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Fig. 21. Englńti [u:), lougue poation    Fig. 2Z Position of the lips

§ 27. Similar to the Polish u, this vowel is longer, especially in a word-final position and before voiced consonants, when it sounds like two occurrences merged into one sound uu. Moreover, the lip rounding is very strong (see Fig. 22), and the lips are protruding:

too, zoo, raoo, boo, coo, school, tool, fool, soon, apoon, moon, coot, roof, food łdew, che w, erew, grew, Jew, ehrew, brew, alew, strew, acrew blue, true, glue, clue, rule, brute, prane, flute, June

§ 28. A remark on the spelling of [u:]. With the vowds discussed so far, the spelling was reasonably unambiguous in that a given spelling generally indicated the same voweł sound. However in the case of [u] and [u:], the spelling with oo poses a diffkulty because, for example, fool, good, sool are pronounced with ‘short’ [u], whereas fool, food or moot have 'long’ [u:]. The only solution here is to memorize the vowel in such words as they crop up. The spellings eui, eu clearly indicate [u:]. Also when preceded by [j], the vowel is always [u:], except in weak forms of you, or such words as during ['djuorir}], pure, etc.

§ 29. Notę 1. When [u:] occurs after [j] it forms a glide [ju:):

due, aie, use. fijse, tune, mule, tubę, cube, cute, mute, fume, feud, dew, few, new, knew, pew

Notę 2. [u:], [ju:] are shorter before vokeless consonants and longer before voiced consonants.

Compare:

root rude moot mood use (n.) use (v.)

[|u:s] lju:z]

Notę 3. [u:], [ju:] are somewhat shortened in words of two or morę syllables.

Compare:

fool foolish foolishy mood moody moodiness

musie, pupil, duty, unit, tulip, humid, tunic, stupid, cupid, booty, gloomy, ruby, I mnie, truły

Notę 4. [u:] differs from [u] not only in length but also in sound quality. Kmin the point of view of articulation, [u:] is a little higher than [u], and On' lips are morę rounded and strongly protruded:

fuli fool puli pool should shoed I look Lukę good food soot suit

Notę 5. [u:] should be clearly differentiated from [o:]. Apart from the illlwent tongue position, [u:] lias strong lip rounding and protrusion, sod the lower jaw is raised slightly during its articulation, which results

■    ■ short diphthongal glide. By contrast, during [o:] the lips are less ■łfoitgly rounded, without any protrusion, and the lower jaw is motionless,

|,i‘ |o ] is a very stable vowel:

V    miH>d Maud    Jew jaw

H    rlur claw    drew    draw

I    spoi *n npawn    cool cali

■    Nur mw    fool fali

c. Exercises for the vowels [u], [u:] and [o], [o:)

HQ, Apply the above information to the pronunciation of the following. ■his with [_u]_;

I puli woni, fully, bullet, bush, foot, put, soot, brook, cook Wio.l. willi [u:]:

^■oo. Iiluc, erew, rule, cool, pnine, moon, chew, Jew, rude, ruby, moody, gloomy iw -I words with [u] and [u:] contrasted:

■kuli pool    foot food    look Lukę good mood    fuli fool

^■łl fiinl    cook coo    brook brew hook who    rook me

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