Phonetics 4 - Vowels

Vowels – Tenseness (Tense/Lax) Hints to remember the Tense / Lax distinction: — tense vowels are slightly higher than similar lax vowels — The IPA symbols (not sounds!) we use to represent the tense vowels are the standard “vowel letters” that we were taught in grade school! 31 Vowels – Lip Rou...

Vowels – Tenseness (Tense/Lax) Hints to remember the Tense / Lax distinction: — tense vowels are slightly higher than similar lax vowels — The IPA symbols (not sounds!) we use to represent the tense vowels are the standard “vowel letters” that we were taught in grade school! 31 Vowels – Lip Rounding — Last Feature! This one is easy to feel: — Lips in [i] vs. [u] — English does not make any contrasts based solely on rounding, but there are many other languages that do—this is why rounding is a critical distinction to make when giving a featural description of vowels. 32 Vowels – Lip Rounding — Which vowels in English are rounded? (4) — Which vowels in English are unrounded? (8) Front Central beet [i] bit [ɪ] bait [e] bet [ɛ] Back boot [u] book [ʊ] about [ə] but [ʌ] bat [æ] High boat [o] Mid door [ɔ] Low cot [a] 33 IPA: Vowels – Putting the Features Together ɔ a 34 high, front, unrounded, tense beat