What is a digraph in English. Reading English vowels in stressed and unstressed syllables

• The first type is alphabetical reading(this is one of the reasons to know by heart the writing and pronunciation of all the letters of the English alphabet). This is how vowels are read open syllable. An open syllable is one that, firstly, clearly ends in a vowel: g; secondly, it can be a syllable where there is no more than one consonant between two vowels. This includes the combination when after a vowel there is one consonant + “silent e”, as in the word tabl ["teɪbl", this combination is also called " conditionally open syllable", with an alphabetical reading of the first vowel and an UNreadable "e" at the end of the word. The boundary between syllables will be between these vowels, namely, one syllable ends after a vowel stressed on the left, the subsequent consonant goes into another syllable to a vowel on the right, even if it is not pronounced at the end the letter e: sa-le, so-lar ["səʊlə], da-go ["deɪgəʊ].
  Compare and pay attention to the transcription that conveys the pronunciation of the two different words with the same letters, note the differences in the pronunciation of the first vowel sound in both words, note that the doubled consonants in English language pronounced in one sound (!): an open syllable, one consonant between vowels: ho-y ["həʊlɪ] and a closed syllable, two consonants between vowels: hoy ["hɔlɪ], or conditionally open syllable.
  It should be clarified that there is one exception to the just described rule for alphabetically reading a vowel in an open Stressed syllable. Namely, if this Stressed syllable is the third from the end, then such a Stressed syllable is always read as closed.
  And now about the features and a small exception to the above-mentioned “third syllable rule”:
  • The syllabic boundary in the third syllable from the end occurs after a single consonant (even if it is the letter r): cam-er-a["kæmərə], par-a-gon ["pærəgən], nov-el-ty ["nɔvltɪ].
  • If after the vowel of the third Stressed syllable there is a letter r (often determining the length of pronunciation of the vowel), then in this case it does not affect the reading of this vowel. In this case, such a vowel is read as in a syllable closed by any other consonant letter, for example: par-i-ty ["pærətɪ], A-mer-i-ca [ə"merɪkə].
  • The rule of the third (stressed) syllable (reading the vowel as closed) also applies to syllables bearing secondary stress, the fifth, seventh, etc.: re-spon-si-bil-i-ty.
  • , when there is a sound or in the third Stressed syllable, since the boundary between syllables passes after the letter u and the syllable is read as open, for example: stu-di-ous ["stju:dɪəs], tu-tor-age ["tju:trɪʤ] .
  • Digraphs (about them below) are read by general rules, as if not obeying the Rule of the third (stressed) syllable.
  Okay, but what if there are two vowels in a row in a word? Firstly, a combination of letters can form digraph- this is when there are two letters, but one sound. There are seven digraphs made up of vowel sounds in English: au(aw), ei(ey), oi(oy), ou(ow), ou, oo, eu(ew). It is impossible to separate the letters that make up the digraph during transfer (there is only one sound, therefore, one syllable in reality).
  Unfortunately, the matter is complicated by the fact that the reading of vowel digraphs in a stressed syllable does not depend on the type of syllable. However, there are some rules here too. According to reading characteristics, vowel digraphs are divided into 3 groups:
  • Digraphs pronounced as diphthongs (a combination of two vowels that are read together and form one syllable) that have a reading close to their Latin name: ei(ey), oi(oy) [ɔɪ].
  • Digraphs pronounced as monophthongs(as opposed to a diphthong, this sound is single and does not break up into parts) or diphthongs. Often the combination of both letters produces a reading that is different from how the constituent letters of the given digraphs are read individually. Among such digraphs one can note au(aw) [ɔ:], eu(ew) [j u:] – here only the second letter is read, oo or [ʊ], ou or [ɔ:], ow or [əʊ].
  • Digraphs in which only one is readable - the first letter as in an open syllable. Here: ai(ay) , ea(ee) (digraph ea can also be read as [e]), ie(ye) ( ie can be read as ), oa [əʊ], ue(ui).
  And, returning to the first type of syllable and the combination of two or more vowels, we note that secondly, in the case when the combination of vowels in a letter is NOT a digraph, then:
  • these vowels can belong to different syllables, where the first vowel is read as in an open syllable, and the second vowel forms an unstressed syllable (more on the rules for reading unstressed syllables below). With this proximity, the mouth remains open for quite a long time, and this phenomenon is called gaping vowels; Similar combinations include, for example, ia, io, iu, ua, eo, etc.: radio ["re-dɪ-əʊ].
  • or the first vowel is read as in the alphabet (like an open syllable), and the second is not read at all. Such combinations include ie(ye), ai(ay), ea(ee), oe (oa, ow), ue(ui): plain, sea, boat, play.

  If there is a letter x on the border between syllables, conveying one of the sounds, then the stressed syllable is read as closed (short reading of the vowel): ex-er-cise ["eksəsaɪz], Ex-ile ["egzaɪl ("eksaɪl)].

• The second type is short reading. This is how vowels are read closed syllable- this is the position when a syllable ends in a consonant, or when two vowels are separated by more than one consonant: no, mie ["mɪdl].
• The third type is long vowel reading. This includes syllables that are closed (NOT doubled) with the letter "r": nor, or has the structure vowel+"r"+consonant: dart. In this case, the letter “r” itself is not readable, and the vowel in front of it takes a LOOO long time to pronounce.
  If the letter r is doubled, then the vowel is read according to the second type (briefly), and “r” is pronounced (I remind you that doubled identical consonant letters are read as one sound): sorry ["sɔrɪ].
• The fourth type is reading the vowel as a diphthong or triphthong. This is an open syllable ending with a combination of letters "r"+vowel: more, or vowel+"r":pear. The vowel in such a syllable is read as (or triphthong- a vowel consisting of three indivisible elements, where the first element is stressed, and the next two are unstressed and very short: ).
  Note to this point: in words consisting of two syllables, the letter "r" is read [r] if the first syllable ends in "r" and the second begins with a vowel: dur-ing ["djʊərɪŋ]; the letter "u" is read after the sounds [r], [l] and hissing.

Below is the table " Reading vowels in a stressed syllable (four types of syllables)":

A foreign language is complicated by its sound and pronunciation; English is no exception for Russian-speaking students. Complicating the situation is the concept of “diphthongs” - complex sounds that have no analogues in the Russian language. There are three variants of pronunciation of vowel sounds: monophthongs, diphthongs and triphthongs. From the name it is clear that there are one, two and three sounds pronounced together, without dividing into letters.

Monophthongs, diphthongs, triphthongs

• Monophthongs. The usual pronunciation of a vowel sound, familiar to our ears. It can be short or long, in English there are 12 in total. Throughout the entire pronunciation of the letter, the articulation does not change. In Russian, for comparison, all letters are pronounced this way. A relative exception is the concept of “heterogeneous” monophthongs, when a letter slightly changes its sound depending on the consonant next to it. The words “small” and “crumpled” have the same vowel sound [a], but due to the softness of the first letter, a figurative beginning [i] is formed.

The Russian iotated letters “ya”, “ё”, “e” and “yu” are not diphthongs, because the sound is divided into a consonant “y” and a vowel.

• Diphthongs. They are found in many languages ​​of the world: English, French, Czech, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Armenian and many others. The only ones that don’t have them are Hungarian, Russian and classical Japanese; some concepts are borrowed from the dictionaries of other countries and you have to select a similar sound. Most often, the double sound is broken into 2 monophthongs, and they are pronounced separately. According to the nature of their sound, diphthongs are divided into ascending (the first vowel of the syllabary, or strong) and descending (the first weak vowel). There are also balanced ones, consisting of strong or weak sounds; these are found in the Latvian and Nivkh languages. There are two types of diphthongs: phonetic (based on the spelling of the word) and phonological (based on its sound). In writing it is designated by a separate sign - a digraph; it is not part of the alphabet and represents stable combination. That is, it sounds the same in all cases. For example, the diphthong "eu", taken from German language. Separately the letters are read “e” and “u”, but together they are always “oh”.

• Thrifthongs. Even more complex design have triple combinations of vowel sounds; in writing they are combined into one syllable, and most often sound with the duration of a diphthong. Triphthongs are found in the same languages ​​as double sounds and are divided into 3 groups according to structure:

1. rising, when the last vowel is considered the top of the syllable, it is strong;
2. ascending-descending, a strong one is located between two weak ones;
3. falling ones begin with a strong vowel.

Features of the English language

The most popular language to study in our schools is English, followed by French, German and Spanish. Last years Chinese is also actively gaining popularity. Learning English is not difficult, you just need to follow a number of rules and conduct your classes systematically. Grammar and phonetics are replete with rules and features. At first, reading English is difficult due to numerous exceptions and special combinations of letters. After about six months of intensive regular classes many rules are beginning to be perceived as the norm.

The English language has 12 vowel sounds, represented in writing by one or more letters. In addition, there are 8 diphthongs and 3 triphthongs, they can also be designated different combinations vowels and consonants. The sound does not depend on the location in the word or the type of syllable. A diphthong uses 2 sounds. One of them is the main one, as if leading, the second complements the first, sometimes not even fully articulated. Let's look at each of them with examples.

Diphthong

The first sound or core of the diphthong is similar in pronunciation to the Russian “e”, but the array of the language is more rounded. And the lips are stretched more. The second part of the sound causes us to press our tongue against the teeth of the upper jaw and the roof of the mouth, which gives us a sound similar to “th”, but shorter. The core sounds with stretched lips and a slightly raised tongue, then the tongue is raised with a sliding effect on the sound [i], the result is an average between [i] and [ə]. Diphthongs can be represented in words by the following letters:

• In the open syllable the stressed “a”, as in the words “save”, “game”;
• The combination “ea”, for example, in the word “great”;
• “Ai” is found in the words “pain”, “rain”, “wait”;
• "Ey" is also read, as an example of the words "grey";
• “Ay”, as in “day”, “pay”, “tray”;
• "Ei" occurs in English word eight – eight.

An important point is the correct pronunciation of the second sound - “th” should not be identical to ours, but be an average between [i] and [j].

Diphthong

The sound of this diphthong is not similar to the Russian “ay”. The first part, or core, is pronounced more openly than the “a” sound, closer to [æ]. The tongue is pressed to the teeth of the lower jaw, lower it as low as possible. The jaw rises from a lowered position during the transition from the core to the additional sound. [i] in such a pair is short, the body of the tongue is raised to the hard palate, pressed against the teeth. The sound is short, sliding, pronounced similar to [е].

A diphthong occurs in an open syllable or at the end of a word and is represented by the following options letters:

• The first one-letter option is “y”, at the end of the word fly it is pronounced this way;
• Another option for a 1-letter diphthong is “i”, in an open syllable, as in the words “line” and “pride” or “wine”;
• The combination of letters "uy" is read in a similar way in the word "guy";
• “Ye” such letters are found in the words “bye” and “dye”;
• The combination “eye” is a separate word and is translated “eye”, but can also be a syllable, as for example in “eyebrow”;
• The letter combination “igh” is found in many words in the English language; it is always pronounced, for example, knight, night;
• The final combination "ie" is pronounced as in the word "tie".

In this diphthong, the second sound is pronounced weaker than the first, but it is brighter than the similar one in Russian. It should soften almost the entire word.

Diphthong [ɔi]

If we select a similar sound from our language, then it is a combination of letters “oh”, only the second letter is pronounced equally with the first. [o] is pronounced with rounded lips and a slightly lowered jaw, the tip of the tongue touching the teeth of the lower jaw. Next there is a slide into the bright sound [th]. Diphthongs can be denoted by different letters when writing words; there are 2 options:

• The combination of letters “oy” is found at the end of a word, such as “toy”, “boy”, “enjoy”;
• On the contrary, the letters "oi" are used in the middle or beginning of a word - "oil", "point", "noise".

Diphthong

The diphthong sounds like the Russian “ay”, but not a forest drawn-out, but like an exclamation for a bruise. Here the second sound is short, soft and pronounced with a raised jaw and with lips extended into a tube, and the first requires opening the mouth wide, stretching the lips to the sides. The diphthong is also represented by two variants of letter combinations:

• With this combination of letters “ou” the word becomes viscous and viscous, pronounced relaxed - “pound”, “cloud”, “sound”;
• Similar combinations of “ow” are found in the popular words “how”, “now”, “town” and are used in speech quite often.

Diphthong [əu]

Enough difficult option for Russian-speaking people, has no analogues in the Russian language, similar to the average between [оу] and [еу]. The first sound is pronounced with the jaw raised, the tongue pressed between the teeth and the lips slightly extended to the sides. By the second, everything changes, the effect of sliding to [u] occurs. The tongue goes back slightly and the lips are rounded. This diphthong occurs quite often and is represented in a stressed open syllable by the letter “o”, in other situations by combinations:

• The letter combination “ow” is found in the words “show”, “snow”, “bow”;
• A common situation - the combination “ou” is often found in everyday speech, for example, in the words “soul”, “thought”;
• In the words “coat”, “soap”, “road” the pair of letters “oa” is always read as [əu];
• “O” before the letter “l” in the words “roller”, “cold”, as well as in the stressed position before other consonants - “only”, “tomb”.

Diphthong

The first sound or core of the diphthong is the brighter “i”, pronounced by raising the tongue to the palate and slightly stretching the lips to the sides. When sliding towards [e], the tongue moves back a little. A diphthong can be represented in the following situations:

• The letters “eer” form a diphthong in the words “deer”, “beer”, here the letter “r” is not pronounced, only the diphthong remains;
• A similar pattern occurs in the combination of the letters “ear”, as in the word “gear”;
• The letter combination “ier” is most often found in borrowed words, for example, “fierce”;
• A combination of letters “ere”, as in the word “severe”;
• In the word "serious", the combination of letters "iou" also forms a diphthong.

This sound is less common and is quite easily remembered and pronounced by Russian-speaking students.

Diphthong

It can also be denoted in transcription as [ɛə], but in practice it is pronounced quite easily. The core of the diphthong sounds like Russian [e], but is pronounced more restrained with a raised jaw and lips stretched to the sides. The tongue is flat and touches the teeth and the upper and lower jaws. We highlight the second sound intonationally, pressing the root of the tongue towards the soft palate, resulting in a dome sound, average between [ʌ] and [ə]. This diphthong can be represented by the following letter combinations:

• “Ear”, both separately and as part of words, for example, “bear”, “swear”;
• “Are” in this form will be read differently, only a diphthong appears inside the word - “care”, “prepare”;
• “Air” is an independent word meaning “air”, but it can also be part of the word “repair”, “fire”;
• All examples can be memorized and they will not seem so difficult after six months of study.

Diphthong

The final diphthong is similar to the Russian “ue”, where the first sound is the nucleus and therefore takes longer to pronounce. And the second sound is something between “e” and “a”. The diphthong is simple in articulation - [u] lingering is pronounced with elongated lips and the tongue drawn back to the soft palate. Then the tongue tenses and slides towards the sound [e], the lips return to a relaxed position. 4 variants of letter combinations will have a similar sound:

• "Ue" occurs in the word "cruel";
• "Ure" and the common word "sure", or "cure" (to treat) and "endure" (endure);
• “Our” reads a little differently as a separate word, but as part of another, as a diphthong, for example, “tour” or “gourd”;
• “Oor”, and the combination of letters “oo” is a digraph, but if they are combined with “r”, then it is a diphthong. Examples include the words "poor" and "moor".

Why is a diphthong not a digraph?

There is a similar-sounding concept - “digraph”, they are often confused. But they have fundamentally different structures and dissimilar properties.

A digraph consists of two letters, but they have a single sound, while a diphthong, on the contrary, has a double sound, and there can be one, two, or three letters. They are found in many languages ​​of the world and are quite easy to learn because they do not depend on stress and adjacent letters. There is only one exception. The combination of vowels, when the first refers to one syllable, and the second to another, is neither a diphthong nor a digraph and they are read separately.

The most common digraphs in English:

• "Th" is the stumbling block of all students and teachers and distinctive feature foreigners in England. There is no similar sound in the Russian language, so we learn it specifically. It is also called “interdental s”, and in transcription it looks like [θ] (s) and [ð] (z).

• "Oo" is pronounced [u] unless it comes before an "r", then it is the diphthong above;
• “Sh”, regardless of its position in the word and its proximity, is read like the Russian “sh”;
• With the digraph “ch” the situation is similar, only “ch” is read;
• “Ng” at the end of a word gives a sound that has no analogues in the Russian language, is called “nasal n” and is pronounced by pressing the root of the tongue to the soft palate;
• In the combination “kn” the first letter is not readable, the result is pure “n”;
• In this form, within one syllable, the combination “ee” is pronounced like “and”;
• The letters “ea”, standing next to each other within the same syllable, create the sound [and];
• There are also quite a lot of digraphs; the main ones, the so-called “unconditional” ones, are presented here.

Brief conclusion

Diphthongs and digraphs are completely unfamiliar and unusual phenomena for Russian-speaking people; they should be memorized by heart, understanding comes much later. In addition to them, there are also triphthongs and trigraphs that have rules for reading and writing.
The complexity of the English language lies in several difficult-to-pronounce sounds, which have no analogues in our language. The rest are very similar, so you can learn to speak English with pronunciation and basic knowledge grammar in about six months to a year. This period is quite enough to prepare for a trip to the country or an interview for a position with mandatory knowledge of the language at an entry level.

• The first type is alphabetical reading(this is one of the reasons to know by heart the writing and pronunciation of all the letters of the English alphabet). This is how vowels are read open syllable. An open syllable is one that, firstly, clearly ends in a vowel: g; secondly, it can be a syllable where there is no more than one consonant between two vowels. This includes the combination when after a vowel there is one consonant + “silent e”, as in the word tabl ["teɪbl", this combination is also called " conditionally open syllable", with an alphabetical reading of the first vowel and an UNreadable "e" at the end of the word. The boundary between syllables will be between these vowels, namely, one syllable ends after a vowel stressed on the left, the subsequent consonant goes into another syllable to a vowel on the right, even if it is not pronounced at the end the letter e: sa-le, so-lar ["səʊlə], da-go ["deɪgəʊ].
  Compare and pay attention to the transcription that conveys the pronunciation of two different words with the same letters, pay attention to the differences in the pronunciation of the first vowel sound in both words, note that double consonants in English are pronounced as one sound (!): open syllable, one consonant between vowels: ho-y ["həʊlɪ] and a closed syllable, two consonants between vowels: hoy ["hɔlɪ], or conditionally open syllable.
  It should be clarified that there is one exception to the just described rule for alphabetically reading a vowel in an open Stressed syllable. Namely, if this Stressed syllable is the third from the end, then such a Stressed syllable is always read as closed.
  And now about the features and a small exception to the above-mentioned “third syllable rule”:
  • The syllabic boundary in the third syllable from the end occurs after a single consonant (even if it is the letter r): cam-er-a["kæmərə], par-a-gon ["pærəgən], nov-el-ty ["nɔvltɪ].
  • If after the vowel of the third Stressed syllable there is a letter r (often determining the length of pronunciation of the vowel), then in this case it does not affect the reading of this vowel. In this case, such a vowel is read as in a syllable closed by any other consonant letter, for example: par-i-ty ["pærətɪ], A-mer-i-ca [ə"merɪkə].
  • The rule of the third (stressed) syllable (reading the vowel as closed) also applies to syllables bearing secondary stress, the fifth, seventh, etc.: re-spon-si-bil-i-ty.
  • , when there is a sound or in the third Stressed syllable, since the boundary between syllables passes after the letter u and the syllable is read as open, for example: stu-di-ous ["stju:dɪəs], tu-tor-age ["tju:trɪʤ] .
  • Digraphs (about them below) are read according to general rules, but not subject to the Rule of the third (stressed) syllable.
  Okay, but what if there are two vowels in a row in a word? Firstly, a combination of letters can form digraph- this is when there are two letters, but one sound. There are seven digraphs made up of vowel sounds in English: au(aw), ei(ey), oi(oy), ou(ow), ou, oo, eu(ew). It is impossible to separate the letters that make up the digraph during transfer (there is only one sound, therefore, one syllable in reality).
  Unfortunately, the matter is complicated by the fact that the reading of vowel digraphs in a stressed syllable does not depend on the type of syllable. However, there are some rules here too. According to reading characteristics, vowel digraphs are divided into 3 groups:
  • Digraphs pronounced as diphthongs are diphthongs (a combination of two vowels that are read together and form one syllable), which have a reading close to their Latin name: ei(ey) , oi(oy) [ɔɪ].
  • Digraphs pronounced as monophthongs(as opposed to a diphthong, this sound is single and does not break up into parts) or diphthongs. Often the combination of both letters produces a reading that is different from how the constituent letters of the given digraphs are read individually. Among such digraphs one can note au(aw) [ɔ:], eu(ew) [j u:] – here only the second letter is read, oo or [ʊ], ou or [ɔ:], ow or [əʊ].
  • Digraphs in which only one is readable - the first letter as in an open syllable. Here: ai(ay) , ea(ee) (digraph ea can also be read as [e]), ie(ye) ( ie can be read as ), oa [əʊ], ue(ui).
  And, returning to the first type of syllable and the combination of two or more vowels, we note that secondly, in the case when the combination of vowels in a letter is NOT a digraph, then:
  • these vowels can belong to different syllables, where the first vowel is read as in an open syllable, and the second vowel forms an unstressed syllable (more on the rules for reading unstressed syllables below). With this proximity, the mouth remains open for quite a long time, and this phenomenon is called gaping vowels; Similar combinations include, for example, ia, io, iu, ua, eo, etc.: radio ["re-dɪ-əʊ].
  • or the first vowel is read as in the alphabet (like an open syllable), and the second is not read at all. Such combinations include ie(ye), ai(ay), ea(ee), oe (oa, ow), ue(ui): plain, sea, boat, play.

  If there is a letter x on the border between syllables, conveying one of the sounds, then the stressed syllable is read as closed (short reading of the vowel): ex-er-cise ["eksəsaɪz], Ex-ile ["egzaɪl ("eksaɪl)].

• The second type is short reading. This is how vowels are read closed syllable- this is the position when a syllable ends in a consonant, or when two vowels are separated by more than one consonant: no, mie ["mɪdl].
• The third type is long vowel reading. This includes syllables that are closed (NOT doubled) with the letter "r": nor, or has the structure vowel+"r"+consonant: dart. In this case, the letter “r” itself is not readable, and the vowel in front of it takes a LOOO long time to pronounce.
  If the letter r is doubled, then the vowel is read according to the second type (briefly), and “r” is pronounced (I remind you that doubled identical consonant letters are read as one sound): sorry ["sɔrɪ].
• The fourth type is reading the vowel as a diphthong or triphthong. This is an open syllable ending with a combination of letters "r"+vowel: more, or vowel+"r":pear. The vowel in such a syllable is read as a diphthong (or triphthong- a vowel consisting of three indivisible elements, where the first element is stressed, and the next two are unstressed and very short: ).
  Note to this point: in words consisting of two syllables, the letter "r" is read [r] if the first syllable ends in "r" and the second begins with a vowel: dur-ing ["djʊərɪŋ]; the letter "u" is read after the sounds [r], [l] and hissing.

Below is the table " Reading vowels in a stressed syllable (four types of syllables)":

English alphabet I mastered it a long time ago, but I still have problems with pronunciation. Of course, listen to music in English and watch movies/series, etc. It may help, but taking into account the fact that each person has his own speech “impairments”, it is better to familiarize yourself with the technique of correctly reading a word in theory.

*** In general, hello, " transcription".

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*** It is also important to understand the concepts " closed syllable" And " open syllable".

The English alphabet has 6 vowel letters that make 24 sounds. Therefore, each vowel has four reading options. The reading of a stressed vowel in a word depends on the type of syllable. The type of syllable is determined by which letters follow the stressed vowel. Stressed syllables in English are usually divided into 4 types.

Now we will talk about only two types of syllables: closed and open.

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Closed syllable- the most common spelling unit of the English language; it makes up about 50% of the syllables in the text. A closed syllable ends with one or more consonants, and the vowel in this case is read briefly.
There are many monosyllabic words in English closed type(cat, pin, hen). If a suffix beginning with a vowel is added to them, the consonant before it is doubled. This is done to avoid changing the sound. For example:

hat - hatt er
pin - pinned
hot - hott est
red - reddish
cut-cutting

The syllable is considered open, if it ends with a vowel (to-tal, ri-val, bi-ble, mo-tor). The vowel in this case gives a long sound - that is, it is read as in the alphabet. Words with silent “e” also belong to this type. For example:

take
Pete
kite
nose
cute

Some monosyllabic words are also open syllables. For example, me, she, he and no, so, go.

*** Syllables in which " vowel + r/vowel + re/consonant + le"

Syllable “vowel + r”

The third type of syllable is one in which the vowel is followed by the letter "r". In this case, the vowel gives a long sound, and the “r” itself is not readable (in British English).

Car[k]
herb
girl [l]
form
turn

The double "r" does not affect the sound of the vowel. In this case, the syllable is read as closed. Compare:

Smirk-mirror
curl - current
port - torrent

Syllable “vowel + re”

In a syllable of this type, the letter “r” is also unreadable, and the vowel forms a diphthong.

Dare
mere [m]
hire
core [k]
pure

Syllable “consonant + le”

Sometimes this syllable is highlighted separately - it occurs only at the end of the word. If there is one consonant before -le, the syllable is read as open. If there are two consonants before -le, it is read as closed. Compare:

Table - dabble, title - little
bugle - struggle, rifle - sniffle

Not every consonant is found in combination with -le. Here are those that are typical for the English language:

Ble (bubble) -fle (rifle) -stle (whistle) -cle (cycle)
-gle (bugle) -tle (brittle) -ckle (pickle) -kle (tinkle)
-zle (dazzle) -dle (bridle) -ple (staple)

*** Vowel combinations (digraphs)

A digraph is a combination of two letters that are pronounced as one sound. In the case of vowels it can be long, short sound or diphthong. Most often, digraphs are found in old Anglo-Saxon words, the pronunciation of which has undergone changes over hundreds of years: thief, boil, hay, boat, straw. They are read by special rules, but there are many exceptions, so such words need to be learned gradually and systematically.

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A vowel combination is not a digraph if the vowels belong to different syllables. In this case, the first vowel is read as in an open syllable, and the second is in an unstressed position and gives the sound. For example: lion ["lan], diet .

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Master foreign language– it’s not an easy matter. And when starting to learn English, Special attention should pay attention to phonetics. Sound series English speech differs significantly from the phonetic structure of any of the Slavic languages. You should start learning phonetics with the alphabet.

In English it includes 26 characters.

Vowels

The human articulatory apparatus is designed in such a way that there are more consonant sounds in any language than vowels. The same can be said about letters.

There are four times fewer vowels in English than consonants. There are only five and they are easy to remember: A- a, E- e, I - i, O- o, U- u .

Consonants

The English alphabet also includes signs representing consonants.

Total of them twenty one: IN -b, C - s,D-d,F-f,G-g, N -h,J-j, K -k,L-l, M-m,N-n, P-p,Q-q,R-r,S-s, T -t,V-v,W-w,X-x,Y-y,Z-z.

Consonants can be both sounds and letters. But if consonant letters are divided into several groups depending on the way they are pronounced (voiceless or voiced, soft or hard), the letters cannot be divided according to this principle.

Only sound can be dull. A letter is a sign used only in writing. It can be Russian, English, but not voiced or deaf. Sound belongs to such a branch of linguistics as phonetics. The letter is the subject of the study of graphics.

Each sound is represented on the letter by one or more letters. It is very important to know how to pronounce a particular letter correctly. Without knowing this, it will be difficult to remember the rules of reading. Below is a table that lists all the letters with both transcription and Russian pronunciation.

Letters of the modern alphabet with transcription

Digraphs

A person ignorant of the intricacies of English phonetics and graphics, the meaning of this linguistic term can lead to confusion.

Especially if a Russian-speaking person plans to master the language of Shakespeare and Dickens. In our writing there is a letter “a”, which always means the corresponding sound. In some cases it is long, sometimes short.

With other vowels the situation is a little more complicated.. However, in the Russian language one letter in combination with another cannot display a sound that is not similar to either the first or the second.

This phenomenon occurs frequently in English. Both vowels and consonants can combine with each other. And how such letter combinations should be pronounced, you need to learn.

A letter combination of two characters denoting one phoneme is called a digraph . In English there are combinations of both three and four letters.

Table of digraphs with transcription and examples And

There is so much in English similar words in writing, but having absolutely different meaning that beginners often get into trouble. Therefore, the rules for pronunciation of letter combinations need to be given special importance. Learning the rules is not enough. Their knowledge needs to be consolidated by completing a large volume of written assignments.