Reading of a stressed vowel in its short meaning. Short vowels of the English language

If there is no indicator of length (it means the second vowel or a combination “ gh ” after a stressed vowel immediately or in one consonant) the English vowel is read shortly.

The short sound meaning of “ e, i, o ” almost coincides with the sound meanings of these letters in the Latin alphabet.

1) The letter “ e ” denotes the short sound [e] representing the first element of the diphthong [ei].

2) The letter “ i ” with the following consonants denote a very short sound [i].

3) The letter “ o ” in its short meaning is read as the short [ɒ].

4) Short sound meanings of the letters “ u, a ” in English differ from their sound meanings in the Latin alphabet. The letter “ u ” with following consonant denotes the short sound [ʌ] which reminds the Russian sound [a] in unstressed position.

5) The letter “ a ” denotes the short sound [æ] the longest of all short vowels. There is no such equivalent in Russian. For the correct pronunciation of the sound [æ] it is necessary:

ü to put the force part of the tongue low and to put the tip of the tongue lower. It causes comparatively small rise of the tongue.

ü To pull down the lower jaw.

ü To give voice and pronounce the similar to Russian [a] and [э]. The lips must be half open.

6) Doubling of a consonant is an indicator of a short meaning of the previous vowel. Doubling of a consonant doesn’t mean, as a rule, doubling of a consonant sound: e.g. bill.

In particular, a short vowel sound with the following consonant sound [r] can be denoted only with the help of doubling of the consonant “ r ”: e.g. carry, hurry, sorry.

7) the letters “l, s” at the end of monosyllabic word, as a rule, are doubled. The combination “ss” means the voiceless sound [s]: e.g. less [les].

8) The combination”ck” denotes the sound [ k] and is used for doubling as of the letter “k” so of the letter “c”.

9) In a few words, as an exception, short sounds are denoted by combinations: e.g. in the word build and in the words of the same roots building, builder the second vowel is read in its short meaning. The same is in the words friend, friendship.

The combination “ ea ” as an exception in some words before the letters “ d, r, v ” and combinations “ th, lth ” can denote a short sound [e]: e.g. head, bread, already, heavy, healthy.

Ex. 1 (from Test your pronunciation Unit 8, disc)

Read the following names and decide, from their spelling, if the vowel is short or long. (If there is more than one vowel, focus on the vowel receiving most stress.) If you are not sure, check the recording.

Example: Mick = short Susan = long

Mick	Susan	Dean	Sammy	Cathy
Martha	Jane	Luke	Tammy	Rose
Bert	Muriel	Patty	Pete	Ross
Ted	David	Becky	Bud	Simon
Beth	Mike	Mary	Tom	Jean
Timmy	Joan	Bonnie	Sheila	Bill

Short vowel sound	Long vowel sound

Ex. 2 (from Test your pronunciation Unit 26)

A: Here are the twelve pairs of rhyming words. In each case, one has an expected spelling for the particular sound and one has not. Choose which is the more predictable spelling.

Example: cheque neck

(compare neck with peck, deck, wreck, speck and so on)

	droop	soup		rich	stitch		file	style
	mash	cache		chest	breast		taste	waist
	steak	make		wand	bond		worm	squirm
	moon	prune		blood	mud		tomb	loom

B: And here are some pairs of words which look as though they should rhyme, but don’t. Choose the one which has the more predictable relationship between pronunciation and spelling.

	cut	put		bear	fear		call	shall
	warm	charm		cork	work		word	lord
	worm	storm		wart	dart		dome	some
	boot	foot		said	maid		want	pant

Ex. 3 (from Test your pronunciation Unit 27, disc)

A: In this section the spelling is 100% predictable from the pronunciation. Listen to the recording and write these individual words down.

	________		________		________		________
	________		________		________		________
	________		________		________		________
	________		________		________		________

B: Now see if you can read the following words aloud before you listen to them on the recording. Remember that the pronunciation is still predictable from the spelling.

scoop

patched

puddle

shun

muted

rotter

stutter

candle

	glitch		hugged		handy		rumbled
	spine		treck		budge		trash

C: Now do the same with the following nonsense words.

	flape		snork		frake		spump
	spline		preck		drumble		flinge
	smotted		glumpy		duddle		chinker
	gatter		chandy		shunker		strended

· It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what the words in A and B mean; you can always check them in a dictionary afterwards. Don’t look in a dictionary for the nonsense words in C.