The Vowels: An Overview

Most of my students ask me about the differences in the sounds of  the vowels of American English. Why are there so many? Well, it's because in American English, there are 11 vowel sounds. This picture is what we call the Vietor Triangle, and symbols on it are called the IPA or International Phonetic Alphabet. These symbols are actually helpful not just in studying English, but many other languages as well, so it pays to know what they stand for. 


Here's one thing you should remember when you're practicing your vowel sounds. Make sure that your tongue is relaxed. When I say relaxed, I mean it does not move from its resting position in your mouth. It may move sideways a little, but it stays in one place. 

Look carefully at the picture. I'm pretty sure the next question would be why is it inverted? Let's look together and see. ^^

Let's start from the extreme upper left of the picture. 

1.  i - long e sound. This is made by extending your lips to either side of your face as in a smile (or a grimace) and making a small opening between your upper and lower lips and teeth. Make the sound a little long by counting 2 beats or 2 seconds.
   ex: eat, seed, reed, feed
2. I - short i sound. This sound is made in almost the same way as i, but shorter. Move your lips slightly sideways and make a slightly wider opening of the mouth. Now for one beat, say I.
   ex: sit, rid, lid
3. e or Ɛi - long a sound. This sound is made by with your lips moving sideways, more in a grimace than a smile, and the mouth slightly wider than when we made I sound. Then, keeping the same lips position, make the  mouth a little smaller by closing it slightly.
   ex: sate, rate, lay
4. Ɛ – short e sound. This sound is made with your lips in a slight grimace and the mouth is open wider than in Ɛi.
   ex: set, let, met
5. æ – short a/American a. – This one’s a bit tricky. Start with short e sound’s position and add a bit of a ya (ja) sound at the end of it (Note: [j] in IPA is pronounced as a [y] sound as in yet, and not jet.
   ex: sat, lap, mat
6. a – normal a. – Just drop your jaw and you’re all set. ^^
   ex: pot, got, not
7. Ɔ – Italian a or Short o – Open your mouth wide as in a, but gently round your lips like o.
   ex: straw, flaw, maw
8. O or oƱ – Long o. – Gently round your lips and go from big to small, until your lips are puckered like you’re kissing someone. Sustain for two beats.
   ex: go, flow, mow
9. U or u:  –Long u. – It’s the same position as long u, only make the sound for a shorter amount of time. U or u: - Long u sound. – Pucker up like you’re kissing someone, and sustain the sound for two beats.
   ex: goo, flew, moo
10. u or Ʊ  - Short u sound. – Pucker up like you’re kissing someone,and keep it short, but sweet.
    ex: book, foot, pull
11. ə - The Schwa sound. – This is the most common sound in American English. It’s ubiquitous – which means you’ll find it everywhere! Open your mouth very slightly, and grunt, like when someone pushes you gently.
    ex: but, stunt, gut
12. ^ - Another grunt sound. This is extremely similar to the schwa sound, the only difference being it is stressed.
    ex: cup, bug, rug

We’ve done the overview of all the vowels, now. So let’s address a few questions.

1. What’s the difference between the schwa (ə) and (^)?

Answer: In American English, there is no difference whatsoever in sound. So usually, we use only the schwa sound when we practice pronunciation. Only in British English are both used. You can find this in the book, American Accent Training by Anne Cook (page ix). Fabulous book! ^^

2. What are tense and lax or long and short vowels?
   
   Answer: Tense or short vowels are usually produced by moving a lot of your facial muscles. A lax or long vowel, is of course, the opposite of this.
   
3. I'm sorry, I almost forgot to address the first question. Why is it inverted?
   
   Answer: The inverted triangle is to help us remember that for each sound, our mouth opens a little wider as we go down until we reach the middle part, or a. Then, our mouth gets smaller as we go up the right side until we get to the center of the triangle. Got it? ^^

Any other questions, class? Post a comment! ^^

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*** my thanks for the Vietor Triangle image^^ 

Update: May 21, 2017: I will be making some changes here, particularly for the Vietor Triangle Image, and some of the explanations on the sounds. Please bear with me, as I still don't have much time. Thank you for your kindness!