Consonants in English. Consonant Sounds in English (Voiced and Voiceless). Interesting facts about English characters

The sounds that represent are 44 English phonemes, which are divided into two categories: consonants and vowels. Since sounds cannot be written down, graphemes (letters or combinations of letters) are used to convey sounds in writing.

English alphabet

There are 26 letters in English. The standard one starts with the letter a and ends with the letter z.

When classifying alphabetic characters, they distinguish:

• 5 pure vowels: a, e, i, o, u;
• 19 pure consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x, z;
• 2 semivowels: y, w.

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Features of English consonants

A consonant combination is a set of two or three consonant letters that retain their original sound when pronounced. Such sets occur either at the beginning or at the end of a word. For example, the word brave, in which both "b" and "r" are pronounced, is the initial combination. In the word bank "-nk" is the final combination.

Classification:

1. Initial combinations are classified into sets with "l", "r", and "s". In "l" the combination ends with "l". An example would be the letters "bl" in the word blind. Similarly, the final sound in "r" in combination with "r" when "br" and "cr", for example, in the words bridge, crane. On the contrary, in "s" it starts with s, "st" and "sn" - stap, snail.
2. The final combinations are grouped into sets with "s", "l" and "n": -st, -sk, -ld, -nd, -nk. Examples, first, desk, gold, sand, sink.

Digraphs

Consonant digraphs refer to a set of consonants that form one sound. Some digraphs are both at the beginning and at the end of the word - "sh", "ch" and "th". There are also strict initial and final digraphs - "kn-" and "-ck".

Examples of digraphs:

Features of digraphs:

Table of pronunciation of English consonants

English vowels

Each English vowel is pronounced in three ways:

1. like a long sound;
2. like a short sound;
3. as a neutral vowel (schwa).

In the English alphabet, there are 5 vowels, but sometimes y becomes a vowel and is pronounced like i, and w replaces u, for example, in the digraph ow.

Rules for reading vowels

Short vowels, which are characterized by a "short" sound, appear when there is one vowel in a word, either at the beginning of a word or between two consonants. For example, if, elk, hop, fan. A typical short vowel pattern is consonant+vowel+consonant (CHS).

Words are taught as families that represent groups of words with a common pattern, such as in the pattern "-ag" - bag, wag, tag or "-at" - cat, bat, hat.

vowels:

vowels:

The vowel sound in unstressed syllables is expressed by the abbreviated neutral sound ("schwa"), the phonemic symbol /ə/, especially if syllabic consonants are not used.

For example:

• a in about, around, approve, above [ə bʌv];
• e in accident, mother, taken, camera ;
• i c, family, lentil, officer pencil ;
• o in memory, common, freedom, purpose, London;
• u in supply, industry, suggest, difficult, succeed, minimum ;
• and even y in sibyl;
• schwa appears in function words: to, from, are.

Features of vowel sounds in English

Vowels are divided into monophthongs, diphthongs or triphthongs. A monophthong is when there is one vowel in a syllable, a diphthong is when there are two vowels in a syllable.

Let's take a closer look:

1. Monophthongs are pure and stable vowels., whose acoustic characteristics (timbre) do not change during the time they are pronounced.
2. - a sound formed by a combination of two adjacent vowels in one syllable. Technically, the tongue (or other parts of the speech apparatus) moves when a vowel is pronounced - the first position is stronger than the second. In the transcription of a diphthong, the first character is the starting point of the body of the language, the second character is the direction of movement. For example, you should know that in /aj/ the body of the tongue is in the bottom center position represented by /a/ and immediately starts moving up and forward to the position for /i/.
3. Diphthongs are often formed when separate vowels work together in rapid conversation.. Usually (in the speaker's speech) the body of the tongue does not have time to get to the position /i/. Therefore, the diphthong often ends closer to /ɪ/ or even to /e/. In the diphthong /aw/, the body of the tongue moves from the lower center position /a/, then moves up and back to the position /u/. Although single diphthongs are also distinguished, which are heard as separate vowel sounds (phonemes).
4. English also has triphthongs.(combinations of three adjacent vowels), including three sound types, for example, fire /fʌɪə/, flower /flaʊər/. But in any case, all diphthongs and triphthongs are formed from monophthongs.

Table of pronunciation of simple English vowels

All vowels are formed from only 12 monophthongs. Each, regardless of spelling, is pronounced using some combination of these sounds.

The table shows examples of simple English vowels with Russian pronunciation:

Diphthong pronunciation table

Learn the transcription of English words

Consider some features of English transcription:

The Internet has online a large number of video to listen to and you can also practice using the exercises.

Today, 1.5 billion people speak English. Not surprisingly, knowing English is useful in many areas of life. It is better to study this international language, like any other, from the basics, in other words, from the alphabet.

English, like most European languages, is based on the Latin alphabet of 26 letters. What are the features of the use of letters and sounds in English speech today?

How many vowels are there in English?

The English use 5 vowels in writing: A, E, I, O, U.

The pronunciation of vowels has its own secrets. If in a word the name of the letters coincides with the sound in a separate word, it is customary to talk about long vowels. If the sound changes due to proximity to other letters, the vowel becomes short. English vowels may or may not carry any sound.

How many consonants are in the English letter?

By subtracting 5 vowels from 26 letters, you can decide that there are 21 consonants in the British alphabet: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z. A logical assumption, but not entirely correct.

Like any other language, English has its own nuances. Thus, a number of consonants become "mute" due to the proximity to certain letters, like the letter W in the word "wrong".

10 features of the English alphabet and pronunciation

1. The example with consonants mentioned above is not completely correct, because the letter Y, which was originally called a consonant, is sometimes used as a vowel sound: type, gym.
2. English writing and pronunciation are characterized by monophthongs and diphthongs from vowels, for example: AE, OO.
3. Consonants can form digraphs: sh, zh, ch, kh, th.
4. There are triphthongs in English writing. These are vowels that are pronounced without delay in one stressed syllable.
5. The letters W and R are sometimes included in digraphs to represent vowel sounds, such as AR as a long "a" sound.
6. When the same letter appears twice in an English word, it can either be pronounced the same way, or it will sound completely different, for example, as in the word "clock".
7. Features of English give wide opportunity for language maneuver. So, out of 26 letters, 44 sounds were created for pronunciation by native speakers: 19 of them are vowels, and 25 are consonants.
8. The letter J was the last to enter the alphabet.
9. The most popular letter in English words is E, the rarest is Z.
10. The English alphabet acquired its final form in the 17th century.

Related videos

There are 26 letters in English. IN different combinations and positions they designate 44 sounds.
In English, 24 consonants are distinguished, and they are transmitted in writing by 20 letters: Bb; cc; Dd; ff; Gg ; hh; Jj; kk; LI; mm; Nn; pp; Qq; Rr; Ss; Tt; vv; ww; xx; Zz.
In English, 12 vowels and 8 diphthongs are distinguished, and they are transmitted in writing by 6 letters: Aa; ee; li; Oh; Uu; Yy.

Video:

[English language. Starting Course. Maria Rarenko. First educational channel.]

Transcription and stress

Phonetic transcription is an international system of signs used to show exactly how words should be pronounced. Each sound is displayed with a separate icon. These icons are always written in square brackets.
In transcription, verbal stress is indicated (which syllable in the word is stressed). accent mark [‘] placed before the stressed syllable.

English consonants

Features of English consonants
1. English consonants transmitted by letters b, f, g, m, s, v, z, close in pronunciation to the corresponding Russian consonants, but should sound more energetic and tense.
2. English consonants are not softened.
3. Voiced consonants are never stunned - neither before voiceless consonants, nor at the end of a word.
4. Double consonants, that is, two identical consonants side by side, are always pronounced as one sound.
5. Some English consonants are aspirated: the tip of the tongue must be pressed firmly against the alveoli (the bumps where the teeth attach to the gum). Then the air between the tongue and teeth will pass with effort, and you will get a noise (explosion), that is, aspiration.

Rules for reading consonants in English:,

English vowel sounds

The reading of each vowel depends on:
1. from other letters standing next to it, in front of it or behind it;
2. from being in a shock or unstressed position.

Rules for reading vowels in English:,

The possibilities of English vowels in terms of conveying different pronunciations are quite wide. The rules for reading vowels in English provide an orientation towards the setting of accompanying consonants and largely depend on the position of the letter itself in the word. In order for the pronunciation of these letters to be correct, it is necessary to pay attention to the ways in which vowels are read, and what sound combinations give one or another option. To do this, consider all the vowels of English letters and describe their characteristics.

General principles for reading vowels

As already mentioned, English vowels are pronounced based on the positions they occupy within words. So, the sound characteristics of all vowels without exception determines the type of syllable in which this or that vowel is used. The rules for reading vowels in English are based on the theory of open and closed syllables, which will be discussed later. In addition, there are two additional types of reading vowels that will also be mentioned and presented with examples.

In total, there are six vowels in the language: a, o, u, e, i, y. However, their combination with each other, as well as their use in different parts words makes possible the appearance of more than twenty possible combinations of sound combinations, each of which is pronounced according to a particular type. There are also 4 types of reading vowels, each of which differs in certain pronunciation features. This division into types allows you to select individual variants of sounds and explain by transcription how certain constructions will differ from each other. To do this, it is necessary to consider the rules for reading English vowels in accordance with the specified classification and give examples.

Vowels in a closed syllable

A closed syllable is characterized by the fact that a stressed vowel is followed by any one consonant (sometimes there may be several), and the only exception is r, since there are special reading rules for it in the third and fourth types. The vowel itself in this type of syllable will always be short. Here's what it looks like:

A-[æ]- rat - rat

O–[ɔ]- dot - dot

U-[ʌ]- run - run

E–[e]- men - men

I-[i]- chin - chin

Y-[i]- myth - myth

As you can see, for example, the letter u in a closed syllable does not have the most typical pronunciation. In addition, special attention should be paid to y. For many people studying phonetics, how the letter y is pronounced in English often becomes a question. This type of syllable is used quite often.

Vowels in an open syllable

Reading vowels in open and closed syllables is significantly different. So, a syllable is called open if it ends in a vowel or e. It is important to pay attention to what sounds the letter e makes, because sometimes it may not be pronounced at all, which is what happens to it in an open syllable. Most of the vowels here will be read the same as they sound in the alphabet (the only exception is y, which will have a slightly different pronunciation):

A-- mate - comrade

O-- no - no

U-– June

E-– fee

I-- bike - bicycle

Y-- bye - bye

As can be seen from the examples, the letter i and y are read the same, which is due open type syllable. In addition, you can notice that in a similar position, the English letters u and e will be long.

3rd type of vowel reading

In this version of the pronunciation of English vowels, it is important to take into account the special letter r, which, in combination with the stressed vowel in front of it, sometimes radically changes the phonetics of a particular word. Here's what a similar type of reading vowels looks like, along with examples:

A-- bar - bar

O–[ɔ:]- sort - view

U-[ə:]- burn - burn

E-[ə:]- term - term

I - [ə:]- birth - birth

Y - [ə:]- Myrtle - Myrtle (female name)

Based on the examples presented, it can be seen that the letter a will always be characterized by a long pronunciation. The letter o and all other vowels will be read similarly.

4th type of vowel reading

The fourth type differs from the third in that here, after the stressed vowel, there is r in combination with another vowel. In this case, such a thing as a diphthong appears, that is, a vowel, consisting of two sounds at once. Here's what these combinations look like:

A-[ɛə]- bare - naked

O–[ɔ:]- core - core

U-- pure - clean

E-- sincere - sincere

I-- fire - fire

Y-- tire - tire

Below is a table that summarizes all the above pronunciations according to the type of syllable:

All these options for the pronunciation of vowels in English prove that knowing how a single letter of the alphabet is pronounced does not mean at all that it will be easy to navigate the pronunciation of absolutely all words. It is important to pay attention to the type of syllable, apply the appropriate phonetic rule, and only in this case this or that vowel will sound in English.

They are not pronounced the way they are spelled. For correct reading transcription must be followed. It shows how vowels are read in English.

History of the English alphabet

According to the official version, the English alphabet is 500 years older than the Russian one. Before the arrival of Christians, the ancestors of modern English used runic writing. In the 9th century, the Anglo-Saxons officially began to use the Old English Latin script, which consisted of 20 Latin letters, 2 runes and 2 modified Latin graphemes.

Until the 11th century, there were attempts to streamline the English alphabet, but they were unsuccessful, because the Saxons, along with the new letter, also used the old one - runic.

Today the English alphabet includes 26 characters:

• English vowels - 5 letters;
• English consonants - 21 letters.

It is worth noting that the letters Y and R stand apart, since, depending on the position in the word, they can denote both a consonant and

Why do you need to know the English alphabet?

Knowledge of not only spelling, but also pronunciation of letters - important condition for learners of English. Why? The fact is that the spelling and words do not match, since their recording does not follow any rules. Therefore, carriers often resort to the so-called spelling (from the word spell) - spelling. This difference in the English language is easy to understand on the spelling of the surname Smith (Smith), which, in addition to the popular spelling, can also have the following options:

• Smith;
• Smythe;
• smyth,
• Psmith.

The pronunciation of all surnames is the same.

The spelling skill is necessary for all English-speaking people, therefore, from school, the formation of the ability to quickly spell words begins. For example, in geography lessons, the teacher, without requests from the students, names new words for them. geographical names. Any other teacher does the same if a word is difficult or unfamiliar to the students in the lesson.

Therefore, when learning English, one should pay due attention to the formation of the spelling skill, in which one cannot do without knowledge of the alphabet.

How are vowels pronounced in English?

English vowels, depending on the position in the word, can be short or long. This means that short ones are simply pronounced and similar to Russian vowels, while the second ones need to be pronounced longer, almost sung or pronounced as if you need to know where to put the stress. When pronouncing it, it is extremely important to observe this rule, since the meaning of the word depends on it. For example, in the word ship (ship), the sound [and] is pronounced as in the word “willow”. In the word sheep (sheep), the phoneme [and] is pronounced drawlingly, as if it needs to be stressed.

English vowels are divided into:

• short vowels - mother (mother, mother), map (map), pencil (pencil), cup (cup), pot (bowler).
• long vowels - father (father, dad), soon (soon, soon), dawn (dawn), bee (bee).
• diphthongs - 2 vowels English letters that are pronounced as one phoneme - fuel (fuel), bow (bow), coat (coat), fine (good).

What are the rules for reading vowels?

English vowels, unlike consonants, follow a variety of reading rules:

• rules for closed and open syllables (c.s. and o.s.);
• vowel + r;
• vowel + r + vowel;
• combinations of vowels under stress.

Knowing these rules, you can develop the skill of almost error-free reading without knowing transcription. Consider the rules for reading 5 vowels and the letter Y with examples of words with transcription in Russian letters.

Open - a syllable that ends in a vowel, even if it is mute. The mute in English is the letter E, which is not readable at the end of the word. In this case, the vowel is pronounced as it is called in the alphabet. Closed - a syllable that ends in a consonant.

• note ([note]) - note;
• nose ([nose]) - nose;
• rice ([rice]) - rice;
• type ([type]) - print;
• shy ([shay]) - shy, modest;
• he ([hee]) - he;
• name ([name]) - name;
• same ([seim]) - the same;
• nine ([nein]) - nine;
• fume ([fume]) - smoke;
• cap ([cap]) - cap;
• pen ([pen]) - pen;
• lot ([lot]) - a lot;
• sit ([sit]) - sit, sit down;
• my ([May]) - mine, mine, mine, mine;
• nut ([nat]) - nut.

Vowel + r - the vowel is pronounced drawlingly.

• card ([ka:d]) - card;
• fork ([fo:k]) - fork;
• turn ([tö:n]) - turn, turn;
• girl ([gö:l]) - girl, girl;
• Byrd ([be:d]) is an English surname.

Vowel + r + vowel - the letter r is not pronounced, and the vowels are pronounced together, like one sound.

• rare ([rea]) - rare;
• pure ([pyue]) - pure;
• here ([hie]) - here;
• fire ([fire]) - fire;
• store ([one hundred:]) - store;
• tire ([taye]) - tire.

A separate group is made up of English vowels, which come in pairs and are called diphthongs. Diphthongs with examples are shown in the picture below.

In the article, we examined the basic rules for how vowels are read in English. The main thing when learning a language is practice, and in order to learn how to read English well, you need to pay attention to the formation of reading and spelling skills every day.