Closing Diphthongs

Diphthongs, or Complex Vowels

No. 13 /eı/

The nucleus of the diphthong /eı/ is vowel No.3 /e/, which is closely connected with the second element of the diphthong — the glide /ı/ In the articulation of the diphthong /eı/ the bulk of the tongue glides from the /e/ to the /ı/ position, but the full formation of /ı/ is not accomplished. Since the movement of the tongue in the articulation of /eı/ is from a more open to a more close position, /eı/ is called a closing diphthong with the front, mid narrow unrounded nucleus. The lips are slightly spread. The opening between the jaws is rather narrow, wider for the nucleus than for the glide.

To practise the /eı/ articulation the following exercises are recommended:

peel — pail — pile able — cable — table

weel — wail — while pain — came — game

mean — main — mine play — plays — pace

feet — fate — fight pen — pain fell — fail

leak — lake — like sell — sale men — main

pay — paid — pain say — same — sake

may — made — mate gay — game — gait

day — date bay — bait

Graphic Equivalents of the /e ı / Diphthong

/eı/ is pronounced when spelt:

a take /teık/ — брать

ai wait /weıt/ — ждать

ay say /seı/ — сказать

ei vein /veın/ — жила

ey they /ðeı/ — они

ea great /greıt/ — большой

It is also pronounced in the words:

chaos /'keıυs/ — хаос; aorta /eı'o:tə/ — аорта, etc.

No. 14 /əu/

The nucleus of the diphthong /əu/ starts at the position for vowel No. 11 /з:/, the articulation of the nucleus is closely connected with the second element of the diphthong, the glide /u/. In the articulation of /əu/ the bulk of the tongue glides from the /ə/ to the /u/ position, but the full formation of /u/ is not accomplished. Since the movement of the tongue in the articulation of /əu/ is from a more open to a more close position /əu/ is called a closing diphthong with a central mid (narrow variation of the medium position of the tongue) nucleus. The lips are neutral at the beginning of the diphthong and rounded at the end of it for /u/.

To practise the /əu/ articulation the following exercises are recom­mended:

oak own open old over

snow no so show low

Moscow also tempo window flow

hold cold close telephone Soviet

Graphic Equivalents of the /əu/ /ои/ Diphthong

/əu/ is pronounced when spelt:

о so /səu/ — так

oe foe /fəu/ — враг

oa road /rəud/ — дорога

ou soul /səul/ — душа

ough though /ðə / — хотя

cw sew /səu/ — шить

ow know /nəu/ — знать

It is also pronounced in the words: omit /ə(u)'mıt/ — упускать most /məust/ — наибольший roll /rəul/ — рулон cold /kəuld/ — холодный

No. 15 /aı/

The nucleus of the diphthong /aı/ is the front open /a/ (more open and retractedthan vowel No. 4 /æ/), which glides to /ı/ without reaching it, theglide sounds like a weak /e/. In the articulation of /aı/ the bulk of the tonguemoves from a more open /a/ position to a more close /ı/ position. Theamplitude of this movement is bigger than that in the /eı/ and /əu/ articulation.

The opening between the jaws is rather wide for the nucleus and much narrower for the glide.

Topractise the pronunciation of the diphthong /aı/ the following exercisesare recommended:

I mine tide fight

tie time tile slight

die dime size like

fine — feign by — bay

line — lain like — lake

fight — fate my — mate

mine — mane die — day

Graphic Equivalents of the /aı/ Diphthong

/aı/ is pronounced when spelt:

i time /taım/ — время

igh night /naıt/ — ночь

eigh height /haıt/— высота, but: eight /eıt/ — восемь

у my /maı/ — мой

ie, ye tie /taı/ — галстук, rye /raı/ — рожь

It is also pronounced in the words: buy /baı/ — купить, guide /gaıd/ — гид, eye /aı/ — глаз, kind /kaınd/ — добрый, mild /maıld/ — мягкий

No. 16 /аu/

The nucleus of the diphthong /аu/ is /a/, which is more back than /a/ in /aı/. According to the data given by foreign authors, the nucleus of the diphthong /au/ is open, broad, central, unrounded. Vassilyev defines it as a diphthong with a front-retracted nucleus /a/, which glides to /u/. The amplitude of the glide is bigger than in the /aı/ articulation.

The opening between the jaws is wide for the nucleus and much nar­rower for the glide.

To practise the /аu/ articulation, the following exercises are recom­mended:

cow gown howl mice — mouse

now bow house lice — louse

town row mouth shy — shout

down loud allow die — doubt

Дата добавления: 2014-01-06