General Principals of vowel formation

The Diphthong theory

The English Vowel System

General Principals of vowel formation

Outline

VI. The English Vowels

Questions

1) What peculiarities of English pronunciation basis do you know?

2) What was the starting point of American English?

3) There are certain varieties of educated American speech, aren’t there?

4) Where is the Eastern type spoken?

5) What is a striking distinctive feature of the Southern type of American English?

6) What type of American English is known to be the pronunciation standard of the USA?

7) What are the main reasons for considering General American pronunciation the pronunciation standard of the United States?

8) What are the peculiar features of vowel pronunciation in GA?

9) What are the typical features of consonant pronunciation in GA?

The distinction between vowels and consonants is a very old one. The principle of this division, however, is not sufficiently clear up to the present time, the boundary between them being rather uncertain. The old term “consonants precludes the idea that consonants cannot be pronounced without vowels”. Yet we know that they can and often are; for instance, in the sound that call for silence: [∫].

The fact that vowels are usually syllabic, does not mean that consonants are incapable of forming syllables. On the contrary, they may be syllabic, too and we find many instances in the English language of syllabic sonorants forming syllables by themselves.

Acoustically, vowels are musical sounds. Nevertheless, in the formation of vowels considerable noise – producing narrowings and sometimes created: on the other hand, some consonants possess musical tone.

According to Prof. D. Jones: “The distinction between vowels and consonants is not arbitrary physiological distinction. It is in reality a distinction based on acoustic considerations, namely the relative sonority or carrying power of the various sound”. In the opinion of D. Jones, vowels are more sonourant than consonants. This is correct in most cases, but some consonants especially sonorants, are very sonorous (e. g. [m], [l], [n], [ŋ]).

D. Jones gives the following definition:

“A vowel (in normal speech) is defined as a voiced sound in forming which the aim issues in a continuous stream through the pharynx and mouth, there being no obstruction and no narrowing such as would cause audible friction. All the other sounds are called consonants”.

I. A. Baudouin de Courtenay has discovered a physiological distinction between vowels and consonants; according to his theory the main principle of their articulation is different: in consonant articulation the muscular tension is concentrated at one point which is the place of articulation, in vowel articulation the muscular tension is spread over all the speech organs. Knowing this we have no difficulty in ascertaining whether one or another particular sound is a vowel or a consonant.

Acoustically, a vowel is a musical sound, it is formed by means of periodic vibrations of the vocal cords in the larynx. The resulting sound waves are transmitted to the supra–laryngal cavities (the pharynx and the mouth cavity), where vowels receive their characteristic tamber.

We know from acoustics that the quality of a sound depends on the shape and the size of the resonance chamber, the material which it is made of and also, on the size and shape of the aperture of its outlet. In the case of vowels, the resonance chamber is always the same the supra –laryngal cavities. However, the shape and the size of the chamber can be made to vary, depending upon the different position that the tongue occupies in the mouth cavity and also depending on any slight alternation in the position of the back wall of the soft palate and of the lips which from the outlet of the resonance chamber. The lips may be neutral or rounded, protruded or not protruded, forming a small or a large aperture, or they may be spread, forming a narrow slit–like opening. When the lips are protruded, the resonance chamber is lengthened; when the lips are spread or neutral, the resonance chamber is shortened its front boundary being formed practically by the teeth.

It has already been mentioned that in producing vowels, the muscular tension is spread equally over all the speech organs, yet the tension may be stronger or weaker. If the muscular tension in the walls of the resonance chambers is weaker, the vowel has the less distinct quality, it may sometimes be quite obscure. If the muscular tension is stronger, the vowel has a well defined quality. In the first case, the vowels are called lax, in the second – tense.

It is difficult, however, if not next to impossible to classify vowels correctly from the point of view of tenseness. The degree of tenseness may be ascertained chiefly by comparison, while the result of comparison depends largely upon the articulation basis of the mother–tongue of the person who makes the comparison. To a Russian, for instance, all vowels seem tense, because Russian vowels are lax.

We can know formulate the general principles of vowel articulation.

1) Vowels are based o voice which is modified in the supra–laryngal cavities.

2) The muscular tension is spread over all the speech organs.

3) The air–stream passes through the supra–laryngal cavities freely, no narrowings being expressly formed on its way.

4) The breath force is rather weak for, it is expended when the air stream passes through the larynx and causes the vocal cords to vibrate.

Thus, vowels have no special place of articulation, the whole of the speech apparatus takes part in producing them. The classification of vowels, as well as the description of their articulation is therefore based upon the work of all the speech organs.

There are 1) articulatory, 2) acoustic and 3) functional differences between V and C.

1. The most substantial articulatory difference between vowels and consonants is that in the articulation of V the air passes freely through the mouth cavity, while in making C an obstruction is formed in the mouth cavity and the airflow exhaled from the lungs meets a narrowing or a complete obstruction formed by the speech organs.

2. Consonants articulations are relatively easy to feel, and as a result are most conveniently described in terms of PLACE and MANNER of articulation.

3. Vowels have no place of obstruction, the whole of speech apparatus takes place in their formation, while the articulation of consonants can be localized, an obstruction or narrowing for each C is made in a definite place of the speech apparatus.

4. The particular quality of Vs depends on the volume and shape of the mouth resonator, as well as on the shape and the size of the resonator opening. The mouth resonator is changed by the movements of the tongue and the lips.

5. The particular quality of Cs depends on the kind of noise that results when the tongue or the lips obstruct the air passage. The kind of noise produced depends in its turn on the type of obstruction, on the shape and the type of the narrowing. The vocal cords also determine the quality of consonants.

6. From the acoustic point of view, vowels are called the sounds of voice, they have high acoustic energy, consonants are the sounds of noise which have low acoustic energy.

7. Functional differences between Vs and Cs are defined by their role in syllable formation: Vs are syllable forming elements, Cs are units which function at the margins of syllables, either singly or in clusters.

These differences make it logical to consider each class of sounds independently.

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