English Vowel Sounds

A vowel letter can represent different vowel sounds: hat [hæt], hate [heit], all [o:l], art [a:rt], any ['eni].

(Одна гласная буква может передавать разные гласные звуки: hat [hæt], hate [heit], all [o:l], art [a:rt], any ['eni].)

 

The same vowel sound is often represented by different vowel letters in writing: [ei] they, weigh, may, cake, steak, rain.

(Один и тот же гласный звук часто представлен разными гласными буквами на письме: [ei] they, weigh, may, cake, steak, rain.)

 

Open and closed syllables

(Открытые и закрытые слоги)

 

Open syllable: Kate [keit], Pete [pi:t], note [nout], site [sait], cute [kyu:t].

Closed syllable: cat [kæt], pet [pet], not [not], sit [sit], cut (the neutral sound [ə]).

 

Vowels and vowel combinations

The vowels A, E, I, O, U, Y alone, in combination with one another or with R, W represent different vowel sounds. The chart below lists the vowel sounds according to the American variant of pronunciation.

(Гласные A, E, I, O, U, Y по отдельности, в комбинации друг с другом или с R, W передают различные гласные звуки. В таблице ниже указаны гласные звуки согласно американскому варианту произношения.)

 

Sounds Letters Examples Notes
[i:]

e, ee

ea

ie, ei

be, eve, see, meet, sleep,

meal, read, leave, sea, team,

field, believe, receive

been [i];

bread, deaf [e];

great, break [ei];

friend [e]

[i]

i

y

it, kiss, tip, pick, dinner,

system, busy, pity, sunny

machine, ski,

liter, pizza [i:]

[e]

e

ea

let, tell, press, send, end,

bread, dead, weather, leather

meter [i:]

sea, mean [i:]

[ei]

a

ai, ay

ei, ey

ea

late, make, race, able, stable,

aim, wait, play, say, day,

eight, weight, they, hey,

break, great, steak

 

said, says [e];

height, eye [ai]

[æ] a

cat, apple, land, travel, mad;

AmE: last, class, dance, castle, half

 
[a:]

ar

a

army, car, party, garden, park,

father, calm, palm, drama;

BrE: last, class, dance, castle, half

war, warm [o:]

 

 

[ai]

i, ie

y, uy

ice, find, smile, tie, lie, die,

my, style, apply, buy, guy

 
[au]

ou

ow

out, about, house, mouse,

now, brown, cow, owl, powder

group, soup [u:]

know, own [ou]

[o] o not, rock, model, bottle, copy  
[o:]

or

o

aw, au

ought

al, wa-

more, order, cord, port,

long, gone, cost, coffee,

law, saw, pause, because,

bought, thought, caught,

hall, always, water, war, want

work, word [ər]

 

 

 

[oi] oi, oy oil, voice, noise, boy, toy  

[ou]

o

oa, ow

go, note, open, old, most,

road, boat, low, own, bowl

do, move [u:]

how, owl [au]

[yu:]

u

ew

eu

ue, ui

use, duty, music, cute, huge, tune,

few, dew, mew, new,

euphemism, feud, neutral,

hue, cue, due, sue, suit

 
[u:]

u

o, oo

ew

ue, ui

ou

 

rude, Lucy, June,

do, move, room, tool,

crew, chew, flew, jewel,

blue, true, fruit, juice,

group, through, route;

AmE: duty, new, sue, student

 

 

guide, quite [ai];

build [i]

[u]

oo

u

ou

look, book, foot, good,

put, push, pull, full, sugar,

would, could, should

 
neutral sound [ə]

u, o

ou

a, e

o, i

gun, cut, son, money, love,

tough, enough, rough,

about, brutal, taken, violent,

memory, reason, family

Also:

stressed, [ʌ];

unstressed, [ə].

[ər]

er, ur, ir

or, ar

ear

serve, herb, burn, hurt, girl, sir,

work, word, doctor, dollar,

heard, earn, earnest, earth

 

heart, hearth [a:]

 

Note 1: The letter Y

The letter Y can function as a vowel or as a consonant. As a vowel, Y has the vowel sounds [i], [ai]. As a consonant, Y has the consonant sound [y] (i.e., a semivowel sound), usually at the beginning of the word and only in the syllable before a vowel.

[i]: any, city, carry, funny, mystery, synonym;

[ai]: my, cry, rely, signify, nylon, type;

[y]: yard, year, yes, yet, yield, you.

Примечание 1: Буква Y

Буква Y может функционировать как гласная или согласная. Как гласная, Y имеет гласные звуки [i], [ai]. Как согласная, Y имеет согласный звук [y] (т.е. полугласный звук), обычно в начале слова и только в слоге перед гласной.

[i]: any, city, carry, funny, mystery, synonym;

[ai]: my, cry, rely, signify, nylon, type;

[y]: yard, year, yes, yet, yield, you.

 

Note 2: Diphthongs

A diphthong is one indivisible vowel sound that consists of two parts. The first part is the main strong component (the nucleus); the second part is short and weak (the glide). A diphthong is always stressed on its first component: [au], [ou]. A diphthong forms one syllable. American linguists usually list five diphthongs: [ei], [ai], [au], [oi], [ou].

Примечание 2: Дифтонги

Дифтонг это один неделимый гласный звук, который состоит из двух частей. Первая часть главный сильный компонент (ядро); вторая часть короткая и слабая (скольжение). Дифтонг всегда имеет ударение на первом компоненте: [au], [ou]. Дифтонг образует один слог. Американские лингвисты обычно приводят пять дифтонгов: [ei], [ai], [au], [oi], [ou].

 

Note 3: The sound [o]

The sound [o] is short in British English. In the same words in American English, the sound [o] is a long sound colored as [a:]. This sound is often listed as [a:] in American materials for ESL students. In some words, there are two variants of pronunciation in AmE: [o:] or [o].

[o]: lot, rock, rob, bother, bottle, college, comment, document, modern, popular, respond, John, Tom;

[o:] or [o]: gone, coffee, office, borrow, orange, sorry, loss, lost, want, wash, water.

Примечание 3: Звук [o]

Звук [o] краткий в британском английском. В тех же словах в американском английском, звук [o] долгий звук, окрашенный как [a:]. Этот звук часто дается как [a:] в американских материалах для студентов ESL. В некоторых словах два варианта произношения в AmE: [o:] или [o].

[o]: lot, rock, rob, bother, bottle, college, comment, document, modern, popular, respond, John, Tom;

[o:] или [o]: gone, coffee, office, borrow, orange, sorry, loss, lost, want, wash, water.

 

Note 4: The neutral sound

Transcription symbols for the neutral sound are [ʌ] (caret) in stressed syllables (fun, son) and [ə] (schwa) in unstressed syllables (about, lesson). In American ESL materials, the neutral sound is often shown as [ə] (schwa) in both stressed and unstressed syllables.

Примечание 4: Нейтральный звук

Символы транскрипции для нейтрального звука: [ʌ] (caret) в ударных слогах (fun, son) и [ə] (schwa) в безударных слогах (about, lesson). В американских материалах ESL нейтральный звук часто дается как [ə] (schwa) и в ударных, и в безударных слогах.

 

Read more about vowel letters and sounds in Spelling Patterns for Vowels in the section Writing.

Прочитайте еще о гласных буквах и звуках в статье Spelling Patterns for Vowels в разделе Writing.