Phonetics 101

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Phonetics

101
[ɪ] (short) — [i:] (long)
[ʌ] (short) — [a:] (long)
[ɔ] (short) — [ɔ:] (long)
hit [hɪt] — heat [hi:t]
fit [fɪt] — feet [fi:t]
ship [ʃɪp] — sheep [ʃi:p]
slip [slɪp] — sleep [sli:p]
duck [dʌk] — dark [da:k]
spot [spɔt] — sport [spɔ:t]
I was lying on a beach.

beach - /biːtʃ/ bitch - /bɪtʃ/


It is worth paying attention to short vowel sounds. Their duration should
be as short as possible, comparable to a snap of the fingers, for example,
[bʌt] - but, [slɪp] - slip, etc.
You can emphasize the length of a vowel sound using an intonation roll,
changing the tonality in the process of pronouncing the sound, like a
diphthong (double sound).

feet
If a short vowel is followed by a nasal consonant (m, n or ŋ),
then you can slightly stretch the consonant sound, thereby
emphasizing the shortness of the vowel. For example, in
the word tin [tɪn] there is a nasal sound [n], and in the word
teen [ti:n] (“teenager”) there is a sound [i:].
HOW TO SING?
We'll drink a drink, a drink
To Lily the Pink, the Pink, the Pink
The saviour of the human race
For she invented, medicinal compound
Most efficacious in every case
θ ð
thanks that

th
Remember that this sound does not need to be softened
before front vowels (such as i). The sound /θ/ is always only
hard.

thumb /θʌm/

thought /θɔːt/

thank /θæŋk/

think /θɪŋk/

month /mʌnθ/

health /helθ/
Thirty-three thousand and thirty thinkers thought
thirty-three thousand and thirty thoughts.

Tongue Twisters

I am thankful for a thousand things … For faithful earth, for birth and
breath, for thought and health and strength and mirth, and, may be, when
it comes, for death.
Now we move on to the voiced sound /ð/. I would like to draw your
attention again to the fact that this sound is always hard and does not
soften in front of the front vowels.

that /ðæt/

teethe /tiːð/

this /ðɪs/

lithe /laɪð/

loathe /ləʊð/
These brothers bathe with those brothers, those brothers
bathe with these brothers.

Tongue Twisters

They are always bothering Father and Mother to do


things for them.
The voiced phoneme [ð] is characteristic of articles, pronouns,
prepositions or other words in which the digraph is surrounded
by vowels. Examples: that [ðæt], then [ðen], the [ðe]. In other
cases, th should be read as an unvoiced sound [θ]. Examples:
thing [θıŋ], thrill [θrıl] - the speaker’s tongue is given a little less
freedom of movement when exhaling.
thumb [θʌm] that [ðæt]

thought [θɔːt] teethe [tiːð]

thank [θæŋk] this [ðɪs]

think [θɪŋk] lithe [laɪð]

month [mʌnθ] loathe [ləʊð]

health [helθ] bathe [beɪð]

thick [θɪk] breathe [briːð]

three [θriː] scythe [saɪð]

thrust [θrʌst] the [ðiː]

through [θruː] seethe [siːð]

thong [θɒŋ] they [ðeɪ]

thing [θɪŋ] with [wɪð]

third [θɜːd] thee [ðiː]

wealth [welθ] lathe [leɪð]

strength [streŋθ] thy [ðaɪ]

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