These are "o" vowel sounds. The main characteristic is that /ͻ:/ is a long, mid-close, back sound, while /ɒ/ is a short, open, back sound. This means that the first "o" is produced with a half open mouth and it's "felt" at the back of the cavity; the second "o" is produced with an open mouth, and it'll be "felt" at the back of the mouth cavity as well.
Our Spanish "o" is an open vowel sound which, like the other vowels, is produced in pretty much the same way in all words. Naturally, variations do occur, but they are not as striking as to make the listener confused as to what word is being uttered.
Some Spanish words: otro, Osvaldo, corto, oro, ahora, deletreo.
Some examples in English for /ͻ:/ : awesome, court, law, short, although, lord, August, floor, call.
Some examples for /ɒ/ : orange, lock, pot, wrong, olive, Oliver, Scotland.
As for all vowel sounds in English, it is vital to produce them as accurately as possible to avoid confusion or misunderstanding. For instance:
/pɒt/ is "pot", and /pͻ:t/ is "port". These are called "minimal pairs, which means that two utterances differ only in one sound.
Tip: when practising, try to make /ɒ/ as short as possible, with a relaxed, open but not "round" mouth. This will help you to feel the difference between this sound and the Spanish "o" (which is rounder and more open)
For /ͻ:/ your mouth should be round-shaped, and closer than for /ɒ/. You should also be able to feel a little tension, which contrasts with our "o" in Spanish.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave your comments, or ask questions about this topic. You are also welcome to suggest other topics for further discussion. Thank you!
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