The vowel sound /ә /

I. Listen to the sound / ә /. Look at the mouth diagram to see how to make this short vowel sound.

In pronouncing the English / ә / the position of the tongue and lips resembles that of / 3: /, but the tongue is lower. The lips are neutral.

II. Listen and repeat.

A photograph of Barbara, a glass of water, a pair of binoculars, a photograph of her mother and father, a book about South America.

III. Read these examples of the sound / ә /.

Weak A: away banana woman sugaraboutaromacollar

Weak E: garden paper underbiggerworkeragentpatent

Weak O: police doctor correct today kingdom seldom ivory

Weak U: support figure Augustchorus ketchup treasure

Other: “re” litre metre theatre fibre; “ou” colour labour neighbour

IV. Read this story aloud. The spelling has been changed to show you when to make the sound /ә /.

Barbәrә spent Satәrday aftәnoon looking әt ә beautiful book әbout South әmericә.

“I want tә go tә South әmericә,” she said tә hәself.

Thә next morning, when Barbәrә woke up it wәs six ә’clock, әnd hә brothәs and sistәs wә still әsleep. Barbәrә looked әt thәm, and closed hәr eyes әgain.

Then she quiәtly got out әf bed әnd started tә pack hә suitcase.

She took sәme comfәtәble clothes out әf thә cupbәd. She packed ә pair әf binoculәs әnd hә sistә’s camәrә. She packed ә photәgraph әf hәself әnd one әf hә mothәr and fathә.

“I mustn’t fәget tә have sәme breakfәst,” she said tә hәself. Bәt then she looked әt thә clock. It wәs ә quartә tә seven.

“I’ll jәst drink ә glass әf watә,” she said.

“ә glass әf watә,” she said.

“Watә,” she said әnd opened hәr eyes.

She wәs still in hә bed, әnd hә brothәs әnd sistәs wә laughing әt hә.

“Tell әs what you wә dreaming әbout,” they said tә hә.

Bәt Barbәrә didn’t answә. She wәs thinking әbout hә wondәful journey tә South әmericә.

V. Read the following sentences. Mind the right articulation of the sounds /ә /.

a) I ate an apple and a banana in a cinema in Canada.

b) Papa bought me a balloon at the circus.

c) Anna has another parasol.

d) She gave me some chocolate when I went away.

e) The pilot jumped from the balloon in a parachute.

f) A buffalo, a zebra and a gorilla escaped from the circus.

g) The famous attorney submitted an appeal.

h) He fell asleep on the sofa.

VI. Learn the following graphical rules:

Vowel /ә/ is represented in spelling by:

1) The letter “a” in prefixes (about)

2) In suffixes “er, or, ar, our, ous” (teacher, doctor, cellar, neighbour, famous)

3) “a, o, u” when non-accented (sofa, atom, column)