In today's lesson, we looked at the vowels /i/ and /ɪ/. These vowels are both high front vowels, and many non-native speakers have difficulty distinguishing these two vowels. This may be because your native language has only one high front vowel, /i/. The best way to work on these vowel sounds is to practice on the /ɪ/ vowel and establish a strong vowel /ɪ/, then work to make sure your /i/ vowel is distinct. Vowel /ɪ/ is lax, which means the tongue and facial muscles are more relaxed for this vowel sound than for the tense /i/ vowel. The tongue is also slightly lower in the mouth than for the /i/ vowel, but this difference can be hard to feel. Use the video below to work on these two vowels. In day 21, we talked about anchor words for vowel sounds. For /i/, I use green leaf. For /ɪ/, I use pink pig. To work on these vowels, practice common words for vowel /ɪ/: didn’t different it is live if been his Listen to and practice contrasts - minimal pairs, and mixed phrases: eat it bead bid leave live read rid eat fish be sick he is is she it needs with me When you are ready, add repeated phrase practice for vowel /ɪ/: is it _____ ready, time, yours, mine with the ____ group, computer, weather did you ____ hear, say, know, talk Use the videos below for even more practice.
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In today's lesson, we looked at the accent error pattern of devoicing final consonants. This is one of the most common accent error patterns, and it affects words ending in the following consonants:
/d/ example, need sounds like neat /z/ example, was sounds like wass /g/ example, big sounds like bick /b/ example, web sounds like wep /dʒ/ example, edge sounds like etch /v/ example, have sounds like half To correct this error pattern, practice 2 word phrases, linking the final voiced consonant to the next word. Keep your voice going through the phrase, with little or no break between the words. For example, try these phrases: have it leave it move it need it read it was it is it the edge of the judge of a bag of a leg up
Today in the 30-Day Challenge we talked about American TH. You can use the playlist below to help you work on your TH sounds.
For most people, accent errors on TH result from incorrect placement and manner of articulation. Your tongue should rest gently between your teeth, not behind them or pushing against them. The air should flow and there should be a noisy friction sound. If you can't hold your th sound, you probably need to move your tongue and make sure that you are not blocking the air from flowing. Use a mirror to help you see where you are placing your tongue as you try your TH sounds. Practice on common words. Voiced TH /ð/: them the this those there Voiceless TH /θ/: with both teeth think three If words are too difficult at first., try syllables: the thee thoo they thah though eeth ooth ahth ehth ith oth When you are comfortable using the American TH sound in words, move on to repeated phrase practice, for example: those people, those shoes, those things, those words, etc. with me, with him, with them, with the car, with the group, etc. In today's lesson, we looked at how spelling can affect pronunciation. We talked about letters that can represent multiple sounds, like s (read more about how s say z here), vowel sounds, and letters that have "hidden sounds." We looked at hidden sounds before final l, between vowels and letter x. Here's some help with final L: More Help for L: https://www.speechmodification.com/blog/how-to-pronounce-the-american-l Syllabic L: Sometimes, an l at the end of the word functions as a syllabic l. That is to say, it has its own syllable, and functions as a vowel and a consonant. It sounds like /əl/, with a very short unstressed schwa (uh) sound before it. Here are some frequently used words with syllabic l:
Check out this video for hidden sounds between vowels:
In today's lesson, we reviewed the American English vowels. I suggested learning "anchor words," or words to help you remember the vowel sounds and have a basis for comparison for new words. You can look up any word in the dictionary and see the IPA symbol to know what the vowel is. I recommend the Oxford Learner's Dictionary.
You might find it helpful to use these similar and minimal pair words to listen for the differences between vowels. Look at the vowel quadrangle below and listen to the recording of these words.
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