Spoken Words, Vocabulary Development: Consonant Sounds /w/ – SS1 English Lesson Note (First Term)

The consonant /w/ is a voiced labiovelar approximant, made by rounding the lips and raising the back of the tongue while the vocal cords vibrate.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. describe how the consonant /w/ is produced;
2. list the common spellings of /w/ and give example words;
3. explain why /w/ is called a glide;
4. contrast /w/ with /v/ in pairs of words;
5. define and use words associated with agriculture, including words about fishing.

What is the consonant /w/?

/w/ is a voiced labiovelar approximant, the first sound in words such as wet.

• Voiced: the vocal cords vibrate when the sound is made.
• Labio-: the lips are rounded.
• Velar: the back of the tongue rises towards the soft palate (the velum).
• Approximant: the tongue comes close to the roof of the mouth but does not block or rub the air.

Examples: wet, want, wind, woman.

How is /w/ produced?

/w/ is produced by rounding the lips and raising the back of the tongue, with the vocal cords vibrating.

1. Round the lips as you do for the vowel /u:/ (as in “too”).
2. Raise the back of the tongue towards the soft palate, a little higher than for /u:/.
3. Let the vocal cords vibrate.
4. Let air pass freely between the lips and over the tongue.
5. Move the tongue quickly to the position of the next vowel.

• No contact: the upper and lower lips do not touch, so the airflow is not blocked.
• Other name: some textbooks call /w/ a bilabial glide because of the lip rounding. Labiovelar is the fuller description.

How is /w/ spelt?

The common spellings of /w/ are w, wh and qu.

• Less common spellings: /w/ also occurs in words like one and once, and choir.
• Silent w: w is not pronounced in words such as write, wrong, answer and sword.
• wh before o: in who and whole, the sound is /h/, not /w/.

Why is /w/ called a glide?

/w/ is called a glide because the tongue glides immediately to the position of the vowel that follows it.

• Short sound: /w/ cannot be held for long like /s/ or /m/.
• Needs a vowel: it is always followed by a vowel, as in wet, wind and woman.
• Other name: a glide is also called a semi-vowel.

How is /w/ different from /v/?

/w/ uses rounded lips with no contact, while /v/ uses the lower lip touching the upper teeth.

• Practice sentence: We went to the well and washed the white wool.

Vocabulary development: what are the words associated with agriculture?

Agriculture words describe farming, the care of animals and the catching or raising of fish.

Which words are used for animal farming?

• Pasture: a grassland on which grass-eating animals feed.
• Pullet: a young hen.
• Vaccinate: to inject with a vaccine as protection against illness.
• Veterinarian (veterinary doctor): a person who treats animals.

Which words are used for fishing?

• Fish-net: a net used to catch fish. Cane poles and lines are also used to catch fish.
• Ripples: small waves on the surface of the water after a net or cane pole has been thrown in.
• Bait: anything used to attract fish so that they may be caught, for example an earthworm.
• Float: a piece of wood or cork on a fishing line that moves when a fish bites the hook.
• Trawler: a boat used for fishing. It drags the fish-net behind it.
• Fishery: a part of a sea or river where fish are caught in large quantities.

What is the difference between a fish pond and a fish farm?

A fish pond is a small area of still water, often artificial, where fish are raised for food.

A fish farm is a place where fish are bred as a business.

Evaluation

1. Describe how the consonant /w/ is produced.
2. Give the three common spellings of /w/ and one example word for each.
3. Why is /w/ called a glide?
4. What is the difference between a fish pond and a fish farm?
5. What is the use of bait and a float in fishing?

Assignment

1. Choose any five agriculture words from the vocabulary list. Write the meaning of each in your own words.
2. Use each of the five words in a sentence of your own.