Unit05 Vowels：Front Vowels & Central Vowels

Unit5LessonPlan(WithNotesforTeachers)FrontVowels&CentralVowelsDate:Oct.14-18Class:Classes1,2&3,Grade2002Subject:EnglishPronunciationforCommunicationPurpose:Thestudentswilllearntheconsonants:frontvowels¢ralvowelsinEnglish.Objectives:Studentswillbeableto:1.Define-intheirownwordsadefinitionforfrontvowels¢ralvowels;2.Compare–basedontheunderstandingofthebasicconcept,comparethemwithothervowels;3.Practice–imitatethesoundsanddopractice.Resources/Materials:1.Textbook:Wang,Guizhen,AnEnglishPronunciationCourse,HigherEducationPress,Beijing,2000;2.Handouts:illustrationofthephonemesinfocus;3.RecordingsofnativespeakersActivitiesandProcedures:1.Stimulating:Beginbyaskingtheclasstofindouthowmuchthestudentsknowaboutwhattheyarerequiredtolearn.Makesurethatitservesthepurposeofstimulatingthestudentstothinkabouttheissueandhavethedesiretofindouttheanswersthemselves.2.DisplayexamplesbyplayingtherecordingofthenativespeakersshowingthetypicalpronunciationinEnglish.3.Askthestudentstolistentothetapestomakeagooddiscriminationofthesoundsinfocus.4.Havethestudentsimitatethesoundinfocus.5.Havethestudentssharewhattheyhavelearnedbyreadingoutthepracticematerialsinpairs.6.HavethestudentslistentotheconversationsrecordedbynativespeakersofEnglishandtrytogetthesoundsinfocuscorrectintheirpronunciation.7.Havethestudentspracticetheguidedconversation.Askthemtopayspecialattentiontothesoundsinfocusinspeech.8.Highlightthelanguagefunctionintheconversationinthepractice.9.Haveseveralpairsofthestudentspresenttheirconversationintheclass.10.Commentonthestudents’performancebyhighlightingtheachievementofthestudentsandtheeffortstheyneedfortheimprovement.11.Askthestudentstodomorepracticeafterclassandgetreadyforpresentationduringthenextsession.NotesforTeachersFrontVowels&CentralVowelsInthisunit,wewilllearnthefrontvowelsandcentralvowelsinEnglish.Vowelsaresoundsinwhichthereisnoobstructiontotheflowofairasitpassesfromthelarynxtothelips.Thereare20vowelsinEnglish,amongwhich12arepurevowelsand8arediphthongs.TheEnglishpurevowelscanbeclassifiedaccordingto1)theheightoftheraisedpartofthetongue;2)thepartofthetongueraised,and3)thepositionofthelips,i.e.whethertheyareroundedorunrounded.TherearefourfrontvowelsinEnglish:/i:/,//,/e/and//.Thereasonthesearecalledfrontvowelsisthatthetonguebodyisshiftedforward,causingthevowelstobeproducedinthefrontofthemouth.Inaddition,thefrontvowelsmaybesubdividedintothosethatarehigh(orclose),like/i:/and//,mid,like/e/,andlow(oropen),like//.Forthetwovowelsinthehighfrontspace,/i:/and//,thetongueisclosetothehardpalate.Likewise,forthelowvowel//thetongueisnearlyflatandthelowerjawmoreopenthanfortheotherfrontvowels.TherearetwocentralvowelsinEnglish:/з:/and//Theyarecalledcentralvowelsbecausetheytendtobeproducedatapointmidwaybetweenthefrontandbackvowelsandbetweenthehighandlowvowels.Ithasbecometraditionaltolocatevowelsonafour-sidedfigure.ThefollowingisadescriptionofthefourEnglishfrontvowelsandtwocentralvowels.i:/i:/&//,/i:/isaverycommonsoundintheworld'slanguages.Itismadebyraisingthebodyofthetonguefromitsrestpositionandshiftingitforward.The//soundismadebyloweringthetongueslightlyfromthehigh-frontpositionfor/i:/.Besides,/i:/isamuchmoretensesoundthan//.ThefactthatEnglishhasthesetwohighfrontvowels,differentiatedbymuscletensionintherootofthetongue,setsitapartfromChineseandmanylanguagesoftheworld.Both/i:/and//canoccurininitial,medial,andfinalpositioninwords.VerylittledifficultyshouldbeencounteredbytheChineselearnersinthepronunciationof/i:/,but//isaproblemsound.Itiseasyforthelearnerstodetectthedifferenceinlength.Whatcountshere,however,isthedifferenceinquality.Itisthereforeimportanttopointoutthefactthattopronounceacorrect//,youneedto1)loweryoutonguealittlebitfromthepositionfor/i:/,and2)makeitalaxsoundinsteadofatensesoundlike/i:/.Theimportanceofcorrectpronunciationof//liesinthefactthatitisthesecondmostfrequentvowelinEnglish./e/&///e/isalsoanEnglishvowelwithhighfrequencyofoccurrence.Thetonguebodyisshiftedforwardinthemid-plane.//isproducedbyshiftingthebodyofthetongueforwardfromitsrelaxedstate,andloweringitfromthepositionfor/e/.Itisthelowestofthefrontvowels./e/and//donotoccurinfinalpositioninEnglishwords./e/and//arenotreallyproblemsoundsfortheChineselearners,butmanyofthemfailtomakeacleardistinctionbetweenthetwointheirspeech.Thedifficultyisthattheyhavetomakethecleardistinctionconsistent./з:/&///з:/and//arecentralvowels./з:/ismadewiththetongueintheapproximatemiddleoftheemouth.Itoccursonlyinstressedsyllables.//isalsocalledaschwa.Itismadesimilarlyto/з:/,butwithlesstension.//isthemostfrequentlyusedvowelinEnglish.Both/з:/and//mayoccurinallthreewordpositions.Mostlearnersdonothaveproblemsinthepronunciationof/з:/and//,stillweneedtogivespecialattentiontotheschwa.Theproblemwiththeschwamaynotgenerallybeinproduction,butinknowingwhentousethesound.Noothervowel,withtheexceptionoftheotherreducedvowel,//,isasimportanttoanunderstandingoftheEnglishsoundsystemandthewayitfunctionsinunstressedsyllables.元音:前元音和中元音本单元介绍英语的前元音和中元音。发音时气流由肺部泄出，不受任何阻碍，气流输出过程畅通无阻不带任何摩擦，这样发出的