English Diction for Singers

Diction for Singers I notes for the English language. Includes IPA and definitions.

Examples include my, high, sigh, light.

[ɑ:ɪ]

Examples include Hey, day, weigh, laid.

[e:ɪ]

Examples include Toy, joy.

[o:ɪ]

Examples include Pow, Allow.

[ɑ:ʊ]

Examples include Show, dough, only.

[o:ʊ]

Examples include Car, bar, far.

[ɑ:ɚ]

Examples include Ear, fear, deer.

[i:ɚ]

Examples include Air, dare, bear.

[e:ɚ]

Examples include Door, floor, board.

[o:ɚ]

Examples include Moor, sure.

[u:ɚ]

Examples include Fire, desire.

[ɑ:I ɚ]

Examples include Power, hour, flower.

[ɑ:ʊ ɚ]

Bilabial

Consonants produced through the full or partial closing of the lips.

Labio-dental

Consonants produced as a result of contact between the lower lip and the upper teeth.

Lingua-dental

Consonants produced as a result of contact between the tip of tongue and the teeth.

Lingua-alveolar (or alveolar)

Consonants produced as a result of contact between the tip of the tongue and the alveolar ridge.

Lingua-post-alveolar (or post-alveolar)

Consonants produced as a result of contact between the tongue and the area behind the alveolar ridge.

Retroflex

Consonants produced by allowing the tip of the tongue to curve up and to the back slightly.

Palatal

Consonants produced as a result of contact between the middle or back of the tongue and the hard palate.

Velar

Consonants produced as a result of contact between the middle or back of the tongue and the velar region, or the soft palate.

Glottal

Consonants produced as a result of laryngeal tension.

Affricatives

A stop-plosive consonant with a simultaneous fricative consonant.

Cognates

Pairs of phonemes that differ only in voice.

Voiced

Description of a consonant that is produced with vocalization of the vocal folds.

Unvoiced

Description of a consonant that is produced without vocalization of the vocal folds.

Dental consonants

Consonants [d, n, t, l] produced with the tip of the tongue touching the back of the front teeth.

The phonemes [u ʊ o ɔ ɑ] are ________ vowels.

back

The phonemes [ə ɚ ʌ ɜ ɝ] are __________ vowels.

neutral

The phonemes [ɚ ɝ] are ___________ vowels.

R-shaded

The words "SLOW, GO, KNOW, DOUGH" all have the diphthong

[o:ʊ]

The vowel phoneme "schwa" is typically used in _________ syllables

Unaccented

The consonant chart organizes consonant phonemes by ______ and ________ of pronunciation.

manner, placement

The consonant phoneme [m] is

nasal

The consonant phoneme [z] is

fricativeThe consonant phoneme [g] is

The consonant phoneme [g] is

plosive