Definition,[ý:] is back, open (narrow variant), rounded, long.
Articulation.The tongue is in the back part of the mouth. The back of the tongue is raised to a half-open position. No contact is made between the rims of the tongue and the upper teeth. The mouth is less open and the lips are more rounded than for the vowel [dJ. This vowel may occur in any position in a word, eg ought, born, talk, before, uniform.
Allophones.The vowel [o:j is longer in the open syllable when it is free. It is shorter in the closed syllable with a weak voiced consonant at the end. It is checked and much shorter in the stressed closed syllable ending in a strong voiceless consonant, cf bore — board — bought.
Recommendations.Start with Articulation Exercises I, 1—3; II, 2; IV, 1. Take a mirror and check the position of the lips. They should be well rounded but not protruded. Withdraw the tip of the tongue from the lower teeth. Keep the tongue rather low in the mouth. The mouth must not be too much open. The sound should come from the very back of the mouth. Take care not to change the position of the organs of speech while the vowel lasts.
To make the vowel checked cut it off by the following strong voiceless consonant. Be sure not to confuse the quality of the vowels [ý:] and [d] which can easily happen in the position before a strong voiceless consonant, cf port — pot.
Comparison with the Russian Vowel [oj.The Russian vowel [oj is closer than the English vowel [ý:]. It is pronounced with the lips not only strongly rounded but also protruded especially at the beginning of the articulation. The Russian vowel [o] is commonly shorter than the English [o:].
Possible Mistakes. 1.Russian students of English can easily replace the English [ý:] by the Russian [oj. In this case the tip of the tongue should be withdrawn from the lower teeth. The body of the tongue should be kept lower in the back part of the mouth. The back of the tongue is not raised too high. Though the lips are well rounded they should by no means be protruded.
2. Sometimes Russian students of English replace the monophthong [ý:] by the diphthongoid the beginning of which is closer and much more rounded. It is an initial [yj-type of glide. Not to make this mistake the monophthongal nature of [ý:] should be Insisted on.
3. If the vowel [o: is not checked and short enough in stressed closed syllables with a strong voiceless consonant at the end it is advisable to cut it off by the following consonant.
u î
oo ou