The English Language english language

Phonetics and Phonology

In some dialects of American English (California, Midwest), the vowels [O]
and [A] in pairs of words such as sought and sot, caught and cot, and wrought
and rot are pronounced identically, though the vowel used is neither [O] nor
[A], but one intermediate between them.

Vowels in multi-syllabic words
Pronounce the words above, soda, sofa, comma, arena, patina, photograph,
paying particular attention to the vowel represented by the bold letters.
Then pronounce this vowel in isolation. This vowel is called schwa and
written [@]. Schwa is made at approximately the same place as [V], that is,
farther forward than the back vowels and farther back than the front ones.
Hence, it is central. In addition, [@] is mid, lax, and unrounded. It is heard
primarily in unstressed syllables, as in the words above. It is the vowel we
produce if we vocalize as we prepare to speak—uh. The tongue is said to
be in its neutral position as we pronounce this vowel.

Exercise
Find five words to illustrate the vowel [@]. Can you estimate how common
this vowel is in English? What letters of the alphabet ordinarily indicate this
sound?

We can present the vowels as we presented the consonants, on a chart
indicating their articulatory properties.

front central back
Unrounded Rounded

Upper high i u
Lower high I U
Upper mid e @ o
Lower mid E V O
Low  A

table 7: english vowels