Dear site visitors! On this page you will find materials on the following topics: English pronunciation. Phonetics. English: print transcription symbols. Pronunciation English words. English transcription. English Russian transcription. Print transcription. Cards: transcription signs English language(print). Print transcription. English phonetics. English Transcription. Transcription of English words. English sound. Transcription symbols: print pictures. English transcription free download. English transcription. Transcription.

A SET OF GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING PRESCHOOL CHILDREN ENGLISH (AUTHOR - IRINA MURZINOVA) CAN BE PURCHASED IN THE OZONE ONLINE STORE

All sounds of the English language and a description of their pronunciation

Transcription is the transmission in writing of elements oral speech using a specific set of written characters. Phonetic transcription– this is the most accurate transmission of oral speech by graphic means (special transcription signs).

Each individual sound and its variants have their own designations. For recording use special characters, called transcription marks, which are enclosed in square brackets. Some of these signs repeat the letters of the English alphabet; the designations of others may differ significantly. However, a letter and a sound are completely different things. Letter- these are designations of sound in writing, while sound can be regarded as an independent unit. We write and read letters, we hear and pronounce sounds. The transcription sign indicates the sound and the features of its pronunciation. In writing, one letter can convey several sounds at once, and each transcription sign can convey only one sound.

What is transcription used for?

The spelling of a word and its actual pronunciation may vary significantly. Therefore, for correct pronunciation, only knowledge of the reading rules is not enough, because there are always exceptions to the rules. The same letters/letter combinations under the same conditions can be read differently. Thanks to transcription, if necessary, you will be able to correctly read an unfamiliar word. On initial stage learning a language, it is possible to use Russian transcription, but in the English language there are sounds that are absent in the Russian language, so Russian transcription conveys only the approximate sound of a word, which is why you may pronounce a word written in Russian transcription incorrectly. In addition, the quality of pronunciation of the same sounds may differ.

Perfect knowledge of transcription signs is not necessary, because it is unlikely that you will need to convey the sound of a word using these signs. But you may need to look it up in a dictionary correct pronunciation words. And for this it is important to be able to correctly read the transcription in the dictionary. In addition, most transcription signs are found in other European languages.

Factors influencing pronunciation

Word stress

The correct pronunciation of vowels in stressed syllables, where vowels are pronounced clearly, and the meaning of the word will depend on the correctness of their sound, can cause difficulties. In an unstressed syllable, vowels are not clearly articulated and may fall out (not be pronounced), so they do not pose any particular difficulties in pronunciation. Unlike the Russian language, where the stress is placed above the stressed syllable, in English the stress is indicated by a vertical stroke before stressed syllable. Monosyllabic words have one stress, long ones can have two. In this case, the main stress is placed at the top, the secondary stress is at the bottom.

English sounds

Consonant sounds and their approximate Russian analogues:

• [b] - [b]
• [d] - [d]
• [f] – [f]
• [g] - [g]
• [k] -[k]
• [l] - [l]
• [m] -[m]
• [n] - [n]
• [p] - [p]
• [s] - [s]
• [t] - [t]
• [v] - [v]
• [z] - [z]
• [ʃ] - [w]
• [ʒ] – soft [zh]
• - [h]
• – absent in the Russian language (represents a very quickly pronounced sound [j]);
• [r] – the tip of the tongue is not tense, does not vibrate, is motionless, raised to the roof of the oral cavity, but does not touch the alveoli (reminiscent of the Russian sound [r], but not as clear);
• [j] - [th];
• [ŋ] – nasal [n];
• [θ] – absent in Russian, interdental (to pronounce it, pronounce [s], sticking the tip of your tongue between your teeth);
• [ð] - absent in Russian, interdental (to pronounce it, pronounce [z], sticking the tip of your tongue between your teeth).

Row articulation English sounds practically no different from the articulation of Russian sounds, but there are some features:

• English [t], [p], [k] are distinguished from their Russian counterparts [t], [p], [k] by their pronunciation with aspiration (aspiration);
• When pronouncing sounds [d], [l], [n], [t], the tip of the tongue is on the alveoli (tubercles just above the upper teeth);
• [ʃ] [ʒ] – softer than their Russian counterparts, for this you need to slightly raise the back of the tongue;
• [h] – the sound is slightly louder than an exhalation;
• [w] – lips are rounded and tense, the lower lip should not touch the teeth (quickly say [ui]).

Pronunciation of vowels

In English, vowel length is very important because it affects the meaning of a word. This means that words with the same vowel of different lengths will differ in meaning, for example: sheep [ʃi:p] - sheep, ship [ʃɪp] - ship, live live - leave - leave, leave.

The length of a vowel in writing is indicated by two dots after it. With 6 vowel letters you can form a wide variety of sounds:

• – long sound [a];
• [æ] - average between [a] and [e], the mouth is wide open, the jaw is lowered down;
• - long [and];
• [i] - short [and];
• [e] – average between [e] and [e], the corners of the lips are stretched to the sides;
• [ɔ] - short [o];
• [ɔ:] - long [o];
• [ə] - unclear, unstressed sound, reminiscent of [e];
• [ʌ] – short [a];
• [z] - resembles the sound [ё];
• [u] - short [y];
• - lingering [y].

Diphthongs

Diphthongs- these are two vowel sounds pronounced together, where the first is stressed, articulated more clearly and clearly, and the second is weaker:

• - [ay];
• - [Hey];
• [ɔi] - [oh];
• - [ay];
• [əu] - [оу];
• - [ie];
• - [ue];
• [ɛə] - vaguely similar to [ea].

Thrifthongs

Triphthong is a combination of three vowel sounds that are pronounced together and are part of one syllable.

- pronounced [aye]. The longest of the three sounds is “a”. The sounds “y” and “e” are pronounced almost simultaneously.
In writing it is expressed using the letter combinations “ire”, “yre”, “iar”, less often “ier” and “ie+t”:

ire - fire [‘faɪə] (fire)
yre - tire [‘taɪə] (tire)
iar - liar [‘laɪə] (liar)
ier - tier [‘taɪə] (binding)
iet - quiet [‘kwaɪət] (quiet)

- pronounced [aue]. In this case, the sound “u” is exactly the sound that is conveyed by the letter “w”.
In writing it is conveyed using the letter combinations “our”, “ower”:

our - sour [‘sauə] (sour)
ower - power [‘pauə] (strength)

- pronounced [yue]. The longest of the three sounds in this triphthong is "u".
In writing it is conveyed using the letter combinations “eur”, “ure”:

eur - European [ˌjuərə’piːən] (European)
ure - pure (clean).

Words in a stream of speech

In addition to the main stress, with the help of which emphasis is placed on a syllable, there is the concept of phrasal stress. Phrase stress- this is the selection in the flow of speech of words on the importance of which the speaker wants to emphasize. The placement of phrasal stress does not significantly change the essence of the sentence. Let's compare using the example of a simple short sentence (emphasis added in bold:) She has gone to the shop just now. She just went to the store (it was she, not someone else). She has gone to the shop just now. She had just gone to the store (walked, not used another means of transportation). She has gone to the shop just now. She just went to the store (namely the store, and not anywhere else). She has gone to the shop just now. She just went to the store (just now).

Accordingly, the stressed word will be pronounced as clearly as possible. As a rule, function words are prepositions, conjunctions, particles, pronouns, etc. are in an unstressed position. It should also be noted that colloquial speech tends to be minimized: it is characterized by the use of abbreviated forms, less clear articulation, sometimes deliberate mispronunciation of words, loss of vowels, etc.

How much time to devote to practice?

The answer is obvious. The more practice in the language, the better. The more time you spend practicing your pronunciation, the more authentic (more natural, as similar to English speech as possible) your speech will sound. Listening English speech, its imitation, reading aloud will help you with this. Record your speech on a voice recorder, which will help you identify your own mistakes, because your perception of your own speech differs from its perception by others. And remember that when studying foreign language Regular practice is extremely important. With shorter, but regular exercises, you will achieve greater results than with long, “jerky” exercises. We wish you success!

English alphabet with transcription
Reading rules in English

Transcription is a recording of the sound of a letter or word in the form of a sequence of special phonetic symbols.

Transcription may not be of interest to everyone, but it is, without a doubt, useful. Knowing the transcription, you will correctly read an unfamiliar word without outside help. During classes, you can read the transcription of a word yourself (for example, from the blackboard) without asking others, thereby making it easier for yourself to assimilate lexical material, etc.

At first there will be errors in correct reading, because... There are always some subtleties in pronunciation. But this is just a matter of practice. A little later, if necessary, you will be able to transcribe the words yourself.

Transcription is directly related to reading rules. In English, not everything that is seen (letter combinations) is read (as in Russian and Spanish, for example).

When textbooks (mostly domestic ones) talk about reading rules, much attention is paid to the type of syllable. About five such types are usually described. But such a detailed theoretical presentation of the rules of reading does not greatly ease the fate of a beginner, and can even mislead him. It must be remembered that a good knowledge of the rules of reading is a great merit of practice, not theory.

Your attention will be presented to the basic rules for reading individual letters and letter combinations. “Behind the scenes” there will be some phonetic aspects that are difficult to convey in writing.

A little patience! Both transcription and reading rules are easily learned in a short time. Then you will be surprised: “How easy it has become to read and write!”

However, do not forget that, despite its wide distribution, the English language does not cease to be a LANGUAGE, full of exceptions, stylistic and other delights. And at any stage of language learning, and especially at the beginning, look into the dictionary more often.

Transcription icons and their pronunciation

Notes:

o]. But, in modern English dictionaries this sound is usually designated as shown in the table.

Diphthong is a complex sound that consists of two sounds. In most cases, a diphthong can be "broken" into two sounds, but not in writing. Since in many cases one of the component sounds of a diphthong, if used separately, will have a different designation. For example diphthong [ au]: separately such transcription icon as [ a] - does NOT exist. Therefore, most diphthongs are not indicated by a combination of different transcription symbols, but by their own sign.

In many school textbooks and in some domestic dictionaries this sound is designated as [ ou], which is more clear. But, in modern English dictionaries this sound is usually designated as shown in the table.

This sign often denotes unstressed vowel sounds in transcription, regardless of the letters (combinations) that produce this sound.

Reading Rules

English words have several types of syllables. However, to understand the entire system, it is necessary to remember and distinguish between the following two types: open And closed.

Open syllable ends with a vowel: game, like, stone- a vowel letter in a word is read the same way as in the alphabet.

Closed syllable ends with a consonant: pen, cat, bus- a vowel in a syllable gives a different sound.

Stress in transcription and words is indicated by a vertical line before the stressed syllable.

Single vowel sounds

Vowel diphthongs

Consonants

Now take the interactive lesson and pin this topic

Hello, potential student at Native English School!

Learning any foreign language is impossible without learning its alphabet. But memorizing letters without understanding how they sound and are used in words is pointless. Knowledge of phonetics is one of the significant stages of language acquisition. This is especially important when a person is juststarts learning English and the correct pronunciation of sounds, letters and, accordingly, words is a basic skill.

English letters and their sounds

There are 26 letters in English:

6 vowels– a, e, i, o, u, y;

21 consonants– b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z.

“How so? - you say - twenty-one plus six equals twenty-seven! That's all true, but the point is that the letter "y" is both a vowel and a consonant. This is what the academics who compiled and edited the Oxford Dictionary, one of the most important dictionaries of the English language, decided. Let's look at the English alphabet with transcription and pronunciation in Russian. Read!

First, to read sounds in English, you need to know how they are written. We can help you find out this in more detail at, but now let’s return to the article and try to figure it out, and they are written in square brackets - this is called phonetic transcription. In English there are vowels (vowel) and consonants (consonant). Just like in Russian, vowels are pronounced with the mouth open, and consonants with the mouth closed.

English sounds pronunciation table

Some words may have different numbers of letters and sounds. For example, the word help has 4 letters and 4 sounds, but the word six has three letters but 4 sounds. Each letter has its own sound, but in English there are such concepts as digraphs– these are two letters denoting one sound: gh [g] – ghost (ghost), ph [f] – photo ['foutou] (photography), sh [ʃ] – shine [ʃaɪn] (shine), th [ð] or [θ] – think [θɪŋk] (think), сh – chess (chess) and diphthongs– passing vowel sounds from one to another: ea – bread (bread), ie – friend (friend), ai – again [əˈɡen] (again), au – autumn [ˈɔːtəm] (autumn), etc.

It is worth noting that digraphs and diphthongs are read differently depending on what part the words are in. For example, gh in the middle of a word is not pronounced: light (light), and at the end it sometimes sounds like “f”: enough [ı’nʌf] (enough); oo can be pronounced as long [ʋ:], “u” in Russian: moon (moon), short [ʋ]: good (good), as short [ʌ], similar to “a” in Russian: blood (blood ), but together with “r” it is completely different, like [ʋə]: poor (poor).

English Transcription is a sequence of phonetic symbols that helps us understand how to read a particular sound or word. The concept of transcription is quite difficult for Russian speakers to understand, because In our language, although such a category exists, it is used extremely rarely.

Why is transcription needed?

The phonetics of the English language has a noticeable feature: historically, words are often read differently from how they are written, that is, from the spelling of a word it is not always possible to guess how it is pronounced. Of course, there are general ones, but there are still plenty of exceptions. For example, there is large number words that have either unreadable or readable letters depending on the environment. And the rules themselves are difficult for schoolchildren to remember. Therefore, in almost any dictionary, after writing an English word in square brackets, its reading in transcription symbols is given.

Often, schoolchildren and students are faced with transcription at the beginning of learning a language, when it is still quite difficult to read even quite simple words. Then, as you study the transcription signs, it becomes easier and easier to perceive the contents of the square brackets.

How are transcription signs read?

In the English pronunciation system there are 48 sounds, therefore, there are 48 transcription signs. Let's look at their pronunciation depending on the letters of the English alphabet denoting them.

Use to consolidate your knowledge of transcription.

You can practice your pronunciation with this video:

Is it possible to write English words in Russian letters?

Sometimes on websites or even in books you can see “ English transcription in Russian" or "pronunciation of English words in Russian letters" - that is, writing English words in Russian letters. The point is that schoolchildren are encouraged not to learn sophisticated icons, because... You can convey sounds in Russian letters. I think this approach is extremely dead-end. The phonetics of the Russian language differs from the English phonetics so much that the sound can only be conveyed very, very approximately. We simply do not have some sounds of English speech, as well as vice versa.