PREDICTING THE PRONUNCIATION OF VOWEL DIGRAPHS AND IN ENGLISH

Abstract

This research is pointed toward in describing the way to predict the pronunciation of vowel digraphs <ea> and <ou> and discovering the environment that affects the pronunciation of the vowel digraphs <ea> and <ou>. Descriptive research design was applied in this research. The data of the research were collected from Cambridge Advance Learner’s Dictionary – 3^rd Edition. Towards the end, the writer found that the vowel digraph <ea> can represent fourteen different vowel sound associations, they are [i:], [ɪə], [æ], [ɜ:], [e], [eə], [eɪ], [i.ə], [ieɪ], [ə], [i’æ], [α:], [i.ə] and [i]. Meanwhile, vowel digraph <ou> can stand for twelve different vowel sounds, they are [aʊ], [ɔ:], [aʊə], [u:], [ɜ:], [əʊ], [ə], [ʊ], [æ], [ɒ], [ʌ], and [ʊə]. At that time, the writer found six rule-patterns from the two vowel digraphs that have implication to the teaching of English pronunciation.

Keywords: Pronunciation, Vowel, Digraph, Letters <ea> and Letters <ou>.