English letters and sounds for 2. English letters and their transcription. Plus popular combinations of English letters. Clear and accessible. Letters of the English alphabet and their transcription in Russian and English

Consists of 26 letters, of which 6 are vowels and 20 are consonants.

How to quickly memorize the alphabet?

First of all, you need to learn. There are few of them, so they are easier to remember.

In English transcription, the colon sign indicates the longitude of the sound, i.e. it must be pronounced in a drawn-out manner.

Particular attention should be paid to the letter Yy. This letter is often mistaken for a consonant. In fact, it is very easy to remember if you associate it with the letter Ii. In words, these two letters are read the same.

It's easier to remember if you break them down into logical groups:

1. Consonant letters that are similar in appearance to Russian ones and are pronounced the same as them:

1. Consonants that are similar to Russian, but are pronounced or written differently:

1. Consonants that do not exist in Russian:

It is better to learn the English alphabet in blocks, writing and naming each letter in several lines. This is how three types of memory work at once: auditory, visual and motor.

Once you have done this, perform a series of exercises to consolidate the results.

Exercises:

• Write the letters on a piece of paper from memory, saying each letter out loud. If you don’t remember the name or are at a loss as to which letter is next, you can look at the hint. When you have written a “difficult” letter, underline or circle it and continue further. After writing the entire English alphabet, write out all the underlined letters separately in one row. Repeat them. Write a few more rows of these letters randomly, calling them out loud. When you are sure that you have memorized, start the exercise over again.
• Cut 26 small squares and write letters on them. Place face down on the table. Take each square in turn, saying the letter out loud. Check yourself using the table. Put those letters that you named incorrectly or forgot aside. After working with all the squares, take all the letters set aside and do the same exercise only with them. Repeat several times, each time putting aside only those that are not remembered.

Remember that any work on memorizing something should be structured as follows:

• Learn and set aside.
• Repeat after 15 minutes
• Repeat in an hour
• Repeat the next day
• Repeat in a week.

In this case, the memorized material will be stored in memory forever!

Games for memorizing the English alphabet

If it is possible to involve 2-3 people, then you can diversify the study of the alphabet with games:

• “Spell the word”

Any English text is accepted. Players take turns calling the letters in order, starting with the first word in the text. The one who named incorrectly is eliminated from the game. The winner is the one who remains in the game last.

• “What’s missing?”

The presenter chooses from 26 cards with letters 5-10, depending on the age of the group. Players remember letters. After everyone has turned away, the presenter removes one or two letters. Players must guess which letters are missing.

• “Who is faster?”

Each player is dealt the same number of cards; they need to be sorted in alphabetical order as quickly as possible.

• “Find a match”

Participants in the game are given cards with capital letters. On the back of each card is a lowercase letter. 3 minutes are given. During this time, each player must remember and write down a lowercase letter. The one who writes the most letters wins.

• “Continue”

One of the players begins to say the alphabet from the beginning, the leader stops at any letter. Players must pick up where they left off as quickly as possible.

• “Remember Five”

The leader gives each player a letter face down. On command, players turn over the card. You need to write the next 5 letters of the alphabet as quickly as possible. The one who completed the task raises his hand.

Songs

To quickly memorize the alphabet, you can use. The melody for them can be found on the Internet.

Oh, well you see,

Now I know the ABC!

There is another version of this song, the last two lines of which go like this:

Now I know the ABC

Next time won’t you sing with me!

Currently, English textbooks give two options for pronunciation of the letter Rr: [ɑː] and [ɑːr]. In the second option, the second sound is an oversound, that is, it is not pronounced in its pure form, but muffled. Both options are correct.

In English transcription you can find several ways of writing the same sound. This is due to the fact that the rules for writing certain sounds are gradually changing, often towards simplification, for example:

Both sounds are pronounced [e] with the sound [e].

I learned the alphabet, what should I learn next?

After learning the English alphabet, it is advisable to learn the sounds that each letter can convey.

In English, many letters have multiple sounds, depending on the type of syllable and combination with other letters:

Then you should move on to mastering the rules of reading. You need to start with the simplest, namely the first and second types of syllables. Having studied

", transcription is used by everyone, sometimes even unconsciously. First, let's refresh our memory, what does the phrase “English transcription” mean?

English Transcription is a sequence of phonetic symbols that helps us understand how to read a particular sound or word. Often, students encounter transcription at the beginning of learning a language, when it is still quite difficult to read even fairly simple words, and then they simply do not pay attention to it. However, this will not be the case forever.

As soon as a student begins to skillfully use complex grammatical structures and develops a good vocabulary for free communication, then the desire immediately appears to speak beautifully, like a native speaker, that is, to improve his pronunciation of English words. This is where we remember the good old transcription.

In order not to have to remember the well-forgotten old things, we suggest returning to the repetition from time to time. Of course, ideally, the transcription should be completed together with the teacher, because writing cannot convey all the subtleties of pronunciation, but if you are reading this article now, the foundation for beautiful pronunciation and correct reading has already been laid, and you will definitely achieve your desired goal.

Transcription of vowel sounds

There are two types of vowel sounds - single sounds and diphthongs.

[ ʌ ] - [a] - short;
[a:]- [a] - deep;
[i]- [and] - short;
[i:]- [and] - long;
[o]- [o] - short;
[o:]- [o] - deep;
[u]- [y] - short;
[u:]- [y] - long;
[e]- as in the word “plaid”;
[ ɜ: ] - as in the word “honey”.

English diphthongs

A diphthong is a sound that consists of two sounds. Most often, a diphthong can be divided into two sounds, however, this cannot be conveyed in writing. Often diphthongs are indicated not by a combination of several characters, but by their own sign.

[əu]- [oh];
[au]- [au];
[ei]- [ Hey ];
[oi]- [ Ouch ];
[ai]- [ouch].

Rules for pronunciation of vowels in English

• Sound " a"has four varieties:
  [ ʌ ] - short sound, as in the words “duck”, “cut”;
  [ æ ] - soft sound. There is no analogue to it in the Russian language. It is read as in the word “cat”;
  [a:]- a long sound that is read as in the word “car”;
  [ ɔ ] - a short sound that sounds similar to both “o” and “a”. In British pronunciation, it is more of an "o", as in "hot" or "not".

• Sound " e" can be read in three ways:
  [e]- for example, as in the word “let”;
  [ ə: ] - this sound is a little reminiscent of the Russian letter “ё”, only it is read a little softer. For example, "bird", "fur";
  [ ə ] - one of the most common sounds in English transcription. In sound, this sound is similar to the Russian sound “e”. It occurs only in unstressed syllables and can be practically inaudible or indistinguishable, for example, ["letə", "letter" - letter.

• Sound " i"can be long or short:
  [I]- a short sound, for example, as in the word “film”;
  [i:]- a long sound, for example, as in “sheep”.

• Sound " O"also has 2 options - long and short:
  [ ɔ ] - short sound, as in the word “bond”;
  [ ɔ: ] - a long sound, as in the word “more”.

• Sound " u" can also be pronounced in two ways. It can be long or short:
  [u]- short sound, as in the word “put”;
  [u:]- long sound, as in the word “blue”.

Transcription of consonants

In the transcription of consonant sounds, everything is quite simple. Basically they sound similar to Russian. It is enough to take a thoughtful look at the above-mentioned letter combinations a couple of times, and they will remain in your memory.

Consonants
[b]- [b];
[d]- [d];
[f]- [f];
[ 3 ] - [ and ];
[dʒ]- [j];
[g]- [ G ];
[h]- [ X ];
[k]- [ To ];
[l]- [l];
[m]- [m];
[n]- [n];
[p]- [n];
[s]- [ With ];
[t]- [ T ];
[v]- [ V ];
[z]- [z];
[t∫]- [h];
[ ∫ ] - [w];
[r]- soft [r], as in the word Russian;
[ O ]- a sign of softness as in the Russian letter “ё” (Christmas tree).

English consonants that are not in Russian and their pronunciation:
[ θ ] - soft letter “c”, the tongue is located between the front teeth of the upper and lower jaws;
[ æ ] - like “e”, only more sharply;
[ ð ] - like “θ”, only with the addition of a voice, like a soft letter “z”;
[ ŋ ] - nasal, in the French manner, sound [n];
[ ə ] - neutral sound;
[w]-like “v” and “u” together, soft pronunciation.

Features of English transcription

In order to make it easier to navigate reading words, it is important to know the main features of transcription:

• Feature 1. Transcription is always formatted in square brackets
• Feature 2. In order not to get confused about where to place the stress in a word, it is worth considering that it is always placed before the stressed syllable. ["neim] - transcription of the word name.
• Feature 3. It is important to understand that transcription is not the English letters and sounds that make up a word. Transcription is the sound of words.
• Feature 4. In English, transcription consists of vowel sounds, diphthongs and consonants.
• Feature 5. In order to show that the sound is long, a colon is used in transcription.

Of course, knowing only character sets, it is quite difficult to read everything correctly, because there are many exceptions. In order to read correctly, you need to understand that there are closed and open syllables. Open syllable ends with a vowel (game, sunshine), closed- on a consonant (ball, dog). Some sounds in English can be pronounced differently depending on the type of syllable.

Conclusion

It is worth remembering that in any business the main thing is practice (by the way, you can start practicing English remotely right now). Transcribing sounds in English will be easy for you if you work hard at it. Reading the rules once is not enough. It is important to return to them, work through them and repeat them regularly until they are practiced to the point of automaticity. In the end, the transcription will allow you to correctly pronounce sounds in English.

Dictionaries will help you memorize English with transcription and correct pronunciation of English letters and words. You can use both English online dictionaries and good old printed publications. The main thing is not to give up!

Inspiration to you and success in your studies. May the knowledge be with you!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Greetings, my dear readers.

Today we continue to talk about how to learn to read correctly, so the topic of today's article is transcription of English letters.

We have already introduced you to the concept and dealt with the pronunciation of sounds in English. Today we will figure out exactly how they are pronounced in various combinations.

I have a clear table for you. It contains the letters of the English alphabet with transcription, Russian analogue letters and my notes so that you can immediately get the correct pronunciation. I also added examples of words with the sounds being studied and their translation.

What else can you find on the blog:

1. with letters and transcription (you can study them online, download, print and work with them);
2. for children I have a complete one.

Well, shall we begin?

Features of English transcription:

• it is always formatted with square brackets. I can’t say exactly where it came from, but I think it’s just worth taking it for granted;
• to understand where the stress is, the transcription uses the sign [‘] before the stressed syllable;
• It is important to remember that transcription is about the sound, not the spelling of words. Sometimes the spelling can be 90% different from what we pronounce;
• to show that a sound is long we use a colon.

In general, I wrote about English transcription - please!

Letters of the English alphabet and their transcription in Russian and English:

But do you know what is the most interesting thing about English?

If different letters are combined, they are pronounced differently!

That's why I prepared for you

Examples of English letter combinations in Russian and English:

I know this table seems huge right now. Surely you think that remembering all this is unrealistic. I'll tell you this: at a certain point, when you have enough, you won't even pay attention to these combinations. Your brain will learn to quickly remember how exactly these letters sound. Moreover, even when you come across a word that is completely unfamiliar to you, you will be able to read it correctly. The only question is the amount of practice on your part.

How to remember combinations of letters?

1. Use cards. Visual perception is better developed in most people.
2. Read. Pay attention to combinations of letters when or just texts.
3. Don't get hung up. It is not necessary to immediately memorize these combinations and only then move directly to English. Learn as you go!
4. Buy paper or download a good e-book in order to quickly learn to recognize combinations and pronounce them correctly. Even if you, an adult, need it, don’t hesitate to take books for children - everything there is explained in detail and is not without interest.
5. Take the course « English from scratch» . This will make your path easier.

That's all, my dears. I hope you found it useful and understandable. I provide even more similar materials in the blog newsletter - subscribe and receive a dose of useful information regularly.

Learn more about what the prime, colon, parentheses, and other symbols mean.

You can look at another version of the English transcription and, if necessary, print or copy it for editing in Microsoft Word
English Transcription

Pronunciation of English sounds.

Pronunciation of English vowels.

The pronunciation of English sounds is presented in Russian letters; you should understand that it is not possible to convey the correct English pronunciation using the Russian alphabet.

• ɑː long, deep
• ʌ short vowel a, as in the Russian word run.
• ɒ = ɔ - short, open about
• ɔː - long o
• zː - long vowel e, as in the Russian word hedgehog.
• æ - open e
• e - like e in the word these
• ə - unclear unstressed sound, similar to e
• iː - long and
• ɪ - short, open and
• ʊ = u - short u, pronounced with a slight rounding of the lips.
• uː - long u pronounced without strong rounding of the lips.

Two-vowel sounds

Pronunciation of English consonants.

• p - p
• b - b
• m - m
• f - f
• v - in
• s - s
• z - z
• t - resembles the Russian sound t, pronounced with the tongue positioned at the gums.
• d - resembles the Russian sound d, pronounced with the tongue positioned at the gums.
• n - resembles the Russian sound n, pronounced with the tongue positioned at the gums.
• l - resembles the Russian sound l, pronounced with the tongue positioned at the gums.
• r is a very hard sound pronounced without vibration of the tongue. Corresponds to the sound r in the word lot
• ʃ - soft Russian sh
• ʒ - soft Russian zh, as in the word yeast.
• tʃ- h
• ʤ - similar to the Russian sound j (voiced ch)
• k - k
• h - inhale, reminiscent of a faintly pronounced x sound
• ju - long yu in the word southern
• je - sound e in the word spruce
• jɔ - sound ё in the word fir-tree
• jʌ - the sound I in the word pit
• j - resembles the Russian sound й before vowels. Occurs in combination with vowels.

English consonant sounds that have no approximate correspondence in Russianː

• w - formed with the help of rounded lips (as in whistling). It looks like a sound uttered with just lips. In translation it is denoted by the letters в or у ː W illiams - Williams, Williams.
• ƞ - Open your mouth slightly and say n without closing your mouth.
• ɵ - Move the slightly spread tip of your tongue between your teeth and pronounce Russian with
• ð - Move the slightly spread tip of your tongue between your teeth and pronounce Russian z

About letters and sounds, it is worth deepening your knowledge in reading the vowels of the English alphabet. After all, they make up almost half of the total number of all sounds.

General concept of vowel sounds

As mentioned earlier, there are 20 vowel sounds, while there are only 6 vowel letters themselves. This is not easy for a Russian-speaking person to understand, because there is no such thing in the Russian language. Wider variety of vowels in the English alphabet – this is his distinctive feature. Namely, diphthongs, which are completely alien to Slavic languages, constitute difficulties in learning. But transcription comes to the aid of students - this is a recording of the reading of a word using phonetic symbols denoting a specific sound. That is, every English word in the dictionary is written with a transcription that will tell you exactly how it is read. All that remains is to learn to distinguish and read all the sounds.

Reading vowels in open and closed syllables

Reading vowels depends on their place in the word:

• in the first type of syllable (final vowel), the letter is read according to its name in the alphabet,
• in the second (consonant at the end) - like a short sound.

Let's look at reading all the vowels of English letters with transcription:

Other rules for reading vowels and letter combinations

Vowels are found not only in the above situations. There are other rules for reading them. For example:

• The letter Aa before the letter Ll is read as the sound [ɔ:] – b al l – ball, and in an unstressed position as a sound [ə] – Americ a[ə`mericə] – America.
• The letter Ee at the end of words is not readable: gam e- game.
• The letter Yy at the beginning of words is read as the sound [j] –yellow – yellow.

Different combinations of letters are read differently, for example:

• Before the letter Rr, the vowels are read like this: ar – car – car; or [ɔ:] – door – door; ir, er, ur [ɜ:] – girl – girl, service – service, fur – wool.
• The letter combination ee always conveys the sound: speed - speed, feet - legs.
• The letter combination oo reads [u]: food – food, tool – tool.

There are many reading rules in the English language, but there is also a category of words that cannot be read according to them - these are exception words. They need to be learned.

But first you need to master the basic rules of reading, and this needs to be done gradually, with a full understanding of what is happening. After all, if questions remain, this will later affect further training.

Another important nuance, some teachers advise writing down English sounds and even words in Russian letters, never practice this. It’s clearer this way, you say. But this is unacceptable, since in the English language there is not a single sound corresponding to Russian. Even if at first glance it seems that the letters are similar and readable, this is not the case. In this case, you need to listen more to English speech in the original, and, of course, constantly repeat it.