2.1.2. 舌位（Tongue Positions）
元音发声时舌身的位置很重要。以下展示的是每个元音发声时对应的舌身位置。我们靠移动下巴控制口型的大小，下巴张开得越大，舌身位置相对越低，同时舌身位置也越靠后[1]。
The position of your tongue is crucial when pronouncing vowels. The following shows the corresponding tongue position for each vowel sound. We control the shape of our mouth by moving our jaw. The wider we open our jaw, the lower and further back the tongue position will be.
舌身的位置决定口腔内气流共振空间的大小，进而可以配合不同的唇形发出不同的元音。
The position of your tongue in your mouth determines the size of the resonance space for airflow, which, when paired with different mouth shapes, produces various vowel sounds.
虽然舌身位置很重要，但 “控制舌身位置” 对绝大多数人来说并不现实 —— 你试试就知道了。
While the position of the vocal cords is crucial, trying to consciously control it isn't realistic for most people - just give it a go and you'll see.
以下是朗读一些单词的时候发声器官活动情况的 3D 展示[2]，可以格外注意一下舌身的位置变动：
Here's a 3D illustration showcasing the activity of articulators when pronouncing certain words, please pay special attention to changes of the tongue positions:
幸运的是，练习美式发音的时候，只有一种情况需要我们主动控制舌身位置并专门练习 —— ə 的儿化音（ɚ 和 ɝː），参见 2.1.5。
Fortunately, when practicing American pronunciation, there's only one situation where we need to actively control and practice the position of the vocal cords - the r-colored vowel sound in ə (represented as ɚ and ɝː). Please refer to section 2.1.5 for more information.
另外，iOS 上有一个 APP，The Phonetics 3D，一个日本人做的软件，$7.99 的价格，可以看到每个单词朗读时口腔内部的活动情况，很是实用：
Additionally, there's an app on iOS called The Phonetics 3D, created by a Japanese developer, priced at $7.99, and it allows you to see the movements inside the mouth when pronouncing each word, being extremely helpful.
Figure adapted from FUNDAMENTALS OF PHONETICS: a practical guide for students 5th Edition, by Larry H. Small, 2019. Page 55 ↩︎