A phoneme of a language or dialect is an abstraction of a speech sound or of a group of different sounds which are all perceived to have the same function by speakers of that particular language or dialect. For example, the English word through consists of three phonemes: the initial “th” sound, the “r” sound, and a vowel sound. The phonemes in this and many other English words do not always correspond directly to the letters used to spell them (English orthography is not as strongly phonemic as that of many other languages).
The number and distribution of phonemes in English vary from dialect to dialect, and also depend on the interpretation of the individual researcher. The number of consonant phonemes is generally put at 24 (or slightly more). The number of vowels is subject to greater variation; in the system presented on this page there are 20–25 vowel phonemes in Received Pronunciation, 14–16 in General American and 19–20 in Australian English. The pronunciation keys used in dictionaries generally contain a slightly greater number of symbols than this, to take account of certain sounds used in foreign words and certain noticeable distinctions that may not be—strictly speaking—phonemic.
In general, however, the regional dialects of English share a largely similar (but not identical) phonological system. Among other things, most dialects have vowel reduction in unstressedsyllables and a complex set of phonological features that distinguish fortis and lenisconsonants (stops, affricates, and fricatives). Most dialects of English preserve the consonant /w/ (spelled ⟨w⟩) and many preserve /θ, ð/(spelled ⟨th⟩), while most other Germanic languages have shifted them to /v/ and /t, d/: compare English will/wɪl/ (
listen) with German will[vɪl] (
listen) (‘want’) and denn[dɛn] (
listen) (‘because’).
klik link below to see the table of phonetic sounds :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-ef48FWsPcuxlo3hRCSXSNaqdnnY0JfV/view?usp=sharing
ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION 