The vowel is a sound in the production of which the air stream does not meet an obstruction and there is no noise component

2. Vowels are classified according to:

- the stability of articulation

- the tongue position

- the lip position

- the length of the vowel

3. According to the stability of articulation vowels are divided into monophthongs, diphthongs and diphthongoids.

The articulation of monophthongs is almost unchanging throughout their pronunciation.

In the articulation of diphthongs the organs of speech glide from one vowel position to another within one syllable. Each diphthong consists of two elements: the nucleus and the glide. The nucleus is strong and distinct; the glide is weak, its articulation is not fully accomplished.

Diphthongoids are characterized by some change in the articulation between the starting point and the end but the difference is not so distinct as in diphthongs.

3. According to the tongue position vowels are divided into front, back and central. A front vowel is produced when the tongue is in the front part of the mouth cavity and its front part is raised. The tongue may be slightly retracted, then the vowel is front-retracted. When the tongue is in the back part of the mouth cavity and its back part is raised towards the soft palate, back vowels are produced. The tongue may be slightly advanced, then the vowel is back-advanced. When the central part of the tongue is raised, the vowel is central.

Depending on the height of the raised part of the tongue, vowels are divided into close, open and mid.

A close vowel is produced when the tongue is raised high towards the palate. An open vowel is produced when the tongue is placed low in the mouth cavity. Mid vowels are produced when the position of the tongue is intermediate between the highest and the lowest.

To make the classification of vowels more precise, it is necessary to distinguish broad and narrow variants.

4. According to the lip position vowels are rounded (with the lips rounded) and unrounded (with the lips neutral or spread).

5. English monophthongs may be long or short.

1. Short Monophthongs.

a. It’s a pity that little kitty lives in a big city.

b. Ted meant to spend the night in a tent.

c. We’ll weather the weather whatever the weather whether you like it or not.

d. East or west, home is best.

e. All is well that ends well.

f. A black cat sat on a mat and ate a fat rat.

g. That’s the man who sat on my hat in the tram.

h. Once there lived a lad who was always very sad,

For he hadn’t any mother and he hadn’t any dad.

i. If you, Sandy, have two candies,

Give one candy to Andy, Sandy;

If you, Andy, have two candies,

Give one candy to Sandy, Andy.

j. A small pot is soon hot.

k. The cook took a good look at the cookery book.

l. Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.

m. Are you tough enough for my love?

2. Long Monophthongs.

a. Extremes meet.

b. Greek meets Greek.

c. He speaks Chinese and Japanese with equal ease.

d. It isn’t easy to please Lizzie.

e. Honey is sweet but the bees sting.

f. Still waters run deep.

g. First come, first served.

h. The first word is a verb and the third word is an adverb.

i. Many words hurt more than swords.

j. Old birds aren’t caught with chaff.

k. The teacher thought, and thought, and thought;

but no one knew the thought he thought.

l. Half heart is no heart.

m. Martha and Martin plant garlic in the garden.

n. He laughs best who laughs last.

o. It’s enough to make a cat laugh.

3. Diphthongs.

a. Plenty is no plague.

b. Haste makes waste.

c. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

d. Like to like.

e. Out of sight, out of mind.

f. Ike and Ivy sit side by side quite like mice.

g. What have you found out about it?

h. Oh no, don’t go home alone, nobody knows how lonely the road is.

i. Soams never knows of what he boasts, but Rose never boasts of what she knows.

j. Joyce enjoys annoying Roy.

k. Where there is a will, there is a way.

l. we’re near the end of the year.

m. What can’t be cured, must be endured.

n. Curiosity is incurable.

o. A rolling stone gathers no mos.

p. Autumn leaves tumble down,

Autumn leaves bumble down,

Autumn leaves crumble down.

Shaking and flaking

Tumble down leaves.

Down, down, down,

Red, yellow, brown.

REDUCTION

Words that bear information (notional parts of speech) are usually stressed in sentences and sense groups. Form words help to link notional words in an utterance and are usually unstressed. In unstressed positions their weak, or reduced, forms are used.