DESCRIPTION OF /ai/
SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE
CLASS: JSS ONE
ASPECT: SPEECH/ORAL
TOPIC: DESCRIPTION OF /ai/
CONTENT: The /ai/ sound is a diphthong, a type of vowel sound. It is a long vowel sound that is formed by the combination of two monothongs /a/ and /i/.
For the production of /ai/ your tongue glides from the position where you say /a/ and moves in the direction of the position where /i/ is pronounced.
SPELLING THE /ai/ SOUND
The /ai/ sound is spelt in different ways and could be spelt in the following letters of these words.
i. ‘i’ – time, write, hide, dine
ii. ‘ie’ – die, pie, tried
iii. ‘ei’ – height, either, neither
iv. ‘igh’ – sight, high, light
v. ‘uy’ – buy, guy
vi. ‘ye’ – dye, bye
vii. ‘y’ – cry, dry, by
viii. ‘ig’ – align, resign
ix. unusual – eye, aisle, aye
SOUND CONTRAST
Some people reduce the diphthong /ai/ to simple vowel. Therefore, sound contrast will highlight the different vowel sounds that could be mistaken for another.
Vowel /ai/, /ei/ and /æ/.
| S/N | /æ/ | /ai/ | /ei/ |
| 1. | Rat – /ræt/ | Right – /rait/ | Rate – /reit/ |
| 2. | Cram – /kræm/ | Crime – /craim/ | Crane – /krein/ |
| 3. | Cat – /kæt/ | Kite – /kait/ | Kate – /keit/ |
| 4. | Hat – /hæt/ | Height – /hait/ | Hate – /heit/ |
| 5. | Ban – /bæn/ | Bind – /baind/ | Bane – /bein/ |
ASSIGNMENT
The word Dam contains the three sounds /d/, /æ/ and /m/. if you reverse the sounds, you get the word /mæd/.
Reverse the sounds in these words.
Examples: cat /tæk/
1. Cat – /tæk/
2. Dame –
3. Might –
4. Nab –
5. Bat –
6. Style –
7. Side –
8. Kate –
9. Nile –
10. Sake –