Chapter Two · Vowels in Detail
Review of /ɛ/, /æ/, /ʌ/, /ɑ/, /ɔ/ and /oʊ/
Page 21
Sentences for Practice
- Every member of my family is left handed.
- My best friend Frank is a successful dentist.
- Kenny’s bad headache lasted several days.
- Glen drank ten glasses of fresh lemonade.
- Everyone was happy that he was elected president.
- Don’t forget to thank Dan for his generous present.
这一组句子继续训练 /ɛ/ 和 /æ/。
/ɛ/ 像 left, best, dentist, ten, fresh, present，嘴巴中等打开。
/æ/ 像 family, Frank, bad, drank, glasses, happy, thank, Dan，嘴巴要更打开，舌头更低。
可以重点练这些词：
member, family, left, handed, best, friend, Frank, successful, dentist, bad, headache, lasted, Glen, drank, ten, glasses, fresh, lemonade, happy, elected, president, forget, thank, Dan, generous, present。
第一遍慢读，先找出每个 /ɛ/ 和 /æ/。
第二遍跟音频读，注意嘴巴打开程度的变化。
第三遍自然速度读，但不要把 men / man、ten / tan 这一类音读混。
这一节的核心是：
/ɛ/ = 嘴巴轻微打开，像 left, ten, present。
/æ/ = 嘴巴更打开，舌头更低，像 family, Frank, Dan。
Practice Paragraph
A Trip to France
Next January I’m planning to visit my friends in France. Last time I went there, I was only ten or eleven. I would love to go back again. I am taking a class called “French for Travelers.” We are memorizing vocabulary and learning the present and past tenses. I want my French to get better, and I am practicing every chance I get. I watched a French film, and I felt so bad because I didn’t understand a word they said. I guess I will have to make an extra effort. I want to learn the language and have a better accent so that people can understand me when I’m asking for directions and ordering in restaurants.
这一段是综合段落练习，重点仍然是 /ɛ/ 和 /æ/。
段落练习比单句更接近真实说话，因为你需要在连续表达中保持嘴型稳定。
这段里有很多目标词，可以重点抓：
Next, January, planning, friends, France, Last, went, ten, eleven, back, again, class, French, Travelers, memorizing, present, past, tenses, better, practicing, chance, get, watched, felt, bad, said, guess, extra, effort, learn, language, accent, asking, directions, restaurants。
第一遍只听，不急着跟读。
第二遍慢读，把 /ɛ/ 和 /æ/ 的词标出来。
第三遍跟读整段，重点保持 French / France、ten / chance、better / bad 这类音的区别。
段落练习的目标是把单词层面的发音能力，迁移到真实表达里。
你不是只要会读单词，而是要在连续说话时仍然能分清相似元音。
Review of /ʌ/, /ɑ/, /ɔ/, and /oʊ/ Sounds
These sounds are frequently confused. Non-native speakers sometimes do not clearly distinguish the difference between cup, cop, cap, and cope.
| /ʌ/ | /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ | /oʊ/ |
|---|---|---|
Remember, the /ʌ/ sound as in fun or cup is a neutral vowel, meaning that everything in your mouth is relaxed, and the lips are just very slightly open. | In contrast to the /ʌ/, the /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ sounds as in father and saw require the mouth to be open. /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ are very similar sounds, except that for the /ɔ/, the lips are a bit more oval in shape and the tongue is slightly tense. However, in many parts of the United States, the /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ are pronounced the same. For example, many Americans pronounce hot and tall with the same vowel sound. | For the /oʊ/ sound, as in boat, the lips are rounded and tense. |
这里开始复习四个很容易混淆的音：
/ʌ/、/ɑ/、/ɔ/、/oʊ/。
它们分别出现在 cup、cop、caught、cope 这类词里。
/ʌ/：像 cup, fun，嘴巴放松，开口很小，是中性元音。
/ɑ/：像 father, hot，嘴巴打开，声音靠后。
/ɔ/：像 saw, tall，嘴巴打开，嘴唇略微椭圆。
/oʊ/：像 boat, cope，嘴唇圆而紧，并且有滑动。
书里提醒：在美国很多地区，/ɑ/ 和 /ɔ/ 很接近，甚至很多母语者也不明显区分。
所以你学习时不用过度纠结 /ɑ/ 和 /ɔ/ 的极细差别，但一定要把它们和 /ʌ/、/oʊ/ 区分开。
可以这样记：
cup = /ʌ/，短、松、中间。
cop = /ɑ/，张口、靠后。
caught = /ɔ/，张口、略圆。
cope = /oʊ/，圆唇、有滑动。
这一页前半部分完成 /ɛ/ 和 /æ/ 的句子与段落练习；后半部分开始进入后元音和圆唇元音的综合复习。
接下来重点会是：不要把 cup, cop, caught, cope 这类词读成同一种“啊/哦”。