7. Sistema fonológico de la lengua inglesa I: las vocales. Símbolos fonéticos. Formas fuertes y formas débiles. Los diptongos. Símbolos fonéticos.

7. English Phonological System I. Vowels: Phonetic Symbols, Strong and Weak Forms, Diphthongs, Comparison with Regional Language Phonological Systems

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION TO DEVELOP

Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

• Phonetics: The study of the production and perception of speech sounds, focusing on the physical and physiological processes involved.
• Phonology: The study of the abstract, cognitive aspects of sounds in language, dealing with patterns, rules, and phonemes.

Stages of Speech (Gimson, 1980)

• Psychological Stage
• Physiological Stage
• Physical Stage

Speech Organs: Lungs, larynx, pharynx, mouth, teeth, tongue, lips.

Vowel Production:

• Open Articulation: Vowels are produced with the vocal tract open.
• Categories:
  • Height of Tongue: Close (/iː/, /uː/), Half-close (/ɪ/, /ʊ/), Half-open (/e/, /ə/, /ɔː/), Open (/æ/, /ʌ/, /ɑː/, /ɒ/)
  • Backness of Tongue: Front (/iː/, /ɪ/, /e/, /æ/), Central (/ə/, /ɜː/, /ʌ/), Back (/uː/, /ʊ/, /ɔː/, /ɒ/, /ɑː/)
  • Lip Position: Rounded (/uː/, /ʊ/, /ɔː/, /ɒ/), Unrounded (all other vowels)

Weak and Strong Vowels:

• Weak Vowels: Occur in unstressed syllables, often reducing to schwa (/ə/).
• Strong Vowels: Occur in stressed syllables.

Examples of Vowels with Phonetic Transcription:

Diphthongs: closing and centring

Triphthongs:

Comparison Between English and Spanish Phonological Systems: Quantity, Quality and Schwa

Vowel Correspondence

KEY CONCEPTS / TERMS / AUTHORS

• Phoneme: Minimal distinctive unit of speech.
• Allophone: Non-distinctive variants of a phoneme.
• Schwa: The most common weak vowel sound in English.
• Diphthong: A sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable.
• Triphthong: A glide from one vowel to another and then to a third one.

Terms:

• Close Vowels: High tongue position (e.g., /iː/, /uː/)
• Open Vowels: Low tongue position (e.g., /æ/, /ɑː/)
• Front Vowels: Tongue towards the front (e.g., /iː/, /e/)
• Back Vowels: Tongue towards the back (e.g., /uː/, /ɔː/)
• Rounded Vowels: Lips rounded (e.g., /uː/, /ɔː/)
• Unrounded Vowels: Lips unrounded (e.g., /iː/, /e/)

Authors:

• Daniel Jones: Developed the cardinal vowel system.
• A.C. Gimson: Known for work on the stages of speech production.
• R. Lass: Author of key texts on phonology.
• A. Mott: Author of phonetics and phonology texts for Spanish learners.

ESSENTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Jones, D. (1967). An Outline of English Phonetics.
• Gimson, A. (1985). An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English.
• Lass, R. (1984). Phonology: An Introduction to Basic Concepts. Cambridge University Press.
• Mott, B. (1991). A Course in Phonetics and Phonology for Spanish Learners of English. PPU.
• International Phonetics Association. IPA.

Recuerda que tienes dos libros imprescindibles para preparar la oposición de secundaria de inglés, específicos para la parte del desarrollo del tema (La receta del tema perfecto) y la del ejercicio práctico (1,2,3 ¡Practica otra vez! ).