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Vowels (17 sounds)

Symbol Spelling Spoken form Note
[i] bee [bi]
[ɪ] pity ['pɪtɪ]
[e] rate [ret]
[ɛ] yet [jɛt]
[æ] sang [sæŋ]
[a] bath [baθ] hear in the East: between [æ] (sang) and [ɑ] (ah)
[ɑ] ah
far 		[ɑ]
[fɑr]
[ɒ] watch [wɒtʃ] between [ɑ] (ah) and [ɔ] (jaw)
[ɔ] jaw gorge [dʒɔ]
[gɔrdʒ]
[o] go [go]
[ʊ] full [fʊl]
[u] tooth [tuθ]
[ɜr] further ['fɜrðər] accented only, r's sounded
[ɜ] further ['fɜðə] accented only, r's silent
[ər] further ['fərðər] unaccented only, r's sounded
[ə] further ['fəðə] unaccented only, r's silent
[ʌ] custom
above
custom
above
 ['kʌstəm] [ə'bʌv] ['kʌstəm] [ə'bʌv]

Diphthongs (5 sounds)

Symbol Spelling Spoken form
[aɪ] while [hwaɪl]
[aʊ] how [haʊ]
[ɔɪ] toy [tɔɪ]
[ju] using
fuse 		['juzɪŋ]
[fjuz]
[ɪu] fuse [fɪuz]

Consonants (... sounds)

Symbol Spelling Spoken form
[aɪ] while [hwaɪl]

Double consonants

Syntetic gemination (raddoppiamento sintattico)

Rules for r: 1. Never sing r before a consonant (no exceptions) 2. Do not sing r before a pause. 3. Always sing r before a vowel sound (no exceptions). This rule remains in effect when

r

rule for rolled r: any r that touches a consonant rolls, r's surrounded by vowels are only one flip. final r, when you have nothing left, you will roll the r, which has to do with the force of the sentiment.

n

n's that touch consonants also double. n before p or m = m n before v or f = ɱ

Open or closed vowel

on the non stressed part of the word, everything is always closed. Stressed syllables can be open or closed. Most of the time open, but you have to memorize them. In singing the consonants wait until the second note.

Texts and phonetics

A Midsummer Night's Dream - B. Britten

I know a bank
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania some time of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight.

And there the snake throws her enameled skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in.
And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes,
And make her full of hateful fantasies.
Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove;
A sweet Athenian lady is in love
with a disdainful youth.
Annoint his eyes, but do it when the next thing he espies
may be the lady.
Thou shalt know the man by the Athenian garments he hath on. 		aɪ ˈnəʊ ə ˈbæŋk weə ðə waɪld ˈtaɪm bləʊz,
weə ˈɒkslɪps ænd ðə ˈnɒdɪŋ ˈvaɪəlɪt ɡrəʊz
kwaɪt ˌəʊvəˈkænəpɪd wɪð ˈlʌʃəs ˈwʊdbaɪn,
wɪð swiːt mʌsk ˈrəʊzɪz, ænd wɪð ˈeɡləntaɪn:
ðeə sliːps tɪˈtɑːnjə sʌm ˈtaɪm əv ðə naɪt,
ˈlʌld ɪn ðiːz ˈflaʊəz wɪð ˈdɑːnsɪz ænd dɪˈlaɪt.

ænd ðeər ðə sneɪk θrəʊz hə ɪˈneɪməld skɪn,
wiːd waɪd ɪˈnʌf tə ræp ə ˈfeərɪ ɪn.
ænd wɪð ðə dʒuːs əv ðɪs aɪl striːk hə aɪz,
ænd meɪk hə fʊl əv ˈheɪtfʊl fænˈtæzɪz.
teɪk ðaʊ sʌm əv ɪt, ænd siːk θruː ðɪs ɡrəʊv;
ə swiːt əˈθiːnɪən ˈleɪdɪ ɪz ɪn lʌv
wɪð ə dɪsˈdeɪnfʊl juːθ.
əˈnɔɪnt hɪz aɪz, bət duː ɪt wen ðə nekst θɪŋ hiː ɪsˈpaɪz
meɪ biː ðə ˈleɪdɪ.
ðaʊ ʃɑːlt nəʊ ðə mæn baɪ ðiː əˈθiːnɪən ˈɡɑːmənts hiː hæθ ɒn.