Orals: vowels /I/ & /I:/ - SS2 English Lesson Note

/ɪ/ is a short vowel sound. It is pronounced by raising the middle of the tongue towards the roof of the mouth, but not as high as for /i:/. The lips are slightly spread. Examples of words that contain the /ɪ/ sound are: hill, ink, village, women, sit, fit, fifth, rich, trick, nymph, rhythm, symbol.

/i:/ is a long vowel sound. It is pronounced by raising the middle of the tongue towards the roof of the mouth more than for /ɪ/, and the lips are spread wider. Examples of words that contain the /i:/ sound are: bee, need, machine, kerosene, sea, receive, we, these, seize, be, free, tree, ceiling, glee, margarine, Peter, beans, seem, beat, leaf, deceive, people, quay, key, eat, meet, leaf, cheek.

Here are some differences between the two sounds:

• Length: /ɪ/ is a short vowel sound, while /i:/ is a long vowel sound. This means that /i:/ is pronounced for a longer duration than /ɪ/.
• Position of the tongue: The tongue is slightly lower for /ɪ/ than for /i:/. This means that the mouth is slightly more open for /ɪ/ than for /i:/.
• Shape of the lips: The lips are slightly spread for both sounds, but they are spread wider for /i:/ than for /ɪ/.

Here are some examples of letters represented by the sounds:

• /ɪ/: The letters i, y, and igh can represent the /ɪ/ sound. For example, the word "hill" contains the /ɪ/ sound, and it is spelled with the letter i.
• /i:/: The letters i and ee can represent the /i:/ sound. For example, the word "bee" contains the /i:/ sound, and it is spelled with the letter i.

examples of words with the vowels and use them in sentences:

/ɪ/

• • hill: I climbed the hill.
  • ink: I spilled some ink on my shirt.
  • village: We went for a walk in the village.
  • women: There were many women at the meeting.
  • sit: I sat down on the chair.
  • fit: I need to find a pair of shoes that fit.
  • fifth: The fifth day of the month is Friday.
  • rich: He is a very rich man.
  • trick: He played a trick on me.

    /i:/

• bee: I saw a bee in the garden.
• need: I need to go to the store.
• machine: The machine is broken.
• kerosene: We use kerosene to heat our home.
• sea: I went swimming in the sea.
• receive: I received a letter in the mail.
• we: We are going to the park.
• these: These are my shoes.
• seize: The police seized the drugs.