Classification of Vowels
? Definition of vowels
? Cardinal vowels
? Classification of vowels
What is a vowel?
? In the production of a sound,if the air,once
out of the glottis,is allowed to pass freely
through the resonators,the sound is a vowel.
? In the production of vowels,the vocal
organs do not come very close together to
form obstructions to the air stream,so it is
difficult to have a clear sensation of the
whereabouts of the vocal organs,Therefore
methods for describing vowels on some
basis other than articulatory were thought in
19th century,Eventually,it occurred to
phoneticians that it would be a way out to
establish,on an auditory basis,a set of
arbitrary reference points – cardinal vowels,
so that a given vowel could be described in
terms of its relation to them.
Cardinal Vowels
? Of the various cardinal vowel systems,the most
satisfactory is the one devised by Daniel Jones,
Jones first fixed the qualities of the two vowels
which were produced with the tongue in most easily
felt positions,When the soft palate is raised and the
lips are unrounded,the vowel produced with the
tongue raised as high and as forward as possible
without causing audible friction is symbolized as [i];
and the vowel produced with the tongue held as low
and as far back as possible without causing audible
friction is symbolized as [B],Then between the two
positions he selected three points where the vowel
qualities seemed to be equal distant and symbolized
them as [e,Z,a].
? The same procedure was applied when the back of
the tongue was raised from the [B] position while
the lips changed progressively from a wide open
shape to a closely rounded one,Another three
auditory equi-distant points were thus established
from the lowest to the highest position and they
were given the symbols [C,o,u].
? The first five of these vowels are pronounced with
the lips unrounded,and the remaining three are
pronounced with the lips rounded,These eight
vowels are called primary cardinal vowels.
Diagram of the Tongue Positions
of the Primary Cardinal Vowels
Secondary Cardinal Vowels
? If we reverse the lip position,i.e.,
pronounce the first five with the lips
rounded and the rest with the lips
unrounded,we get another eight cardinal
vowels,They are secondary cardinal vowels.
Diagram of Secondary Cardinal Vowels
? With the cardinal vowels as the standard,
the vowels in a particular language can be
described with relative accuracy and ease,
The English [i:],for example,may be
described as pronounced with the front of
the tongue in a bit lower and more
centralized position than the cardinal [i],
The English [e] is pronounced with the front
of the tongue in a position between cardinal
[e] and [Z].
Secondary Cardinal Vowels
Primary Cardinal Vowels
The Classification of Vowel
? The height of the tongue raised (high,mid,low)
? The position of the highest part of the tongue (front,
central,back)
? The degree of lip-rounding (rounded,unrounded)
? Oral or nasal
? Long or short
? Pure or glidding
? Definition of vowels
? Cardinal vowels
? Classification of vowels
What is a vowel?
? In the production of a sound,if the air,once
out of the glottis,is allowed to pass freely
through the resonators,the sound is a vowel.
? In the production of vowels,the vocal
organs do not come very close together to
form obstructions to the air stream,so it is
difficult to have a clear sensation of the
whereabouts of the vocal organs,Therefore
methods for describing vowels on some
basis other than articulatory were thought in
19th century,Eventually,it occurred to
phoneticians that it would be a way out to
establish,on an auditory basis,a set of
arbitrary reference points – cardinal vowels,
so that a given vowel could be described in
terms of its relation to them.
Cardinal Vowels
? Of the various cardinal vowel systems,the most
satisfactory is the one devised by Daniel Jones,
Jones first fixed the qualities of the two vowels
which were produced with the tongue in most easily
felt positions,When the soft palate is raised and the
lips are unrounded,the vowel produced with the
tongue raised as high and as forward as possible
without causing audible friction is symbolized as [i];
and the vowel produced with the tongue held as low
and as far back as possible without causing audible
friction is symbolized as [B],Then between the two
positions he selected three points where the vowel
qualities seemed to be equal distant and symbolized
them as [e,Z,a].
? The same procedure was applied when the back of
the tongue was raised from the [B] position while
the lips changed progressively from a wide open
shape to a closely rounded one,Another three
auditory equi-distant points were thus established
from the lowest to the highest position and they
were given the symbols [C,o,u].
? The first five of these vowels are pronounced with
the lips unrounded,and the remaining three are
pronounced with the lips rounded,These eight
vowels are called primary cardinal vowels.
Diagram of the Tongue Positions
of the Primary Cardinal Vowels
Secondary Cardinal Vowels
? If we reverse the lip position,i.e.,
pronounce the first five with the lips
rounded and the rest with the lips
unrounded,we get another eight cardinal
vowels,They are secondary cardinal vowels.
Diagram of Secondary Cardinal Vowels
? With the cardinal vowels as the standard,
the vowels in a particular language can be
described with relative accuracy and ease,
The English [i:],for example,may be
described as pronounced with the front of
the tongue in a bit lower and more
centralized position than the cardinal [i],
The English [e] is pronounced with the front
of the tongue in a position between cardinal
[e] and [Z].
Secondary Cardinal Vowels
Primary Cardinal Vowels
The Classification of Vowel
? The height of the tongue raised (high,mid,low)
? The position of the highest part of the tongue (front,
central,back)
? The degree of lip-rounding (rounded,unrounded)
? Oral or nasal
? Long or short
? Pure or glidding
