Speech Sounds In any language we can identify a set of regularly used sound (consonants, vowels) that we call. Speech Sounds In any language we can identify a set of regularly used sound (consonants, vowels) that we call phoneme.

Phoneme A phoneme is the smallest meaningful unit in the sound system of a language. It serves to distinguish between meanings of words. It is represented between slashes. Example: /b/, /m/, /e/

 Vowels and Consonants  Vowels -There is no obstruction of air All vowels are voiced.

 Consonants  They obstruct the flow of air through the vocal tract. Some sounds are- voiced but some others are voiceless.

Vowels In producing vowels, we have to consider: 1) Horizontal Dimension of the tongue (which part of the tongue is raised to touch the roof of the mouth "front, center, or back"). 2) Vertical Dimension (Distance between the surface of the tongue and the roof of the mouth (palate)).

3 3) Lip-rounding: are the lips: a) Spread. b) Rounded. c) Neutral.

* English Short Vowels: 1) [ι] bit, sit, hit high, front, unrounded 2) [e] pen, sell, pet, men mid, front, unrounded

* English Short Vowels: 3) [æ] man, can, fan, hat low, front, unrounded 4) [ ] but, cut low, central, unrounded

* English Short Vowels: 5) [ ɒ ] hot, pot, gone, got low, back, rounded low, back, rounded 6) [ Ʊ ] pull, put high, back, rounded high, back, rounded

* English Short Vowels: 7) [ə] about, above, appear, upper It is in the center area. The lips are neutral.

Identify the symbol for the vowel you hear in each word: Ban hot Fill sell Led man Sing come Push shop