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cavity, that is the horizontal and vertical movement.
According to the horizontal movements the English vowels
are:
a) Front: i:, e, ei, æ,e,ε(ə )

b) Front-retracted: [I] [i(ə)]
c) Central: [ʌ] [ɜ:] [ə] [ɜ(υ)] [(υ)]

d) Back: [ɒ:] [ɒ] [a:] [u:]

e) Back-advanced: [υ] [υ(ə)]
The other articulatory characteristic of vowels as to the
tongue position is its vertical movement. British scholars
distinguish three classes of vowels: high (or close), mid (or half-
open), and low (or open) vowels. Each class has two subclasses:
narrow and broad variations of the three vertical positions of the
tongue:
1) Close a) narrow: [I:] [u:]
b) broad: [i] [υ] [i(ə)] [υ(ə)]

2) Mid a) narrow: [e] [ɜ:] [ə] [е(і)] [ɜ(υ)]

b) broad: [ə] [ʌ]
3) Open a) narrow: [(ə)] [ɒ:] [ɒі]

b) broad: [ǽ ] [а(і)] [а(ʋ)] [ɒ] [a: ]
Another feature of English vowels is lip rounding.
Traditionally, three lip positions are distinguished, that is spread,
neutral and rounded. For the purpose of classification it is
sufficient to distinguish between two lip positions: rounded and
unrounded, or neutral.
The next point should be made about another property of
English vowel sounds that is traditionally termed checkness. This
quality depends on the character of the articulatory transition from
a vowel to a consonant. As a result all English short vowels are

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