One of the most significant difficulties non-native kids face in learning English phonemes(sounds) is distinguishing between the short vowel sounds of a, e, and i. Today, we will discuss the similarities between these vowel sounds and the difficulties that non-native kids face in recognizing them.
Firstly, let’s take a closer look at these three short vowel sounds. The short vowel sound of ‘a’ is pronounced as /æ/ and is heard in words like “at”, “cat,” “hat,” and “bat.” The short vowel sound of ‘e’ is pronounced as /ɛ/ and is heard in words like “edge”, “bed,” “pen,” and “men.” Finally, the short vowel sound of ‘i’ is pronounced as /ɪ/ and is heard in words like “in”, “sit,” “hit,” and “bit.”
Despite having different phonetic symbols, the short vowel sounds of ‘a,’ ‘e,’ and ‘i’ share a lot of similarities, making them difficult for non-native speakers to differentiate. Firstly, these vowel sounds are all unrounded and are produced with the tongue in a relatively neutral position. This similarity in tongue position makes it challenging for people having English as a secondary language to differentiate between these sounds, especially if their native language does not have the same vowel sounds.
So, how can we help our kids do to improve their recognition of these vowel sounds? To learn, watch this video, please.
