It seemed like an impenetrable jungle with 26 dangerous predators hiding in the wilds. However, now you probably can easily name and arrange all the letters in the correct order, and even shine with several facts that are not known to every philologist.
After reading this article, the topic of English transcription and pronunciation will be moved from the fear room to the laugh room. Today in the program:
Relieving your fear of reading and learning about graphic symbols
... acquaintance, memorization and memorization of diphthongs, vowels and consonants (classification of sounds), designed in unique tables
... pause for downloading and printing English transcriptions in pictures
... a clear and clear explanation of the use of English sounds by comparing them with Russian relatives
... consolidation of the passed material with a 10-minute video about English transcription
Are you still apprehensive? Then we are going to you!
Graphic symbols of transcription in English
Before plunging into the maelstrom of English reading with your head, we strongly recommend that you heed the advice of experienced divers. Naturally, the child learns first to sit, and then to walk, and not vice versa - the same is for us: first, learn to read the transcription, and then pronounce it (in the head or out loud). You should not get carried away only with reading, otherwise you run the risk of digging into the jungle of theory and breaking away from practice.
First you need to learn and clarify all the questions regarding each transcription symbol. Then listen online exactly as many examples as you need for a clear and clear understanding of how this symbol sounds in live speech. Learn strictly from examples of sounds not taken out of context (like Rian's "uh-uh" in the hit "Umbrella"), but in a specific combination of letters found in words. Then, listen to each new word first and only then check what is caught by the ears with the literal dictionary transcription enclosed in square brackets. By the way, about them and other integral transcription companions:
Square brackets. They signal that transcription is inside.
For example, English is a word and ["ɪŋglɪʃ] is its transcription;
‘ - main stress. Placed BEFORE a stressed vowel: around [əˈraʊnd];
, - secondary stress. Placed BEFORE a vowel: ["hæmˌbɜːgə];
: - vowel length.
The proposed option seems at first glance not the fastest, but the wise will not go up the hill - the wise will bypass the mountain. As a result, the time spent is converted into the comfort of speech perception: you no longer need to painfully strain your hearing, trying to recognize unfamiliar sounds. And soon unfamiliar "zakarlyuchki" will acquire a meaningful sound. Isn't it magical? This is the secret of not only correct pronunciation, but also the ease of listening to speech.
Foundation of English transcription
Since “it's great that we are all gathered here today” regarding the study of transcription, let's get to know it better. There are two types of transcription: phonetic and phonemic. You are mistaken if you think that phonetic transcription was / will be taught to a more familiar ear. She, as a rule, interests serious uncles and aunts of linguists, our choice is the study of phonemes (sound linguistic units). Simply put, if two sounds are very similar, but the difference between them can change the meaning of the word, then they form two different phonemes. In Russian it is not so noticeable, because call a cat, even if it is “cat” or even “kooooot”, he will come anyway, and the meaning of the word will not change. One phoneme for two different sounds. In English, the number will not work: "cot", "caught" and "coat" contain different phonemes. Why are there so many "smart letters"? Besides the fact that dictionaries contain phonemic transcriptions, remember this and do not be confused:
Pope (dad, papal):
1) - this is a phonetic transcription, it is emphasized here that the first [p], in contrast to the second, is pronounced with aspiration (aspiration after consonants p, t, k before vowels);
2) is a dictionary (phonemic) transcription.
What else do you need to know about transcription? That there is a different syllable in it:
- open (there is no consonant after the vowel) - New
- closed (there is a consonant after the vowel) - York
- vowel:single - [e], diphthong - [ɔʊ], triphthong - [ɑiə]
- consonant: [d]
English vowel sounds (with online pronunciation)
There are fewer vowels in English than consonants, but more than diphthongs. This picture clearly shows the difference, for example, between the sounds [I] and. Anyone who has even heard of the existence of imagination will distinguish between the words "fish" and "tree", which, like puzzles, contain the mentioned sounds. You can re-read the rules as much as you like, or you can study the transcription in pictures in detail once, which visualizes examples of the use of sounds. For memory training, you can download and even print a picture, this option is provided. For auditors, it is possible to hear every sound online in a word after clicking on the speaker icon.
Consonant sounds of English
Consonants in English are not at all twin brothers to Russians. The articulation of their creation is seriously different. However, we gathered here not to intimidate with clever words, but on the contrary to make life easier for novice Anglomaniacs, so we painted voiced consonants in purple, and deaf ones in blue. When forming the same plural of nouns, it is very important to feel and know the difference. The bonus to the learned sounds is 24 new words. We train visual memory and save the English transcription in pictures for re-appeal as soon as necessary! Audials still click on the speaker icon under each letter to pronounce sounds in online transcription.
Diphthongs (double vowels) of English
And it would be scary from the presence of 8 diphthongs in English, if not for the miraculous pictures, thanks to which the study turns into an entertaining solving of charades. It is enough to look at the drawing, hold your gaze, sound the diphthong by pressing the speaker icon under the letter and practice the correct pronunciation. Anyone who appreciates the creative approach to business is allowed to download a picture for a long memory!
From theory to practice
It will take some time, the dictionary will be covered with a thick layer of dust or removed from bookmarks (in the electronic version), because the translation of the necessary words is known, the sound is familiar - what other America can you discover there for yourself? Believe it or not, it is precisely the clarification of the transcription of what seems to you well-known words that is the very untapped field that is worth going over to improve the sound of speech.
Let's give an everyday example: the often used word "real" have phonemic transcriptions a), b) or c)?
The first option is fictitious and erroneous, the second and third are British and American pronunciation. What is the moral of this fable?
So that you will not be painfully ashamed of your reading, we recommend that you at least briefly familiarize yourself with these tables as follows:
- we read the line from left to right;
- listen to the perfect pronunciation of the sound;
- we take a mirror in our hand and train hard (you will surely like to train [æ] or [ð]).
Table of English sounds similar to Russian
These sounds in English transcription do not have to be explained on the fingers.
| Sound | Example | Explanations |
|---|---|---|
| [ɑː] | car, far, garage | Sounds like a long ahh. Remember the cartoon about Mowgli, where the wise Kaa was? |
| [ʌ] | up, but, love | Short sonorous "a". Something similar in Russian "ai". |
| [ɔː] | more, board, floor | Sounds like a long oo. Show surprise. |
| [b] | book, board, tab | Russian energetic "b". When you walk down the corridor in the dark and suddenly stumble |
| [g] | green, grace, agree | Russian "g", but not so energetic. |
| [f] | forest, atmosphere, enough | A very energetic Russian "f". |
| [k] | kill, cord, school | Russian "k". Pronounced aspirated before a stressed vowel (if you put your hand in front of your lips and say "keel," then the palm should feel your fresh breath) |
| [m] | mother, lamb | Russian "m". |
| [n] | nine, note, intrusion | Russian "n". |
| [p] | pub, gallop, open | Russian energetic "p". Before a stressed vowel - aspirated. |
| [v] | vest, vocal, give | Russian "v". |
Now let's look at a few tricky examples in practice:
subtle - subtle
"Suttle" and only so, no "subtle" with a drum "b" in the middle.
palm -
palm
Naturally, everyone wants to be under a palm tree, but there is no smell of it. Not "palm", not "by: lm", but "pa: m", as in "car" and "path". In the company with the palm they find themselves calm - "calm" and balm - "balm".
halt - stop
Drive away the analogy with the German "halt" - correctly pronounced "ho: lt".
won - won, won in the past from "win"
Wonderful if you pronounce "won" like "one" -.
of - preposition of belonging
Only a botanist would dream of checking the sound of a two-letter word? Oh well. "Of" and no nails? Remember: "Of" is pronounced with an "at" at the end. The full form is [ɔv], the reduced form is [əv]. Is always.
Table of English sounds that have something in common with Russians
These sounds cause the greatest temptation and at the same time danger: the relative similarity with the usual pronunciation in Russian threatens to sound absolutely wrong. Pay enough attention and understand the differences well.
| Sound | Example | Explanations |
|---|---|---|
| [i] | fit, bit, symbol | Average between "s" and "and". Pronounced very shortly, like at the end of "apcho". |
| cheese, tree, sea | What photographers ask us to say to the camera. As in the Russian word "syyyr", but with a sweet smile. | |
| [ɒ] | hot, body, rock | Average between "o" and "a". That is, by no means the Vologda "o". |
| [u] | cook, foot, woman | It looks like a Russian short "u", but it is pronounced easier and the lips are slightly stretched. It turns out like "u" with a half smile. No lips stretched out into a tube. |
| true, fool, shoes | Like the previous sound, but long lasting. | |
| [e] | get, bed, head | Intelligent "e". As in the Russian word "tin". |
| [ə] | about, until, alias | Average between unstressed "e" and "a". |
| [l] | let, laughter, illegal | A softened Russian "l". Something in between the sound of the word "la" and "la". |
| [s] | stress, sunday, citizen | The muffled Russian "s". He never whistles. Remember the Beatles song "Girl"? Now, if their famous inhalation "sssss" is pronounced with an exhalation and short, you will get beautiful English [s]. |
| [z] | zero, cosmonaut, xenon | Everything is the same as about the sound [s], only loud. |
| [t] | tree, trunk, receipt | Similar to the Russian "t". But the tip of the tongue should not be placed against the teeth, but against the tubercle behind the upper teeth. |
| [d] | drink, ad, diligent | Similarly: like the Russian "d", only the tip of the tongue rests on the tubercle just behind the upper teeth. |
| [ʃ] | ship, action, special | Between the Russian "sh" and "u". Does not whistle, because the tongue does not rest with force on the teeth, but gently touches them. |
| [ʒ] | pleasure, visual, garage | Softened Russian "f". Does not ring or whistle. |
| jump, jungle, logic | We combine English [d] with [ ʒ ] and we get a soft "j". | |
| inch, chance, catch | We combine English [t] with [ ʃ ] and we get something similar to the Russian "h". As in the word "kitsch". | |
| [j] | yes, yet, you | Average between "d" and "and". |
| [ɪə] | hear, fear, beer | It looks like the Russian "IE" with an emphasis on "and". |
| air, hair, care | Russian "ea" with emphasis on "e". | |
| make, tray, ace | Russian "ei" with emphasis on "e". “I” is pronounced very shortly. | |
| hi, sky, bye | Russian "ai" with an accent on "a". “I” is pronounced very shortly. | |
| [ɔɪ] | boy, joy, coin | Russian "oi" with an accent on "a". “I” is pronounced very shortly. |
| how, cow, hour, our | Russian "ay" with an accent on "a". "U" is pronounced very shortly. | |
| fire, wire | Russian "aie" with a strong accent on the first "a". Pronounced quickly and consistently. | |
| our, flower | Russian "aua" with a strong accent on the first "a". Pronounced quickly and consistently. |
were - were
"Were" is not at all the same as "where" -. Instead of a diphthong, we use a neutral vowel -, an abbreviated form -.
debt - debt and doubt - doubt
Fans of the group "No Doubt" had more than a dozen years in stock to clarify how the name of their favorite group sounds right. Debt and doubt are not easy to pronounce. In English, there is no such Russian-language phenomenon as stunning or voicing a consonant, but throw out the letter of their words for a sweet soul: and is pronounced.
good - good, book - book and look - look
The double "o" does not turn into a long "y" in these words. Therefore, do not copy the howl of wolves to the moon - speak correctly with a short vowel -,,.
Table of English sounds that have nothing to do with Russian
Practice well in pronouncing these sounds online, at least your speech apparatus should get used to reproducing them correctly.
| Sound | Example | Explanations |
|---|---|---|
| [ɜː] | earn, her, first | If the Russian "o" wanted to become "e", it would sound like that. Something like the sound when children tease by sticking out their tongue. But you need to achieve this sound without sticking anything out. To do this, silently prepare your mouth for pronouncing "e", and say "oo" out loud. |
| [əu] | go, joke, own | Between the Russian "oh" and "ey" (without "y") with an emphasis on the first sound. "U" is pronounced very shortly. |
| [æ] | cat, apple, compact | It is very important not to confuse this sound with [e], otherwise you will get “bed” instead of “bad”. You need to stretch your lips wide, lower your lower jaw and heartily say "eh". |
| [h] | hot, head, uphill | Every Russian man knows how to pronounce this sound. When you are asked “come on, breathe,” all men begin to speak English, because they pronounce [h] exactly the way they should: a slight exhalation, vaguely reminiscent of “x”. |
| [r] | red, random, orange | Russian bears are fluent in English [r]. Try to growl with your tongue up. |
| [w] | well, what, windows | Roll your lips together and stretch sharply. And now the same thing, but with sound. |
| [ŋ] | strong, sing, sink | Children are scolded for talking with their mouths full. But if you listen to the sounds emitted, then there many consonants sound exactly like [ŋ] ... Open your mouth and, without closing it, say "n". |
| [θ] | thanks, ethic | Stick your tongue between your teeth and say "s". |
| [ð] | they, there, other | Stick your tongue between your teeth and say "h". The best practice is to say the expression "Is this" 100 times. You will never confuse "z" with [ð]. |
folk - people, folk
The letter "l" has become a victim and is not pronounced at all -.
comb - hairbrush
No "comb" - only "koum". English "m" and "b" are pretty cunning guys who will break the wood more than once. Be on the lookout!
won’t - will not be - short for "will not"
Were tormented by the question of how the cunning English distinguish between “want” and “won’t” in oral speech? You just need to pronounce the negation in the future tense correctly -. That's all the magic.
salmon - salmon
Not "salmon" and certainly not "solomon". Salmon on your mind - as in "cat" and "apple".
Bonus for the most patient
The human brain is the eighth wonder of the world, the deepest possibilities of which we can only guess so far. Something important to us now is known for certain: there is a speech center in the brain. There is no special center responsible for reading, but there is one for speech. This is why we strongly recommend repeating words out loud for the hundredth time. It is out loud, and not to oneself, because in this case muscle memory is also connected. Naturally, words can "live and sound" in your head. The main thing is not to get stuck and not stop at the stage of decoding transcription symbols, choosing the necessary rule for each sound. In this case, only the speed of a snail is ensured.
If the language is still alive after the previous exercises, then we bring to your attention a video that is better to see once than hear about it 100 times. All phonetic transcription of the English language in 10 minutes. Clearly, competently and very clearly.
Letters, conveying vowels, in alphabet 6: Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, Uu, Yy... There are 20 vowels:
i - and (short)
u - y (short)
ʌ - a (short)
ɔ - o (short)
ə is a neutral sound. This sign often denotes unstressed vowel sounds in transcription, regardless of the letters that give this sound.
e is a sound in 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, an average between "a" and "e".
i: - and (long)
u: - y (long)
ɑ: - a (long)
ɔ: - oh (long)
ə: - Similar to the yo sound, but without the initial "y" sound. For example, as in the name of Goethe.
iə - starts with the vowel i and ends with a neutral sound ə
uə - starts with the vowel u and ends with a neutral sound ə
ai -ai
ɔi - oh
ou-ou
ɛə - ea (pronounced very quickly)
au-ay
ei -ey
Letters, conveying consonants, in alphabet 20: Bb, Cc, Dd, Ff, Gg, Hh, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Vv, Ww, Xx, Zz... There are 24 consonants.
Voiced consonants:
b - like Russian b
d - d (with this sound, the tongue 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 n sound, similar to French pronons
l - l
r - soft p
w - there is no analogy in Russian, the middle between "y" and "v". Similar to the pronunciation of the "v" sound in some dialects. Round your lips as you would for pronouncing the sound "y", and then sharply relax them.
v - like Russian in
ð - there is no analogy in Russian. Pronounce 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 - w
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 only one exhalation)
j - th
θ - there is no analogy in Russian. Pronounce 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 (‘) warns us in advance about the stress.
Stress can also be the mainlocated at the top (‘) and secondarylocated below (,). In this case, the main vocal emphasis falls on the main stress, but we pronounce the vowel with a secondary stress very clearly, without making it absolutely unstressed and in no case bringing it to neutral ə.
Comments (1)
Transcription - this is a written image of the sounds of the language with the help of special signs, with the goal of accurately conveying the pronunciation. International transcription is used as the main one. With her help, you can record the sound of any word, regardless of its belonging to any language.
International phonetic alphabet(eng. International Phonetic Alphabet, abbr. IPA; fr. Alphabet phonetique international, abbr. API) - a system of characters for recording transcription based on the Latin alphabet. Designed and maintained by the International Phonetic Association IPA, the characters for the IPA were chosen to harmonize with the Latin alphabet. Therefore, most of the characters are letters of the Latin and Greek alphabets or their modifications. Many British dictionaries, including educational dictionaries such as Oxford Advanced Learner "s Dictionary and Cambridge Advanced Learner "s Dictionary, now use the international phonetic alphabet to convey the pronunciation of words. However, most American publications (and some British ones) use their own designations, which are considered more intuitive for readers unfamiliar with IPA.
The colon after the sign means that the sound is long and you need to pronounce it a little longer. In English dictionaries, there are two types of stress, main and secondary, and both are placed before the stressed syllable. In the transcription, the main stress is placed at the top - [... ʹ
...], and the secondary below [... ͵
...]. Both types of stress are used in polysyllabic and compound words. It is also worth mentioning that there are rules under which some sounds and letters are not pronounced. In the transcription, they are placed in parentheses - [.. (..)
..].
Transcription signs
used in suggested dictionaries and articles with examples of pronunciation
| Vowel sounds | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Close to spinner and in a word andwa | f eel |
||
| [ı] | Close to short and in a word andgla |
f ill |
|
| [e] | The transcription mark is similar to ehin a word this is |
f ell |
|
| [æ] | - average between and and eh... Open your mouth as for utterance and, try to pronounce eh. |
c at |
|
| [ɑ:] | Long sound ah: d ahth | c art |
|
| [ɒ] | Brief about in a word t aboutt | c ot |
|
| [ɔ:] | Reminds of a drawn out about in a word p aboutwell | f all |
|
| [ɜ:] | Long sound, in between about and: uh... Reminds e in a word D ethose | c urt |
|
| [ə] | Short, indistinct, unstressed sound. In Russian, it is heard in unstressed syllables: five room andt | b anan a |
|
| [ʌ] | Close to unstressed and in a word to andmouse.In English, it is usually under stress | c ut |
|
| [ʋ] | Close to sound at in a word t att | f ull |
|
| Close to sound at, pronounced lingeringly: at-clever | f ool |
||
| Close to Russian ah in a word B ahfeces | f ile |
||
| to her in a word w to herka | f ail |
||
| [ɔı] | oh in a word b ohnya | f oil |
|
| ay in a word p ayper | f oul |
||
| [əʋ] | f oal |
||
| [ıə] | Combination [ı] and [ə] with emphasis on [ı]. About Ie | t ier |
|
| [ʋə] | Combination [ʋ] and [ə] with emphasis on [ʋ] Approx. Ue | t our |
|
| The first element of the combination is close to eh in a word ehthat one... It is followed by a cursory sound [ə] ... The combination is roughly pronounced Ea | t ear |
||
| Consonant sounds | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| [p] | corresponding. Russian ppier |
||
| [t] | corresponding. Russian t | tier |
|
| [b] | corresponding. Russian b | beer |
|
| [d] | corresponding. Russian d | deer |
|
| [m] | corresponding. Russian m | mere |
|
| [n] | corresponding. Russian n | near |
|
| [k] | corresponding. Russian to | ba ke |
|
| [l] | corresponding. Russian l | leer |
|
| [g] | corresponding. Russian r | gear |
|
| [f] | corresponding. Russian f | fear |
|
| [v] | corresponding. Russian in | veer |
|
| [s] | corresponding. Russian from | ba se |
|
| [z] | corresponding. Russian s | bai ze |
|
| [ʃ] | corresponding. Russian w | sheer [ʃıə] |
|
| [ʒ] | corresponding. Russian f | bei ge |
|
| corresponding. Russian h | cheer |
||
| corresponding. Russian j | jeer |
||
| [r] | matches the sound r in a word f rfucking | rear |
|
| [h] | exhalation, reminiscent of a weakly pronounced sound x |
hear |
|
| [j] | reminds of Russian sound th before vowel sounds: New Thorc, if a [yesley]. Occurs in combination with vowels. | year |
|
| long yu in a word yutight | |||
| e in a word eeh | |||
| e in a word elka | |||
| i in a word ima | |||
| The following consonants do not even have an approximate correspondence in Russian | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| [w] | sound inuttered with lips alone. In translation it is denoted by letters in or at: Williams Haveilyama, INilyama | weir |
|
| [ŋ] | Open your mouth and say nwithout closing your mouth | wro ng |
|
| [θ] | Pull out the slightly spread tip of your tongue between your teeth and pronounce Russian from | wra th |
|
| [ð] | With the same position of the tongue, say s. | this [ðıs] |
|
In the documents of the site and dictionary entries, it is used as a new version of the international transcription of the English language, that is, the one that has recently become widespread and the old version. Both transcriptions differ only in the outline of some sounds.
Changes in the new version of the transcription
| Old form | for instance | New form |
|---|---|---|
| f eel | ||
| [i] | f ill | [ı] |
| [e] | f ell | [e] |
| [ɔ:] | f all | [ɔ:] |
| [u] | f ull | [ʋ] |
| f ool | ||
| f ail | ||
| f oal | [əʋ] | |
| f ile | ||
| f oul | ||
| [ɔi] | f oil | [ɔı] |
| [æ] | c at | [æ] |
| [ɔ] | c ot | [ɒ] |
| [ʌ] | c ut | [ʌ] |
| [ə:] | c urt | [ɜ:] |
| [ɑ:] | c art | [ɑ:] |
| t ier | [ıə] | |
| [ɛə] | t ear | |
| t our | [ʋə] | |
| [ə] | b anan a | [ə] |
"I don't understand transcription", "And how is it written in Russian letters?", "Why do I need these sounds?" ... If you start learning English with such moods, then I will have to disappoint you: you are unlikely to achieve significant success in English.
Without knowing the transcription, it will be difficult for you to understand the structure of English pronunciation, you will constantly make mistakes, have difficulty learning new words and using dictionaries.
Since school, the attitude of many to transcription is frankly negative. In fact, there is nothing complicated in the transcription of English. If you did not understand it, it means that this topic was not explained to you properly. In this article, we will try to fix it.
To understand the essence of transcription, you must clearly understand the difference between letters and sounds. Letters Is what we write, and the sounds - what we hear. Transcription marks are sounds represented in writing. For musicians, this role is played by notes, and for you and me - transcription. In Russian, transcription does not play a big role in taboo, as in English. There are vowels that are read in different ways, and combinations that need to be remembered, and letters that are not pronounced. The number of letters and sounds in a word does not always coincide.
For example, the word daughter has 8 letters, and four sounds ["dɔːtə]. If the final [r] is pronounced, as in American English, then there are five sounds. The vowel combination au gives the sound [ɔː], gh is not read at all, er can be read as [ə] or [ər], depending on the version of English.
There are a lot of such examples. It is difficult to understand how to read a word, and how many sounds are pronounced in it, if you do not know the basic rules of transcription.
Where can you find transcription? First of all, in dictionaries. When you find a new word in the dictionary, there must be information next to how the word is pronounced, that is, transcription. In addition, in textbooks, the lexical part always contains a transcription. Knowledge of the sound structure of the language will not allow you to remember the incorrect pronunciation of words, because you will always identify a word not only with its literal representation, but also with a sound one.
In domestic editions, transcription is usually placed in square brackets, and in dictionaries and manuals of foreign publishing houses, transcription is presented in oblique brackets / /. Many teachers use oblique brackets when writing transcriptions of words on the board.
Now more about the sounds of the English language.
There are only 44 sounds in English, which are subdivided into vowels (vowels ["vauəlz]), consonants (consonants "kɔn (t) s (ə) nənts]) Vowels and consonants can form combinations including diphthongs (diphthongs ["dɪfθɔŋz]) Vowel sounds in English differ in length in brief (short vovels) and long (long vowels), and consonants can be divided into deaf (voicelss consonants), voiced (voiced consonants). There are also those consonants that are difficult to attribute to voiceless or voiced. We will not delve into phonetics, since at the initial stage this information is quite enough. Consider the table of sounds of the English language:
Let's start with vowels... Two dots near the symbol indicate that the sound is pronounced for a long time, if there are no dots, then the sound should be pronounced briefly. Let's see how vowel sounds are pronounced:
- long sound AND: tree, free
[ɪ ] - short sound AND: big, lip
[ʊ] - short sound U: book, look
- long sound U: root, boot
[e] - sound E. Pronounced in the same way as in Russian: hen, pen
[ə] - neutral sound E. Sounds when the vowel is not stressed or at the end of a word: mother ["mʌðə], computer
[ɜː] - a sound similar to the sound Yo in the word honey: bird, turn
[ɔː] - long sound O: door, more
[æ] - the sound of E. Pronounced widely: cat, lamp
[ʌ] - short sound A: cup, but
- long sound A: car, mark
[ɒ] - short sound О: box, dog
Diphthongs - these are combinations of sounds, consisting of two vowels, are always pronounced together. Consider the pronunciation of diphthongs:
[ɪə] - IE: here, near
- Uh: fair, bear
[əʊ] - EH (OU): go, no
- AU: how, now
[ʊə] - UE: sure [ʃuə], tourist ["tuərɪst]
- HEY: make, day
- HEY: my, bike
[ɔɪ] - OH: : boy, toy
Consider consonants sounds. Voiceless and voiced consonants are easy to remember, since each of them has a pair:
| Deaf consonants: | Voiced consonants: |
|---|---|
| [p] - sound P: pen, pet | [b] - sound B: big, boot |
| [f] - sound Ф: flag, fat | [v] - sound B: vet, van |
| [t] - sound T: tree, toy | [d] - sound D: day, dog |
| [θ] is an interdental sound that is often confused with C, but when pronounced, the tip of the tongue is between the lower and upper front teeth: thick [θɪk], think [θɪŋk] |
[ð] is an interdental sound that is often confused with Z, but when pronounced, the tip of the tongue is between the lower and upper front teeth: this [ðɪs], that [ðæt] |
| [tʃ] - sound H: chin [ʧɪn], chat [ʧæt] | [dʒ] - J sound: jam [ʤæm], page |
| [s] - sound C: sit, sun | [z] - sound Z: |
| [ʃ] - sound Ш: shelf [ʃelf], brush | [ʒ] - sound Ж: vision ["vɪʒ (ə) n], decision |
|
[k] - sound К: kite, cat |
[g] - sound Г: get, go |
Other consonants:
[h] - sound X: hat, home
[m] - sound M: make, meet
[n] - English sound H: nose, net
[ŋ] is a sound similar to H, but pronounced through the nose: song, long - a sound similar to P: run, rest
[l] - English sound Л: leg, lip
[w] is a sound similar to B, but pronounced with rounded lips: , west
[j] - sound Y: you, music ["mjuːzɪk]
Those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the phonetic structure of the English language can search for resources on the Internet, where they will tell you what sonorant, occlusive, slit and other consonants are.
If you just want to understand the pronunciation of English consonants and learn how to read the transcription without the theory you do not need, then we recommend that you divide all consonants sounds for such groups:
- Sounds that pronounced almost the same as in Russian : these are the majority of consonants.
- Sounds that similar to those in Russian but pronounced differently. There are only four of them.
- The sounds that not in Russian ... There are only five of them and it is wrong to pronounce them the same way as in Russian.
Pronunciation of sounds marked yellow , practically does not differ from Russian, only sounds [p, k, h] are pronounced "aspirated".
Green sounds - these are the sounds that you must pronounce in the English manner, they are the reason for the accent. The sounds are alviolar (you probably heard this word from your school teacher), in order to pronounce them, you need to raise your tongue to the alvioli, then you will sound "in English".
Sounds marked red, are absent in Russian at all (although it seems to someone that this is not so), so you should pay attention to their pronunciation. Do not confuse [θ] and [s], [ð] and [z], [w] and [v], [ŋ] and [n]. There are fewer problems with the [r] sound.
Another nuance of transcription is stress, which is marked with an apostrophe in the transcription. If there are more than two syllables in a word, then stress is always present:
Hotel -
police -
interesting - ["ɪntrəstɪŋ]
When a word is long, polysyllabic, it may contain two accents, with one upper (main), and the second - lower. The lower stress is denoted by a comma-like sign, and is pronounced weaker than the upper one:
disadvantage - [ˌdɪsəd "vɑːntɪʤ]
As you read the transcription, you may notice that some sounds are presented in parentheses (). This means that the sound can be read in the word, or you can not pronounce it. Usually in brackets you can find a neutral sound [ə], a sound [r] at the end of a word, and some others:
Information - [ˌɪnfə "meɪʃ (ə) n]
teacher - ["tiːʧə (r)]
Some words are given two pronunciation options:
Forehead ["fɔrɪd] or [" fɔːhed]
Monday ["mʌndeɪ] or [" mʌndɪ]
In this case, choose the option that you prefer, but remember that this word can be pronounced differently.
Many words in English have two pronunciations (and thus transcriptions): British English and American American. In this situation, memorize the pronunciation that corresponds to the variant of the language you are studying, try not to mix words from British English and American English in your speech:
Schedule - ["ʃedjuːl] (BrE) / [" skeʤuːl] (AmE)
neither - ["naɪðə] (BrE) / [ˈniːðə] (AmE)
Even if before that you could not bear the transcription, then after reading this article you saw that reading and composing a transcription is not at all difficult! You were able to read all the words in the transcription, right? Apply this knowledge, use dictionaries and be sure to pay attention to the transcription if you have a new word in front of you, in order to memorize the correct pronunciation from the very beginning and not to relearn later!
Be aware of all the updates on our website, subscribe to our newsletter, join us in
”, Transcription is used by everyone, at times, even unconsciously. First, let's brush up on what the phrase "English transcription" means?
English transcription Is a sequence of phonetic symbols that helps us understand how to read a particular sound or word. Often, students are faced with transcription at the beginning of learning a language, when it is still quite difficult to read even fairly simple words, and then they simply do not pay attention to it. However, this will not last forever.
As soon as the student begins to skillfully use complex grammatical constructions, and develops a good vocabulary for free communication, then immediately 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 from time to time to repetition. Of course, ideally, the transcription should be done together with the techer, 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 the desired goal.
Vowel transcription
Vowel sounds are of two types - 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
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 not indicated by a combination of several signs, 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. There is no analogue to it in Russian. It is read as in the word in the word "cat";
[a:] - a long sound that reads like in the word "car";
[ ɔ ] - a short sound that sounds like both "o" and "a" at the same time. In British pronunciation, it is more like "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. By sound, this sound is similar to the Russian sound "e". It stands only in unstressed syllables and is practically 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:] - long sound, as in the word "blue".
Transcription of consonants
In the transcription of consonants, everything is quite simple. Mostly they sound like Russian. It is enough to take a thoughtful look at the aforementioned letter combinations a couple of times, and they will remain in your memory.
Consonant sounds
[b] - [b];
[d] - [d];
[f] - [f];
[ 3 ] - [f];
[dʒ] - [j];
[g] - [g];
[h] - [x];
[k] - [k];
[l] - [l];
[m] - [m];
[n] - [n];
[p] - [ P ];
[s] - [ from ];
[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).
Consonants of the English language that are not in Russian and their pronunciation:
[ θ ] - soft letter "c", tongue is between the front teeth of the upper and lower jaw;
[ æ ] - like "eh", 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 "v" 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 emphasize in a word, it is worth considering that it is always placed before the stressed syllable. ["neim] - transcription of the word name.
- Feature 3... It is important to understand that transcription is not the English letters and sounds that make up a word. Transcription is the sound of words.
- Feature 4... In English, transcription consists of vowels, diphthongs, and consonants.
- Feature 5... In order to indicate that the sound is long, the colon is used in the transcription.
Of course, knowing only the character sets, it is quite difficult to read everything correctly, because there are many exceptions. In order to read correctly, you need to understand that there are closed and open syllables. Open syllable ends with a vowel (game, sunshine), closed - a consonant (ball, dog). Some sounds in English can be pronounced differently, depending on the type of syllable.
Conclusion
It is worth remembering that the main thing in any business is practice (by the way, you can start practicing English remotely right now). Transcribing sounds in English will be easy for you if you work hard on it. Reading the rules once will not be enough. It is important to return to them, work through and regularly repeat until they are worked out to automatism. In the end, the transcription will make it possible to deliver the correct pronunciation of sounds in English.
Memorizing English with transcription and correct pronunciation of English letters and words will be greatly facilitated by dictionaries. You can use both English online dictionaries and good old prints. The main thing is not to give up!
Inspiration and success in your studies. May the knowledge be with you!
Big and friendly family EnglishDom