Week 6: The Schwa Sound

The Schwa Sound in English

By paying attention to the chart above, we can identify that there are two co-existing schwas in English: /ʌ/ = the stressed schwa and /ə/ the unstressed schwa.

But what is a schwa? Schwa is a neutral vowel sound in some languages such as English and French. This particular vowel sound does not exist in Spanish. For this reason, it is quite important for pronunciation students to be sure of how this vowel sound is produced in English, when being stressed or being unstressed.

How's a schwa pronounced? As mentioned before, a schwa is a neutral sound; that is that your mounth is partly open in a relaxed way, and the vowel sound coming out of your mouth is a lax sound in expressions such as uhu! or uh-uh!

Now, what is the difference between /ʌ/ = the stressed schwa and /ə/ the unstressed schwa? To answer this question, on the one hand, we must state that the stressed schwa will always be present on one-syllable words. Here the stressed schwa is longer than the unstressed one.

Take a look at these examples and repeat them:

must /mʌst/

her /hʌr/

first /fʌrst/

some or sum /sʌm/

were /wʌr/

one /wʌn/

once /wʌns/

but /bʌt/

the /ðʌ/

just /dʒʌst/

nuts /nʌts/

fur /fʌr/

lung /lʌŋ/

luck /lʌk/

drunk /drʌŋk/

If you noticed among the examples above, you probably came up with the idea that letter "u" -in one-sylable words- is an indication that a stressed schwa is present. You are certainly true, although there may be words containing "u" that do not necessarily follow this rule, such a "put."

On the other hand, we have two- or more- syllable words, that intead of using the stressed schwa, they use the unstressed one. Pay close attention to the examples below:

other /'aðər/

relatives /'rɛlətɪvz/

after /'æftər/

children /'tʃɪldrən/

famous /'feyməs/

people /'piypəl/

example /ɛks'æmpəl/

parents /'pærənts/

painter /'peyntər/

ever /'ɛvər/

river /'rɪvər/

nature /'neytʃər/

recent /'riysənt/

original /ə'rɪdʒɪnəl/

simple /'sɪmpəl/

As you have noticed, any vowel letter/sound can be reduced to a schwa sound. The rules states that in two- or three-syllable words, one of the syllables contains a full vowel, but the other is usually a reduced vowel, being this -most of the time- a /ə/.

And, of course, we have two- or three-syllable words in English that contain a stressed schwa sound. The only difference in this case, if compared to one-syllable words, is that we have to apply a diacritic such as /´/ or /'/ to indicate which syllable is stressed, and consequently, which ones, not.

survey /'sʌrvey/

cousin /'kʌzɪn/

country /'kʌntrɪ/

mother /'mʌðər/

color /'kʌlər/

common /'kʌmən/

younger /'yʌŋgər/

suffer /'sʌfər/

wordy /'wʌrdɪ/

person /'pʌrsən/

Now, let's practice with both scwhas. Let's transcribe the following 20 words:

1. winner
2. vacation
3. shopping
4. Paris
5. expensive
6. heaven
7. delicious
8. understand
9. Africa
10. friendly
11. welcoming
12. scenery
13. lions
14. possible
15. perfect
16. weather
17. personal
18. capital
19. complete
20. currency

Here you will find the transcripitons for the previous exercise:

http://poster.4teachers.org/worksheet/view.php?id=148467

For further practice on the schwa sound, visit the following links:

1. Handout on Schwa from the BBC Learning Services:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/pronunciation/pdf/exercises/schwa_exercises.pdf

2. Video on pronunciation tips on the schwa sound by BBC Learning Services:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/sounds/vowel_short_5.shtml

3. Video on understanding the stressed schwa:

http://www.rachelsenglish.com/vowel_uh_butter

4. Video on understanding the unstressed schwa:

http://www.rachelsenglish.com/vowel_uh_supply

5. Exercise on contrastrive words with schwa:

http://shiporsheep.com/page6.html

6. A self-quiz on schwa (includes listening):

http://www.manythings.org/mp/m28.html

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Week 5: Linking in English

Linking in English

You may be wondering what "linking" in English is, so to give you a simple definition of what linking implies, let's consider the following facts:

1. Linking is a natural process that takes place in any language because no single speaker speaks word by word.
2. Linking is used to make your speech (your way of speaking) more fluent, and consequently, to avoid being choppy (speaking word by word).
3. Linking can be applied to a minimum of two words in a row, but let us remember that a whole sentence can be actually linked, i.e., "She's an electrical engineer." (All words are linked to the following.)
4. Linking is not an optional rule that needs to be applied; it is mandatory. Otherwise, your speech fluency will be affected when reading or speaking.

To conclude with this introduction, what's linking? "It is the process of joining words together to make one's speech fluent and more natural. And it is a natural process in which a minimum of two words get to be pronounced as if they were one."

Rules on Linking, Practices, and Self-Quizzes

Sound-Spelling Pattern for linking

http://www.evaeaston.com/linking-pattern.html

Sound-Spelling Pattern: Consonant Sound + Vowel sound

http://www.evaeaston.com/linking-pat-cv.html

Sound-Spelling Pattern: /w/ & /y/ + Vowel Sound

http://www.evaeaston.com/linking-pat-wy.html

Sound-Spelling Pattern: Consonant Sound + Same Consonant Sound

http://www.evaeaston.com/linking-pat-cc.html

Consonant Sound: Voiceless /tʃ/

http://evaeaston.com/ch-dzh-link-ch.html

Quizzes

http://evaeaston.com/ch-dzh-quiz-menu.html

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Week 4: General Vowel Practice (Homework)

Tongue Twisters

Read the following texts. Carefully pronounce each word to get the right pronunciation.

1.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

2.

Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?

3.

I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish.

4.

There was a fisherman named Fisher
who fished for some fish in a fissure.
Till a fish with a grin,
pulled the fisherman in.
Now they're fishing the fissure for Fisher.

Here you have some extra practice on tongue twisters:

http://www.eslmania.com/students/accent_reduction/Tongue_twister_with_audio.htm

http://www.zozanga.com/games/tongue-twisters.htm

Self-Quizzes on Vowels

http://www.manythings.org/mp/m14.html

http://www.manythings.org/mp/m20.html

http://www.manythings.org/mp/m24.html

http://www.manythings.org/mp/m26.html

Video for practicing

http://www.manythings.org/b/e/2176

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Week 4: Diagraph /æ/

What's a Diagraph?

Diagraph is a common vowel in the English language. It is also present in a number of other languages around the world, such as French, but it is not a regular sound for Spanish variations. This particular sound is represented by the symbol /æ/, and it is characterized by two important features: on the one hand, a diagraph is pronunced by spreading your mouth a bit to the sides and, on the other hand, by not applying any kind of tension to your muscles in the chin or in your jaw.

The most common way to find a diagraph in English is by locating one-syllable words that contain letter "a," except for those that end in letter "e." Take a look at the contrastive-words examples below:

at / ate

bat / bait

cat / Kate

fat / fate

hat / hate

mat / mate

rat / rate

shack / shake

back / bake

Can you now read the following transcriptions?

/'læfıŋ/

/ræk/

/læk/

/'læstlı/

/æt/

/stænd/

/glæd/

/sæd/

/pæs/

/ækt/

/'mænlı/

/hæv/

/hæf/

/kæst/

/æskt/

For further practice, work on the following links:

http://www.shiporsheep.com/page5.html

http://www.shiporsheep.com/page6.html

http://www.shiporsheep.com/page7.html

http://rbeaudoin333.homestead.com/files/short_vowels/short_vowel_pattern_1.html

http://rbeaudoin333.homestead.com/files/short_vowels/short_vowel_pattern_2.html

http://rbeaudoin333.homestead.com/files/short_vowels/short_vowel_pattern_3.html

http://rbeaudoin333.homestead.com/files/short_vowels/short_vowel_pattern_4.html

For further practice and review on general vowels, visit the following sites:

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/name_pict/name_pic1.htm

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/vowel_sound/long_vowel_2_3a.htm

http://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/~emchen/Pron/vowel.htm

For the explanation on diagraph formation or pronunciation, watch the following video. In case you can't see it here, please visit either of the sites below:

http://www.rachelsenglish.com/vowel_aa_bat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW1sYpwYWPE&feature=player_embedded

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