LISTEN

/ʌ/…/ʌ/…/ʌ/…/ʌ/
​
cup…must…summer…wa​nted

WHAT IS IT?

Pronunciation:
The sound /ʌ/ is a mid, central, lax vowel.

• Your lips should be relaxed, not rounded or spread.
• Let your tongue rest in the center of your mouth, without touching any part of your mouth.
• Breathe out and let your vocal cords vibrate.

Spelling:

• “u” – cup, dumb
• “o” – onion, month
• “ou” – rough, country
• “oo” – blood, flood
• “oe” (not common) – does

COMPARE

Compare /ʌ/ with /ɑ/:

/ʌ/…/ɑ/…/ʌ/…/ɑ/…/ʌ/…/ɑ/

These are both central vowels. However, /ʌ/ is a mid vowel, and /ɑ/ is a low vowel. When you pronounce /ʌ/, your tongue should be in the middle of your mouth and your mouth should not be opened widely.

You can hear the difference between /ʌ/ and /ɑ/ in these words.

1. A. luck, B. lock
2. A. sub, B. sob
3. A. sung, B. song
4. A. fund, B. fond
5. A. buses, B. bosses
6. A. color, B. collar

Practice recognizing words with /ʌ/ and /ɑ/ by taking the quiz here (external site).

Now, compare /ʌ/ with /ɜr/:

/ʌ/…/ɜr/…/ʌ/…/ɜr/…/ʌ/…/ɜr/

These are both central vowels. However, /ʌ/ is pronounced with a central tongue, while /ɜr/ is pronounced with a slightly higher tongue. Your lips should be slightly rounded when you pronounce /ɜr/, but not when you pronounce /ʌ/.

​You can hear the difference between /ʌ/ and /ɜr/ in these words.

1. A. hut, B. hurt
2. A. fuzz, B. furs
3. A. such, B. search
4. A. ton, B. turn
5. A. huddle, B. hurdle​
6. A. suffer, B. surfer

Practice recognizing words with /ʌ/ and /ɜr/ by taking the quiz here (external site).

PRACTICE

Listen and repeat these words:

Now, practice /ʌ/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentence.

1. what – cut – butter
What can I use to cut the butter?
2. does – want – country – customs
Does he want to learn our country’s customs?
3. mother – coming – Sunday
My mother is coming on Sunday.
4. bus – another – one
If we miss the bus, we will wait for another one
5. colors – sunset – wonderful
The colors of the sunset are wonderful.
6. government – budget – summer
​The government will set a budget by this summer.

To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:

Male – US Midwest (St. Louis)

Male – US Midwest (Iowa)

Male – US Midwest

Female – US Northeast

Female – US Southeast

Prepare:
What is the difference between central (national) and local (city or province) government in your country? These are the responsibilities a government may have:

• Collect taxes
• Provide guidelines for new industries
• Conduct elections
• Punish criminals
• Conduct foreign affairs
• Create public schools​
• Control the money system
• Set a budget
• Provide security​
• Improve infrastructure (roads, transportation, power and water systems)
• Provide funds for education
• Inform the public about new policies​
• Preserve national traditions and customs

Record:
In your recording, talk about government in your home country. Compare the responsibilities of the central government with the responsibilities of local government.

©2024, Christine Wingate

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