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SHS 1 English Language
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    SHS 1 ENG Lesson Note 31

    English for Senior High School

    Form One Notes

    Lesson 31

    Oral English

    Topic: Vowel Contrast

    Lesson Objectives

    By the end of studying  this text,  you will be able to:

    1. identify  the vowels in given  words.
    2. pronounce  correctly the vowels in given minimal  pairs. iii.  say other words that contain given  vowels.
    3. pronounce,  correctly, words that have the vowels learnt.

    Contrasting  Vowel  4 /æ/ and Vowel  5 /a:/

    Practise   the   following   minimal  pairs   involving   Vowel  4   /æ/   and   Vowel  5   /a:/. Remember that vowel 4 /æ/ is short while Vowel 5 /a:/ is long.

    Vowel 4/æ/                    Vowel 5 /a:/

    ant                                     aunt

     at                                       ar

    back                                   bark

    bad                                    barred

    cat                                     cart

    ham                                   harm

    hat                                     heart

    chat                                   chart

    had                                    hard

    lack                                    lark

    pat                                     part

    match                               march

    pack                                  park

    patch                                 parch

    lad                                     lard

    Practise   the   following   minimal   pairs   involving   Vowel   6   /ɔ/   and   Vowel  7   /ɔ:/.

    Remember that vowel 6 /ɔ/ is short while  Vowel 7 /ɔ:/ is long.

    Contrasting  Vowel  6 /ɔ/      and Vowel  7 /ɔ:/ Vowel 6 /ɔ/                       Vowel 7 /ɔ:/

    cot                                    court

    pot                                    port

    shot                                  short

    cock                                  cork

    moss                                 mores

    fox                                     forks

    shone                                shorn

    nod                                    gnawed

    odd                                    awed

    knotty                                naughty

    The next set of minimal  pairs involve  Vowel  8/u/ and Vowel  9 /u:/.  Practice them?

    Vowel 8 /u/                       Vowel 9 /u:/

     full                                    fool

    pull                                    pool

    would                                wooed

    stood                                 stool

    soot                                   suit

    Another  area  of  difficulty  for  many  of  you  relates  to  the  pronunciation  of  words involving Vowels  5/ a:/ and Vowel 10 //. Again, this is because these two vowels do not  exist  in  the  Ghanaian  languages.  It  is,  therefore,  important  to  practise  with  the minimal pairs listed  below.

    Vowels 5/ a:/                    Vowel 10 //

    bard                                   bud

    harm                                  hum

    barn                                   bun

    part                                    putt

    heart                                  hut

    barred                               bud

    cart                                     cut

    Summary

    1. Vowel 1 /i:/,   Vowel 5 /a:/, Vowel 7 /ɔ:/, Vowel 9 /u:/, and Vowel 11 /ə:/ are long while Vowel 2 / /, Vowel 3 / /, Vowel 4 / æ /, Vowel 6 / ɔ /, Vowel 8 /u/, Vowel 10 /  /, and Vowel 12 / ə / are short.
    2. When  a  learner  of English  wrongly  prolongs a short vowel or shortens a long vowel in speech, he or she may not be understood by his audience.

    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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