these sounds. I would say that this sound should be pronounced like / and /, but with a more relaxed mouth, almost like / e /.
For example, in Help:IPA for Russian the unstressed sound in the words: t is called similar to the English sound / ɪ / I yellow, h e you. In these words the sound I E is pronounced (I inclined to E). This sound is given in Russian before drums I, E: in l e soup I ty, t I go, p e nyok, etc.
For clarity, let's compare the position of the mouth for Russian and English sounds in the pictures:
Do you see the difference? Rachel does not have a “smile” like Mark, but a more relaxed mouth position with a slightly downward, relaxed jaw.
4. Last but not least, the English sound is shorter than our / and /.
Let's recap: move your tongue back a little, lift the middle back of the tongue below the hard palate, relax your mouth and make short sounds. To reinforce this, watch another video.
Now, having placed the articulatory apparatus in the desired position, we begin training on a set of monosyllabic words. Don't forget that consonants before this sound are not softened in English!
Super! Now let's fix it to tongue twisters:
The last stage of our training- find a line from a famous song with this sound that will “stick” in your auditory memory. I decided to stop at the song "Pink" group Aerosmith (namely on the word itself pi nk).
Pink, it's my new obsession, yeah
Pink, it’s not even a question
Pink, on the lips of your lover
‘Cause pink is the love you discover
Pink, as the bing on your cherry
Pink, 'cause you are so very
Pink, it's the color of passion
Starting at 0:44 minutes
Pronounced in words green, sleep, feel, beach(not to be confused with bitch, in which the previous sound is pronounced). If for short / ɪ / I named the characteristics: short, wide and moved back, then for this sound the important ones for us will be:
Let's listen to how the sound is pronounced, and then we'll understand these concepts.
So, you heard the difference, but how can you learn to reproduce it? Let's figure it out. First, I will describe everything in text, and then I will summarize all the information in a comparative table so that nothing gets mixed up.
1. Front row: remember we said that for short / ɪ / the tongue needs to be moved further away from the teeth than for ours? That the tip of the tongue should be near the lower teeth? So, for long English / i: / language you need push forward more, than for short / ɪ /, but less than for Russian (the tip almost touches the lower teeth, but does not rest against them).
2. The narrow variety tells us that the position of the mouth is no longer as relaxed as for the previous sound: as for Russian / and /, for long / i: / you need to put mouth to “smile” position. But at the same time, the Russian sound is more closed here, because we raise the middle back of the tongue higher to the palate.
3. Yes, this sound is long. But the point is not only to “forcibly” stretch the sound and make it longer. It is called a “diphthongoid” for a reason. This is one sound, but we hear in it the “overtone” of the second. More precisely: the middle part of the tongue begins slip forward and upward – from the position for short /ɪ/ ⇒ and then rises to the position for long /i:/. Therefore the word seat we hear it as if / syit / (I apologize for this terrible Cyrillic transcription).
| Characteristics | Russian I(blue) | Long i:(feel) | Short ɪ(kill) |
| Horizontal tongue position: row | The tongue is strongly advanced, resting on the lower teeth. | The tip of the tongue almost touches the lower teeth, the middle back moves forward throughout the pronunciation of the sound. | The tip of the tongue is located at the lower teeth. |
| Vertical tongue position | The middle back of the tongue is raised high to the hard palate. | The middle back is raised, but not so high + the middle back slides and changes its position: first lower (as for short ɪ), and then higher. | The middle back of the tongue is even lower. |
| Openness of sound | The sound is the most closed of all three. | The sound is a little more open than Russian. | The sound is the most open. |
| Mouth position | Smile | Smile | A more relaxed mouth position with the lower jaw slightly lowered. |
| Longitude | Longer stressed (ToAnd T), unaccented less long (And n O j). | Even longer than the Russian percussion sound. + Remember that it is a diphthongoid, which also contributes to its duration. | The shortest of all three sounds. |
To finally reinforce the difference between English sounds, I suggest you watch another cool video about pronunciation. From it you will also learn about the rules of reading (what combinations of letters make these sounds).
To summarize: for long / i: / the lips take a “smile” position; move your tongue away from the teeth, but not as much as for short / i / (the tip almost touches the lower teeth), the middle back of the tongue “slides” from bottom to top (from the position for short ɪ - to long), due to this the sound is obtained as if “double” (diphthongoid) and doo-oolgim.
Now it's time for words. “Adjust your mouth” to the desired position and start practicing. Again, I draw your attention to the fact that the consonants before this sound are hard.
people /ˈpiːpl/
breathe /briːð/
Great! And now tongue twisters in English using the sound / i: / –
And of course example from a song: Robbie Williams "Feel"(both the longitude and the “double sound” are clearly audible):
I just wanna feel
Real love feel the home that I live in
‘Cause I got too much life
Running through my veins
Going to waste
And I need to feel
Real love and the love ever after
I cannot get enough
From 1:45 to 2:18
Pronounced in words spent, help, ten etc. This is the sound of the front row, mid rise, narrow variety. Essentially, it is very similar to our /e/ sound, but:
To summarize: in order not to replace the English sound / e / with the Russian “analog”: raise the middle part of the tongue higher and move it forward a little (pronounce Russian jam, and then follow the link and listen to the pronunciation of English gem to hear the difference). Make the sound shorter.
Now watch a video about the pronunciation of this vowel. Notice that in the second part the sound / e / is compared with the short / ɪ / (in case these sounds are “confused” in your head).
Now we begin training on a set of words. Don't forget that consonants do not soften before the /e/ sound.
Example from a song more than memorable: The Beatles "Help".
Help me if you can, I’m feeling down. And I do appreciate you being ’round. Help me get my feet back on the ground. Won't you please, please help me.
By the way, I suggest you “check out” another song example that unites and helps you see the difference between all 3 sounds that we studied above, and in the same order:
Linkin Park "In the End"/ɪnði:end/.
From 1:40 to 1:45
“Shva”, denoted in transcriptions as an inverted “e” /ə/, is a neutral and always unstressed sound. Pronounced in words a bout, fate r, to day.
This sound is the most common sound in the English language, because it appears in almost any word that has more than 2 syllables + it replaces sounds in words that are in a weak position (that is, they do not have logical stress in the sentence):
Example: The conjunction “and” – in a strong position it is pronounced /ænd/, but in the sentence You and I – /ən/, since it is not logically distinguished here.
It was not for nothing that I included this sound in the article about the “analogues” of Russian / e /. Oh, how many times have I encountered Cyrillic transcriptions like /tichEr, fazEr, Ebaut/. Yes, I myself was guilty of this as a child. That is, for us Russian speakers, this sound is heard similar to our / e /. But that's not true!
The most interesting thing is that our phonetic system has similar, even identical sounds:
Just don't say you say these words: karova and malako (or milk). If you do NOT belong to some dialect (like the local Vologda dialect), then you “chew” this sound and pronounce it very relaxed, without straining your tongue or lips at all. Like something in between O, A and E.
It's the same in English: the mouth and tongue are relaxed. There is no need to move your tongue to the front of your mouth (as for Russian E), keep it in a neutral, mid-position. The sound is quite short and weak.
I think you've figured out that sound. Let's move on to training in words. Since this sound is never stressed, there are almost no monosyllabic words with it. Therefore, I offer you a small number of words with it, and then we’ll immediately move on to tongue twisters:
a bout /əˈbaʊt/
fat e r /ˈfɑːðə r /
teach e r /ˈtiːtʃə r /
comm o n /ˈkɒmən/
c o ntrol /kənˈtrəʊl/
stand a rd /ˈstændəd/
butt e r /ˈbʌtər/
s u pply /səˈplaɪ/
t o day /təˈdeɪ/
a round /əˈraʊnd/
t o geth e r /təˈɡeðər/
Sat u rday /ˈsætədeɪ/
both e r /ˈbɒðər/
want e d /ˈwɒntɪd/
moth e r /ˈmʌðə r /
stol e n /ˈstəʊlən/
Before practicing tongue twisters, watch this video. Do you remember at the beginning of this section of the article I wrote that the sound “schwa” is replaced by many sounds when the word is in a weak position? It is this feature of speech that creates the native speaker effect. After watching the video, try to apply this knowledge on tongue twisters.
And the last song example for today. For the / ə / sound, a famous line from a David Bowie song is perfect "Space Oddity"–Ground Co ntrol to Majo rTom.
Because, firstly, this sound occurs there 3 times and is clearly heard (as far as possible for a faceless “seam”), and secondly, the syllables with it are in a weak unstressed position in relation to rhythm songs:
Ground C o ntról t o May o rTom.
From 0:33 minutes. But listen to the whole song: it’s a masterpiece!
So, this training has come to an end. Let's count how many sounds we have already studied. After that we were left with 28 English sounds. 28 – 4 = 24. Next time we’ll take on consonants. See you! 🙂
Greetings, my dear readers.
Today we continue to talk about how to learn to read correctly, so the topic of today's article is transcription of English letters.
We have already introduced you to the concept and dealt with the pronunciation of sounds in English. Today we will figure out exactly how they are pronounced in various combinations.
I have a clear table for you. It contains the letters of the English alphabet with transcription, Russian analogue letters and my notes so that you can immediately get the correct pronunciation. I also added examples of words with the sounds being studied and their translation.
What else can you find on the blog:
Let `s start?
In general, I wrote about English transcription - please!
| English letter | Transcription | Russian equivalent |
| Aa | Hey | |
| Bb | Bi | |
| Cc | Si | |
| Dd | Di | |
| Ee | AND | |
| Ff | [ɛf] | Eph |
| Gg | Gee | |
| Hh | H. | |
| II | Ay | |
| Jj | Jay | |
| Kk | Kay | |
| Ll | [ɛl] | Al |
| mm | [ɛm] | Em |
| Nn | [ɛn] | En |
| Oo | [əʊ] | OU |
| Pp | Pi | |
| Q | ||
| Rr | [ɑː] or [ɑɹ] | A or Ar |
| Ss | [ɛs] | Es |
| Tt | Tee | |
| Uu | YU | |
| Vv | In and | |
| Ww | [ˈdʌb(ə)l juː] | Double |
| Xx | [ɛks] | The ex |
| Yy | Wye | |
| Zz | , | Zed, zee |
But do you know what is the most interesting thing about English?
If different letters are combined, they are pronounced differently!
That's why I prepared for you
| Combination | Transcription | How to pronounce | Example |
| ee | /i:/ | AND | bee - bee |
| ea | / ı:/ | AND | tea - tea |
| oo | /u/ | U | cook - to cook |
| th | / ð / / Ѳ / | Z, S (interdental) | thumb - finger |
| sh | / ʃ / | Sh | shout - shout |
| ch | /tʃ/ | H | chair - chair |
| ph | /f/ | F | phone - phone |
| ck | /k/ | TO | snack - snack |
| ng | / Ƞ / | Ng | song - song |
| wh | /w/ | Ua | why - why |
| wr | /r/ | R | write - write |
| qu | /kw/ | Kua | queen - queen |
| igh | /aı/ | Ay | high - high |
| all | /Ɔ:l/ | Ol | tall - tall |
| ai | /eı/ | Hey | Spain - Spain |
| ay | /eı/ | Hey | May - May |
| oi | /oı/ | Oh | point - point |
| oh | /oı/ | Oh | toy - toy |
| ow | /oƱ/ | OU | grow - grow |
| ou | /aƱ/ | Ay | out - outside |
| ew | /ju:/ | YU | knew - knew |
| aw | / Ɔ: / | Ooo | draw - draw |
| ee+r | / ıə / | Eeyore | engineer - engineer |
| ou+r | /aƱə/ | Aue | our - ours |
| oo+r | / Ɔ: / | Ooo | door - door |
| wo+r | / ɜ: / | Y/O | work - work |
| ai+r | /eə/ | Ea | chair - chair |
| oa+r | / Ɔ: / | Ooh | roar - scream |
| might | /Ʊd/ | Oud | could - could |
| ound | /aƱnd/ | Aund | round - round |
| eigh | /eı/ | Hey | eight - eight |
| -y | / ı / | AND | tiny - tiny |
| au | / Ɔ: / | Oo | Paul - Paul |
| gh | /f/ | F | laugh - laugh |
| aught | /Ɔ:t/ | From | taught - taught |
I know this table seems huge right now. Surely you think that remembering all this is unrealistic. I'll tell you this: at a certain point, when you have enough, you won't even pay attention to these combinations. Your brain will learn to quickly remember how exactly these letters sound. Moreover, even when you come across a word that is completely unfamiliar to you, you will be able to read it correctly. The only question is the amount of practice on your part.
That's all, my dears. I hope you found it useful and understandable. I provide even more similar materials in the blog newsletter - subscribe and receive a dose of useful information regularly.
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