发音要决:这个音是四个前元音中舌位最低、口形最大的前元音,与上面三个音相比发音部位仍然是舌前部,只是嘴形不一样了。

发音时,舌尖轻轻抵住下齿,双唇向两边平伸,成扁平状,口形张到可以容下自己的中指和食指尖。中国学生发这个音的问题在于嘴形张不大,所以音发得不够夸张。其实老外在发这个音的时候都很到位,听起来也足够夸张。我们不能用说汉语的习惯来说英文。

特别提示:我们会发现英音中许多原来含有字母“a”发[$:]的单词转到每音中时都发成了[鎉。一般来说,字母a在f,n,s,th 之前念做[鎉,但是如果在字母“r”之前则仍然念做[$:],且要卷舌,例如farm, farther。

单词训练:

Albert(阿尔伯特,男名) bad(坏的) batman (蝙蝠侠) blanket (毯子) camel(骆驼) canal(运河) gap(鸿沟) hand(手) hammer(锤子) jacket(夹克衫) matter(事情) pan(平底锅) van(面包车) wax(蜡) wrapper(包装纸) Yankee(美国佬)

重要句型:

Thanks a lot! 多谢!

I’ll catch you later. 回头再找你。

I’ll now let the cat out of the bag. 现在我要揭露谜底。

He laughs best who laughs last. 谁笑在最后谁笑得最好。

Please pay for the bag at the cash desk. 请在收银台付这个包的钱。

I’m glad you didn’t marry Miss Parry. 我很高兴你没有和佩莉小姐结婚。

Pack the baggage in the back of the taxi. 在出租车的后座收拾行李。

Canners can can what they can can, but can’t can what they can’t can.

装罐工人能够把可以装罐的东西装罐,但是不能把不能装罐的东西装罐。

字母组合:

“a” as in the word “cat”: bat, map, exact, fat, etc.

“af” as in the word “half”: craft, aircraft, after, shaft, etc.

“am” as in the word “exam”: example, stamp, jam, lamb, etc.

“an” as in the word “chance”: banana, dance, and, man, hand, plan, can’t, etc.

“as” as in the word “glass”: class, pass, ask, fast, last, task, etc.

“ath” as in the word “bath”: path, math, etc.

就此,四个前元音都讲述完毕。单独元音的发音问题应该不大,可是也许放在具体单词的环境中就没有那么容易了。下面这段绕口令(tongue twister)对于练习这几个元音特别有效,如果可以讲好,这几个元音的发音就绝对没有问题了!现在就小试牛刀吧!

Betty bought a bit of butter.

“But,” said she, “this butter is bitter.

If I put it in my batter,

It will make my batter bitter.”

So she bought some better butter,

Better than the bitter butter,

And it made her bitter batter better.