Chapter 7 The sound inventory
The five vowels
One target for each letter
Phi uses a, e, i, o, u. In careful reference speech, each letter aims at one vowel quality and does not turn into a diphthong. An English speaker may need particular care with e and o, since the vowels in words such as "day" and "go" usually move before they finish.
Each accent will land around these targets in its own way. Phi asks that the five categories remain distinct and that adjacent vowels stay in separate syllables.
| Vowel | IPA | Mouth position | Approximate model |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | /ä/ | open, central, unrounded | Use the mouth position below; English keywords vary by accent |
| e | /e̞/ | mid, front, unrounded | Spanish mesa, without the glide of English "hay" |
| i | /i/ | high, front, unrounded | English "machine" |
| o | /o̞/ | mid, back, rounded | Spanish poco, without the glide of English "go" |
| u | /u/ | high, back, rounded | English "food" without an initial "y" sound |
The open vowel: a
For a /ä/, let the jaw open and keep the tongue low near the centre of the mouth. The lips stay unrounded, and the tongue remains central rather than drawing towards the back.
shea/ˈʃe̞.ä/ (peace)mia/ˈmi.ä/ (I)lothea/lo̞.ˈθe̞.ä/ (love)
The front vowels: e and i
For e /e̞/, raise the tongue to mid height toward the front of the mouth and leave the lips unrounded. Hold that target rather than following it with the small upward glide common in English "hay".
For i /i/, raise the front of the tongue close to the hard palate without making contact. The lips remain unrounded. English "machine" gives a serviceable model.
shiro/ˈʃi.ro̞/ (tree)shea/ˈʃe̞.ä/ (peace)thesua/θe̞.ˈsu.ä/ (mindful)
The back vowels: o and u
For o /o̞/, raise the back of the tongue to mid height and round the lips. English speakers can use Spanish poco as an approach, or shorten English "go" before its glide begins.
For u /u/, raise the back of the tongue higher and round the lips a little more. Begin directly with the vowel, without the "y" heard before the vowel in some pronunciations of English "cute".
womu/ˈwo̞.mu/ (home)nulae/n̪u.ˈlä.e̞/ (sleep)wepu/ˈwe̞.pu/ (go)
A circuit through the vowels
Say a e i o u. Give each vowel enough time to hear where the tongue and lips have settled. Then reverse the route: u o i e a. The point is not to make five identical performances. It is to learn five positions well enough that one vowel does not wander into another.
Once the positions are familiar, shorten the vowels to an ordinary speaking length and listen for the five categories to remain apart.