2.1.4. e/æ
有些词典，针对美式发音，常常会用 ɛ 标注 e 这个音[1]。
Some dictionaries often use ɛ to annotate the American English sound of e.
æ 相当于是 e 的更长版本。虽然 æ 后面没有长元音符号 ː，但它的确比其它短元音长，算作半长元音。
æ can be deemed as a more extended version of e. Even though there's no long vowel symbol ː following æ, it is longer than other short vowels, and is a semi-long vowel.
亚洲人在读这个音的时候，经过提醒，都能做到把嘴巴张得相对更大一点，但都会不由自主地将它读成更短的版本。
When Asians try to pronounce this sound, once reminded, they can usually open their mouths a bit wider, but they often unconsciously make the sound shorter than it should be.
æ 的发音有两个要点:
- 音拉长一点
- 嘴张大一点
There are two key points to pronouncing æ:
- Stretch the sound a little longer
- Open your mouth wider
其中，第一个要点相对更为重要。你可以多试试这两个词，apple ˈæpəl，banana bəˈnænə，并刻意把其中的 æ 拉得更长一点。
The first point is relatively more important. Try saying these two words: apple ˈæpəl and banana bəˈnænə, and try intentionally stretching the æ a little longer.
In IPA, e is actually pronounced more like eɪ, a front, closed, unrounded vowel, while e in CEPD is equivalent to ɛ in IPA, a front, open-mid, unrounded vowel. ↩︎