Learning about Front Vowels

 

FRONT VOWELS

1. EXPLANATION

The classification of the English vowels

Ø  It is important to classify them according to the position of the main part of the tongue: front, central and back.

Ø  Another characteristic is the height of the vowel: height, mid and low.

Ø  All vowel sounds are voiced.

Ø  The vowels are tense or lax.

Ø  The vowels are round or non round. 

 

Front vowels

               A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages.

               It gets its name because the tongue is held in front of the mouth.

                There are nine front vowel sounds in the International Phonetic Alphabet, although only five are used in the English language.

There are five front vowels: 

            [ i ]     [ ɪ ]     [ e ]     [ ɛ ]     [ æ ]  

 

[ i ]

 

Description: High, tense, front, non round and voiced vowel.

Articulation: Lips are non rounded, tongue located as high and as front as possible, without causing friction, in the vowel space.

Example: beam, leak, pier, meet, beat

[ ɪ ]

Description: front, high, lax, non round and voiced vowel.

Articulation: lips are non rounded, the tonque is high position.

Example: kid, if, six, big, mint. 

[ e ]

Description: high-mid, tense, front, non round and voiced vowel.

Articulation: Lips are non rounded, tongue as far front as possible, in the vowel space, tongue at high-mid position

Example: face, great, play, may, rain.

[ ɛ ]

Description: low-mid, Front, non round, lax and voiced vowel.

Articulation: Lips are non rounded, tongue at low-mid position.

Example: tent, pen, head, dead, dress, friend, let.

[æ]

Description: front, low, non round, tense and voiced vowel.

Articulation: lips are non round, the tongue is low position.

Example: fact, map, lamp, act, rat.

Proverbs

now is you turnm try to traslate the following words to ipa

Honesty is the best policy.

 

 

A friend in need is a friend indeed.