Практический курс первого иностранного языка (фонетика)

МИНИСТЕРСТВО НАУКИ И ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ  
РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ 
 
РОСТОВСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ  
(РИНХ) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Абраменко Е.В., Тарасова Ю.В., Володина О.В. 
 
 
ПРАКТИЧЕСКИЙ КУРС  
ПЕРВОГО ИНОСТРАННОГО ЯЗЫКА 
(ФОНЕТИКА) 
 
УЧЕБНОЕ ПОСОБИЕ 
 
 
Направление 45.03.02 «Лингвистика» 
Профиль 45.03.02.02 «Перевод и переводоведение» 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ростов-на-Дону 
Издательско-полиграфический комплекс РГЭУ (РИНХ) 
2022 

УДК 811.111(075) 
ББК 81.432.1 
      А 16 
 
Абраменко, Е.В.  
Практический курс первого иностранного языка (фонетика) : 
А 16 учебное пособие / Е.В. Абраменко, Ю.В. Тарасова, О.В. Володина. – 
Ростов-на-Дону : Издательско-полиграфический комплекс Рост. гос. 
экон. ун-та (РИНХ), 2022. – 90 с. 
 
ISBN 978-5-7972-2996-4 
 
Предлагаемое учебное пособие содержит теоретический материал по фонетике 
английского языка и соответствующие практические задания, направленные на 
развитие у обучающихся навыков правильного произношения и интонационной 
окрашенности устной речи, что способствует лучшему восприятию оригинальной 
англоязычной речи на слух. В конце пособия представлены вопросы и упражнения, 
контролирующие понимание и стимулирующие самостоятельный анализ обучающихся. 
Учебное 
пособие 
предназначено 
для 
студентов 
направления 
45.03.02 
«Лингвистика». Рекомендуется в качестве основного или вспомогательного материала 
как для самостоятельной работы студентов, так и для использования преподавателями 
вуза языковых профилей. 
УДК 811.111(075) 
ББК 81.432.1 
Авторы: 
Абраменко Е.В., ст. преподаватель кафедры лингвистики  
и межкультурной коммуникации ФГБОУ ВО «РГЭУ (РИНХ)» 
Тарасова Ю.В., ст. преподаватель кафедры лингвистики  
и межкультурной коммуникации ФГБОУ ВО «РГЭУ (РИНХ)» 
Володина О.В., доцент кафедры лингвистики  
и межкультурной коммуникации ФГБОУ ВО «РГЭУ (РИНХ)» 
Рецензенты: 
Дроздова О.А., к.филол.н., доцент кафедры «Русский язык как иностранный»  
ФГБОУ ВО «Донской государственный технический университет» 
Гермашева Т.М., к.филол.н., доцент кафедры 
иностранных языков  для гуманитарных специальностей 
ФГБОУ ВО «РГЭУ (РИНХ)» 
 
Утверждено в качестве учебного пособия учебно-методическим советом РГЭУ 
(РИНХ). 
 
ISBN 978-5-7972-2996-4  
© Ростовский государственный  
экономический университет  
(РИНХ), 2022 
© Абраменко Е.В., Тарасова Ю.В.,  
Володина О.В., 2022 

CONTENT    
 
 
SECTION I. ATICULATORY PECULIARITIES  
OF ENGLISH VOWEL PHONEMES .............................................................. 4 
SECTION II. INTONATION .......................................................................... 14 
SECTION III. PHONETIC ANALYSIS 
THE SCHEME OF THE PHONETIC ANALYSIS ...................................... 26 
SECTION IV. ORAL INTRODUCTORY COURSE .................................... 36 
SITUATIONAL DIALOGUES ........................................................................ 48 
TONE-GROUPS  ............................................................................................... 65 
ENGLISH READING COURSE ..................................................................... 82 
THE LIST OF QUESTIONS IN PHONETICS ............................................. 88 
MATERIAL TO BE LEARNED BY HEART ............................................... 89 
MATERIAL TO BE PREPARED FOR THE TEST  
IN PHONETICS ................................................................................................ 89 
 
 
 

SECTION I. ATICULATORY PECULIARITIES  
OF ENGLISH VOWEL PHONEMES 
 
There are certain peculiarities in the system of English Vowel 
Phonemes to be observed by a student of English: 
1. There are 20 vowel phonemes in English and 6 in Russian. 
2. The English vowel phonemes include 12 monophthongs and 8 
diphthongs, whereas there are no diphthongs in Russian. 
3. According to length the English vowel phonemes are long and 
short, and this distinction lies on the phonological level, while in 
Russian it is purely phonetic: e.g. sheep – ship – шип 
4. All the English long vowels are tense and short ones are lax. 
Russian vowel phonemes are not differentiated according to their 
tenseness, but one and the same vowel is more tense in a stressed 
syllable than in an unstressed one. 
5. There are rounded vowel phonemes in both languages, but 
they differ in the degree of lip rounding. The Russian vowel phonemes 
are pronounced with considerable lip-protrusion and rounding while in 
English [ɔ:], [ɑ], [u:], [ʊ]. 
6. The English vowels differ from the Russian vowels also in the 
character of their end. All the Russian vowels are free, whereas some 
of the English vowels are free and others are checked. 
7. According to the horizontal movement of the tongue English 
vowels are divided into 5 groups: front, front-retracted, central, back 
and back-advanced. The Russian language has neither front-retracted 
[ɪ], nor back advanced [ʊ]. 
8. According to the vertical movement of the tongue there are 6 
positions in English, whereas in Russian there are only three: in 
English there are two variants /narrow and broad/ of each of three 
main positions of the tongue (high, mid, low). 
9. The short English vowels in stressed positions can occur only 
in closed syllables, while in Russian vowels may occur in the open 
syllable with only one consonant between them. 
 

CLASSIFICATION OF ENGLISH VOWEL PHONEMES 
 
I. There are 20 vowel phonemes in English. 
II. English vowels are divided into two groups: monophthongs 
and diphthongs. 
Monophthong is a pure unchanging sound. Organs of speech 
don’t change their position. 
Diphthong – is a sound consisting of two elements, pronounced 
so as to from a single syllable. Diphthongs consist of the nucleus and 
the glide. 
There are 8 diphthongs in English: [ɑi], [ɑu], [əu], [ɔi], 
                                                                 [ei], [iə], [ɛə], [uə]. 
III. English monophthongs may be classified according to the 
following principles: 
- according to the tongue position; 
- according to the lip position; 
- according to the length of the vowel; 
- according to the degree of the tenseness; 
- according to the character of their end; 
1. a) according to the horizontal movement of the tongue English 
vowels are divided into: 
- front vowels: [i:], [e], [æ]; 
- front-retracted vowels: [ɪ] ; 
- central (mixed) vowels: [ə], [ə:], [ʌ]; 
- back vowels: [ɒ], [ɔ:], [u:]; 
- back-advanced vowels: [a:], [ʊ]. 
b) according to the vertical movement of the tongue, vowels are 
divided into: 
- high (narrow) vowels: [i:], [u:]; (broad) [ɪ], [ʊ]; 
- mid vowels: [e], [ə:], [ə], [ɔ:]; 
- low vowels: [ʌ], [æ], [ɒ], [a:]. 
2. According to their length vowels may be long and short: 
- long vowels: [i:], [a:], [ɔ:], [u:], [ə:]; 
-short vowels: [ɪ], [e], [ɒ], [u], [ʊ], [ʌ], [ə], [æ]; 
Short vowels are checked under stress. 

3. According to the position of the lips vowels may be: 
- rounded (more or less): [ɔ:], [ɒ], [u:], [ʊ]; 
- unrounded (the lips are spread or neutral): [i:], [ɪ], [a:], [ʌ], [ə:], 
[ə], [e], [æ]. 
4. According to the degree of the tenseness vowels are divided 
into tense and lax. All the English long vowels are tense, all the 
English short vowels are lax. 
5. According to the character of their end the English vowels 
may be checked and free. Stressed short monophthongs are always 
checked as well as long monophthongs are always checked as well as 
long monophthongs and diphthongs before a voiceless consonant in 
stressed position. The rest vowels are free. 
 
POSITIONAL AND COMBINATIVE CHANGES  
OF VOWEL PHONEMES IN THE FLOW OF SPEECH 
 
The correct length of a vowel phoneme is of great practical 
importance for the rhythmical structure. The relative positional length 
should be strictly observed because otherwise it may lead to 
misunderstanding. 
1. Positional length of vowels. 
No matter whether a vowel is originally long or short, its length 
may depend on the following sound: 
a) it is longer in the stressed word-final position, 
b) shorter before a voiced consonant, 
c) still shorter before a voiceless consonant: 
e.g. sea – seed – seat; 
2. A vowel is usually longer: 
a) in a monosyllabic word than in a polysyllabic one: 
e.g. work – worker; 
b) in a stressed position than in an unstressed one: 
e.g. art – articulation 
c) when the stressed syllable is pronounced with the Rise or FallRise than with the falling one: 
e.g. ⸜Read.⸝Read.ˇRead. 

3. A combination of two vowel phonemes. 
Within a word or at the junction of words which are not separated 
by a pause, a combination of two vowels must be pronounced without 
interruption or glottal stop before the second vowel, 
e.g. radiator, the  apple. 
The same is true with a combination of a consonant and a vowel 
at the junction of words: 
e.g. Take    a cup   of coffee. 
Take  it  away. 
The rule is called linking of words.     
 
4. Vowels of constantly full formation are unstressed vowels 
which are used in all styles of pronunciation and are rather close in 
timbre to the same vowels under stress. They are used in many words 
of foreign origin (Latin or Greek): 
e.g. extract [ˈekstrækt], programme [ˈprəʊɡræm]. 
      They may also occur in words of originally English 
extraction:  
e.g. textbook [ˈtekstbʊk], exercise [ˈeksəsaɪz] 
      The use of a semi-weak or a neutral vowel would be 
incorrect. 
 
REDUCTION 
 
Reduction is the weakening of a sound in unstressed position. 
In English there are certain words which have two forms of 
pronunciation: a) strong, or full form, b) weak, or reduced form.  
These words include: 
1. Form words: 
a) articles [ði:] - [ði·], [ðɪ]; [ðə]; 
b) prepositions (except at the end of sense-groups or followed by 
a pronoun), e.g. at [æt] - [ət]; 
c) modal verbs, e.g. can [kæn] - [kən], [kn], [kŋ]; 
d) auxiliary verbs, e.g. do [du:] - [du·], [dʊ], [də], [d]; 
e) conjunctions, e.g. and [ænd] - [ənd], [ən], [n]; 
f) particles, e.g. there [ðɛə] - [ðə]. 

2. Pronouns: 
a) personal, e.g. he [hi:] - [hi·], [hi], [hɪ]; 
b) possesive, e.g. your [jɔ:] - [jɔ·], [jɔ], [jə]; 
c) the indefinite pronoun “some” [sʌm] - [səm], [sm]; 
d) relative pronouns, e.g. that [ðæt] - [ðət]. 
These words have strong forms when they are stressed, when 
unstressed they have one of the weak forms: 
e.g. She can do it [ʃiː kən duː it] 
She can do it [ʃikən duː it] 
If the word has several weak forms, the choice depends on the 
tempo of speech. 
Compare: Do you like pop music? 
Slow:       - [duː juː laɪkpɒpmjuːzɪk] 
Fast:         - [dʊjʊlaɪkpɒpmjuːzɪk] 
Very fast: - [dʒəlaɪkpɒpmjuːzɪk] 
Notional words usually retain their full forms in unstressed 
position, unless they are the second element of compound words with 
the stress on the first one:  
e.g. That man is a ⸜postman [poʊstmən]. 
There are three degrees of reduction: 
1. quantitative – when the length of the vowel is reduced 
without changing its quality, e.g. for [fɔ:] - [fɔ·]; 
2. qualitative – when the quality of the vowel is changed (i.e. 
when one vowel phoneme is replaced by another one): 
e.g. for [fɔ:] - [fə]; 
3. “zero” reduction – when the vowel is omitted: e.g. D’you 
live in London? 
  Note: Prepositions in the finalposition or before unstressed 
pronouns are not reduced. Auxiliary and modal verbs in short answers 
are not reduced though unstressed. 
     The following form-words and pronouns are never reduced: 
who, what, which, how, when, where, then, on, in, with, within, this, 
these, those, that, I, they, it, my, their, our and some others. 
 
 

Exercise.  Fill in the Table of Strong and Weak Forms. 
 
STRONG AND WEAK FORMS 
 
 
Strong forms 
Weak forms 
1. ARTICLES 
 
 
the 
[ði:] 
[ðə] (before consonants) 
 
 
[ði·],[ði],[ðɪ] (before vowels) 
a (before consonants) 
 
(before consonants) 
an (before vowels) 
 
(before vowels) 
2.PREPOSITIONS 
 
 
at 
 
 
from 
 
 
of 
 
 
into 
 
(before consonants) 
 
 
(before vowels) 
for 
 
(before consonants) 
 
 
(before vowels) 
to 
 
(before consonants) 
 
 
(before vowels) 
on 
 
is never reduced 
through 
 
 
upon 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.VERBS 
 
 
can 
 
 
 
 
before [k], [g] 
must 
 
 
will 
 
 
shall 
 
 
do (auxiliary) 
 
 
does (auxiliary) 
 
 
could 
 
 
would 
 
 
should 
 
 
have (auxiliary) 
 
 
has (auxiliary) 
 
 
 
 
after vowels and voiced conson 
 
 
after voiceless consonants