Lecture Notes on Pronunciation and the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

Introduction to Pronunciation Variability

• Letters may not always be pronounced the same way in different words.
  • Example: "oo" in different words:
    • Boo: pronounced as "oo"
    • Blood: pronounced as "uh" (as in "butter")
    • Book: pronounced as "uh" (as in "po")

Importance of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

• IPA Definition: A system of phonetic notation used for representing the sounds of spoken language.
• Makes studying and teaching pronunciation easier.
• Especially useful for learning foreign languages and English.
  • English is not a phonetic language, meaning the pronunciation of letters can vary.
• IPA uses written symbols to represent each phonetic sound.

Significance of IPA for English Learners

• Essential for students of pronunciation to be familiar with the symbols representing sounds in American English.

Key IPA Vowel Sounds and Examples

• AW sound:
  • Occurs in words like: father, hot, body
• LAW sound:
  • Words include: law, daughter, cot
• EH sound:
  • Examples: said, head, says
• EE sound:
  • Found in: heat, be, receive
• IH sound:
  • Words like: him, been, women
• AH sound:
  • Includes: have, bad, act
• UH sound:
  • Appears in: love, blood, trouble
• Schwa sound (UH):
  • Present in: sofa, about
• OO sound:
  • Seen in: book, could, pull
• ERR sound:
  • Examples: burn, journey, worth
• OO (vowel) sound:
  • Found in: through, blue, do

Conclusion

• Familiarity with IPA symbols aids in easier pronunciation study.
• Acknowledgement to "Rachel's English" for resources and guidance.