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SHS 1 English Language
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    SHS 1 ENG Lesson Note 19

    English for Senior High School

    Form One Notes

    Lesson 19

    Oral English

    Topic: The English Monophthongs

    Lesson Objectives

    After reading the notes on Lesson Nineteen,  you will be able to:

    1. identify  the English  vowels by their names.
    2. distinguish  between monophthongs  and diphthongs.

    The English monophthongs

    The  word  ‘monophthong’  consists  of  two  parts:  ‘mono’  and  ‘phthong’.  ‘Mono’ means one and  ‘phthong’ means sound.  So,  monophthong  simply means one  sound. The English  monophthongs  are also called  pure vowels.

    The English monophthongs are 12 in number. To make it easy for you to recognize and learn to  use all these vowels appropriately,  they have been numbered Vowel 1, Vowel 2,  Vowel 3,  and  so  on.  These numbers have been assigned  them as their names. The first twelve vowels constitute  the monophthongs.

    Identifying  the monophthongs

    The twelve English monophthongs have been listed below. Corresponding to each monophthong is its name (i.e.  its number) and words that have the vowel in them. The letter or letters in the words representing the vowel sound  have been underlined. Read the vowels and the words below.

    Name          Symbol

    Words

    Vowel 1

    /i:/         

    as in

    sea

    eagle

    theme

    legal

    Vowel 2

    /i/

    as in

    sit

    pit

    hit

    did

    Vowel 3

    /e/

    as in

    bed

    men

    merry

    set

    Vowel 4

    Vowel 5

    /æ/

    /a:/

    as in

    as in

    fat

    car

    cat

    laugh

    rat

    clerk

    bat

    part

    Vowel 6

    /ɔ/

    as in

    hot

    not

    rot

    pot

    Vowel 7

    /ɔ:/

    as in

    port

    taught

    caught

    court

    Vowel 8

    /ʊ/

    as in

    foot

    pull

    full

    book

    Vowel 9

    /u:/

    as in

    food

    pool

    fool

    wool

    Vowel 10

    /ᴧ/

    as in

    love

    cup

    but

    sum

    Vowel 11

    /ə:/

    as in

    fur

    blur

    heard

    hurt

    Vowel 12

    /ə/

    as in

    ago

    about

    never

    occupy

    Read  the vowels and the words once more. Think  about other words that make use of the vowels you have just read.

    The vowel chart

    The diagram that follows  is called the vowel chart. The vowels have been plotted on the vowel chart. Observe carefully  the positions  of the vowels in the chart below.

    The vowels got their names from the positions they occupy in the vowel chart. Observe carefully  the positions  of the vowels in the vowel chart that follows.

    Summary

    1. The   word   ‘monophthong’   consists   of  two   parts:  ‘mono’  and   ‘phthong’.‘Mono’  means  one   and  ‘phthong’  means  sound.  So,  monophthong  simply means one sound.
    2. The English  monophthongs  are also called  pure vowels.
    3. The English  monophthongs  are twelve in number.
    4. The  English  vowels  have  been  assigned  numbers.  The numbers given them are their names.
    5. The vowels got their names from the position they occupy in the vowel chart.

    CONTENT CONSULTANTS 

    Authors

    John Tetteh Agor, Ph.D.

    Peer Reviewers

    Modestus Fosu, Ph.D. 

    Prosper Kwesi Agordjor, M.Phil. 

    William  Foli Garr, (Rev.) M.Phil.

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