English sounds and their transcription. All about English transcription. Features of English consonants
”, transcription is used by everyone, sometimes even unconsciously. First, let's refresh our memory, what does the phrase "English transcription" mean?
English transcription is a sequence of phonetic symbols that helps us understand how to read a particular sound, word. Often students are faced with transcription at the beginning of language learningwhen it is still quite difficult to read even fairly simple words, and then they simply do not pay attention to it. However, it won't be like this forever.
As soon as a student begins to skillfully use complex grammatical constructions, and develops a good vocabulary for free communication, then there is a desire to speak beautifully, like a native speaker, that is, to improve his pronunciation of English words. This is where we remember the good old transcription.
In order not to have to remember the well-forgotten old, we suggest returning to repetition from time to time. Of course, ideally, transcription should be done together with the teacher, because writing does not convey all the subtleties of pronunciation, but if you are reading this article now, the foundation for beautiful pronunciation and correct reading has already been laid, and you will definitely achieve your desired goal.
Transcription of vowels
There are two types of vowels - single sounds and diphthongs.
[ ʌ ] - [a] - short;
[a:]- [a] - deep;
[i]- [ and ] - short;
[i:]- [and] - long;
[o]- [o] - short;
[o:]- [o] - deep;
[u]- [y] - short;
[u:]- [y] - long;
[e]- as in the word "plaid";
[ ɜ: ] - as in the word "honey".
English diphthongs
A diphthong is a sound that consists of two sounds. Most often, a diphthong can be divided into two sounds, however, this cannot be conveyed in writing. Often, diphthongs are indicated not by a combination of several characters, but by their own sign.
[əu]- [ OU ];
[au]- [ay];
[ei]- [ hey ];
[oi]- [ oh ];
[ai]- [ay].
Vowel pronunciation rules in English
- Sound " a"has four varieties:
[ ʌ ] - a short sound, as in the words "duck", "cut";
[ æ ] - soft sound. It has no analogue in Russian. It is read as in the word in the word "cat";
[a:]- a long sound that is read, as in the word "car";
[ ɔ ] - a short sound that sounds like both "o" and "a" at the same time. In British pronunciation, it's more of an 'o', as in 'hot' or 'not'.
- Sound " e" can be read in three ways:
[e]- for example, as in the word "let";
[ ə: ] - this sound is a bit like the Russian letter "ё", only it is read a little softer. For example, "bird", "fur";
[ ə ] - one of the most common sounds in English transcription. In sound, this sound is similar to the Russian sound "e". It occurs only in unstressed syllables and is almost inaudible or indistinguishable, for example, ["letə], "letter" - a letter.
- Sound " i» can be long and short:
[I]- a short sound, for example, as in the word "film";
[i:]- a long sound, for example, as in "sheep".
- Sound " about” also has 2 options - long and short:
[ ɔ ] - a short sound, as in the word "bond";
[ ɔ: ] - a long sound, as in the word "more".
- Sound " u" can also be pronounced in two ways. It can be long or short:
[u]- a short sound, as in the word "put";
[u:]- a long sound, as in the word "blue".
Transcription of consonants
In the transcription of consonants, everything is quite simple. Basically they sound like Russian. It is enough to take a thoughtful look at the above letter combinations a couple of times, and they will remain in your memory.
Consonants
[b]- [b];
[d]- [d];
[f]- [f];
[ 3 ] - [ and ];
[dʒ]- [j];
[g]- [ G ];
[h]- [ X ];
[k]- [ to ];
[l]- [l];
[m]- [m];
[n]- [n];
[p]- [ P ];
[s]- [ With ];
[t]- [ t ];
[v]- [ in ];
[z]- [h];
[t∫]- [h];
[ ∫ ] - [w];
[r]- soft [p], as in the word Russian;
[ about ]- a sign of softness, as in the Russian letter "ё" (Christmas tree).
English consonants that are not in Russian and their pronunciation:
[ θ ] - soft letter "c", the tongue is between the front teeth of the upper and lower jaw;
[ æ ] - like "e", only more sharply;
[ ð ] - like "θ", only with the addition of a voice, like a soft letter "z";
[ ŋ ] - nasal, in the French manner, sound [ n ];
[ ə ] - neutral sound;
[w]-like "in" and "y" together, soft pronunciation.
Features of English transcription
In order to make it easier to navigate in reading words, it is important to know the main features of transcription:
- Feature 1. Transcription is always in square brackets
- Feature 2. In order not to get confused where to stress in a word, it is worth considering that it is always placed before the stressed syllable. ["neim] is a transcription of the word name.
- Feature 3. It is important to understand that transcription is not the English letters and sounds that make up the word. Transcription is the sound of words.
- Feature 4. In English, transcription consists of vowels, diphthongs and consonants.
- Feature 5. To show that a sound is long, a colon is used in transcription.
Of course, knowing only character sets, it is quite difficult to read everything correctly, because there are many exceptions. In order to read correctly, it is necessary to understand that there are closed syllables and open ones. open syllable ends with a vowel (game, sunshine), closed- into a consonant (ball, dog). Some sounds of the English language can be pronounced differently, depending on the type of syllable.
Conclusion
It is worth remembering that in any business the main thing is practice (by the way, you can start practicing English remotely right now). Transcription of sounds in English will be easy for you if you work hard at it. Reading the rules once is not enough. It is important to return to them, work through and repeat regularly until they are worked out to automatism. In the end, transcription will allow you to put the correct pronunciation of sounds in English.
Memorizing English with transcription and the correct pronunciation of English letters and words will be greatly facilitated by dictionaries. You can use both English online dictionaries and the good old printed editions. The main thing is not to give up!
Inspiration to you and success in your studies. May the knowledge be with you!
Big and friendly family EnglishDom
I have not yet mastered all 44 sounds of the English language. Today we will analyze 4 sounds - paired | ʃ | – | ʒ | and | ʧ | – | ʤ |.
For those who read the rubric for the first time, I will explain: we select several similar sounds and compare them with their Russian counterparts. After that, we practice the correct pronunciation on several dozen words, tongue twisters and examples from songs.
1. English consonant |ʃ| - pronunciation
Pronounced in words: shape, she, shirt and etc.
The sound resembles Russian | w |, but there is an important difference:
Pay attention to the advice “make the sound more noisy”. Due to a different position, the English version is more “hissing” (imagine when you or your friend “hissed” so that you even hear a whistle).
Also more noisy and “whistling” is. This “noise” is perfectly audible in the pronunciation of actor Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon Cooper.
Leonard: What are you doing?
Sheldon: We're going to be late. I'm pa c ing nervous s ly.
Leonard: You're jogging.
Sheldon: Thi s i s how the Fla sh pa ces.
Leonard; Just chill out, Sheldon.
Sheldon: I'm not Sh eldon. I'm the Fla sh. And now I'm going to the Grand Canyon to s cream in fruit s tra tion. I'm back.
English sounds exercises
So, we figured out the pronunciation. Now let's hone the skill on a set of words. We adjust the speech organs to the desired position and proceed:
shower /ˈʃaʊər/
shrimp /ʃrɪmp/
shoulder /ˈʃəʊldər/
Tongue twisters for the sounds of the English language
- Sh e sells sea sh ells by the sea sh ore. The sh ells sh e sells are s urely sea sh ells. So if sh e sells sh ells on the sea sh ore, I'm s ure sh e sells sea sh ore sh ells.
- Sh irley has just fine sh edwa sh ing this sh eet in the wa sh in ma ch ine.
- Sh aron-wa sh ed di sh es in a di sh wa sh er, next sh e wa sh ed sh ades in a wa sh in ma ch ine. Sh old sh e wa sh the di sh es in di sh wa sh er, before wa sh ing the sh ades in the wa sh in ma ch ine?
And the last step is a line from a song that will burn into your auditory memory. I settled on the immortal song “Shake Shake Shake” by KC & The Sunshine Band.
From 0:33 to 0:51
2. English consonant |ʒ| - pronunciation
Pronounced in words: vision, usual, beige, decision and etc.
Differs from the Russian version | w | exactly the same as its deaf predecessor.
Another important point is the English sound | ʒ | not stunned at the end of words, e.g.: bei ge . It becomes weaker, but remains sonorous.
Examples of words with |ʒ|
pleasure /ˈpleʒər/
measure /ˈmeʒər/
treasure /ˈtreʒər/
leisure /ˈleʒər/
vision /ˈvɪʒn/
decision /dɪˈsɪʒn/
explosion /ɪkˈspləʊʒn/
invasion /ɪnˈveɪʒn/
usual /ˈjuːʒuəl/
casual /ˈkæʒuəl/
Asia /ˈeɪʒə/
occasion /əˈkeɪʒn/
conclusion /kənˈkluːʒn/
garage /ˈɡærɑːʒ/
confusion /kənˈfjuːʒn/
mirage /ˈmɪrɑːʒ/
provision /prəˈvɪʒn/
television /ˈtelɪvɪʒn/
massage /ˈmæsɑːʒ/
English tongue twisters for practicing sound |ʒ|
- After much persua si on he took the deci si on to watch “Trea s ure Island” on televi si on at lei s ure.
- bei ge lin g erie is more u s ual than a z ure bi j ou, a z ure bi j ou is less u s ual than bei g e lin g erie.
- Vi s ual revi s ion of a fusela g e for corro s ion u s occa s ions gara g e, camoufla g e and demonta g e of the fusela g e.
Closing song: Argent, "Pleasure".
From 1:01 to 1:14.
3. Consonant |tʃ| - pronunciation of English sounds
Pronounced in English words: chair, cheap, lunch, champion etc. Reminds me of Russian sound | h |, but not identical to it.
To accustom yourself to a more solid and noisy English version, reprimand the word contrast exercise: сheese - clean, child - tea, сhalk - Chop, choose - sensitive etc.
I also decided to find an example for this sound in the famous TV series. This time "Friends":
Words: chair, Chandler, Joey (voiced version of the sound, but more on that below).
Examples for voiceless |tʃ| in English
chair /tʃeər/
champion /ˈtʃæmpiən/
change /tʃeɪndʒ/
question /ˈkwestʃən/
cheers /tʃɪəz/
chapter /ˈtʃæptər/
cherry /ˈtʃeri/
chicken /ˈtʃɪkɪn/
child /tʃaɪld/
China /ˈtʃaɪnə/
church /tʃɜːtʃ/
Tongue twisters with the sound |tʃ|
- Ch erry tea ch es ch ildren at ch ur ch. Ch erry also ch ecks the rooms and does ch ores.
- The tea ch er ch angged the ques t ion in the ch allenge. The ch allengers ch answered the answers for the ques t ion.
- Ch Arles is a ch erful ch icken farmer. A poa ch er is wat ch ing Ch arles' ch ickens ch oosing whi ch to snat ch, and ch uckles at the ch ance of a ch eye ch icken to ch ew for his moon ch. But the ch ucklerea ch es Ch arles who ch ases the poa ch er and cat ch es him.
As a song example, the classic “We Are The Champions” by Queen.
From 0:38 to 1:17
4. Consonant |dʒ| - pronunciation of English sounds
Pronounced in words job, jam, jazz, joke and others. There are no analogues to this sound in Russian!
A typical mistake of Russian speakers is to pronounce this sound as a combination | j |. Actually sound | dʒ | - it's just a voiced version of the previous sound - | tʃ |, as in chair. There will be no problems with it if you have learned to pronounce the deaf version. But just in case, let's repeat.
WE RECOMMEND: first say the Russian word hour, and then say it with the tip of the tongue at the back of the alveoli. Make the sound a little more solid and noisy. The third step is to make the sound sonorous ⇒ you will get an English sound | dʒ | and something like the word jazz 🙂
To feel the contrast between Russian |j| and English | dʒ |, compare pronunciation of words jazz at Catherine Zeta-Jones and jazz from Larisa Dolina:
If we look for analogies in the Russian language, then | ʤ | rather reminiscent of voiced | h | in confluent pronunciation combinations: before whose _hero, ne whose _pancakes, le whose _yes_ have a rest.
So, everything is clear with pronunciation, let's move on to training in words.
Pronunciation of |dʒ| in English: word examples
procedure /prəˈsiːdʒər/
jealous /ˈdʒeləs/
judge /dʒʌdʒ/
January /ˈdʒænjuəri/
Japan /dʒəˈpæn/
jeans /dʒiːnz/
jelly /ˈdʒeli/
jewelery /ˈdʒuːəlri/
jogging /ˈdʒɒɡɪŋ/
journey /ˈdʒɜːni/
Georgia /ˈdʒɔːdʒə/
bridge /brɪdʒ/
Patter |dʒ|
- J oyful j oggers j og j oyously. J ames, J Ohn, J enny and J ohny are j oggers.
- The g energetic g ymnasts like oran g e j uice. The oran g e j uice makes the g ymnasts g enuinely happy.
- Can you ima g ine an ima g inary mena g erie mana g er ima g ining mana g ing an ima g inary mena g erie?
As a musical example (besides the already mentioned "All That Jazz") Ray Charles' song "Georgia On My Mind".
To summarize: the pronunciation of consonants in English
- English sounds | ʃ | – | ʒ | noisier, stronger and softer than their counterparts | sh | – | w |. For their pronunciation to the posterior slope of the alveoli should be raised Tip of the tongue, and not its front part, pronounce with more noise.
- English sound | tʃ |, on the other hand, is harder than Russian | h |. Tip of the tongue touches the posterior slope of the alveoli again.
- English | dʒ | has no analogue in Russian at all. it voiced pair of previous sound– | tʃ |. In no case do not pronounce it like a Russian combination | j |. To set the pronunciation, first practice the previous voiceless sound, and then just make it voiced.
- Do not forget that sonorous sound | ʒ | and | dʒ | are not stunned at the end of a word! They become a little weaker, but remain sonorous.
See you, friend!
After that, we were left with 19 English sounds. Therefore, for today there are 19 - 4 = 15. Next time, according to tradition, we will take several similar vowels.
It consists of 26 letters, with 44 sounds. Therefore, you need to clearly know how this or that sound is pronounced, because the sound of the same letter may differ. This happens according to a certain system, such rules of the basis of pronunciation are universal. To know them is to know the language.
Correct pronunciation of vowels
The sounds of the English language can be divided into vowels and consonants. There are several rules for reading and pronouncing vowels such as E, A, Y, U, I, O.
To better remember and understand how the sounds of the English language are read correctly, a table with examples and transcription for convenience in Russian letters will help you remember reading rules faster.
- the type of pronunciation is associated with the presence of an open syllable in the word. Any syllable that ends in a vowel is considered open, including if the vowel is not readable.
- type of pronunciation - consonant syllable.
- the type of pronunciation is a vowel with the letter “r”. The letter G determines the lingering sound of the vowel, which is at the root of the word.
- reading type - 2 vowels and the letter G between them. In this case, the letter G is not readable. And vowels have a special pronunciation.
How are consonants pronounced in English?
The pronunciation of consonants in English also has its own characteristics. To understand how to read the consonants of the English language correctly, transcription in Russian letters will help you.
The letters sh are read as w, ch as h, tch - h, ck - k, wh as yo (for example, what) or x (for example, xy), ng as n, q as kv, nk- as nk and wr as p , th is pronounced as with interdental vowels if they are at the beginning of a word, but as in pronouns, functional words, between vowels.
Diphthongs in English: pronunciation rules
There are also vowel sounds that combine with each other. They're called diphthongs and are pronounced according to special rules. Vowel sounds in English and their pronunciation often depend on whether they are at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a word.
The diphthong is read as "ay". It is expressed in writing by vowels "i" and "y" in an open syllable with stress, the combination of letters "ie" and "ye" at the end of the word, as well as "uy", "eye", "igh".
i - line [line]
y - fly [fly]
ie - tie [thai]
ye - dye [give]
uy - guy [guy]
eye - eyebrow [aibrov]
igh - knight [knight]
[ɔɪ] is read as Russian "oh". On the letter it is passed through "oi", "oy".
oi - noisy [noisy]
oy - annoy
reads like "hey".
In writing, it is conveyed by the letter "a" in an open stressed syllable, and by the letter combinations "ai", "ay", "ey", "ea", "ei".
a - save [save]
ai - main [main]
ay - tray [tray]
ey - gray [gray]
ea - great [great]
ei-eight
It reads like "ay". the "a" sound is longer than the "y" sound. The letter is transmitted through the letter combinations "ow", "ou".
ow - town [town]
ou - pound [pound]
[əu] is read as an average between the sound combinations "ou" and "eu". On the letter - the letter "o" in an open stressed syllable, and the letter combinations "ow", "ou", "oa", "o + ld", "o + ll"
o - bone [bone]
ow - snow [snow]
ou - soul [soul]
oa - coat [coat]
old - cold [cold]
oll - roller [roller]
[ɪə] is read as "ie", "and" is long, and "e" is short. The letter is transmitted by the letter combinations "ear", "eer", "ere", "ier".
ear - gear [gie]
eer - deer [dee]
ere - severe [sivie]
ier - fierce [fies]
[ɛə] reads "ea" or "ee". The sound is a clear "e" and the average between "e" and "a". The letter is transmitted using the letter combinations "are", "ear", "air".
are - care [kee]
Bear - bear [bee]]
air - repair [rapeer]]
It is read as "ue", while "y" is longer than "e". Transmitted by the letters "ue", "ure", "ou+r".
ue - cruel [cruel]
ure - sure [shue]
our - tour [tuer]]
Combination of vowels with consonants
In English, there is such a pattern when some vowels are combined with consonants. For example, the combination al, if it is before the letter k, and after - other consonants. A combination of letters wo, if the previous syllable contains consonants. Wa - if this combination comes before vowels at the end, in this case, the exception is r or if it is combined with consonants, for example, warm. The combination igh has already been described by us among diphthongs, as well as the combination qua, if it is before consonants other than r.
And do listening exercises. You will only listen to the correct pronunciation of real American English!
letters, transmitting vowels, in alphabetical 6: Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, Uu, Yy. There are 20 vowel sounds:
i - and (short)
u - y (short)
ʌ - a (short)
ɔ - o (short)
ə - neutral sound. This sign often denotes unstressed vowel sounds in transcription, regardless of the letters that give this sound.
e - a sound between "e" and "e", pronounced with lips stretched to the side, as if smiling.
æ - sound without analogy in Russian. A long "e" with a wide open mouth and a strongly lowered lower jaw, intermediate between "a" and "e".
i: - and (long)
u: - y (long)
ɑ: - a (long)
ɔ: - o (long)
ə: - Reminiscent of the sound ё, but without the initial sound "y". For example, as in the name of Goethe.
iə - starts with a vowel i and ends with a neutral sound ə
uə - starts with a vowel u and ends with a neutral sound ə
ai -ai
ɔi - oh
ou
ɛə - ea (pronounced very quickly)
au -au
ei -hey
letters, conveying consonants, in alphabetical 20: Bb, Cc, Dd, Ff, Gg, Hh, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Vv, Ww, Xx, Zz. There are 24 consonant sounds.
Voiced consonants:
b - like Russian b
d - d (the tongue at this sound rests on the tubercles in front of the upper teeth)
ʒ - f (harder than Russian)
ʤ-j
g - like Russian g
m - m
n - n
ŋ - nasal sound n, similar to French pronunciation
l - l
r - soft r
w - there is no analogy in Russian, the average between "y" and "v". Similar to the pronunciation of the sound "in" in some dialects. Round your lips as if you were making a "y" sound, then loosen them abruptly.
v - like Russian in
ð - there is no analogy in Russian. Say the Russian "z" with your tongue between your teeth.
z - like Russian z
Voiceless consonants:
p - explosive p
t - t (with this sound, the tongue rests on the tubercles in front of the upper teeth)
ʃ - sh
ʧ - h (much harder than Russian, closer to the combination "tsh")
k - explosive k
f - like Russian f
h - x (much softer than Russian, almost exhalation only)
j - th
θ - no analogy in Russian. Say the Russian "s" with your tongue between your teeth.
s - like Russian with
stress in English transcription it is placed before the stressed syllable, and not above it, as in Russian. This sign (‘) seems to warn us in advance about the stress.
The accent can also be main, located on top, (‘) and secondary located below (,). In this case, the main vocal emphasis falls on the main stress, but we pronounce the vowel sound with secondary stress very clearly, without making it absolutely unstressed and in no case bringing it to a neutral ə.
