Unit06 Vowels：Back Vowels

Unit6LessonPlan(WithNotesforTeachers)BackVowelsDate:Oct.21-25Class:Classes1,2&3,Grade2002Subject:EnglishPronunciationforCommunicationPurpose:ThestudentswilllearnbackvowelsinEnglish.Objectives:Studentswillbeableto:1.Define-intheirownwordsadefinitionforbackvowels;2.Compare–basedontheunderstandingofthebasicconcept,comparethemwithothervowels;3.Practice–imitatethesoundsanddopractice.Resources/Materials:1.Textbook:Wang,Guizhen,AnEnglishPronunciationCourse,HigherEducationPress,Beijing,2000;2.Handouts:illustrationofthephonemesinfocus;3.RecordingsofnativespeakersActivitiesandProcedures:1.Stimulating:Beginbyaskingtheclasstofindouthowmuchthestudentsknowaboutwhattheyarerequiredtolearn.Makesurethatitservesthepurposeofstimulatingthestudentstothinkabouttheissueandhavethedesiretofindouttheanswersthemselves.2.DisplayexamplesbyplayingtherecordingofthenativespeakersshowingthetypicalpronunciationinEnglish.3.Askthestudentstolistentothetapestomakeagooddiscriminationofthesoundsinfocus.4.Havethestudentsimitatethesoundinfocus.5.Havethestudentssharewhattheyhavelearnedbyreadingoutthepracticematerialsinpairs.6.HavethestudentslistentotheconversationsrecordedbynativespeakersofEnglishandtrytogetthesoundsinfocuscorrectintheirpronunciation.7.Havethestudentspracticetheguidedconversation.Askthemtopayspecialattentiontothesoundsinfocusinspeech.8.Highlightthelanguagefunctionintheconversationinthepractice.9.Haveseveralpairsofthestudentspresenttheirconversationintheclass.10.Commentonthestudents’performancebyhighlightingtheachievementofthestudentsandtheeffortstheyneedfortheimprovement.11.Askthestudentstodomorepracticeafterclassandgetreadyforpresentationduringthenextsession.NotesforTeachersBackVowelsInthisunit,wewilllearnthebackvowelsinEnglish.TherearesixbackvowelsinEnglish.Thebackvowelsareproducedbyshiftingthebodyofthetonguebackfromitscentralposition.Thetipofthetongueremainsatthelevelofthelowerteeth.Thefrontandbackvowelshaveseveralfeaturesincommonaswellassomedifferences.Unlikethefrontvowelsthataremadewithafairlyneutrallipposture,fourofthebackvowelsarerounded.Thebackvowelsmayalsobesubdividedintothosethatarehigh(/u:/and//),mid(/:/and/ɒ/),andlow(/:/and//).ThefollowingisthedescriptionofthesixEnglishbackvowels.U:::ɒ/u:/and///u:/and//arebothhigh,back,roundedvowels.The/u:/marksthehighestboundaryforthebackvowels,as/i:/doesforthefrontvowels.Therefore,thetongueisretractedfromitsrestpositionandraisedtowardthesoftpalate.ThisvowelisquitecommoninthelanguagesoftheworldandappearswithoutprobleminmostChineselearners.Alongwith/u:/,//completesthevowelsinthehighbackspaceonthevowelschart.Itscorrespondingfrontvowelis//.Whenmakingthesound,thetongueisretractedasfor/u:/butnotelevatedtothesameextent.Inaddition,the//vowelisnotmadewithasmuchtensionintherootofthetongueas/u:/.Thesametense/laxcontrastisalsoseenfor/i:/and//.Thissoundisnotfoundveryfrequentlyasaphonemeinthelanguagesoftheworld,certainlynotinChinesePutonghua.InEnglish,itisnotverycommondespitethefactthatitappearsinsomefrequentlyusedwords,suchasshould,good,andbook./u:/occursatallthethreepositionsofawordwhile//occursonlyinthemiddlepositionofaword,likebookandhook.Toensurecorrectpronunciation,itisimportanttomakethefollowingdistinctionbetween/u:/and//:1./u:/isthehighestbackvowel,sotheraisedpartofthetonguefor/u:/ishigherthanthatfor//;2.thepartofthetongueraisedfor//isnotasbackasthatfor/u:/;3./u:/hasquitestrongliproundingwhilethelipsareonlyslightlyroundedfor//./:/&/ɒ//:/isamid-backvowel.Foritsproduction,thetongueisretractedandalmostflatinthemouth.Thevowelisalmostfullybackandhasquitestronglip-rounding./ɒ/isalowvowel.Thelipsareslightlyrounded./ɒ/isadifficultvowelfortheChineselearners.Manyofthemuseashortenedversionof/:/asitssubstitution.Toensurecorrectpronunciation,itisimportanttomakethefollowingdistinctionbetweenthesetwovowels:1./ɒ/isalowvowelwhile/:/isamidvowel,sothemouthismoreopenfor/ɒ/,2./:/hasquitestrongliproundingwhilethelipsareonlyslightlyroundedfor/ɒ/./:/&//The/:/ismadebyloweringandflatteningthetongueintheoralcavity.Itisalowvowel,butnotasbackasotherbackvowelsinEnglish.//isquitedifferentfromothervowelsinthisgroupinthatitismorelikeacentralvowelthanabackvowel(seethevowelchart).//ismadewiththetongueintheapproximatemiddleofthemouth,perhapsshiftedbackslightly.Itislowerthantheothercentralvowels/з:/and//.Thelippositionisneutral.Itisimportantforthelearnerstomakeacleardistinctionbetween/:/and//intheirpronunciation.元音:后元音在这个单元里，我们将学习英语的后元音。英语有六个后元音。发后元音时，舌身从中间位置向后移动，舌尖与下齿保持同一水平。英语的前元音在发音时，唇形是扁平的。后元音中则有四个圆唇音。我们可以根据其口的开张程度，由近乎全合到近乎全开，逐步张开，舌位依次降低发出以下后元音：/u:,,:,ɒ/。我们来看后元音的舌位图。英语的后元音中有四个圆唇音，两个非圆唇音。从发音时口的开张程度看，/u:/近乎全合；//属半合；/:/在发音时牙床半开；/ɒ/在发音时牙床张开；/ɒ/近乎全开；/:/也近乎全开；/ɒ/与/:/在口的开张度上相似，但/ɒ/是圆唇音，/:/是非圆唇音；/:/的舌位要比/ɒ/稍前一些。现在来看看这些音的具体发音。/u:////u:/和//都是高元音、后元音、圆唇元音。/u:/在英语后元音中，舌位是最高的。就如/i:/在前元音中舌位最高一样。发此音时，舌头后缩，并向软腭隆起。这个音在当今世界的许多语言中都很常见，对大多数中国学习者来说，发此音并没有多大问题。//在发音时与/u:/一样，舌头后缩，但后度不及/u:/，舌面隆起但程度不及/u:/。另外，发//音时，肌肉的紧张程度不及/u:/。学习/u:/和//的发音时，要特别注意以下几点：1、/u:/是舌位最高的后元音，因此舌头隆得比//音高。2、发/u:/音时，舌头隆起部位比//更接近舌