Sounds and transcription

The English and Ukrainian languages belong to different language families and differ much. Study, for example, the English rules of pronunciation and reading:

English sounds, both consonants and vowels, are pronounced distinctly, with a tension. It provides a rhythmical reading and a definite place of a stressed vowel in the mouth. The position of lips and a tongue is important. Also there is often no correlation in English between sounds and spelling. Study the example below:

‘ ou’ can be pronounced in a number of different ways: cloud, pour, though, through, journey, enough, double, cousin etc.

1). Every vowel (6 of them) – a, e, i (y as a vowel ), o, u has at least two types of reading in a stressed position.

The 1^st one is an alphabetic reading when the stressed syllable is open. Study the schemes:

- vowel + vowel (e.g. b e e, s e a, t e acher, p e ople, ind e ed, g o al, r o ad, d u e);

- vowel + consonant + vowel (e.g. pl a ne, t u be, r i ce – final “ e ” is not read)

The 2^nd type: the stressed syllable is closed and the rules of reading are different in the schemes:- vowel + consonant (e.g. r a g, r i d, r e d, r o d, r u g);

- vowel +2(3) consonants + vowel (e.g. a pple, l e tter, l i ttle, imp o rtant.)

		Note: The English language has been historically connected with different European languages. As a result, a number of synonyms is great (e.g. to begin, start, commence have the same translation – “починати”). Also it led to different rules of reading (e.g. English, are, give, never, have, every, friend, opinion etc.)

2). Every sound of a stressed vowel has its place in a mouth.

There are narrow (upper) and open (low) sounds (as in the words: m e n-m a n, p e n-p a n, b e d-b a d, tog et her-g a ther, r e d-r a bbit);

front, middle, back sounds (l a ke-l u ck-l o ck; cake-cut-caught);

short and long ones (d u ck-d a rk, mid-mead, pick-peek, pitch-peach, ship-sheep, rid-read, did-deed, this-these, hut-heart).

To differentiate the sounds or read words in the dictionary correctly we need to know transcription signs (signs of sounds).

Practice – English in use

Task: Read the words and sentences

1) Apple, book, cat, door, elephant, flag, gloves, horse, ill, jeep, key, lamp, moon, notes, orange, pencil, question, rain, star, telephone, umbrella, vase, watch, X-rays, yacht, zero.

2) Deb-Dent, set-ten, bed-ten, find-five, mash-mesh, settle-saddle, bet-bat, date-day; sad eyes, little bees, let’s see, a dark duck, young-youth, tea and lemon, hotels and hospitals, Adam and Eve, white-black, eating dinner, if you please, little Pete, green spring.

3) It is my cat. This is a fat black cat. Here is my fat cat on a mat. I like my fat cat that is lying on a mat. Look at my lovely black cat which is holding a fat rat! Uh! A fat black cat sat on a mat and ate a rat.

Help:

Transcription – транскрипція

Distinct – чіткий

Tension – напруга

Mind – мати на увазі

Vowel – голосна

Stressed syllable – ударний склад

Consonant – приголосна

Such – такий

According to – згідно

Memorize – запам’ятовувати

Mouth - рот

Narrow – вузький

Upper – верхній

Front – передній

Middle – середній

Back – задній

Sign – знак

Divide – ділити, розділяти

Attentive – уважний

Following – наступний

Grammar

2.1. Word order

We don’t think much about the word order in our native language. But we follow it in the English language.

The scheme of every English affirmative sentence is: subject + predicate.

e.g. I like jazz. He is busy. My friends and I walk in the park every Sunday.

Compare:
English	Ukrainian
Some fruit treesgrow in our garden.	У нашому садочку ростуть фруктові дерева. Або: Ростуть фруктові дерева у нашому садочку. Або: Дерева фруктові ростуть у садочку нашому.

Vocabulary

The English language has the same parts of speech as the Ukrainian one. But the English verbs, nouns and adjectives don’t inflect. The right word order and the usage of prepositions help to understand the sence of any sentence.

Learn as many English words as possible and follow the correct word order. Then you will speak to foreigners and they will understand you.

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