Classification of English Vowels in Phonetics
Classification of English Vowels in Phonetics : Hello friends ! As we are studying about Phonetics. We learned about Organs of Speech in the previous notes. Today we are going to study about Classification of Speech Sounds with Examples.
Let us tell you that Speech Sounds is divided into two parts – Vowels and Consonants. Today we will understand its one part — Classification of English Vowels in Phonetics in detail. So let’s start :
What are the English Vowels in Phonetics ?
What is Vowel or Definition of English Vowels and its types in English Phonetics : The sounds in which the air comes out without any friction, the sound pronounced in this way is called Vowel.
The number of vowels in English is considered to be 20. Of these, 12 vowels are called Pure Vowels and the remaining 08 vowels are called Double Vowels.
20 vowel sounds with examples in English Phonetics : You can understand them better through the following table :
| Sr. No. | Vowels | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | Monophthongs / Pure Vowels | 12 |
| 02. | Diphthongs / Double Vowels / Vowel Glides | 08 |
Classification of English Vowels in Phonetics
Description and Classification of Vowels in English Phonetics : Vowels in English Phonetics are mainly divided into two parts, which are as follows :
- Monophthongs
- Diphthongs
Monophthongs :
What are the 12 Monophthongs Vowels with Examples : These are also called pure vowels. Those vowels which do not change their quality are called Monophthongs. These are 12 in number, which is like this :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols | English Vowels | Key Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | अ् | /ʌ/ | o, oe, oo, ou, u | come, does, blood, enough, sun |
| 02. | अर् | /ɜ:/ or /ə:/ | ir, er, ear, ur, our, wor | first, her, heard, nurse, journey, word |
| 03. | अ | /ə/ | a, o, ou, u | above, mother, famous, support |
| 04. | आ | /a:/ | a, al, ar, au, er, ear | pass, half, car, aunt, clerk, heart |
| 05. | इ | /i/ or /ɪ/ | a, e, i, y | village, pretty, sit, symbol |
| 06. | ई | /i:/ | e, ee, ea, ei, i, ie, ey | me, feel, sea, receive, police, piece, key |
| 07. | उ | /u/ or /ʊ/ | u, o, oo, ou | put, woman, good, should |
| 08. | ऊ | /u:/ | o, oe, oo, ou, u, ue, ui | who, shoe, food, group, june, blue, fruit |
| 09. | ए | /e/ | a, ai, ie, e, ea | say, said, friend, set, health |
| 10. | ऐ | /æ/ | a, ai | sat, plain |
| 11. | ओ | /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ | a, au, o, ou, ow | what, because, dog, cough, knowledge |
| 12. | ऑ | /ɔ:/ | a, au, aw, or, ou, ore, oar, oor, our | all, cause, saw, born, bought, more, board, door, four |
#Note — What is Phonetic Symbols or Phonemes in English : To represent speech sounds in English, some special symbols are used, which are called Phonetic Symbols or Phonemes.
#Types of Vowels Sounds — According to the Parts of the Tongues :
How many types of vowels are there in English : Friends! We told you about the organs of speech in the previous notes. To learn phonetics well, you should understand the organs of speech and their function well. We have studied about all the parts of the tongue.
#According to the Parts of the Tongues, vowel sounds are divided into the following parts :
- Front Vowels
- Central Vowels
- Back Vowels
1. Front Vowels :
When the front part of the tongue moves towards the hard palate and the air comes out without friction, the vowels pronounced in this way are called Front Vowels. like :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | इ | /i/ or /ɪ/ |
| 02. | ई | /i:/ |
| 03. | ए | /e/ |
| 04. | ऐ | /æ/ |
2. Central Vowels :
When the central part of the tongue moves towards the center of the hard palate or soft palate and the air is released without friction, the vowels pronounced in this way are called Central Vowels. like :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | अ् | /ʌ/ |
| 02. | अर् | /ɜ:/ or /ə:/ |
| 03. | अ | /ə/ |
3. Back Vowels :
When the back part of the tongue moves towards the soft palate and the air comes out without friction, the vowels pronounced in this way are called Back Vowels. like :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | आ | /a:/ |
| 02. | उ | /u/ or /ʊ/ |
| 03. | ऊ | /u:/ |
| 04. | ओ | /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ |
| 05. | ऑ | /ɔ:/ |
#Types of Vowels Sounds — According to the Tongue Position :
#According to the Tongue Position, vowel sounds are divided into the following parts :
- Close Vowels
- Open Vowels
- Half Close Vowels
- Half Open Vowels
1. Close Vowels :
When any part of the tongue is moved very close to the roof of the mouth, then the vowel pronounced in this way is called a Close Vowels. like :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | ई | /i:/ |
| 02. | ऊ | /u:/ |
2. Open Vowels :
When any part of the tongue is away from the roof of the mouth, then the vowel pronounced in this way is called an Open Vowels. like :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | अ् | /ʌ/ |
| 02. | अ | /ə/ |
| 03. | आ | /a:/ |
| 04. | ऐ | /æ/ |
3. Half Close/ Half Open Vowels :
When the tongue is between the close and open positions, then the vowel pronounced in this way is called Half Close / Half Open Vowels. like :
- Half Close Vowels :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | इ | /i/ or /ɪ/ |
| 02. | उ | /u/ or /ʊ/ |
| 03. | ए | /e/ |
| 04. | ओ | /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ |
- Half Open Vowels :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | अर् | /ɜ:/ or /ə:/ |
| 02. | ऑ | /ɔ:/ |
#Types of Vowels Sounds — According to the Lips Position :
#Vowels are of the following types according to the Lips Position :
- Rounded Vowels
- Unrounded Vowels
1. Rounded Vowels :
Vowels in which the lips are rounded in pronunciation, the vowels pronounced in this way are called Rounded Vowels. like :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | उ | /u/ or /ʊ/ |
| 02. | ऊ | /u:/ |
| 03. | ओ | /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ |
| 04. | ऑ | /ɔ:/ |
2. Unrounded Vowels :
The vowels in which the lips fall in the pronunciation means they are not rounded, the vowels pronounced in this way are called Unrounded Vowels. like :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | अ् | /ʌ/ |
| 02. | अर् | /ɜ:/ or /ə:/ |
| 03. | अ | /ə/ |
| 04. | आ | /a:/ |
| 05. | इ | /i/ or /ɪ/ |
| 06. | ई | /i:/ |
| 07. | ए | /e/ |
| 08. | ऐ | /æ/ |
#Understand From The Table — Classification of Vowel Sounds :
How many Vowel sounds in English Grammar : You will be able to understand this Classification of vowel sounds better from the table given below :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols | Tongue Part | Tongue Position | Lip Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | अ् | /ʌ/ | Central | Open | Unrounded |
| 02. | अर् | /ɜ:/ or /ə:/ | Central | Half Open | Unrounded |
| 03. | अ | /ə/ | Central | Open | Unrounded |
| 04. | आ | /a:/ | Front | Open | Unrounded |
| 05. | इ | /i/ or /ɪ/ | Front | Half Close | Unrounded |
| 06. | ई | /i:/ | Front | Close | Unrounded |
| 07. | उ | /u/ or /ʊ/ | Back | Half Close | Rounded |
| 08. | ऊ | /u:/ | Back | Close | Rounded |
| 09. | ए | /e/ | Front | Half Close | Unrounded |
| 10. | ऐ | /æ/ | Front | Open | Unrounded |
| 11. | ओ | /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ | Back | Half Close | Rounded |
| 12. | ऑ | /ɔ:/ | Back | Half Open | Rounded |
Diphthongs (Vowel Glides) :
What are the 08 Diphthongs or Vowel Glides with Examples : Diphthong is a Greek word which means : double sound. Let us tell you that this is a combination of two vowel sound, hence it is also called Double Vowels. Those vowels which change their quality are called Diphthongs.
The diphthongs are also defined as a Vowel Glides. Vowel Glide refers to when the position of the tongue or speech organs is moved in the direction of another vowel starting from one vowel. Hence it is also called Vowel Glide. Note that the first part of the diphthong is pronounced more strongly than the second part.
#Understand Diphthongs From The Table :
The number of diphthongs sounds in English is 8. Which is like this :
| Sr. No. | Pronunciation | Phonetic Symbols | English Vowels | Key Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | इअ | /iə/ or /ɪə/ | e, ea, eo, ear, eer, ere, ie, io | series, idea, peon, dear, cheer, here, experience, period |
| 02. | उअ | /uə/ or /ʊə/ | ew, oor, our, ur, ure | jewel, poor, tour, curious, pure |
| 03. | एअ | /ɛə/ or /eə/ | ai, are, ea, ei, er | air, care, wear, their, there |
| 04. | अउ | /əu/ or /əʊ/ | o, oa, oe, ou, ow | go, goat, toe, soul, know |
| 05. | आउ | /aʊ/ or /au/ | ou, ow | sound, how |
| 06. | आइ | /ai/ or /aɪ/ | ai, ei, eigh, i, ie, igh, uy, y, ye | kaiser, either, height, time, tie, high, buy, my, eye |
| 07. | ऑइ | /ɔi/ or /ɔɪ/ | oi, oy | voice, boy |
| 08. | एई | /ei/ or /eɪ/ | a, ai, ay, ea, ei, ey | late, wait, day, great, weight, they |
So this is the Classification of English Vowels. Hope you have got a good idea about English Vowels and their Phonetic Symbols.
Today we have learned in detail about the classification of the first part — Classification of English Vowels in Phonetics. Now we will study about the second part — Classification of English Consonant in Phonetics in the next notes. So stay connected with us.
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