What is transcription, its signs and correct pronunciation in English. Sounds and letters

The phonetics of the English language is so complex and interesting that we have devoted more than one article to it. Here you can find, and here you will find English words. General information about it is presented in this article, but today we want to talk about how English sounds are pronounced correctly. English transcription and a convenient table of English sounds with pronunciation will help us with this.

Why does the pronunciation of English sounds raise so many questions? Primarily due to the discrepancy in the number of letters and sounds in the English language. There are almost half as many letters in the English alphabet (26 letters and 48 sounds). Consequently, the pronunciation of sounds cannot be correlated each with its own letter. Hence the confusion. More precisely, certain conditions that allow you to master English pronunciation correctly.

What determines the pronunciation of English sounds?

As long as we read “to ourselves,” that is, silently, we will not be able to recognize the sound of English words. Only pronunciation out loud allows you to cope with practical phonetics. But in practice, the sounds of the English language and their pronunciation directly depend on the so-called articulation. That is, on how we use the organs of speech.

The organs of speech, or articulatory apparatus, are the larynx, tongue (tip of the tongue, front part of the tongue, middle part and back part of the tongue with the root), soft and hard palate, teeth of the upper and lower jaw, lips, nasopharynx. A whole system of organs involved in the creation of speech and voice sounds.

To pronounce all sounds correctly, you need to use all organs of articulation. Moreover, different sounds require different organs. For example, to pronounce voiceless consonant sounds, the vocal cords are not tense and are spread apart. But for vowels and voiced consonants, you need to tense your vocal cords and literally make them vibrate. Of course, this is not done consciously. Correct pronunciation of sounds itself “turns on” certain parts of the articulation apparatus. But for correct English pronunciation it is useful to know exactly how sounds appear.

Pronunciation of vowel sounds and their types in English

There are two types of vowel sounds in English:

1. Monophthongs- these are vowel sounds, during the pronunciation of which the articulation does not change throughout the entire period of sound. Example of a monophthong: [ɔː].
2. Diphthongs- These are vowel sounds consisting of two components. When pronouncing a diphthong, the speech organs first take one position to pronounce the first component, and then change position to pronounce the second component. The first component is called the diphthong nucleus and is longer and more distinct. The second component of the diphthong sounds shorter and gives the sound a certain “shade” of sound. Diphthong example: .

Consonant sounds are divided into a greater number of varieties:

1) Labial consonants:

labiolabials are articulated with both lips: [w], [m], [p], [b]

labiodental are pronounced with the lower lip and upper teeth: [f], [v].

2) Forelingual consonants:

interdental, when the surface of the front part of the tongue forms an incomplete barrier with the upper teeth: [θ], [ð]

apical-alveolar, the anterior edge of the tongue is raised to the alveolar arch: [t], [d], [n], [l], [s], [z], [∫], [ʒ], ,

kakuminal-zaalveolar, the anterior edge of the tongue is raised upward and slightly curved towards the posterior slope of the alveoli: [r].

3) Middle language consonants, the barrier is formed by raising the middle part of the tongue to the hard palate: [j].

4) Rear lingual consonants that are articulated by raising the back of the tongue to the soft palate: [k], [g], [ŋ].

5) Laryngeal there is only one consonant in English: [h].

6) Stops consonants: [p], [b], [t], [d], [k], [g], [m], [n], [ŋ], , .

7) Slotted consonants: [f], [v], [θ], [ð], [s], [z], [∫], [ʒ], [h], [w], [l], [r], [j].

8) Stops noisy consonants:

explosive, when the complete obstruction opens, air leaves the oral cavity, producing an explosion noise: [p], [b], [t], [d], [k], [g]

affricates, when the opening of the speech organs, forming a complete obstruction, occurs smoothly: , .

9) Fricatives consonants: [f], [v], [θ], [ð], [s], [z], [∫], [ʒ], [h].

10) Nasals sonants, a complete obstruction is formed in the oral cavity, the soft palate descends, and air exits through the nasal cavity: [m], [n], [ŋ].

11) Oral sonants: [w], [r], [j], [l].

English sounds and their pronunciation

Reading aloud and pronouncing English sounds is the best, if not the only, way to get rid of a Russian accent in your conversation. And for beginners learning English, this is an opportunity to immediately remember how to pronounce sounds in English correctly. All of them are collected in tables of English sounds with pronunciation:

English vowel sounds. English Vowel Sounds
Sound	Description	Example words
iː	Long vowel sound. When pronouncing a sound, the tongue is in the front of the mouth. The tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth. The middle part of the tongue is raised high to the hard palate. The lips are somewhat stretched.	feel read
	Short vowel sound. When pronouncing the sound [ɪ], the tongue is in the front of the mouth. The middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate, but not as high as when pronouncing the Russian sound [i]. The tip of the tongue is at the lower teeth, the lips are slightly stretched.	unit wind
	Short vowel sound. Pronounced with a slight rounding of the lips. When pronouncing the sound [ʊ], the tongue is in the back of the mouth, but not very far. The back of the back of the tongue is raised to the front of the soft palate, but not as high as when pronouncing the Russian sound [у]. The lips are slightly rounded, but hardly move forward.	put look
	Long vowel sound. When pronouncing a sound, the tongue is at the back of the mouth. The back of the tongue is significantly raised. The lips are rounded, but slightly. Towards the end of pronouncing the sound, the lips become more rounded.	noon blue
	Short vowel sound. When pronouncing the vowel sound [e], the tongue is in the front of the mouth. The tip of the tongue is at the base of the lower teeth, the middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate. The lips are slightly stretched. When pronouncing the sound [e], you should not lower your lower jaw.	bed desk
	Short neutral vowel sound. This sound is always unstressed, so it is very easily influenced by neighboring sounds. When pronouncing the sound [ə] at the beginning or middle of words, the entire tongue is slightly raised. The sound [ə] should not be similar to the Russian sounds [e], [a] or [s].	again under
	Long vowel sound. When pronouncing the sound [ɜː], the tongue is raised, the back of the tongue lies flat. The tip of the tongue is located at the lower teeth. The teeth are slightly exposed, the distance between the upper and lower teeth is small. The lips are tense and slightly stretched.	work burn
	Long vowel sound. When pronouncing the sound [ɔː], the tongue is in the back of the mouth. The back of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate. The lips are slightly pushed forward and significantly rounded.	small morning
	Semi-long vowel sound. When pronouncing the sound [æ], the mouth is quite wide open, the tongue is in the front of the oral cavity, lies flat in the mouth, and its middle part is slightly raised. The tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth. The lips are somewhat stretched, and the corners of the lips are slightly pulled to the sides. There is no such sound in the Russian language.	bad exam
	Short vowel sound. When pronouncing the sound [ʌ], the mouth is half-open, the lips are neutral, the tongue is slightly moved back. The back of the tongue is slightly raised.	nut cut
	Long vowel sound. When pronouncing the sound [ɑː], the tongue is in the back of the mouth. The back of the tongue is slightly raised. The tip of the tongue is pulled away from the lower teeth, the lips are neutral, that is, not stretched or pushed forward. You should not open your mouth wide.	dark are
	Short vowel sound. When pronouncing the sound [ɒ], the tongue is in the back of the mouth. The back of the tongue is slightly raised. The mouth is wide open, lips are rounded.	not wash

The length of vowel sounds, which is indicated by a colon in transcription, is very important. If you do not take into account the duration of vowels, you can confuse the meaning of words. For example: the short sound ship [ʃɪp] - ship and the long sound sheep [ʃiːp] - ram.

English diphthongs. English Diphthongs
Sound	Description	Example words
ɪə	Diphthong. The core is the vowel sound [ɪ]. After pronouncing the sound [ɪ], the tongue moves towards the center in the direction of the neutral vowel [ə], which has a connotation of the sound [ʌ].	real beer
	The core of a diphthong is the vowel sound [e]. After pronouncing [e], the tongue makes a slight upward movement in the direction of the sound [ɪ], but without achieving its full formation.	say table
	The core of a diphthong is the vowel sound [ʊ]. After pronouncing the sound [ʊ], the tongue moves towards the center in the direction of the neutral vowel [ə], which has a connotation of the sound [ʌ].	tour jury
	The core of a diphthong is a vowel, which is a sound intermediate between [ɒ] and [ɔː]. After pronouncing the first element of the diphthong, the tongue moves in the direction of the vowel sound [ɪ].	boy noise
	The diphthong core is close in sound to the vowel sound [ɜː], after pronouncing which the tongue makes a slight upward movement and moves back in the direction of the vowel sound [ʊ]. At the beginning of the pronunciation of the diphthong, the lips are slightly rounded, then gradually the lips are rounded even more.	coat flow
	The core of the diphthong is a vowel, similar to the Russian sound [e] in the word this, after the pronunciation of which the tongue moves in the direction of the neutral vowel [ə] with a hint of the sound [ʌ].	where their
	The core of the diphthong is a vowel, similar to the Russian sound [a] in the word tea, when pronounced the tongue is in the front of the mouth and lies flat. The tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the lips are slightly stretched. After pronouncing the first element of the diphthong, the tongue moves upward in the direction of the sound [ɪ].	five my
	The core of the diphthong is a vowel, similar to the Russian sound [a] in the word tea, when pronounced the tongue is in the front of the mouth and lies flat. The tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the lips are slightly stretched. After pronouncing the first element of the diphthong, the tongue moves back in the direction of the sound [ʊ], which should be very weak.	how cloud

Pronunciation of consonants in English

If you have noticed that the intonations of the English language are more energetic compared to Russian, then this fully applies to English words. And that means sounds. English consonants are pronounced energetically, with large impulses and energy expenditure. Keep this in mind when reading tables of English consonant sounds with pronunciation:

English consonant sounds. English Consonant Sounds
Sound	Description	Example word
	Voiced consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [b], the lips first close and then immediately open, and the air exits through the oral cavity.
	Voiced consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [d], the tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), forming a complete barrier. A jet of air with an explosion opens this barrier.
	Voiced consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [ʒ], the tip of the tongue is at the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), and the middle part of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate.
	Voiced consonant sound. When pronouncing a sound, the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), at the same time the middle part of the tongue rises to the hard palate. Gradually, the tip of the tongue moves away from the alveoli. The sound is pronounced similar, but loudly, with a voice.
	Voiced consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [ɡ], the back of the tongue touches the soft palate, forming a complete barrier. A jet of air with an explosion opens this barrier.
	Voiced consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [v], the lower lip is slightly pressed against the upper teeth, and a stream of exhaled air passes into the gap between them.
	Voiced interdental consonant sound. To pronounce the sound [ð] correctly, you need to place the tip of your tongue between your teeth. The tongue should be flat and not tense, and the teeth should be exposed. The tip of the tongue forms a small gap between the teeth, and you need to exhale air into this gap.
	Voiced consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [z], the tip of the tongue is against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth). A stream of air with friction passes through the groove formed between the anterior back of the tongue and the alveoli.
	Voiceless consonant. When pronouncing the sound [p], the lips first close and then instantly open, and the air escapes through the oral cavity.
	Voiceless consonant. When pronouncing a dull sound [t], the tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), forming a complete barrier. A jet of air with an explosion opens this barrier.
	Voiceless consonant. When pronouncing the sound [ʃ], the tip of the tongue is at the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), and the middle part of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate.
	Voiceless consonant. When pronouncing a sound, the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), at the same time the middle part of the tongue rises to the hard palate. Gradually, the tip of the tongue moves away from the alveoli.
	Voiceless consonant. When pronouncing the sound [k], the back of the back of the tongue touches the soft palate, forming a complete barrier. A jet of air with an explosion opens this barrier.
	Voiceless consonant. When pronouncing the sound [f], the lower lip is slightly pressed against the upper teeth, and a stream of exhaled air passes into the gap between them.
	Voiceless interdental consonant. To pronounce the sound [θ] correctly, you need to place the tip of your tongue between your teeth. The tongue should be flat and not tense, and the teeth should be exposed. The tip of the tongue forms a small gap between the teeth, and you need to exhale air into this gap.
	Voiceless consonant. When pronouncing the sound [s], the tip of the tongue is against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth). A stream of air with friction passes through the groove formed between the anterior back of the tongue and the alveoli.
	Labialial consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [m], the lips are closed, the soft palate is lowered, and a stream of air passes through the nasal cavity.
	Nasal consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [n], the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), the soft palate is lowered, and air passes through the nasal cavity.
	Nasal consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [ŋ], the back of the tongue touches the soft palate, the soft palate is lowered, and air passes through the nasal cavity.
	Voiceless consonant. The sound [h] is formed without the participation of the tongue, and at the moment of its pronunciation the tongue takes the position for the subsequent vowel.
	Consonant. When pronouncing the sound [l], the tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth), but the lateral edges of the tongue are lowered, forming a passage for a stream of air.
	Consonant. When pronouncing the sound [r], the tip of the tongue is raised to the posterior slope of the alveoli (small tubercles behind the upper teeth). The tip of the tongue should be kept tense and motionless.
	Labialial consonant sound. When pronouncing the sound [w], the lips are strongly rounded and moved forward, forming a round slit. The back of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate. Then instantly the tongue and lips move into position to pronounce the next vowel.
	Consonant. When pronouncing the sound [j], the middle part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate, but not as high as when pronouncing Russian [th]. The edges of the tongue are pressed against the upper teeth, forming a passage for air along the middle of the tongue.

All these subtleties may seem complicated only in theory. In practice, the position of the tongue and lips is memorized after several repetitions. And the best exercises for training the pronunciation of English sounds are also practice. Listen to the speech of native speakers, high-quality audiobooks (by the way, this is an excellent one) and try to repeat the pronunciation of words.

You should always pay attention to the nuances of sound, because in learning English there are no insignificant details, every detail is important. But this approach will give the desired result: correct English pronunciation of sounds and words, and as a result - clear speech without an accent.

Instructions

Transcription is the recording of the sound of a letter or word in the form of a sequence of special phonetic symbols. With its help, you can correctly read an unfamiliar word without outside help. When starting to study English transcription, errors in correct reading may occur. However, with practice comes skill. When used, both in reading and writing, reading rules are very important. As in Russian, not everything is read as it is seen and vice versa.

The easiest way to write is to use a service. In addition to all kinds of dictionaries on the Internet, it is also possible to transcribe words. One example of such sites is http://lingorado.com/transcription/. In a small window, just write or copy. A separate piece, a phrase, or a couple of words will do. After the text has been entered, click on the “show transcription” button. The transcribed version will appear below.

The service also offers several additional options. For example, the ability to choose classic English (“British”) or “American” version. In addition, you can choose the option to display the transcription: only the transcription itself, along with the entered text on one level (on one line), first the text, and below the transcription. And you can also add the options “take into account the weak position” and “transcription in Russian letters”. For maximum convenience, the application with text transcription is available in the AppStore and Google Play. On the right side of the site there are relevant links.

The ability to transcribe and transcription will help when learning a language. And in such situations, a laptop with Internet access or a smartphone with an application will not always be at hand. This is how the English alphabet is transcribed: Aa [ei] - Bb [bi:] - Cc [si:] - Dd [di:] - Ee [i:] - Ff [ef] - Gg [dʒi:] - Hh [eitʃ] - Ii [ai] - Jj [dʒei] - Kk [kei] - Ll [el] - Mm [em] - Nn [en] - Oo [ou] - Pp [pi:] - Qq [kju:] - Rr [ a: ] - Ss [ es ] - Tt [ ti: ] - Uu [ ju: ] - Vv [ vi: ] - Ww [ `dʌbl ` ju: ] - Xx [ eks ] - Yy [ wai ] - Zz [ zed / ziː].

Vowels and consonants have their own characteristics. When a vowel sound is long, a colon is added to its designation. For example, the word "sheep" would be transcribed as follows: [ʃiːp]. A sound that is similar to the average between a and e is designated [æ] (apple - [ˈæpl]). The open sound a is indicated by a checkmark [ʌ] (funny - ["fʌni]). The sound е also has its own transcription: [з] (girl -). Sounds that end in “й” are written together with “i”: ай - , oh - [ɔi], ey -. The sound “ou” is designated [əu], ie -, ue -, ea - [ɛə].

Everything is a little simpler. The Russian sound “sh” is indicated by this symbol: [ʃ]. A few more examples of non-standard sounds: “j” -, “ch” -, “zh” - [ʒ], “yu” -, “e” -, “e” -, “ya” -, “n” - [ŋ ] (usually at the end of a word, when “n” comes before “g” - “king”), the sound between s and f is [θ] (thin - [θin]), the sound between z and v is [ð] (brother -).

The peculiarity of the English language is that it has a lot of exceptions. Many people are used to learning languages ​​according to rules, strict patterns, and even memorizing all the exceptions. However, when meeting and talking with a living native English speaker, you may be surprised, because even the pedantic British do not always follow all the rules, both grammatical and pronunciation. For them, there are established practices and patterns of speech. And about a hundred years ago, the Dutchman Gerard Nolst Trenité (1870-1946) observed the English language for a long time and was horrified by the disorder in English readings. And I decided to collect such disgrace. In the end, there were 800 of them, and even in the poem, which he called “Chaos”. Even English teachers cannot always read it according to all the rules. Her poem is presented here: http://lingorado.com/english-reading-rules-chaos/.

A graphical recording of how letters of the English alphabet or words sound through a sequence of corresponding symbols is transcription of English words.

Table of pronunciation of English consonants
Phonetic transcription
	b ad b ox	voiced sound corresponding to Russian [b] in the word b rat
	o p en, p et	a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [p] in the word P ero, but pronounced aspirated
	d i d, d ay	a voiced sound similar to Russian [d] in the word d ohm, but more energetic, “sharper”; when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue rests on the alveoli
	t ea, t ake	unvoiced sound corresponding to Russian [t] in the word T hermos, but is pronounced aspirated, with the tip of the tongue resting on the alveoli
	v oice, v isit	voiced sound corresponding to Russian [v] in the word V osk, but more energetic
	f ind, f ine	a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [f] in the word f inic, but more energetic
	z oo, ha s	voiced sound corresponding to Russian [z] in the word h ima
	s un, s ee	a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [s] in the word With silt, but more energetic; when pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised towards the alveoli
	g ive, g o	voiced sound corresponding to Russian [g] in the word G Irya, but pronounced softer
	c at, c an	a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [k] in the word To mouth, but pronounced more energetically and aspiratedly
[ ʒ]	vi si on, plea sur e	voiced sound corresponding to Russian [zh] in the word and macaw, but pronounced more tense and softer
[ ʃ]	sh e, Ru ss ia	a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [ш] in the word w ina, but pronounced softer, for which you need to raise the middle part of the back of the tongue to the hard palate
	y ellow, y ou	a sound similar to the Russian sound [th] in a word th od, but pronounced more energetically and intensely
	l itt l e, l ike	sound similar to Russian [l] in the word l Isa, but you need the tip of the tongue to touch the alveoli
	m an m erry	sound similar to Russian [m] in the word m ir, but more energetic; when pronouncing it, you need to close your lips more tightly
	n o, n ame	sound similar to Russian [n] in the word n OS, but when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli, and the soft palate is lowered, and air passes through the nose
	si ng,fi ng er	a sound in which the soft palate is lowered and touches the back of the tongue, and air passes through the nose. Pronounced like Russian [ng] is incorrect; there must be a nasal sound
	r ed, r abbit	a sound, when pronounced with the raised tip of the tongue, you need to touch the middle part of the palate, above the alveoli; tongue doesn't vibrate
	h elp, h ow	sound reminiscent of Russian [х] as in the word X aos, but almost silent (barely audible exhalation), for which it is important not to press the tongue to the palate
	w et, w inter	a sound similar to a very quickly pronounced Russian [ue] in a word Ue ls; in this case, the lips need to be rounded and pushed forward, and then vigorously moved apart
	j ust, j ump	sound similar to [j] in a Russian loanword j inces, but more energetic and softer. You cannot pronounce [d] and [ʒ] separately
	ch eck, mu ch	sound similar to Russian [ch] in a word h ac, but harder and more intense. You cannot pronounce [t] and [ʃ] separately
	th is, th ey	a ringing sound, when pronounced, the tip of the tongue must be placed between the upper and lower teeth and then quickly removed. Do not clamp the flat tongue between your teeth, but slightly push it into the gap between them. This sound (since it is voiced) is pronounced with the participation of the vocal cords. Similar to Russian [z] interdental
	th ink, seven th	a dull sound that is pronounced in the same way as [ð], but without a voice. Similar to Russian [s] interdental

Pronunciation table for simple English vowel sounds
Phonetic transcription		Approximate matches in Russian
	c a t,bl a ck	a short sound, intermediate between the Russian sounds [a] and [e]. To make this sound, when pronouncing Russian [a], you need to open your mouth wide and place your tongue low. Simply pronouncing Russian [e] is wrong
[ ɑ:]	ar m, f a ther	a long sound, similar to Russian [a], but it is much longer and deeper. When pronouncing it, you need to yawn, but do not open your mouth wide, while pulling your tongue back
[ ʌ]	c u p, r u n	a short sound similar to the Russian unstressed [a] in the word WithA yes. To make this sound, when pronouncing Russian [a], you need to almost not open your mouth, while slightly stretching your lips and moving your tongue back a little. Simply pronouncing Russian [a] is wrong
[ ɒ]	n o t, h o t	short sound similar to Russian [o] in the word dO m, but when pronouncing it you need to completely relax your lips; for Russian [o] they are slightly tense
[ ɔ:]	sp o rt, f ou r	a long sound, similar to Russian [o], but it is much longer and deeper. When pronouncing it, you need to yawn, as if with your mouth half-open, and your lips tense and rounded
	a bout, a lias	a sound that is often found in the Russian language is always in an unstressed position. In English, this sound is also always unstressed. It does not have a clear sound and is referred to as an unclear sound (it cannot be replaced by any clear sound)
	m e t, b e d	a short sound similar to Russian [e] under stress in words such as uh you, ple d etc. English consonants before this sound cannot be softened
[ ɜː]	w or k, l ear n	this sound does not exist in the Russian language, and it is very difficult to pronounce. Reminds me of Russian sound in words me d, St.e cla, but you need to pull it out much longer and at the same time stretch your lips strongly without opening your mouth (you get a skeptical smile)
[ ɪ]	i t, p i t	a short sound similar to the Russian vowel in a word wAnd t. You need to pronounce it abruptly
	h e, s ee	a long sound, similar to Russian [i] under stress, but longer, and they pronounce it as if with a smile, stretching their lips. There is a Russian sound close to it in the word poemII
[ ʊ]	l oo k, p u t	a short sound that can be compared with the Russian unstressed [u], but it is pronounced energetically and with completely relaxed lips (lips cannot be pulled forward)
	bl u e, f oo d	a long sound, quite similar to the Russian percussion [u], but still not the same. To make it work, when pronouncing Russian [u], you need not to stretch your lips into a tube, not to push them forward, but to round them and smile slightly. Like other long English vowels, it needs to be drawn out much longer than Russian [u]

Diphthong pronunciation table
Phonetic transcription		Approximate matches in Russian
	f i ve, ey e	diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in Russian words ah And hah
[ ɔɪ]	n oi se, v oi ce	Somehow. The second element, the sound [ɪ], is very short
	br a ve, afr ai d	a diphthong similar to a combination of sounds in a Russian word wto her ka. The second element, the sound [ɪ], is very short
	t ow n, n ow	a diphthong similar to a combination of sounds in a Russian word Withaw on. The first element is the same as in ; the second element, the sound [ʊ], is very short
[ə ʊ]	h o me, kn ow	a diphthong similar to a combination of sounds in a Russian word clOU n, if you do not pronounce it deliberately syllable by syllable (in this case, the consonance resembles ew ). Pronouncing this diphthong as a pure Russian consonance [ou] is wrong
[ ɪə]	d ea r, h e re	a diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word such; consists of short sounds [ɪ] and [ə]
	wh e re, th e re	a diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word dlinnosheye, if you do not pronounce it syllable by syllable. Behind the sound resembling Russian [e] in the word uh That, followed by the second element, an unclear short sound [ə]
[ ʊə]	t ou r, p oo r	a diphthong in which [ʊ] is followed by a second element, an unclear short sound [ə]. When pronouncing [ʊ], lips should not be pulled forward

Undoubtedly - being studied English transcription pretty boring. After all, this is a set of symbols that simply need to be memorized, as they say, “by heart.” Therefore, this process does not cause much enthusiasm for most students. Some even prefer to abandon the idea of ​​studying this important aspect - transcription looks very boring and not very popular in practice in the eyes of many.

However, believe me, if you decide and devote some time to this topic, you will understand how right you did. Indeed, in this case, further learning of the English language will be much easier, if only because knowledge of transcription will allow you to more easily perceive new words.

Why is it important to learn the transcription of English words?

The fact is that, unlike the Russian and Ukrainian languages, where most letters in words always denote the same sound, in English the same letters, which may even appear in the same word, will be read differently.

For example, the English letter “C” can be read both as “C” and “K” in various situations. And the English letter “U” can be read both as “A” and “U”. The English letter “A” in various words can be expressed as “A”, and as “Hey”, and as “E”. And that’s not all – the situation is approximately the same with other letters of the English language.

Therefore, in order to be able to read a new English word correctly, as well as remember it and be able to apply it in practice, you simply need to learn the rules transcription of English words. Only in this way will teaching English be truly effective and productive.

Learning transcription of English words

Of course, it would be stupid to say that by spending 15 minutes learning the rules of transcription, you will be able to read and learn English words on your own and still have perfect pronunciation. Of course this is not true. And you will have to spend much more time on transcription, and you will not immediately be able to accurately apply the acquired knowledge. At first, difficulties and errors are not excluded, but each time they will become less and less. Some time will pass, and you will even be able to perform (record by ear) transcription of words yourself.

Where and how to learn English and transcription of its words?

Of course, in the modern world there are all conditions to obtain any knowledge. You can even engage in self-study, stocking up on a mountain of textbooks. However, as practice shows, the learning process is much easier in the presence of “live” personal contact, a mentor in training and a clearly structured educational process. Therefore, if you want to learn the language most effectively, we recommend enrolling in English courses.

Thus, you will be able to receive data correctly systematized for the best perception and memorization, as well as support at all stages of learning. This approach is also good because it is through courses that people learn English the fastest.

Our English language school in Kyiv (suburb, Vishnevoe, Sofievskaya Borshchagovka, Boyarka, Petrovskoe, Belogorodka) offers to start learning English right now - without putting it off for later. Come and see - everyone can speak English here!

At the initial stage of learning English, you inevitably have to deal with differences between your native language and a foreign language. Reading in English for beginners, children and adults, is usually one of the first stages in learning. And the first such differences between Russian and English appear as soon as you begin to learn to read English. You are faced with transcription and reading rules of the English language. These two concepts are related, since with the help of transcription we can write down and read the sounds that are conveyed by vowels and consonants in various combinations. But the reading rules explain exactly how letters are pronounced in different environments.

There are quite a lot of reading rules in English, and they concern both vowels and consonants. In addition, a huge number of words are not read according to the rules, that is, they are exceptions. Therefore, it begins to seem that it is extremely difficult to learn all this. In fact, the rules of reading need to be learned, but there is no need to learn them by heart. After doing several exercises on reading rules, you will already know how exactly the same type of words is read. As you learn, as you read and listen to a variety of learning materials, the spelling, pronunciation, and meaning of new words will be memorized as a whole.

Features of English pronunciation

Reading in English for beginners at first presents some difficulties due to the peculiarities of pronunciation - words are often pronounced differently from how they are written. Linguists even have a saying: “We write Manchester, we pronounce Liverpool.” This situation is due to the fact that historically there were, and still are, many dialects in the English language in which the same letters and combinations of letters were read differently, which over time became entrenched in official English. An example is the letter combination ough. The words though, through, thought differ in only one letter, and the letter combination ough is read differently in all words.

The role of transcription in teaching reading in English

So, as we have already said, in addition to the numerous rules for reading in English, difficulties arise when mastering the transcription of the English language. Transcription is the recording of speech sounds using special symbols. You should not avoid it, as it is the best assistant in learning a language, which, firstly, will save you time when learning new words, and secondly, will help you avoid mistakes in pronunciation. After all, when you write out or memorize new words, you definitely need to know how to read them correctly. There are two options on how to do this. The first is to listen to it in some online resource, and the second is to watch the transcription.

Now in some tutorials, as well as on training sites, you can find “English transcription in Russian”. It is believed that writing an English word in Russian letters is much easier than learning some incomprehensible phonetic symbols. In fact, this is a misconception. English phonetics differs from Russian so much that Russian letters can only approximately convey the pronunciation of English words, mostly the simplest ones, the reading of which is not particularly difficult even without this kind of “transcription.” Some English sounds simply do not exist in the Russian language, and the correct pronunciation of seemingly similar English and Russian sounds may have certain differences.

Therefore, we recommend that you take the time to learn the transcription symbols and read the sounds. This is one of the basic knowledge when mastering the rules of reading English for beginners. Knowledge of transcription will serve you faithfully at all stages of your training.

Let's look at the rules of reading English

There are different classifications of rules for reading consonants and vowels in English. For vowel letters, as a rule, 4 types of syllables are distinguished. These are 4 types of environments in which a vowel may find itself, and which affect its pronunciation. Some textbooks consider only the first two syllable types - open and closed, but consider whether the letter r is involved in these syllable types - as it affects the reading of vowels. Consonants in different combinations can also be read differently. It must be said that the number of exceptions and variants of reading the same letter combinations in different words give reason to consider the reading rules rather as generalized recommendations that should be studied before you start reading.

To familiarize yourself with the rules of reading in English, we suggest that you take as a basis the tables with options for reading letters, which are given in our textbook for children “English Language. Grades 1-4 in diagrams and tables” N. Vakulenko. These English reading rules for children cover almost all possible readings of vowels and consonants in the English language. But before we move directly to the tables, let’s look at two more concepts that you will definitely come across when getting acquainted with the rules of reading. This open And closed syllable.

The syllable is called open, When

• ends with a vowel and is the last of the word
• a vowel is followed by a consonant and then a vowel again
• a vowel is again followed by another vowel

Examples of words with an open syllable type (You can listen with sound):

age, blue, bye, fly, go

The syllable is called closed, When

• ends with a consonant and is the last of the word
• a vowel is followed by several consonants

Examples of words with a closed syllable type:

bed, big, box, hungry, stand

So, let’s formulate the rules for reading English for beginners: tables for reading vowels and consonants.

Vowel Reading Charts

Consonant Reading Tables

Intonation in English

Even if a student learns all the basic grammatical rules and 10-12 thousand lexemes, this will not make him close to the native speaker, because he also needs to delve into the phonemic structure of the language, in particular, to learn in which cases to use which type of intonation.

There are two main types - ascending and descending.

The first is used in request sentences, when addressing a person, when announcing a list (in this case, the intonation goes up on each of the words except the last), after adverbs and introductory words at the beginning of a phrase, at the beginning of an alternative question, in a dividing question.

The second type of intonation, lowering the tone, is relevant in statements when giving orders. It can be found in exclamations and special questions.

How to train this skill?

• Listen to how native speakers speak, how this or that word, sound, phrase is read in audiobooks.
• Watch videos on this topic. Moreover, English should be the narrator’s first and main language.
• Use educational materials and apply the acquired knowledge in practice. Read aloud in English, after listening to the recording, talk at least several times a week.
• Record your speech and do a comparative analysis with the native language.

Accent in English

If the accent is incorrectly placed in certain letter combinations, it will be difficult for a native English speaker to understand you. However, it is pointless to memorize the stress for each word, since there is a certain systematicity in this aspect.

Most words have stress on the first syllable. But there are those who obey a different rule. For example, the suffix formations -tion, -cian and -cial require an accent in front of them (inform A tion, opt i cian). The suffixes -(g)nomy and -logy (ge) also behave O logy, ec O nomy).

With prefixes it’s even simpler - they are skipped and remain unaccented. This works with the prefixes in-, en-, con-, com-, re-, de-, ex-, etc.: exch A nge, enc O mpass.

Prefixes with the meaning of negation (non-, un-, in-, ir-, not-) also fall under this rule: un U sual, irr E levant

There are a number of words that change the stressed syllable type in English to unstressed, depending on the meaning:

• to object - object; O bject - object;
• to press E nt - to give; pr E sent - gift, present moment.

Having learned the basic provisions that regulate stress and with a little practice, you can easily reach a high language level.

How to learn reading rules. Online exercises

As we said earlier, there is no need to memorize the rules of reading. You just need to use them. To begin, go through several exercises on reading rules, reading aloud the same type of words in a row. This will help reinforce reading rules and develop pronunciation skills. For additional control, you can take exercises with audio accompaniment. In fact, the rules of reading are practiced automatically by themselves, since by regularly studying English, you listen, read, write - that is, practice for practicing the rules of reading is quite enough.

Choose words that have similar vowel sounds

Choose words that have the same consonant sounds

Make up an English tongue twister from the words

You can apply the reading rules in practice on our website. By going through unique exercises using the Lim English method, you will be able to master not only reading, but also writing English words, as well as learn basic grammatical rules and continue learning further.

The sounds that represent are 44 English phonemes, which are divided into two categories: consonants and vowels. Since sounds cannot be written down, graphemes (letters or combinations of letters) are used to convey sounds in writing.

English alphabet

There are 26 letters in the English language. The standard one starts with the letter a and ends with the letter z.

When classifying alphabetic characters, the following are distinguished:

• 5 pure vowels: a, e, i, o, u;
• 19 pure consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x, z;
• 2 semivowels: y, w.

Learning the English alphabet requires knowledge of both the symbol that represents each letter and the phonetic sounds associated with that letter. Learning English phonetics is difficult. Only a small number of letters have no exceptions in the basic sound.

In most cases, each letter has several phonemes. The letter B sometimes sounds like bat (bat) or does not sound, for example, in the words crumb (cram), dumb (dam). The letter C sounds like the “k” for cat, or the “c” for ceiling, or the “tch” for church. And the list of exceptions is endless.

Vowel sounds

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Features of English consonants

A consonant combination is a set of two or three consonant letters that, when pronounced, retain the original sound. Such sets occur either at the beginning or at the end of a word. For example, the word brave, in which both “b” and “r” are pronounced, is the initial combination. In the word bank “-nk” is the final combination.

Classification:

1. The starting combinations are classified into sets with "l", "r", and "s". In "l" the combination ends with "l". An example would be the letters “bl” in the word blind. In the same way, the final sound in “r” is combined with “r” when “br” and “cr”, for example, in the words bridge, crane. On the contrary, in “s” it begins with s, “st” and “sn” - stap, snail.
2. The final combinations are grouped into sets with "s", "l" and "n": -st, -sk, -ld, -nd, -nk. Examples: first, desk, gold, sand, sink.

Digraphs

Consonant digraphs refer to a set of consonants that form a single sound. Some digraphs appear both at the beginning and at the end of a word - “sh”, “ch” and “th”. There are also strict initial and final digraphs – “kn-” and “-ck”.

Examples of digraphs:

Ch-	-ch
Kn-	—ck
Ph-	-sh
Sh-	-ss
Th-	-th
Wh-	-tch
Wr-

Features of digraphs:

Table of pronunciation of English consonants

b	b	bag, band, cab	bag, band, cab
d	d	dad, did, lady, odd [ɒd]	grandfather, did, lady, od
f	f, ph, sometimes gh	fable , fact , if [ɪf], off [ɒf], photo , glyph	fable, fact, if, of, foutou, glyph
	g	give, flag	giv, flag
	h	hold, ham	hold, ham
j	usually represented by y, but sometimes by other vowels	yellow,yes,young,neuron,cube	yelow, ees, iyang, n(b)yueron, k(b)yu:b - the sound j is similar to the vowel sound i:.
k	k, c, q, que, ck, sometimes ch	cat, kill, queen, skin, thick [θɪk], chaos	kat, kil, qui:n, sik, keyos
l	l	lane, clip, bell, milk, sould	lane, clip, white, milk, sould – has two sound options: clear /l/ before a vowel, “darkened” /ɫ/ before a consonant or at the end of a word
m	m	man, them [ðem], moon	men, zem, mu:n
n	n	nest, sun	nest, san
ŋ	ng	ring, sing, finger [ŋ] is sometimes followed by the sound [g]. [ŋ] if "ng" is at the end of a word or a related word (sing, singer, thing), in "-ing", which translates verbs into participles or gerunds. [ŋg], if “ng” is not at the end of a word or in related words, also in comparative degrees (longer, longest).	/ring/, /sing/, /finge/
p	p	pen, spin, tip, happy	pen, spin, type, happy
r	r	rat, reply, rainbow,	rat, ripple, rainbow - movement of the tongue close to the alveolar ridge, but without touching it
s	s, sometimes c	see, city, pass, lesson	si:, pa:s, lesn
ʃ	sh, si, ti, sometimes s	she [ʃi:], crash, sheep [ʃi:p], sure [ʃʊə], session, emotion [ɪməʊʃn], leash	shi:, crash, shi:p, shue, session, imeshn, li:sh
t	t	taste, sting	taste, sting
tʃ	ch, sometimes t	chair [ʧɛə], nature teach beach	t ch e, ne t ch, ti: t ch, bi: t ch
θ	th	thing [θɪŋ], teeth, Athens [æθɪnz[	t sing, ti: t s, et sins - voiceless fricative
ð	th	this [ðɪs], mother	d zis, ma d ze – voiced fricative
v	v, sometimes f	voice, five, of [ɔv]	voice, five, ov
w	w, sometimes u	wet, window, queen	u in et, u in indeu, ku in i:n – [w] similar to
z	z	zoo, lazy	zu:, lazy
ʒ	g, si, z, sometimes s	genre [ʒɑːŋr], pleasure, beige, seizure, vision	genre e, plezhe, beige, si:zhe, vision
dʒ	j, sometimes g, dg, d	gin [ʤɪn], joy [ʤɔɪ], edge	gin, joy, edge

English vowels

Each English vowel is pronounced in three ways:

1. like a long sound;
2. like a short sound;
3. as a neutral vowel sound (schwa).

There are 5 vowels in the English alphabet, but sometimes y becomes a vowel and is pronounced like i, and w replaces u, for example in the digraph ow.

Rules for reading vowels

Short vowels, which are characterized by a "short" sound, occur when a word contains one vowel, either at the beginning of a word or between two consonants. For example, if, elk, hop, fan. The typical short vowel pattern is consonant+vowel+consonant (CGS).

Words are taught as families, which represent groups of words with a common pattern, such as the pattern “-ag” – bag, wag, tag or “-at” – cat, bat, hat.

vowels:

Sound	Letter	Examples
[æ]	a	rag, sag, ram, jam, gap, sap mat
[ɛ]	e	hen, pen, wet, bet, let
[ɪ]	i	pig, wig, dig, pin, win, tin, tin, bit
[ɒ]	o	hop, pop, top, hot, pot, lot
[ʌ]	u	bug, lug, tug, hut, but, cut

vowels:

Sound	Writing	Examples
A	ai, ay, a+consonant+e	name, mail, gray, ace
E	e, ee, ea, y, ie ,ei, i+consonant+e	he, deep, beast, dandy, thief, receive, elite
I	i, i+gn, igh, y, i+ld, i+nd	mine, sign, high, sky, wild, kind
O	o+consonant +e, oa, ow, o+ll, ld	tone, road, note, know, roll, bold
U	ew, ue, u+consonant+e	few, due, tune

The vowel sound in unstressed syllables is expressed with a shortened neutral sound ("schwa"), the phonemic symbol /ə/, especially if no syllabic consonants are used.

For example:

• a in about, around, approve, above [ə bʌv];
• e in accident, mother, taken, camera;
• i in, family, lentil, officer pencil;
• o in memory, common, freedom, purpose, London;
• u in supply, industry, suggest, difficult, succeed, minimum;
• and even y in sibyl;
• schwa appears in function words: to, from, are.

Features of vowel sounds in English

Vowels are classified as monophthongs, diphthongs or triphthongs. A monophthong is when there is one vowel sound in a syllable, a diphthong is when there are two vowel sounds in a syllable.

Let's take a closer look:

1. Monophthongs – pure and stable vowels, the acoustic characteristics (timbre) of which do not change during the time they are pronounced.
2. - a sound formed by a combination of two adjacent vowels in one syllable. Technically, the tongue (or other parts of the vocal apparatus) moves when pronouncing a vowel sound - the first position is stronger than the second. In diphthong transcription, the first character represents the starting point of the body of the tongue, the second character represents the direction of movement. For example, you should be aware that in the letter combination /aj/, the body of the tongue is in the lower central position represented by the symbol /a/, and immediately begins to move up and forward to the position for /i/.
3. Diphthongs are often formed when individual vowels work together in fast conversation. Usually (in the speaker’s speech) the body of the tongue does not have time to reach the /i/ position. Therefore, the diphthong often ends closer to /ɪ/ or even to /e/. In the diphthong /aw/, the body of the tongue moves from the low central position of /a/, then moves up and back to the position of /u/. Although there are also single diphthongs, which are heard as separate vowel sounds (phonemes).
4. There are also triphthongs in English.(combinations of three adjacent vowels), including three sound types, for example, fire /fʌɪə/, flower /flaʊər/. But in any case, all diphthongs and triphthongs are formed from monophthongs.

Pronunciation table for simple English vowel sounds

All vowel sounds are formed from only 12 monophthongs. Each, regardless of spelling, is pronounced using some combination of these sounds.

The table shows examples of simple English vowels with pronunciation in Russian:

[ɪ]	pit, kiss, busy	pete, kitty, bisi
[e]	egg, let, red	eg, years, ed
[æ]	apple, travel, mad	apple, travel, med
[ɒ]	not, rock, copy	note, rock, mine
[ʌ]	cup, son, money	cap, san, mani
[ʊ]	look, foot, could	bow, foot, cool
[ə]	ago, away	hey, hey
	be, meet, read	bi:, mi:t, ri:d
[ɑ:]	arm, car, father	a:m, ka:, fa:d ze
[ɔ:]	door, saw, pause	to:, from:, to:z
[ɜ:]	turn, girl, learn	te:n, gyo:l, le:n
	blue, food, too	blue:, fu:d, tu:

Diphthong pronunciation table

	day, pain, rein	dei, pein, rein
	cow, know	kou, know
	wise, island	Visa, Island
	now, trout	naw, trout
[ɔɪ]	noise, coin	noiz, coin
[ɪə]	near, hear	nee, hie
[ɛə]	where, air	uh, uh, uh
[ʊə]	pure, tourist	p(b)yue, tu e rist

Learning transcription of English words

Let's look at some features of English transcription:

There are a large number of videos online to listen to, and you can also practice using exercises.