What happens with the English consonants don't exist in the mother tongue?

It is true that some English consonants do not exist within the mother tongue of many languages across the globe.

When this happens, it presents real challenges to the emerging English speaker.  They are likely to use a sound that approximates to or is made in a similar spot to the English sound.

This causes confusion to the ears of their listeners.

Learning professionals in the fields of language, voice and speech know this.  They have identified which sounds are approximated, which sounds are confused and which sounds simply don't exist.


With attention, focus and practice it is possible to learn the sounds, recognise the spelling combinations they may attract, and replicate them accurately in emerging English speakers.

Resources and learning tools are available to help you learn, practise and integrate the sounds into your spoken English.  Contact me to find out more.

English consonants - Where and how they are made

In July 2011, I listed the family of consonants in English via the the quality of their sound.  Here they are again.

This time they are listed according to where they are made.  As you explore the list, imagine that I am moving from the front of face into the mouth travelling towards the rear of the mouth and throat.

In all cases, the technical term is followed by an explanation and the sound or sound pairs in words:

• bi-labial (both lips)  as in put and butter; mountain; and the semi-vowel represented by w and wh

•  labio-dental (top teeth and bottom lip)  as in fine and vine

• pre-dental  (tongue tip and top teeth) as in with and then

• alveolar (dental ridge and tongue tip or tongue blade in a range of complete or partial connections) as in ten and den; said and zest; nest; ran; limit, William and well

• palato-alveolar (towards rear of dental ridge and tongue blade) as in shall and pleasure; church and judge

• palatal (central hard palate and central tongue) in the semi-vowel represented by the letter y as in yellow and yacht

• velar (uvula and the back of the tongue) as in king and gun; and the sound represented by the letters ng in words like king, fang and song

• glottal (back of the throat and just above the vocal folds) as in hello

 It is normal for people who speak several languages to approximate these sounds to ones that they use in their mother tongue and those that are most familiar to them.

Of interest is that people who are learning English for the first time will hear some of these sounds differently cmpared with many native English speakers. 

It is common practise to teach the sounds of the language through both the quality of the sound and the place of its creation.  Yes, it is a slow process, but worth the time and effort.

Explore more about accent adjustments and make contact with me to discuss your individual requirements.

Pronunciation Offer - Multi-Syllable Feedback

This follows my recent article about stress in English.

Words of 3 and more syllables can be problematic, particularly if you’ve grown up knowing one pronunciation and you find yourself in a country where the stress is different from your custom.

Here is my offer to you:  Via email, send me a list of twenty words that you struggle with, stumble over or are unsure of when you speak.  In your email, include your name, a skype name or contact number in Australia. 

Then, record these words via +61 3 8610 0193.  I’ll get back to you with some feedback and we can even have a chat about how to make future changes to the way you use stress in English.

 

I look forward to hearing from you!

Stress in Multi-Syllable Words

This follows my recent blog article about stress in English.  Words of 3 and more syllables can be problematic, particularly if you’ve grown up knowing one pronunciation and you find yourself in a country where the stress convention is different from your custom. 

Here is my offer to you:  Via email, send me a list of twenty words that you struggle with, stumble over or are unsure of when you speak.

In your email, include your name, a skype name or contact number in Australia.

Then, record your twenty words (or use these ones) via +61 3 8610 0193 and remember to send me your details via email.

I’ll get back to you with some feedback and we can even have a chat about how to make future changes to your pronunciation, enunciation and the way you use stress in English.

I look forward to hearing from you!

The Neutral Vowel and Stress in English

The neutral vowel, also called the 'shwa', arises in words where no stress on the vowel is present.  Let me explain.

There are three types of stress in English words:

• Full stress occurs, where the voice gives weight to the entire vowel sound so that it is audible and dominant  e.g. wave; view; sat; sift; perch, also implicit, important and effective
• Half stress occurs, where the voice gives partial weight to the vowel sound so that it is audible but not dominant in the word.  Half stress occurs in words of two or more syllables   e.g. implicit; important; effective
• No stress occurs, when the voice glides over the actual vowel sound and reduces or neutralises it.  No stress occurs in words of two and more syllables such as about, feather, measure and also in implicit, important, effective

Listen to this as an example of how to manage the stress in these words.

For more information about when, where and how to use stress in English, contact me via the Voice & Word website

Semi-Vowels - Why are they called this?

There are two semi-vowels in English:

•  The sound (or sounds) represented by the letters wh and w as in which, where, why and want, wine, weather

• The sound represented by the letter y as in yonder, yesterday, year, yellow and yacht.

They are identified as semi-vowels because they are neither full vowels (where the tongue position in relation to the hard palate combined with the shape of the lips influence the quality of the sound) nor full consonants (where two organs of speech come together, fully or in part, to create a unique sound).

In some English speaking countries you will still hear the difference between wh (which is voiceless and aspirated) and w (which is voiced). In others, there is no marked difference between these two sounds.

English Consonants - Quality of sound

As mentioned previously, we can categorise consonants via the quality of their sound.  Here is the full list of English consonants listed via alphabetic letters (rather than phonetic symbols) in relation to their quality of sound.  In each list the voiceless preceeds the voiced sound:

• Plosive           put butter;  ten den; king gun;

• Fricative         fine vine; with then;  said zest; shall pleasure; hello;

• Affricative      church judge;

• Nasal             mountain;  nest;  and king  (voiced through nose)

• Rolled            ran (voiced)

• Lateral           limit William well (voiced)

It is important to be aware that regional differences occur across the English-speaking world.  Take these into account when working with spoken English in your country and city

Of interest is that people who are learning English for the first time will hear some of these sounds differently cmpared with many native English speakers.  For instance, the lateral sound can be influenced by its proximity to some vowels and consonants; this accounts for some of the differences in the quality of the sound that occur.  It can be most confusing to new learners of the language!

Explore more about accent adjustments and make contact with me to discuss your individual requirements.