Phonetics - 5-5-2025

3. Duration ==> Some vowels are long and some are short.

What does it mean to talk about a long vowel?

up to 60mls

Short vowels ==> half the durations ==> up to 30 mls

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For vowel description, we have to refer to the articulators that are most responsible for the production of vowels

1. Shape of lips ==> The lips can assume some positions in the productions ==> rounded, neutral, unrounded.

2. The exact position of the tongue - it is the most active articulator in the production of vowels.

The mouth is the oral cavity

1. horizontally: the distance between your lips and the very back of the mouth.

a. front vowels

b. central vowels

c. back vowels

2. Vertically: the distance that extends between the roof of the mouth and the lower jaw.

a. High

b. Mid

c. Low

Any accurate description of vowels should take into consideration the exact shape of the lips as well as the exact position of the tongue at two dimensions ==> horizontal and vertical.

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