Front vowels

This is the second post of a series to help teachers practice phonetics. In this entry, the topic is front vowels.

Front vowels

The front vowels of present-day English are those that are articulated near the front of the oral cavity.

Here is a list of these vowels.

1. /i:/ (the phoneme spelled ee in beet): high front vowel.

2. /I/ (the phoneme spelled i in bit):  high front vowel. This vowel is articulated slightly further back and slightly lower than the preceding vowel /i/.

3. /ei/ (the phoneme spelled ai in bait): mid-front vowel.

4. /e / (the phoneme spelled e in bet): mid-front vowel. This vowel is articulated slightly further back and slightly lower than the preceding vowel /e/.

5. /æ/ (the phoneme spelled a in bat): low front vowel.

Video time

In the coming video, you can review the front vowels. Please listen carefully and repeat when necessary after the presenter. For this material, the phonemes /e/ and /3/are used interchangeably.

Minimal Pair

This is another important concept to remind at this moment as we contrast some of these front vowels.

A minimal pair is a pair of words that vary by only a single sound, usually meaning sounds that may confuse English learners, like the /f/ and /v/ in fan and van, or the /e/ and /ɪ/ in desk and disk.

Let's see some minimal pairs. Say the words aloud and find the difference not only in pronunciation but also in meaning. 

Practice time

Practice. Say these words aloud make sure to produce the correct vowel sound identified in each minimal pair.

 Minimal Pairs        /I/ and          /i:/ 

              /I/                                                           /i:/

•       did                                                        deed

•       fill                                                        feel

•       fit                                                         feet

•       grin                                                      green

•       bid                                                       bead

•       bitch                                                    beech

•       biz                                                       bees

•       chick                                                   cheek

•       chit                                                      cheat

Minimal Pairs /e/ and /I/

/e/                                                                     /I/

·         Dead                                                             did

·         Desk                                                             disk

·         Check                                                          chick

·         Gem                                                            gym

·         Hell                                                             hill

·         Hem                                                            him

·         Leapt                                                          lipped

·         Led                                                             lid

Minimal Pairs /e/ and /ei/

/e/                                                                 /ei/

Bed                                                             bade

Bread                                                         braid

Fell                                                             fail

Get                                                             gate

Led                                                            laid

Lens                                                          lanes

Men                                                          main

Met                                                          mate

Pent                                                         paint

Minimal Pairs /æ/ and /e/

/æ/                                               /e/

•       Bland /                                        blend

•       cattle /                                        kettle

•       dab /                                           deb

•       flax /                                          flecks

•       frat /                                           fret

•       rabble /                                       rebel

Tongue twisters

Tongue twisters are a great teaching and learning strategy to practice your English. Here you find some examples. Say them aloud, pay attention to those words in italics.

•       Eddie edited Earl’s easy music.

•       Gooey gopher guts.

•       Excited executioner exercising his excising powers excessively.

•       Annie ate eight Arctic apples.

•       An orange oval spooks the odd operative.

•       An awful aardvark and an aching ape ate an antelope.

Practice online

Access the link provided below and work online with the exercises.

Watch the videos. listen to the words and repeat when necessary.

https://www.espressoenglish.net/minimal-pairs-english-pronunciation-exercises-vowels/