Phonetics

Phonetic symbols appear on the phonemic chart. Phonetic symbols demonstrate how words sound when we pronounce them. Letters in the English alphabet have many symbols that appear on the phonemic chart depending on what they are.

The phonemic chart is helpful when one cannot pronounce a word. While some symbols may take some understanding, one should be able to use them to pronounce a word clearly. Henceforth, many dictionaries include phonetic spellings of a word, which one can read if one understands each symbol.

Words sound similar when their phonetic symbols match.  If they do not, they will not sound alike, even if they are spelt similarly. For a further explanation, check out the Homonyms page.

There are three levels of stress in phonetics; primary, secondary and unstressed. Knowing which to use depends on which syllable is stressed the most or completely unstressed.

Primary stress: syllables which are wholly stressed. Primary Stress is marked with a high vertical line ['] at the beginning of the syllable.

Secondary stress: syllables which aren't entirely unstressed but aren't as loud as the primary stress. Secondary stress is marked with a lowered vertical line [ˌ] at the beginning of the syllable.

Unstressed: An unstressed syllable is a part of the word you don't emphasise or stress, such as the "to" in "today" or the "day" on "Sunday." The /ə/ symbol is used in unstressed syllables, as in words "alone" (əloʊn) and "backup"(/bækəp/).

## Symbols

The symbols are divided into either Vowel Monothongs, Diphthongs, or Consonants. There are twelve Monothongs, eight Diphthongs and twenty-four Consonants. Some characters can be typed using a keyboard, but others require an internet search.

### Monothongs

A monophthong is a pure vowel sound that does not change articulation at the beginning or the end and does not glide up or down towards a new position.

When the length sign (ː) appears after a monophthong, it is pronounced with a long vowel. The long vowel monothongs are: iː, uː, ɜː, ɔː, and ɑː. Looking at the phonemic chart above, you will see words written underneath these symbols. They will be helpful when pronouncing them. The other monophthongs have a short vowel sound. They are: ɪ, ʊ, e, ə, æ, ʌ, and ɒ. The ə phoneme is called the "schwa" and is found in unstressed vowels, and the "æ" is called the "ash."

#### Pronunciation

iː - found in words such as "read," "lead," or "sheep".

ɪ - found in words such as "ship," "chip," or "ditch".

ʊ - found in words such as "wood," "could," or "should".

uː - found in words such as "food," "mood," or "student".

e - found in words such as "Gwen," "when," or "lend".

əː - found in words such as "herd," "heard," or "girl".

ɜː - found in words such as "blur," "lure," or "learn".

ɔː - found in words such as "more", "sore," or "door".

æ - found in words such as "chat," "bat," or "sat".

ʌ - found in words such as "pub," "dub," or "rub".

ɑː - found in words such as "star," "hard," or "car".

ɒ - found in words such as "song," "long," or "pong".

### Diphthongs

Diphthongs are vowels that have a noticeable sound change within the same syllable. They are also known as gliding vowels and combine two adjacent vowel sounds. They have two targets; the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel. They are ɪə, eɪ, ʊə, ɔɪ, əʊ, eə, aɪ, and aʊ.

#### Pronunciation

ɪə - found in words such as "gear," "hear", or "fear".

eɪ - found in words such as "name", "game", or "pain".

ʊə - found in words such as "pure," "sure", or "cure".

ɔɪ - found in words such as "toy", "boy", or "joy".

əʊ - found in words such as "glow", "snow", or "dough".

eə - found in words such as "pear", "scare", or "dare".

aɪ -  found in words such as "vine", "mine," or "wine".

aʊ - found in words such as "loud", "proud", or "growled".

### Consonants

A consonant is a speech sound articulated with a complete or partial closure of the vocal tract.

Most consonants on the phonemic chart are easy to pronounce (see my "Phonetic Alphabet" for a further explanation). However, a few require special attention. They are; θ, ʧ, ʃ, ð, ʤ, ʒ, ŋ, and J. The last one may resemble a letter, but it is pronounced the same as "y"—for example, the "y" sound in "university". The phonemes θ and ð are called the "theta" and "eth", respectively. They sound similar, but there is a distinct difference between them. The theta is breathy and found in content words, while the eth is buzzier and found in grammar words. They both use the lungs and mouth, but the eth uses the voice box more.

#### Pronunciation

θ - found in words such as "third," "thank," or "think."

ʧ - found in words such as "true," "chair," or "church."

ʃ - found in words such as "sure," "she," or "should."

ð - found in words such as "them," "these," or "they."

ʤ -found in words such as "jobs," "judge," or "dodgy."

ʒ - found in words such as "vision," "television," or "confusion."

ŋ - found in words such as "king," "sing," or "ring."

J - found in words such as "yawn," yes," or "year."