Phonetics: Describing Vowels with Features 1.1

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This exercise requires you to describe vowels in Standard English based on the features [high, mid, low], [front, central, back], and [tense/lax].

Note that these are the parameters referred to at the introductory level. The terms 'mid' and 'central' are not used at a more advanced level.

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Question 1

Select the best description for the vowel [ε].

A	mid, front, lax
B	mid, central, lax Hint: [ʌ] is mid, central, lax. [ε] is mid, front, lax.
C	high, front, lax Hint: [ɪ] is high, front, lax. [ε] is mid, front, lax.

Question 2

Select the best description for the vowel [u].

A	high, back, tense
B	high, back, lax Hint: [ʊ] is high, back, lax. [u] is high, back, tense.
C	mid, back, tense Hint: [o] is mid, back, tense. [u] is high, back, tense.

Question 3

Select the best description for the vowel [a].

A	low, back, lax
B	low, front, lax Hint: [æ] is low, front, lax. [a] is low, back, lax.
C	mid, front, lax Hint: [ɛ] is mid, front, lax. [a] is low, back, lax.

Question 4

Select the best description for the vowel [i].

A	high, front, tense
B	mid, front, tense Hint: [e] is mid, front, tense. [i] is high, front, tense.
C	high, front, lax Hint: [ɪ] is high, front, lax. [i] is high, front, tense.

Question 5

Select the best description for the vowel [o].

A	high, back, lax Hint: [ʊ] is high, back, lax. [o] is mid, back, tense.
B	mid, back, lax Hint: [ɔ] is mid, back, lax. [o] is mid, back, tense.
C	mid, back, tense

Question 6

Select the best description for the vowel [ʌ].

A	mid, central, lax or mid, back, lax
B	mid, back, tense Hint: [o] is mid, back, tense. [ʌ] is mid, central/back, lax.
C	mid, back, lax Hint: [ɔ] is mid, back, lax. [ʌ] is mid, central/back, lax. Note that [ʌ] is, in most English dialects, central rather than back. [ɔ] is further differentiated from a back [ʌ] in that [ɔ] is rounded, whereas [ʌ] is not.

Question 7

Select the best description for the vowel [ɔ].

A	back, mid, tense Hint: [o] is back, mid, tense. [ɔ] is back, mid, lax.
B	front, high, tense Hint: [i] is front, high, tense. [ɔ] is back, mid, lax.
C	back, mid, lax

Question 8

Select the best description for the vowel [e].

A	mid, front, tense
B	high, front, tense Hint: [i] is high,front, tense. [e] is mid, front, tense.
C	high, front, lax Hint: [ɪ] is high, front, lax. [e] is mid, front, tense.

Question 9

Select the best description for the vowel [ɪ].

A	mid, front, tense Hint: [e] is mid, front, tense. [ɪ] is high, front, lax.
B	high, front, tense Hint: [i] is high, front, tense. [ɪ] is high, front, lax.
C	high, front, lax

Question 10

Select the best description for the vowel [æ].

A	mid, central, lax Hint: [ʌ] is mid, central, lax. [æ] is low, front, lax.
B	low, back, lax Hint: [a] is low, back, lax. [æ] is low, front, lax.
C	low, front, lax

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Phonetics: Describing Vowels with Features 1.1

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