Monophthongs

Long vowels are

[i:], [a:], [o:], [u:], [ə:]

Short vowels are

[i], [e], [æ], [u], [o], [Λ], [ə]

According to the degree of tenseness vowels are divided into tense and lax

All the English long vowels are tense

[i:], [α:], [o:], [u:], [ə:]

Lax vowels are all short vowels

[i], [e], [æ], [o], [u], [Λ], [ə]

According to the character of their end or last phase of articulation vowels may be:

• Checked. All short vowels, except \ ə\, are checked in the pronunciation of which there is no dominution in the force of utterance towards their strong end. Their pronunciation is interrupted by the abrupt articulation of the consonant sound following it.
• free. Free vowels are pronounced with a dominution in the force of utterance towards their end and therefore, they have a weak end. English short vowels in unstressed syllable are also free. All English long vowels and diphthongs are free

Thus, the phonemic inventory of the English vowels includes 21 phonemes, among which the phoneme \o ə\ is regarded as facultative or optional , owing to its substitution by the vowel \o:\ in words like more \mo ə\, \mo:\; sore \so ə\, \so:\. Therefore \o ə\ is often ommited from the inventory of English vowel phonemes.

Thus, the phonemic inventory of the English vowels includes 21 phonemes, among which the phoneme \o ə\ is regarded as facultative or optional , owing to its substitution by the vowel \o:\ in words like more \mo ə\, \mo:\; sore \so ə\, \so:\. Therefore \o ə\ is often ommited from the inventory of English vowel phonemes.

According to the position of the bulk of the tongue vowels are divided into 5 groups:

• [i:], [e], [æ] and the nucleus of [eə]
• [i] and the nucleus of the diphthongs [ai] and [au]
• [Λ], [ə:], [ə] and the nucleus of [əu]
• [o], [o:], [u:] and the nucleus of the diphthong [oi]
• [α:], [u]

Text to practise SHORT ENGLISH VOWEL SOUNDS