MONOPHTHONGS
[i], [i:] - production of articulation
The four English front monophthongs [i], [i:], [e], [æ] are pronounced as follows.
The vowel [i:] is pronounced with the bulk of the tongue in the front part of the mouth. The front of the tongue raised high in the direction of the hard palate.
It's long and tense. During the pronunciation of the vowel the tongue may slightly change its position. The front of the tongue may move from a more open and
retracted position to a closer and more advanced. As a result the vowel is diphthongized. The lips are spread or neutral. The opening between the laws is rather
narrow.
[i:] may be defined as front high-narrow (diphthongized) unrounded long and tense.
But in order to prevent palatalization, the front part of the tongue must be raised towards the hard palate after the release of the preceding consonant.
Russian palatalized
English non-palatalized
[ì' èë] - ìèë
[mi:l - meat
[ í'èò']
[ni:t] - neat
The vowel [i] is pronounced with the bulk of the tongue in the front pert of the mouth but slightly retracted. The front of the tongue is raised in the direction
of the hard palate but not so high as for [i:]. The lips are spread. The opening between jaws is narrow. The vowel [i] is short and lax.
The vowel [i] may be defined as front-retracted high-broad unrounded short and lax.
[e] production of articulation.
The vowel [e] is pronounced with the bulk of the tongue in the front part of the hard palate, but a little less than the [i]-vowel. The lips are spread. The
opening between the jaws is medium.
The vowel [e] is short and lax.
It may be defined as front mid-narrow unrounded short and lax.
It is similar to the Russian [ý] between palatalized and a non-palatalized consonant as, for example, in äåä [ä'ýò] but it is less open and more front than the
Russian [ý] in ýòîò.
Russian learners are apt to replace the English [e] by the more open vowel [æ] e.g: men[men]-ìóæ÷èíû man [m?n] - ìóæ÷èíà
To prevent the substitution of [æ] for [e] the front of the tongue should be kept a little higher as compared its position for [æ] and the student is recommended
not to open his mouth too wide, spread the lips a little.
[æ] production of articulation.
The vowel [æ] is pronounced with the bulk of the tongue in the front part of the mouth cavity. The tongue is rather low in the mouth. The front of the tongue is
slightly raised, but not so high as for [e].The lip position is neutral. The opening between the jaws is wide.
This vowel may be defined as front low-broad unrounded short and lax.
The five English back monophthongs [α:],[α], [ ?:], [ʋ], [u:] are pronounced as follows.
[α:] production of articulation.
The vowel [α:] is pronounced with the bulk of the tongue in the back part of the mouth cavity but some what advanced. The back of the tongue is slightly raised.
The lips are neutral. The opening between the jaws is wide.
The vowels [α:] is defined as back-advanced low-broad unrounded long and tense.
The vowel [α:] is more retracted than the Russian [a] in ãàëêà.
Russian learners are apt to replace the English [α:] by the Russian vowel [a]. to prevent this mistake the bulk of the tongue must be rather retracted as compared
with its position when the principal variant of the Russian [a]-phoneme is pronounced.
It can also be recommended to pronounce the vowel [α:] on a lower pitch.[pitʃ]-âûñîòà ãîëîñîâîãî òîíà.
The three English central monophthongs ([ʌ], [ç:], [ə:]) are pronounced as follows.
[ʌ] - production of articulation.
The vowel [ʌ] is pronounced with the central part of the tongue raised in the direction of the juncture of the hard and soft palate a little higher than for [a].
the lips are spread. The opening between the jaws is not so wide as for [α:].
[ʌ] is defined as central low-narrow unrounded short and lax.
Students should be recommended to give a shade of [α:] to the vowel [ʌ], other words to pronounce the vowel on a lower pitch.
The English vowel [ʌ] is not so open as the Russian stressed [a], (E.g: in äàí.)
It sounds like the Russian [ʌ] in a pretonic syllable (E.g: êàêîé [kʌkoé].)
In order not to replace the English [ʌ] by the Russian [a] the tongue must be held a little higher as compare with its position in pronouncing the Russian stressed
[a].
In order not to replace [ʌ] by [α:] the bulk of the tongue must take up a more advanced position as compared with its position in pronouncing [?:], the central
part of the tongue being raised a little higher than for [a].
Students must shorten the vowel and give a shade of [a] to it. To achieve the English [α] being short and checked it is necessary to lengthen the preceding
consonant and pronounce the following consonant as quickly as possible.
Compare: much [mʌt&ʃ] "ìíîãî" - march[mα:tʃ] " ìàðø",
Cut [kʌt] "ðåçàòü" - cart [kα:t] "òåëåãà"
<[ɒ], [ɔ:]- production of articulation.
The vowel [ɒ] is pronounced with the tongue held in a position which is farther back than that of the [ɔ:]. The lips are slightly rounded. The opening between
the jaws is wide.
This vowel may be defined as back low-broad slightly rounded short and lax.
The Russian [o] is closer.
Such English words as not [nɒt], naught [nɒ:t] and note [noʋt] would sound alike and might be confused.
The vowel [O:] is pronounced with the bulk of the tongue in the back part of the mouth cavity. The back of the tongue is raised in the direction of the soft
palate, higher than for [ ]. The lips are rounded and slightly protruded to form an opening which is much smaller than for [ ]. The opening between the jaws
is medium.
The vowel [O:] may be defined as fully back mid-broad rounded long and tense.
The Russian [o] is closer than the English [O:] and more rounded.
Students should be told to give a shade of [a] to the beginning of the vowel [O:], if students pronounce the vowel [O:] with an [a]-glide of [ó] to the end of
the vowel.
[ʋ],[u:]- production of articulation.
The vowel [ʋ] is pronounced with the bulk of the tongue in the back part of the mouth cavity. But somewhat advanced. The back of the tongue is raised in the
direction of the front part of the soft palate higher than for [ɔ:]. The lips are slightly rounded.
It may be defined as back-advanced high-broad slightly rounded short and lax.
The Russian [ó] is more back. It is pronounced with the lips far more rounded and protruded than for [?].
In order to not to replace the English [ʋ] by the Russian vowel [ó], the lips must be rounded less and less protruded. A very close approach to the correct
quality of the English [ʋ] is trying to pronounce a vowel intermediate in quality between the Russian [ó] and [û].
If students pronounce an [û]-like sound instead of [ʋ] they should give a shade of [ó] to the vowel.
The vowel [u:] is pronounced with the bulk of the tongue retracted more than for [ʋ]. The back of the tongue is raised in the direction of the soft palate higher
than for [?], but not so high. It is long and tense. During the pronunciation of [u:] the tongue may move from a more advanced and open position to a closer and
more retracted position, as a result of which the vowel is diphthongized.
In this case, the tenseness of the vowel increases towards the end. At the beginning of [u:] the lips are fairly rounded. Towards the end the lips are still more
rounded. The opening between the jaws is narrower than the phoneme [ʋ].
The vowel [u:] may be defined as back high-narrow diphthongized rounded long and tense.
The English [u:] is not so retracted, so close as the Russian [ó].
In order not to replace the English [u:] by the Russian vowel [ó], the lips must be rounded and less protruded. Student is recommended to give a shade of [û] to
the vowel. If students pronounce an [û]-like sound instead of [u:] they should give a shade of [ó] to the vowel.
[ə], [ç:] - production of articulation.
The vowel [ç:] is pronounced with the central part of the tongue raised almost as high as for [e]. There is no lip-rounding. The opening between the jaws is
narrow.
The vowel [ç:] may be defined as central mid-narrow unrounded long and tense.
In Russian there is no vowel sound like the English [ç:].<>br
Russian learners are apt to replace the English [ç:] by the Russian vowel [o].
The most important point is the tip of the tongue touches the base of the lower teeth. The lips must be spread, showing between the teeth a little. There must
be no lip-rounding and no arching of the tongue. Keeping the organs of speech in the position, the students aim the quality between the Russian vowels [ý] and
[o].
If he errs on the side of the Russian [ý], he should make the sound a little more like the Russian vowel [o]. If the mistake is on the side of the Russian [o],
the learner should pronounce a vowel that is a little closer to the Russian [ý].
['o] - [ç:]
['ý] - [ç:]
[ò'îðí] òåðí - [tç:n] turn
[ò'ýí'] òåíü - [tç:n] turn
The vowel [ə] is pronounced with the central part of the tongue raised a little, but less than for [ç:]. The lips are neutral. The opening between the jaws is
narrow.
The vowel [ə] may be defined as central mid-broad unrounded short and lax.
The vowel [ə] is only used in unstressed position.
There is no vowel in Russian that fully coincides in quality with the English neutral vowel.
Russian learners are apt to replace the English [ə] by the Russian [ý] and [a]. The nearest Russian vowel to the English neutral vowel [?] is used at the end of
a word in the unstressed Russian a [ú] in a word-final position.
Compare: the English neutral vowel [ə] at the end of runner [rʌnə] with the Russian unstressed [ú] at the end of ðàíà [ðàíú].