In dictionaries that use both symbols, the upside-down e is the symbol for schwa and the upside-down v is the short u symbol.
The difference between /ə/ and /ʌ/, at a fundamental level, is that /ə/ is a reduced vowel, whereas /ʌ/ is a full vowel.
This symbol is called "caret" [ˈkɛɹət], since it resembles the caret symbol used by proofreaders to mark where something should be inserted.
Examples of the ʌ sound
other /'ʌðə/ under /ˈʌndə/ until /ʌnˈtɪl/ understand /ˌʌndəˈstænd/
/ʊ/is a high, back, lax vowel. To make it, your tongue should be lifted high in the mouth (slightly lower than /u/), and shifted toward the back. Keep your lips relaxed and slightly open. Then, vibrate your vocal cords as you push air out of your mouth.
Ezh (Ʒ ʒ) /ˈɛʒ/, also called the "tailed z", is a letter whose lower case form is used in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), representing the voiced postalveolar fricative consonant.
The sound /ʒ/ is a voiced, alveo-palatal, fricative consonant. Lightly press the middle of your tongue between your alveolar ridge and your soft palate. The sides of your tongue should lightly touch your back upper teeth.
If you're trying to transcribe RP and you have /ə/ but not /ʌ/, you have to remember the rule: write it with a schwa symbol when it's unstressed, but write it /ʌ/ when it's stressed.
What is a schwa? A schwa is a vowel sound in an unstressed syllable, where a vowel does not make its long or short vowel sound. It usually sounds like the short /u/ sound, but is softer and weaker.
What is the schwa and how does it sound? Simply put, the schwa is a reduced, neutral vowel sound written as an upside-down and backwards e, ə, in the International Phonetic Alphabet (the universal chart of symbols, representing all the sounds languages make).
The schwa is the most common vowel sound in Australian English and is represented by the most letter combinations (graphemes).
Schwa Sound in Middle Syllables
pronounced with 2 syllables as 'famlee'. astronaut dinosaur circumstance energy poverty (people in the USA are more likely to pronounce a relaxed /ur/ sound in these words).
The sound /v/ is a voiced, labiodental, fricative consonant. Press your upper teeth against your lower lip. Breathe out and let air escape past your teeth. Your vocal cords should vibrate.
If you put your hand against your throat, you'll see that when you are saying /ʒ/ your vocal folds vibrate while in /ʃ/ the don't.
Closing diphthongs are those whose last vowel is near-high. Since both vowels have to be lax, the only two possibilities are [ɪ] and [ʊ]. Centering diphthongs ends in vowel [ə] (schwa). American English diphthongs can be explained from their British counterpart.
Introduction to /ʧ/ & /ʤ/
/ʧ/ is made of /t/ and /ʃ/. Like a diphthong, these 2 sounds together make /ʧ/. Ths sound is written as 'ch' (church) or 'tu' (nature). However, 'ch' is sometimes pronounced 'sh' /ʃ/; eg.
The sound /tʃ/ is a voiceless, alveo-palatal, affricate consonant. Press the middle of your tongue between your alveolar ridge and your soft palate. Quickly move your tongue downward while forcefully pushing air out. The air in your mouth should stop before it is released.
These letters are particularly difficult to learn, as they don't have English counterparts. The letter “ц” is a consonant with a ts sound.
To make the /ɛ/ sound:
This vowel is a mid-front vowel. Position your tongue at mid-height in your mouth, and shift it toward the front. The muscles of your lips and mouth should be relaxed.
The Russian letter "э" is pronounced [e] like in the word "edit". But be careful, remember that the Russian letter "e" is pronounced [ye] like in "yellow". You have already learnt that "и" has a sound [i], similar to "three" or "free".
The ʤ sound is a sound from the 'Consonants Pairs' group and it is called the 'Voiced palato-alveolar affricate'. This means that you create friction by first stopping the airflow with your tongue and the ridge behind your teeth, then release it through a narrow gap.