American English - AW [ɔ] Vowel - How to make the AW Vowel

In this American English pronunciation

video, we’re going to learn how to

pronounce the AW as in LAW vowel.

This vowel sound, when pure, is quite

similar to the AH as in FATHER vowel.

In some areas of the United States, we

don’t even make this sound. We

always use the AH as in FATHER sound

instead.

Also, when this vowel is followed by

the R consonant, it changes. We’ll go

over that.

First let’s study the mouth position.

To make this vowel, the jaw drops and

the tongue shifts back. The tip of the

tongue doesn’t touch anything. The

lips flare a bit.

AW. One technique that might help

you make this sound is to think of the

cheeks coming in and shifting forward

just a little bit, aw. This is a way to

make it different from the AH as in

FATHER vowel, where the lips and

cheeks are totally relaxed. AW, AH.

Let’s watch up close and in slow motion.

The jaw drops, the lips flare out a little

bit, and the tongue pulls back.

Let’s compare with the AH as in

FATHER vowel, on top. In AH, the lips

are relaxed. In AW, the lips flare. Also

notice how the tongue pulls back in

the AW vowel.

In a stressed syllable, this vowel has

the up-down shape of stress. AW. AW.

For example, in the word ‘saw’.

Jaw drops, lips flare, tongue shifts back.

In an unstressed syllable, the voice will

be lower in pitch, quieter, and flatter.

Unstressed syllables won’t be as long,

aw, aw. AW, aw. The voice is

unstressed in the word ‘on’, a function

word, on. Function words are

unstressed, aw, aw. Note, this word

can also be pronounce with the AH as

in FATHER vowel.

The vowel here is extremely quick

since it’s in an unstressed syllable.

The tongue tip isn’t quite forward.

The tongue is in position just an

instant before the tongue flips up to

make the N.

Let’s compare the stressed AW in SAW,

on top, with the unstressed AW in ‘on’,

on the bottom. You can see the jaw

drops less, the lips are more relaxed,

and the tongue doesn’t shift back as

much.

Unstressed syllables are shorter than

stressed syllables, so often the

unstressed version of a vowel or

diphthong doesn’t take the full mouth

position of the stressed version.

This vowel can be affected by

following consonants. When the AW

vowel is followed by the R consonant,

the sound does change. The lips flare

more, and the tongue pulls back more,

and up a little bit. This is because we

blend the position for the R with the

position for the AW when the R follows

the AW. Instead of AW, the sound is

aw, core, aw, aw, AW.

Let’s look at another word. Sore, aw,

aw, sore, aw, AW.

Let’s compare the pure AW with the

AW followed by R, in the word

‘quarter’, on the bottom. You can see

for the AW followed by R, the lips

round more and the jaw drops less.

Because of the lips, it’s hard to see the

tongue, but it pulls back and up more

than in a pure AW vowel, above.

Pure stressed AW: saw, AW

Pure unstressed AW: on, aw

AW, aw, AW, aw

AW modified by R: core, aw, aw.

Example words. Repeat with me.

Boss, long, runoff, lifelong, login, wrong, daughter.