English diction for singers: sung vowels, the r and consonant clarity

Diction is the single most important aspect of singing², and the rules for English start from a plain fact: speaking and singing differ². This page covers sung English: how vowels and consonants share the work, where r changes a vowel, how consonants affect pitch, and which accent you are matching. The diction section covers the other languages.

Vowels carry the line

The vowel sounds may be classified as the enunciators and the consonant sounds as the articulators². With the vowels we sustain; with the consonants we separate². Words are vowel sounds broken into long and short segments by consonant sounds². Vowels carry the vocal line, pitch and tone³.

The IPA key for English uses diaphonemes: symbols that accommodate General American and British RP, so not every distinction applies to a particular accent⁶. Each row gives the symbol, the lexical set and example words.

The count of vowel phonemes varies by accent: 20 to 25 in Received Pronunciation, 14 to 16 in General American and 19 to 21 in Australian English¹. Lexical sets devised by John C. Wells compare vowels across accents, each named by a word containing the vowel¹; the LOT vowel is [ɒ] in RP and [ɑ] in General American¹.

Matching vowels

Getting everyone singing the same vowel sound solves blend and pitch problems². The Baruch College guide to r-controlled vowels counts 7 of them in English⁴.

Unaccented vowels and diphthongs

When a word contains two or more syllables, the sound of the unaccented syllable is not always sung uniformly³. Diphthongs are vowel sounds that begin with one sound and end with another³.

The r and r-controlled vowels

Whenever a vowel is followed by the letter r in the same syllable, the two letters are pronounced together as one sound⁴. R-controlled vowels are very common and are a prominent feature of American English⁴. There are 7 of them⁴. When syllables containing r-controlled vowels are unstressed, they often reduce to an unstressed er sound⁴.

In some rhotic accents such as General American, r not followed by a vowel is realized as an r-colouring of the preceding vowel or its coda¹. The most common realization of the r phoneme, occurring in most dialects, RP and General American included, is the postalveolar approximant¹. In most dialects r is labialized in many positions, as in reed and tree¹. Vowels followed by r can have a somewhat harsh tone in speech, especially in the Midwest³.

Consonants: placed before the beat

The basic rule is that vowels go on the beat, and consonants come slightly before the beat³. Consonants are classified partly as fortis and lenis (stops, affricates and fricatives)¹. All single-consonant phonemes except [ŋ] can begin a syllable¹. In General American and Canada, the l is generally dark¹. Syllabic consonants can be transcribed with a vertical line under the consonant letter¹.

Voiced consonants and pitch

Voiced consonants are consonants that carry pitch, such as d, g, l, m, n and z³. Sing them on the pitch of the vowel; if you do not, you will scoop the pitch³. When you accent a consonant, take care not to also accent the vowel, unless requested³.

Which English?

English phonological analysis often concentrates on prestige or standard accents: Received Pronunciation, General American and General Australian¹. Received Pronunciation is an accent of British English regarded as the standard accent of England, with high social prestige⁵. It emerged as a non-rhotic dialect of southeastern England, developed among London, Oxford and Cambridge universities and public schools⁵. In 1922 the BBC selected educated and aristocratic southeastern English as its broadcasting standard⁵.

Some publishers call RP BBC Pronunciation, because they consider the name Received Pronunciation archaic⁵. The early 20th-century variety is also called the Queen’s English or King’s English⁵, and Henry C. K. Wyld coined the term received standard in 1927⁵. For a singer, the practical point is the r: RP is non-rhotic, and General American is rhotic^1,5.

Sung versus spoken

There is a big difference between speaking and singing². Vowels followed by r have a somewhat harsh tone in speech³. Consonants come slightly before the beat and vowels go on it³. Words are vowel sounds broken into long and short segments by consonant sounds².

Reference tools

The Longman Pronunciation Dictionary gives over 225,000 pronunciations in both British and American English, in IPA⁷. IPA Source gives IPA transcriptions and literal translations of arias and art songs⁷. Both are on the University of North Texas diction resources page⁷.

Common mistakes for English speakers

• Consonants on the beat. They belong slightly before it; the vowel goes on the beat³.
• Mismatched vowels in a group. One vowel sound solves blend and pitch problems².
• Treating unaccented syllables as identical. They are not always sung uniformly³.
• Harsh r-coloured vowels. In speech, vowels followed by r can have a somewhat harsh tone³.
• Scooping a voiced consonant. Voiced consonants carry pitch; off the vowel pitch, the line scoops³.
• Accenting the vowel with the consonant. Accent the consonant without also accenting the vowel, unless requested³.
• Mixing accents. RP has 20 to 25 vowel phonemes and General American 14 to 16¹.

Next steps

Learn the symbols in IPA for singers. For a contrast with English diphthongs, see the vowels of Italian diction.