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:
- identify the vowels in given words.
- pronounce correctly the vowels in given minimal pairs. iii. say other words that contain given vowels.
- 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 art
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 /ᴧ/. 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 /ᴧ/
bard bud
harm hum
barn bun
part putt
heart hut
barred bud
cart cut
Summary
- Vowel 1 /i:/, Vowel 5 /a:/, Vowel 7 /ɔ:/, Vowel 9 /u:/, and Vowel 11 /ə:/ are long while Vowel 2 / i /, Vowel 3 / e /, Vowel 4 / æ /, Vowel 6 / ɔ /, Vowel 8 /u/, Vowel 10 / ᴧ /, and Vowel 12 / ə / are short.
- 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.