Listening and speaking: Long and Short Vowel Contrasts: /i:-I/; /a:-æ/ɔ: - ɒ/ - JSS3 English language Lesson Note

Long and Short Vowel Contrast: /iː/ vs. /ɪ/

 

/iː/: This is a long vowel sound, as in the word "see."

Examples: seat, beat, feel, sheep

Pronunciation Tip: To produce /iː/, position your tongue high and close to the roof of your mouth, and hold the sound longer.

 

/ɪ/: This is a short vowel sound, as in the word "sit."

Examples: sit, bit, fill, ship

Pronunciation Tip: To produce /ɪ/, position your tongue high but not as close to the roof of your mouth as for /iː/, and keep the sound short.

 

Long and Short Vowel Contrast: /aː/ vs. /æ/

/aː/: This is a long vowel sound, as in the word "car."

Examples: car, father, calm, start

Pronunciation Tip: To produce /aː/, open your mouth wide and keep your tongue low and flat, extending the sound longer.

 

/æ/: This is a short vowel sound, as in the word "cat."

Examples: cat, fat, man, hat

Pronunciation Tip: To produce /æ/, open your mouth wide, but not as much as for /aː/, and keep the sound short.

Long and Short Vowel Contrast: /ɔː/ vs. /ɒ/

/ɔː/: This is a long vowel sound, as in the word "saw."

Examples: saw, thought, law, more

Pronunciation Tip: To produce /ɔː/, round your lips and keep your tongue in the middle of your mouth, holding the sound longer.

/ɒ/: This is a short vowel sound, as in the word "hot."

Examples: hot, cot, lock, not

Pronunciation Tip: To produce /ɒ/, open your mouth slightly and keep your tongue in the middle of your mouth, keeping the sound short.

 

Practice Exercises

Listening Practice:

Listen to pairs of words and identify which word has the long vowel sound and which has the short vowel sound.

Example: "beat" (/iː/) vs. "bit" (/ɪ/)

 

Practise pronouncing pairs of words that contrast long and short vowel sounds. Focus on the length of the vowel sound and the position of your tongue and lips.

Example: "car" (/aː/) vs. "cat" (/æ/)

 

Minimal Pairs

Create a list of minimal pairs for each vowel contrast and practise them with a partner. Minimal pairs are words that differ by only one sound, such as "ship" and "sheep."

   - /iː/ vs. /ɪ/: sheep - ship, seat - sit

   - /aː/ vs. /æ/: car - cat, start - sat

  - /ɔː/ vs. /ɒ/: saw - so, law - lot

 

Sentence Practice:

Create sentences using words with both long and short vowel sounds and practice reading them aloud. Example: "The sheep is on the ship." (Practising /iː/ and /ɪ/)

 

Conclusion

By focusing on the pronunciation differences between long and short vowel sounds, you can improve both your listening and speaking skills in English. Regular practice with minimal pairs, listening exercises, and sentence practice will help solidify your understanding and ability to produce these sounds accurately.