Page 212 - DENG504_LINGUISTICS

Linguistics Gowher Ahmad Naik, Lovely Professional University

Notes
Unit 16: Varieties of English Cardinal Vowel System

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
16.1 The Description and Distribution of English Monophthongs and Diphthongs
16.2 Concept of Phonemic Analysis
16.3 Affricates
16.4 The English Vowel System
16.5 Syllabic Consonants
16.6 Clusters of s with Plosives
16.7 Schwa ( ) c
16.8 Distinctive Features
16.9 Summary
16.10 Key-Words
16.11 Review Questions
16.12 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit students will be able to:
• Understand Varieties of English Cardinal Vowel System.
• Discuss Concept of Phonemic Analysis.
Introduction

Cardinal vowel no. 1 has the symbol [i], and is defined as the vowel which is as close and as front as
it is possible to make a vowel without obstructing the flow of air enough to produce friction noise;
friction noise is the hissing sound that one hears in consonants like s or f. Cardinal vowel no. 5 has
the symbol [Y] and is defined as the most open and back vowel that it is possible to make. Cardinal
vowel no. 8 [u] is fully close and back and no. 4 [a] is fully open and front. After establishing these
extreme points, it is possible to put in intermediate points (vowels no. 2, 3,6 and 7). Many students
when they hear these vowels find that they sound strange and exaggerated; you must remember that
they are extremes of vowel quality. It is useful to think of the cardinal vowel framework like a map of
an area or country that you are interested in. If the map is to be useful to you it must cover all the area;
but if it covers the whole area of interest it must inevitably go a little way beyond that and include
some places that you might never want to go to.
When you are familiar with these extreme vowels, you have (as mentioned above) learned a way of
describing, classifying and comparing vowels. For example, we can say that the English vowel æ (the
vowel in ‘cat’) is not as open as cardinal vowel no. 4 [a]. We have now looked at how we can classify
vowels according to their tongue height and their frontness or backness. There is another important
variable of vowel quality, and that is lip-position. Although the lips can have many different shapes
and positions, we will at this stage consider only three possibilities. These are:
1. Rounded, where the corners of the lips are brought towards each other and the lips pushed
forwards. This is most clearly seen in cardinal vowel no. 8 [u].

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