假如我们在阅读时看到一个英语句子:When I was a kid, I lived with my grandparents.
我们如果对它进行切分,显然可以切分成一个一个的单词和标点符号;到了单词这个层次,还可以再进一步把一个一个的单词切分一个一个的字母。切到这个层次,就不能再继续切分下去了。每个字母和标点符号都是最小的书面语言单位。
上面那句话,如果我们不是在阅读时看到的,而是听到别人用嘴巴讲出来的,那么我们听到的会是一串语音流。如果把这串语音流进行切分,切到不能再进一步切分,得到一个个离散的语音,那么这些离散的语音就是最小的语音单位,我们称之为音素。
每个音素,我们都可以用一个符号来表示,这样的符号就叫音标。例如:[e], [æ], [u], [i], [ɪ], [b], [p], [t], [d] 这些符号,每个符号都是代表着一个发音的。就像音乐简谱中的 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 这些符号,实际上是音符,每个都代表一个发音,其中 1 代表 do, 2 代表 re, 3 代表 mi, 4 代表 fa, 5 代表 so, 6 代表 la, 7 代表 xi.
英语中用到的音标符号一共有 48 个,如下表:
元音
元音 | 辅音 | ||
音标 | 例词 | 音标 | 例词 |
[i] | sheep | [b] | bed |
[ɪ] | big | [p] | pass |
[e] | egg | [t] | too |
[æ] | bad | [d] | day |
[ə] | ago | [k] | kite |
[ʌ] | but | [g] | go |
[ɑ] | car | [f] | fine |
[ʊ] | look | [v] | very |
[u] | food | [s] | so |
[ɒ] | not | [z] | zoo |
[ɔ] | or | [ʃ] | ship |
[ɜ] | bird | [ʒ] | pleasure |
[aɪ] | my | [h] | how |
[ɔɪ] | boy | [r] | red |
[əʊ] | no | [θ] | think |
[aʊ] | how | [ð] | they |
[ɪə] | dear | [m] | me |
[eə] | air | [n] | nice |
[ʊə] | sure | [ŋ] | long |
[eɪ] | day | [l] | like |
[j] | yes | ||
[w] | win | ||
[tʃ] | china | ||
[dʒ] | July | ||
[tr] | tree | ||
[dr] | drive | ||
[ts] | students | ||
[dz] | words |
每个音标都代表着一个发音。大家可以点击这里看音标视频教程,这个教程里有每个音标的标准发音。