phonetic and phonology research proposal the difference between e æ ɑ in phonetic and how to pronouce them correctly

Its vowel height is open, also known as near-low, which means the tongue is positioned similarly to an open vowel, but is slightly more constricted – that is, the tongue is positioned si

NHA TRANG UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE

PHONETIC AND PHONOLOGY RESEARCH PROPOSAL

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN /e/ /æ/ / / IN PHONETIC ɑː AND HOW TO PRONOUCE THEM CORRECTLY

PRESENTED BY:

NHA TRANG UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE

PHONETIC AND PHONOLOGY RESEARCH PROPOSAL

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN /e/ /æ/ / / IN PHONETIC ɑː AND HOW TO PRONOUCE THEM CORRECTLY

PRESENTED BY:

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Table of contents 1

I INTRODUCTION 2

1)The reason of choosing topic: 2

2) The meaning of topic: 3

II.CONTENT 3

1.Analysis 3

a.sound description 3

b.Comparison 7

2 Discusion 1

III Conclusion 4

1.Summary 4

2.Solution 5

IV.REFERENCES 5

I INTRODUCTION

1)The reason of choosing topic:

In the contemporary world, globalization has become the main and most popular trend that governs the upward progress of human history, creating conditions and opportunities for new factors to develop Vietnam , a 150 member of the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) , can compete with the powers of the five continents , requires

us to be well equipped for our human resources , especially for human cultivation On the path of integration in the era of the industrial revolution 4.0, English is considered

an international language, an indispensable luggage, and a key for the young generation to enter all fields from science to science - technology , commerce , finance to political activities , international communication to bring the country to prosperity In fact, no one can immediately pronounce correctly in English and we have to go through days of endless learning about syllables in phonetics In the field of pronunciation research, English phonemic errors are a matter of particular interest to many researchers due to the importance of this international language in the process of exchange and integration Up to now, there have been a number of research works on English pronunciation of Vietnamese people, but only focusing on double pronunciation with one or a few target language units at the same level In the book

English Phonetics and Phonology (2012) states that "Phonetics is the study of how speech sounds are produced, transmitted and perceived”.According to the survey conducted for all 50 people including students and adults, the main result was that more than 75% of the total could not pronounce and distinguish these 3 vowels In

Figure 1- The survey of three vowels sound

particular, the bad letter of the vowel /ae/ accounts for the highest percentage of the total 3 vowels

Being able to understand phonetics is considered to be the hardest subject for correct pronunciation To be able to learn a new language perfectly, it is necessary to understand how sounds are made and to use the pronunciation organs that are best suited to that language However, if these are not done, the sound will be distorted, not matching the words that the listener can understand Even if your vocabulary and English grammar are perfect, it may still be difficult for people to understand you because of your pronunciation In this project, we would like to focus on how to pronounce the /e/ and /ae/ combination in English English language has some sounds that your native language might not, then it's necessary to learn how to make a new sound As far as we understand, a lot of Vietnamese who are learning English always make mistake by pronouncing them the same Generally speaking, this is a common mistake in learning English but it's supposed that not many learners really notice and

be able to fix this issue Because /e/ /ae/ /ɑː/ are different sounds, Vietnamese also pronouce the sound /æ / similary to the sound /ɑː/ /e/ , the articulator obviously has different ways to produce these sounds for instance, “bag” is pronouce as /bæg/ but it sounds like “bad” /e/ or the word “start” /ɑː/ is also sound like /ae/ In this project, we have three main parts: the process of the human' articulator to produce /e/ /æ / /ɑː/ sounds and the precision of pronuncing the /æ / /ɑː/ /e/ in word into /e/ /æ /ɑː/

2) The meaning of topic:

This topic plays an important role in order to help leaners in speaking English language, specially, in their pronunciation The more learners understand the process

of the articulator, the easier they study English In addition, this topic also help people who are using English in working, teaching and communicating

II.CONTENT.

1.Analysis

a.sound description

It is a Vowel sound and it’s technical name is the ‘Near-Open Front Unrounded Vowel’

How to pronounce the æ sound

This vowel is a low vowel Its vowel height is open, also known as near-low, which means the tongue is positioned similarly to an open vowel, but is slightly more constricted – that is, the tongue is positioned similarly to a low vowel and shift it toward the front but slightly higher

Its vowel backness is front, which means the tongue is positioned forward in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant

It is unrounded, which means that the lips are not rounded The muscles of your lips and mouth should be relaxed Vibrate your vocal cords with your mouth in this position This vowel is made lower in the mouth than the / / vowel All vowels areɛ made through the mouth and are voiced so you vibrate your vocal chords to make the sound

It is similar to the / :/ sound, but it is shorter; /æ/ not / :/.ɑ ɑ

How the æ sound is spelled

The æ sound is normally spelled with the letter ‘a’ as in the words:

at /æt/ (1:20 in Video “The /æ/ sound”)

as /æz/ (1:21 in Video “The /æ/ sound”) can /kæn/ (1:23 in Video “The /æ/ sound”)

Examples of the æ sound

Here are some words that start with the æ sound:

add /æd/

actually / ækt uəli/ˈ ʆ activity /æk t vəti/ˈ ɪ

Here are some words that have the sound in the middle

back /bæk/

family /’fæməli/

hand /hænd/

/e/

The close-mid front unrounded vowel, or high-mid front unrounded vowel

How to Pronounce the /e/ sound:

This vowel is a mid front vowel Position your tongue at middle height in your mouth, and shift it toward the front The muscles of your lips and mouth should be fairly tense Vibrate your vocal cords with your mouth in this position This vowel is made slightly higher in the mouth than the / / vowel.ɛ

Its vowel backness is front, which means the tongue is positioned forward in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant

To produce the sound put your tongue high, but not at the top, and at the front of your mouth and stretch out your lips, then make a short voiced sound with your mouth slightly open All vowels are made through the mouth and are voiced so you vibrate your vocal chords to make the sound

How the /e/ sound is spelled:

The e sound is normally spelled with the letter ‘e’ as in the words:

well /wel/ ( 1:17 in Video “The /e/ sound”) tell /tel/ (1:20 in Video “The /e/ sound”) But it can also be spelled with the letter ‘a’ as in the words:

many /’meni/ (1:27 in Video “The /e/ sound”)

again /ə’gen/ (1:29 in Video “The /e/ sound”)

Examples of the /e/ phoneme

Here are some words that start with the e sound:

every /’evri/

any /’eni/

end /end/

Here are some words that have the sound in the middle:

never /‘nevə/

very /’veri/

help /help

/ :/ ɑ

It’s technical name is the ‘Open Back Unrounded Vowel or “Low back unrounded vowel”

How to Pronounce the / :/ sound ɑ

Its vowel height is open, also known as low, which means the tongue is positioned far from the roof of the mouth – that is, low in the mouth

Its vowel backness is back, which means the tongue is positioned back in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant Unrounded back vowels tend to be centralized, which means that often they are in fact near-back

It is unrounded, which means that the lips are not rounded

All vowels are made through the mouth and are voiced so you vibrate your vocal chords to make the sound

It is similar to the /æ/ sound, but the two little dots mean that it is a longer sounds

/ :/ not /æ/.ɑ

To produce the sound put your tongue low and at the back of your mouth, then make a long voiced sound with you mouth open

How the : sound is spelled ɑ

The : sound is normally spelled with the letters ‘a-r’ as in the words:ɑ

start /stɑːt/ (1:30 in Video “The /ɑː/ sound”) part /pɑːt/ (1:33 in Video “The /ɑː/ sound”) large /lɑː ʒd / (1:35 in Video “The /ɑː/ sound”)

Examples of the / :/ Sound ɑ

Here are some words that start with the : sound:ɑ

art /ɑːt/

arm /ɑːm/

answer /ˈɑːnsə/

Here are some words that have the sound in the middle:

father / fˈ ɑːðə/

class /klɑːs/

hard /hɑːd/

Here are some words with the / :/ at the end.ɑ

far /fɑː/ car /kɑː/ bar /bɑː/

b.Comparison

b.1 Simillarity:

The sound /e/, /æ/ and /ɑː/ are all pure vowels (monophthongs)

A pure vowel (monophthong) is an unchanging sound in the pronunciation of which the organs of speech do not perceptibly change the position throughout the duration of the vowel in a syllable (chapter III- the Classification of English Sounds p.12)

Pure vowels are also known as monophthongs since they produce only one sound when spoken As previously indicated, there will be no glide or change from one

sound to the next If you look at the location of the tongue, you'll notice that the mouth stays the same while these words are said

There are 12 pure vowels or

monophthongs in English language, but

according to the length vowels

(monophthongs) can be long or short:

+ 5 long vowels (monophthongs):

/i:/, /u:/, / :/, / :/, / :/ ɜ ɔ ɑ

(monophthongs): / /, / /, /ə/, /e/, /æ/, / /,ɪ ʊ ʌ

/ /ɒ

One of the very important aspects of the English language is pronounce correctly Even a minor mispronunciation can cause others to misunderstand what you're saying, which is quite inconvenient The sound /e/, /æ/ and /ɑː/ have a distinct tongue position, although the differences are minor, making it difficult to distinguish

Example 1: He said /sed/ was sad /sæd/ after /ˈɑːf.tər/ talking to his girlfriend Example 2: The red /red/ bag /bæ / is very large /lɡ ɑː ʒd /

b.1.2 Difference:

1.Steps to pronounce - Step 1: open

your mouth naturally

- Step 2: the height of tongue is mid-open

- Step 3: make the sound /e/ with your lips staying still

- Step 1: open your mouth widely

- Step 2: the height of tongue is low

- Step 3: make the sound / æ / with your lips staying still

- Step 1:open your mouth but not too widely

- Step 2: the height of tongue is low

- Step 3: make the sound /ɑː/ with your lips staying still and prolong the sound

3 Height of tongue Mid-open/

mid-close

Open (low) Open (low)

5 Type of vowel

(according to which

part of tongue is

Front vowel Front vowel Back vowel

Figure 2-The Cardinal Vowel Diagram (KnowledgeE)

6 Type of vowel

(according to the

height to which the

part of the tongue is

raised)

Mid-open/ mid-close vowel

Open (or low) vowel

Open (or low) vowel

7 Type of vowel

(according to the lip

shape)

Spread vowel Spread vowel Rounded vowel

According to the height to which the part of the tongue is raised, vowels can be close (or high), mid-open/ mid-close, open (or low) (chapter III- the Classification of English Sounds p.13) We can see:

+ /e/ is mid-open/ mid close vowel Pronounce it for better understanding: Example: many / men.i/, men /men/, get / et/ˈ ɡ

+ /æ/ and / ɑː / are open (low) vowels Pronounce it for better understanding:

• Have /hæv/ (0:44)

• Pan /pæn/

• Bag /bæ /ɡ

• Chance /tʃɑːns/

• answer /ˈɑːnsə/

• Smart /smɑːt/ (3:33)

Figure 3- height of tongue

According to which part of the tongue is raised (i.e according to whether the back, the front or the middle of the tongue is raised towards the roof of the mouth),

vowels can be front, central and back (chapter III- the Classification of English Sounds p.13) We can see:

+ /e/ and /æ/ are front vowels Pronounce it for better understanding:

• head /hed/

• hat /hæt/

• send /send/

• sand /sænd/

+ / ɑː / is back vowel Pronounce it for better understanding:

• Example: car /kɑː/, class /klɑːs/, market / mˈ ɑː ɪk t/,

According to the lip shape, vowels can be rounded, neutral or unrounded (spread) (chapter III- the Classification of English Sounds p.14)

+ /e/ and /æ/ are spread vowels Pronounce it for better understanding:

• met /met/

• let /let/,

• weather / weð.ər/ (4:39)ˈ

• actually / ækt uəli/ˈ ʆ

• action / æk ən/ˈ ʆ

• activity /æk t vəti/ˈ ɪ + / ɑː / is rounded vowel Pronounce it for better understanding:

Example: shock / k/, cock /k k/, star /stʃɒ ɒ ɑː/, nasty / nˈ ɑː.sti/ (9:26)

2 Discusion

Pronunciation is a very

important part that affects directly

the effectiveness of communication

The correct pronunciation will help

others understand the messages you

want to convey and vice versa, the

wrong pronunciation will cause some

confusion

Most Vietnamese people often pronounce wrongly, especially the three sounds: /æ/, /a:/ and /e/

This is also an inconvenience when we communicate with foreigners or have difficulty in learning English because they cannot understand what you want to

Figure -4-Confused Pronunciation between /æ/ and /a:/

convey as well as you cannot understand fully other people's contents

Figure 5-Confused Pronunciation between /æ/ and /e



 Why do Vietnamese people often make mistakes when they pronounce these sounds above in English?

Objective reasons

Due to differences in culture and development history, the pronunciation of sounds in English is very different from Vietnamese, although both languages use the Alphabet system to represent sound decoding

 The nature of Vietnamese is a monosyllabic language A word in Vietnamese can only be made up of a single syllable (syllable)

 English is a polyphonic language and the way to pronounce a word in English consists of many different syllables

Figure 6-The difference between English and Vietnamese in syllable structure

 English’s pronunciation is more diverse and complex than Vietnamese’s one

 In English, according to the length vowels can be long or short Long vowels usually have a longer, more stressed and clear pronunciation than short vowels while in Vietnamese we don't have this division In English, according to the length vowels can be long or short Long vowels usually have a longer, more stressed and clear pronunciation than short vowels While Vietnamese does not have this division

Subjective reasons:

 Vietnamese people often have the habit of spelling Vietnamese into English and recording Vietnamese transcription on English words This leads to pronounce incorrectly three vowels /æ/, /a:/ and /e/

 The two sounds /e/, and /æ/ are short and sound the same In particular, /æ/

is a sound only found in English, and reading a hybrid between "a" and

"e" makes it difficult for many Vietnamese people to pronounce words correctly

 The /e/ sound is pronounced by placing the tongue at a low level The tip

of the tongue touches the gingival part of the lower jaw Mouth and lips open wide when speaking This pronunciation is quite similar to the "e" sound in Vietnamese, so Vietnamese people can pronounce easily this sound