ARTICULATION OF VOWELS 

VOWELS differ from CONSONANTS in that very little exhaled air is obstructed during
their production. Consequently they form a continuum of sounds rather than being neatly
divisible into separate units whose location in the mouth can be easily pinpointed. Consonant
sounds adjacent to vowels can affect the tongue position used on those vowels (and the
reverse is somewhat true as well); thus, two vowels perceived as being identical may in fact
be produced with different tongue shapes owing to the articulatory characteristics of the
surrounding sounds.

Basic Considerations When Trying to Identify Vowels

 Tongue height: How high up or low down is the tongue? Note the difference between
[hi] (high) and [hɑ] (low).
 Tongue position: Is the highest part of the tongue toward the front or the back of the
mouth? Again, note the difference between [hi] (front) and [hu] (back).
 Lip position: Are the lips rounded (puckered)? Are they relaxed and flat, or are they
somewhat spread? Note the difference between [hu] (rounded) and [hɛ] (unrounded).
 Gliding: Does a vowel’s quality remain fairly constant throughout its articulation, or does
the tongue’s position change significantly during pronunciation? Many English vowels
are glided, such that what may seem to a native speaker to be one vowel is actually a
continuous movement through two or more vowel qualities in rapid succession. Compare
the common greeting, [hɑⁱ] (glided), with the southern equivalent of the same greeting,
[ha], (constant or pure).
 Voice Quality: What quality of sound accompanies the vowel? Is it voiced or voiceless,
short or long, nasalized or not, breathy or laryngealized (somewhat like a creaky door)?
In the past, the variety of vowel sounds has been conceived in terms of an inverted
trapezoidal grid within the mouth that represents degrees of tongue height and positions in
the front, middle or back of the mouth.
So, when we talkabout a vowel being close, open, front, central, or back, we are talking about the sound of thevowel and only approximately about tongue position.

[ɪ], [e], [ɛ], [æ], [o] and [ɑ] are the vowels in English which are most frequently glided. The
[ɪ], [ɛ] and [æ] are most often followed by an offglide into an [ə] and thus become [ɪᵊ], [ɛᵊ]
and [æᵊ]. The [e] is influenced by an offglide into [i] when it becomes [eⁱ]; and the [o] is
influenced by an offglide into [u], as is the [ɑ], thus making them [oᵘ] and [ɑᵘ] respectively.
[ɑ] is also influenced by an offglide into [i], making it [ɑⁱ]. The [u] is frequently preceded by
an [ɪ] or an [i] onglide. One of the best ways to practice producing pure vowels (i.e. vowels
with no glide) is to say them while looking in your mirror. Any movement of the lips or jaw
is evidence that gliding is taking place.

Hints for Producing Unglided Vowels

 Say [ʔoʔoʔoʔoʔoʔoʔoʔo] without allowing any part of your mouth to move. Use your
mirror so you will be able to notice any perceptible lip or mouth movement into an [oᵘ]
glide. Do the same thing with [ʔeʔeʔeʔeʔeʔeʔeʔe] and the other vowels we tend to glide,
again not letting your lips or tongue position change. This time watch for any jaw
movement.
 If you speak a dialect that has an [ⁱu] on-glide, it will show up immediately using this
technique.
 Try saying a very long [ooooooooh] or [eeeeeeeeh], ending by blowing an [h] instead
gliding.