- published: 28 Apr 2008
- views: 25131
6:45
Open-Mid Back Rounded Vowel /ɔ:/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
...
published: 07 Jan 2013
Open-Mid Back Rounded Vowel /ɔ:/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
Learn and Teach Online: http://linguaspectrumplus.com
Welcome to the tenth Linguaspectrum British English pronunciation video.
In this video, we'll take a look at the open-mid back rounded vowel /ɔ:/ on our British English IPA chart.
There are eleven ways of spelling the /ɔ:/ sound.
It can be spelt with the letter combinations ar or or, as in the words war, quart, cork, horse, sword, sport, chord, and born.
/wɔ:/ /kwɔ:t/ /kɔ:k/ /hɔ:s/ /sɔ:d/ /spɔ:t/ /kɔ:d/ /bɔ:n/
It can be spelt with the letter combination ore, as in the words ore, before, more, and store.
/ɔ:/ /bɪˈfɔ:/ /mɔ:/ /stɔ:/
It can also be spelt with the letter combination our, as in court and four.
/kɔ:t/ /fɔ:/
oar and oor make the /ɔ:/ sound in the words oar, boar, door and floor.
/ɔ:/ /bɔ:/ /dɔ:/ /flɔ:/
The words fault, cause, pauper and daughter, ought to show that we can spell the /ɔ:/ sound with the letter combinations au and augh.
/fɔ:lt/ /kɔ:z/ /ˈpɔ:pə/ /ˈdɔ:tə/ /ɔ:t/
And the letter a on its own can make the /ɔ:/ sound, as in all, chalk, salt and water.
/ɔ:l/ /ʧɔ:k/ /sɔ:lt/ /ˈwɔ:tə/
The letters aw, in the words awl, saw, bawd, lawn, jaw, yawn and awful make the /ɔ:/ sound, too.
/ɔ:l/ /sɔ:/ /bɔ:d/ /lɔ:n/ /ʤɔ:/ /jɔ:n/ /ˈɔ:fʊl/
And finally, the letters ou, in the words bought and ought, also make the /ɔ:/ sound.
/bɔ:t/ /ɔ:t/
Just remember that the letter combinations we've just looked at do not always make the /ɔ:/ sound.
Like all the long vowels, the /ɔ:/ vowel has both a long and a reduced form.
We find the long form in the word saw and the reduced form in the word sort.
/sɔ:/ /sɔ:t/
Likewise, the word war has the long form, but the word walked has the reduced form.
/wɔ:/ /wɔ:kt/
The word saws has the long form, while the word sauce has the reduced form.
/sɔ:z/ /sɔ:s/
Extras: http://linguaspectrum.com/do_the_quiz.php?id=110
One problem with the /ɔ:/ sound for students is when the spelling involves the letter r.
As we saw, the letter combinations ar, or, ore, our, oar and oor can make the /ɔ:/ sound.
But remember that in British English we do not say the /r/ sound in a word unless it is the linking r.
A linking r is heard when a word ending in the letter r is followed by a word beginning with a vowel.
For example, four has no /r/ sound.
/fɔ:/
Followed by the word apples, which begins with a vowel sound, we hear the linking r.
/æplz/
Four apples
/fɔ:rˈæplz/
Likewise, the word more has no /r/ sound in it.
/mɔ:/
Follow it by a word beginning with a vowel, however, and we hear the linking r sound.
More English, please.
/mɔ:rˈɪŋglɪʃ,pli:z/
Did you also hear the linking r in the words, for example, a few moments back?
/fɔ:regˈzɑ:mpl/
There is also a tendency for students to try to pronounce the /ɔ:/ sound with two vowels when it is spelt with the au, aw or ou letter combinations.
But listen to the words, taught, saw, ought. They all have the monophthong sound /ɔ:/.
/tɔ:t/ /sɔ:/ /ɔ:t/
I have prepared an Interactive Quiz to help you learn to correctly pronounce the /ɔ:/ sound.
The quiz contains listening and writing exercises that will help you to perfect your British English pronunciation.
It's available now at Linguaspectrum.com.
If you are watching this video at YouTube, you can follow the link in the description below.
Extras: http://linguaspectrum.com/do_the_quiz.php?id=110
- published: 07 Jan 2013
- views: 3537
13:47
Pronunciation of English Vowel Sounds 4 - Central Vowels - Part 1 (with captions)
Topic: Central vowels
Practice 3 vowel sounds.
This is a lesson in TWO PARTS.
A ve...
published: 25 Feb 2011
Pronunciation of English Vowel Sounds 4 - Central Vowels - Part 1 (with captions)
Topic: Central vowels
Practice 3 vowel sounds.
This is a lesson in TWO PARTS.
A version of this video with NO CAPTIONS is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5taVwmmWlo
NOTE: I'm very sorry to announce as of January 2012 links to EnglishCafe will no longer be active due to the site closing. I was very lucky to be a part of that online community while it lasted. I'm also sorry for the loss of additional materials for learners.
TEACHERS: A related blog post is available on WordPress.
http://englishwithjennifer.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/central-vowels-polar-views/
Music credits:
"radioFlier" by Desibell retrieved from http://www.flashkit.com/loops/Pop-Rock/Pop/radioFli-desibell-5647/
"Smart, Easy Listening" by Enrique Plazaola retrieved from http://www.flashkit.com/loops/Easy_Listening/Instrumental/smart_e-Enrique_-9644/
FOR MORE MUSIC BY ENRIQUE PLAZAOLA, please visit http://www.enrique-plazaola.com/
- published: 25 Feb 2011
- views: 132509
12:19
The Close-Mid Front Unrounded Vowel /e/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Real Live Teachers at: http://linguaspectrumplus.com
Welcome to the seventh Linguaspectru...
published: 24 Oct 2012
The Close-Mid Front Unrounded Vowel /e/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Real Live Teachers at: http://linguaspectrumplus.com
Welcome to the seventh Linguaspectrum British English pronunciation video.
In this video, we'll take a look at the pure vowel sound /e/ on our British English IPA chart.
Remember that the pure vowels are the monophthongs and they are found in the top left part of the chart. There are twelve monophthongs on the chart.
Technically, the /e/ vowel sound is called the close-mid front unrounded vowel. You can learn more about these technical terms in video number 5 of this series.
Some languages, such as Arabic, Cantonese, German and Hindi, have two forms of the vowel sound /e/, each with its own quality.
This can cause confusion with the /ɪ/ vowel sound, that we looked at in video number 4, or with the /æ/ vowel sound, which we will be looking at in video number 11.
At the end of this video there are some minimal pairs exercises to help you to distinguish between, and accurately reproduce, the /e/, the /ɪ/ and the /æ/ vowel sounds.
So how is this /e/ vowel sound represented in written English?
You will be pleased to discover that this is one of the vowels that is mainly spelt one way, with the letter e.
In fact, in 96% of words with the /e/ sound in English, the /e/ sound is represented by the letter e.
Many of these words have come down to us from Old English. Words such as bed, set and let use the letter e to represent the sound /e/.
/bed/ /set/ /let/
However, you'll already have worked out that if 96% of words with the /e/ sound use the letter e, then 4% of them don't.
3% of English words with the /e/ sound in them use the letter combination ea.
Words such as breath, bread, death, dead, and head use ea to represent the /e/ sound.
/breθ/ /bred/ /deθ/ /ded/ /hed/
But, remember, not all words with ea or e in them have the /e/ sound.
Take the words breath and breathe as a good example.
/breθ/ /bri:ð/
And did you notice the word many, that I used a few sentences back? Many has the /e/ sound in it, but it uses the letter a. As does the River Thames.
/ˈmenɪ/ /temz/
And the final 1% of words in English that have the /e/ sound use a variety of letter combinations.
Notice how the /e/ sound is represented in the words in the following example sentences.
See if you can hear the /e/ sounds first, then I'll show you where they all are.
I say, when I'm dead, bury me, but Geoffrey said, on his death he'll merry be.
/hwen/ /ded/ /ˈberɪ/ /ˈʤefrɪ/ /sed/ /deθ/ /ˈmerɪ/
My friend from Leicester is deaf not dead.
/frend/ /ˈlestə/ /def/ /ded/
There are many books to read, have you read any good ones lately?
/ˈmenɪ/ /red/ /ˈenɪ/
The press said that the member was in debt.
/pres/ /sed/ /membə/ /det/
She says he ate the bread again.
/sez/ /et/ /bred/ /ˈegən/
Notice that there are two possible pronunciations for the word says, and for the word ate.
/sez/ /et/
Both says and says are acceptable, though says is preferred by over 80% of the population of Britain.
/sez/ /seɪz/
With the word, ate, both ate and ate are acceptable for British English speakers, with ate being slightly more commonly used.
/et/ /eɪt/
American English speakers do not like to use ate. They consider it non-standard.
/et/
And notice, too, the verb to read. The present form, read, and the past form, read, are spelt the same. This makes them homonyms.
/ri:d/ /red/
However, they are pronounced differently, so they are not homophones.
Read and red are homophones, however, and both have the /e/ sound in them.
/red/ /red/
- published: 24 Oct 2012
- views: 3933
10:54
Pronunciation German Vowel o
This video training explains the difference between the long close-mid vowel o and the sho...
published: 21 Nov 2012
Pronunciation German Vowel o
This video training explains the difference between the long close-mid vowel o and the short open-mid o sound. You can read more about the vowel o and other vowels here: http://www.easy-online-german.com/phonetic_script_vowels.html.
- published: 21 Nov 2012
- views: 100
1:08
Vocal Technique & Voice Training : Vocal Exercises With Mid Range Vowels for Larynx Conditioning
Learn vocal exercises with mid range vowels for larynx conditioning and vocal exercise wit...
published: 02 Feb 2008
Vocal Technique & Voice Training : Vocal Exercises With Mid Range Vowels for Larynx Conditioning
Learn vocal exercises with mid range vowels for larynx conditioning and vocal exercise with singing and vocal training tips in this free online vocal coaching video clip.
Expert: James Meny
Bio: James Meny has taught the middle voice technique for years. He is also trained in the opera & classical vocal styles & has studied under Seth Riggs, who teaches stars like Josh Groban & Stevie Wonder.
Filmmaker: Todd Sapio
- published: 02 Feb 2008
- views: 21180
7:37
The Schwa /ə/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
...
published: 28 Nov 2012
The Schwa /ə/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
Learn and Teach Online: http://linguaspectrumplus.com
In this video I am going to tell you about the most common vowel sound in British English -- the schwa.
/ə/
The symbol for this vowel sound is a lower case letter e that has been spun 180 degrees.
The /ə/ symbol is used to represent almost any unstressed British English vowel.
The schwa is a very short, neutral vowel sound that is generally heard in weakly stressed syllables.
The exact sound of this mid-central vowel depends on the consonants before and after it.
As I said, the schwa is the most common vowel sound in spoken British English.
We can find the schwa anywhere that the vowel letters, a, e, i, o, u, appear in weak syllables.
Let's have a look at an example of each vowel letter in turn, starting with the letter a.
The word about begins with a schwa.
/əˈbɑʊt/
There is also a schwa in the word woman.
/ˈwʊmən/
The next vowel letter is e, and this is a schwa in words such as taken and gentleman.
/ˈteɪkən/ /ˈʤentlmən/
After e comes i, and we find the schwa in cousin.
/ˈkʌzən/
Next comes the letter o, and this becomes the schwa in words such as eloquent and oblige.
/ˈeləkwənt/ /əˈblɑɪʤ/
The last vowel letter in the English alphabet is the letter u. We find the schwa in words such as supply and suppose.
/səˈplɑɪ/ /səˈpəʊz/
You are unlikely to have any problems with the schwa in British English words.
Just remember that the schwa is very short and the lips are not rounded when making the sound.
One problem with the schwa is when it is formed by a combination of a vowel letter and the letter r at the end of words.
You must remember that we do not normally pronounce the r sound.
Many English words, such as sofa, have a final schwa sound.
/ˈsəʊfə/
And many words end with a schwa sound even when the final vowel letter is followed by other letters.
Words ending in er, like teacher, painter, and dinner, end in the schwa sound not the /r/ sound.
/ˈti:ʧə/ /ˈpeɪntə/ /ˈdɪnə/
Likewise, words ending in or, like actor, terror, and odor, also end in the schwa sound, not the /r/ sound.
/ˈæktə/ /ˈterə/ /ˈəʊdə/
The same is true for some words ending in the letters lar.
Words such as angular, cellar, and caterpillar, all end in a schwa, not in an /r/.
/ˈæŋgjʊlə/ /ˈselə/ /ˈkætəpɪlə/
Many words ending in the letters our, end in a schwa sound, not the /r/ sound.
The British English colour for instance, and the words flour and harbour end in a schwa sound not an /r/ sound.
/ˈkʌlə/ /ˈflɑʊə/ /ˈhɑ:bə/
And the word figure, which ends in the letter combination ure, also ends in a schwa not an /r/.
/ˈfɪgə/
If any of these words that normally end in a schwa sound, rather than the /r/ sound, are followed by a word beginning with a vowel sound, we do pronounce the /r/.
This is known as a linking r.
Take the word, mother, and the word, daughter. On their own, they each end in a schwa sound, not an /r/ sound.
/ˈmʌðə/ /ˈdɔ:tə/
Combine them with the conjunction, and, which begins with the vowel sound /æ/, and we hear the /r/ sound after mother.
Mother and daughter.
/ˈmʌðər ənˈdɔ:tə/
We also find the schwa in the weak forms of function words.
A function word is a word that helps us to understand the grammatical relationships between words in a sentence.
I can hear the car engine.
/ɑɪ kən hɪə ðəˈkɑ:rˈenʤɪn/
In this sentence, the words, can and the are function words.
The words car, engine and hear are content words.
Some function words have strong and weak forms. The weak forms have the schwa sound.
In the sentence, I can hear the car engine, the modal can is the weak form and contains a schwa sound.
In the question, Can you hear the car engine?, the modal can is the strong form and has a stressed vowel not the schwa.
/kæn ju: hɪə ðəˈkɑ:rˈenʤɪn?/
The positive answer also has the strong form.
Yes, I can.
/jes, ɑɪ kæn./
In the negative answer, the word can't does not have a weak form.
/nəʊ, ɑɪ kɑ:nt./
- published: 28 Nov 2012
- views: 5242
9:29
The near-close near-back rounded vowel /ʊ/ | British English Pronunciation | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
...
published: 15 Sep 2012
The near-close near-back rounded vowel /ʊ/ | British English Pronunciation | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
Learn and Teach Online: http://linguaspectrumplus.com
An essential part of an English student's learning process. If you learn phonetics, your pronunciation will improve dramatically and quickly. If you would like coaching on phonetics or pronunciation, please sign up for Private English Classes online at http://linguaspectrumplus.com
Let's take a look at the first of the two close back vowel sounds on our British English IPA chart, shall we?
Remember that the monophthongs are the pure vowels and they are found in the top left part of the chart. There are twelve monophthongs on the chart.
Most English dialects have two close back vowels.
The two close back vowels shown on our chart are represented by the /ʊ/ and the /u:/ symbols.
Notice that the /u:/ symbol has two dots after it. As you know, this means that the vowel sound is a long vowel sound. Think of the /u:/ as the longer version of the /ʊ/.
The /ʊ/ is called the near-close near-back rounded vowel and is found in words such as foot /fʊt/.
The /u:/ is called the close back rounded vowel and is found in words such as goose /gu:s/.
Let's take a quick look at some of these technical terms, shall we?
The IPA prefers to use the terms close and open for vowels, while some linguists prefer the synonymous terms high and low.
You might come across either term when reading about vowel sounds.
The term close is the same as high, and the term open is the same as low.
In this video, I will use the terms close and open.
Close refers to the height of the tongue in the mouth. The opposite to close is open.
Close means that the tongue is at its highest point, and this is why close vowels are also called high vowels.
Open means that the tongue is at its lowest point, and this is why open vowels are also called low vowels.
There are six heights to English vowels and they range from the close vowel, or high vowel, to the open vowel or low vowel.
Near-close means that the tongue is in a similar position to a close vowel, but is less tense.
Remember that we looked at tense and lax vowels in the last video? Well, a near-close vowel is a lax variant of the tense close vowel.
A back vowel is a vowel sound made when the tongue is closest to the back of the mouth.
The opposite of a back vowel is a front vowel.
There are five degrees of backness in English vowels.
When we talk about the position of a vowel we use the height and the backness to describe the position of the tongue.
But we also use our lips to make sounds, and a third term used in describing a vowel is the shape of the lips.
When describing a vowel sound, we can say whether the lips are rounded or unrounded.
The vowel we are looking at in this video is a rounded vowel. This means that the lips form a circle when the sound is made.
Let's take a look at some of the words that we find the near-close near-back rounded vowel /ʊ/ in.
Remember that we are looking at RP pronunciation, or as close as my own accent is to it.
Many regional dialects in England pronounce the /ʊ/ vowel sound slightly differently to RP English.
The /ʊ/ vowel sound can be spelt in a number of different ways, but the sound never occurs in the final position in English words and rarely occurs in the initial position.
We can spell this vowel sound with a double letter O, as in the words look /lʊk/, foot /fʊt/ and soot /sʊt/.
Of course, you need to remember that not all words that have any of these letter combinations will have the /ʊ/ vowel sound.
Take the word tool /tu:l/, for instance. It has the double letter O but it has the longer /u:/ vowel sound.
The word door /dɔ:/ also has the double letter O, but it has the /ɔ:/ vowel sound, not the /ʊ/ sound.
Don't forget that in many English words, identical sequences of letters can have very different sounds due to the irregularities of English spelling.
We can also spell the /ʊ/ vowel sound with the letter U. In fact, this is the most common way of spelling the sound.
Here are some words that use the letter U to spell the /ʊ/ sound.
Bull /bʊl/, full /fʊl/, pull /pʊl/, pudding /ˈpʊdɪŋ/, and sugar /ˈʃʊgə/.
But the letter U does not spell the vowel sound /ʊ/ in the words dull /dʌl/ or busy /ˈbɪzɪ/.
And we can spell the vowel sound /ʊ/ with the single letter O, as in the words wolf /wʊlf/ and woman /ˈwʊmən/, but not in word /wɜ:d/, who /hu:/ or women /ˈwɪmɪn/.
And there are several other less-common ways to spell the vowel sound /ʊ/.
We can use double letter O followed by a consonant followed by a letter E. We find this in the word gooseberry /ˈgʊzbərɪ/, but not in the word goose /gu:s/.
We can use the letters OR, as in the word worsted /ˈwʊstɪd/, a type of woollen /ˈwʊlɪn/ fabric.
- published: 15 Sep 2012
- views: 6869
0:11
E
E is a vowel and the fifth letter in the ISO basic Latin alphabet. ⟨E⟩ differs little from...
published: 20 Nov 2012
E
E is a vowel and the fifth letter in the ISO basic Latin alphabet. ⟨E⟩ differs little from its derivational source, the Greek letter epsilon ⟨Ε⟩. In Semitic, the letter represented /h/ (and /e/ in foreign words), in Greek hê became epsilon with the value /e/. Etruscans and Romans followed this usage. Although Middle English spelling used ⟨e⟩ to represent long and short /e/, the Great Vowel Shift changed long /eː/ (as in me or bee) to /iː/ while short /e/ (as in met or bed) remains a mid vowel
- published: 20 Nov 2012
- views: 4
1:07
Front Vowels Spoken In Global English. Hear Now.
'Stock' -An Open Front Rounded Global English Vowel.
'Cat' -A Near-Open Front Unrounded G...
published: 27 Nov 2011
Front Vowels Spoken In Global English. Hear Now.
'Stock' -An Open Front Rounded Global English Vowel.
'Cat' -A Near-Open Front Unrounded Global English Vowel.
'Bed' -A Mid-Open Front Unrounded Global English Vowel.
'Food' -A Close Front Rounded Global English Vowel Sound
'Play' -A Close Mid-Front Unrounded Global English Vowel.
'Free' -A Close & Front Unrouned English Vowel.
- published: 27 Nov 2011
- views: 185
5:11
The Vowel in the Word Bird /ɜ:/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
...
published: 10 Dec 2012
The Vowel in the Word Bird /ɜ:/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
Learn and Teach Online: http://linguaspectrumplus.com
In this video, we are going to look at the vowel sound that we find in the word bird.
/ɜ:/
You can see that this monophthong (NOT DIPHTHONG as I stupidly said in the video) has two dots after it which indicates that it is a long vowel sound.
The /ɜ:/ sound is a central accented vowel sound with no lip rounding.
Technically, this vowel sound is the open-mid central unrounded vowel.
It is a sound that does not normally occur in other languages besides English.
Notice that on the chart, the /ɜ:/ sits next to the schwa vowel sound /ə/.
The two sounds are distinguished only by length, the schwa being short and the /ɜ:/ being longer.
As with all long vowel sounds, the /ɜ:/ also has a reduced form, which is similar to the schwa sound.
The spelling of the /ɜ:/ vowel sound is most usually a vowel letter followed by the letter r.
There are some rare exceptions, however. Aren't there always?
The word colonel, for instance, and the word milieu break the rule.
/ˈkɜ:nl/ /mi:lˈjɜ:/
Word which do not break the rule are her, service, mercy and diverse. These use the vowel letter e followed by r.
/hɜ:/ /ˈsɜ:vɪs/ /ˈmɜ:sɪ/ /dɑɪˈvɜ:s/
Turn, churn, curse, and burst use the vowel letter u followed by the letter r, as do the words fur, burn and urgent.
/tɜ:n/ /ʧɜ:n/ /kɜ:s/ /bɜ:st/
/fɜ:/ /bɜ:n/ /ˈɜ:ʤənt/
If you remember that the letter y can also be a vowel sound, then the words sir, bird, whirr, girl, myrtle also follow the rule of vowel letter plus r.
/sɜ:/ /bɜ:d/ /hwɜ:/ /gɜ:l/ /ˈmɜ:tl/
Where the letter o is preceded by the letter w and followed by the letter r, we can also have the /ɜ:/ sound.
Words such as word, world, work, worse, and worst for instance.
/wɜ:d/ /wɜ:ld/ /wɜ:k/ /wɜ:s/ /wɜ:st/
You might say the word ear, as ear, but in words like earn, earth, early and heard, you should have heard the /ɜ:/ sound.
/ɜ:n/ /ɜ:θ/ /ˈɜ:li:/ /hɜ:d/
Likewise, our becomes /ɜ:/ in words such as adjourn, journey, and scourge.
/əˈʤɜ:n/ /ˈʤɜ:nɪ/ /skɜ:ʤ/
Notice that although the words in which we find the /ɜ:/ sound normally have a vowel letter followed by the letter r, the /r/ sound is not produced.
I mentioned earlier that the /ɜ:/ sound can have a long and a reduced form.
Of the words we have just looked at, could you hear the differences? If not, try listening to them again.
- published: 10 Dec 2012
- views: 3357
Youtube results:
2:53
The Gliding Vowel in Ear /ɪə/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Interactivity: http://linguaspectrum.com/do_the_quiz.php?id=123
Welcome to the fifteenth ...
published: 06 Mar 2013
The Gliding Vowel in Ear /ɪə/ | British English Pronunciation Course | Phonetics
Interactivity: http://linguaspectrum.com/do_the_quiz.php?id=123
Welcome to the fifteenth Linguaspectrum British English pronunciation lesson.
In this lesson, we'll take a look at the /ɪə/ diphthong on our British English IPA chart.
/ɪə/ is the first diphthong we'll have looked at.
What is a diphthong?
How do we normally spell this /ɪə/ sound in English words?
If you want to learn as much as possible about the /ɪə/ sound, you will need to click the link in the video description.
Don't worry! It's not some kind of trap where I try to sell you something.
Crazy as it sounds, I give all of this stuff away for free.
I know you were hoping to sit back, watch a video and somehow come to understand how to make and use the /ɪə/ sound, but I'm a teacher and it's my responsibility to teach you.
Perhaps you feel cheated right now and want to click the dislike button?
Well, I hope you'll appreciate the amount of time and effort I've put into this for your sake.
Before you do dislike this, at least take a look at the Interactivity itself.
How do you know you don't like something if you've never tried it?
It's just a click away.
I'm sure you will be impressed.
The reason I put the Interactivities on my website, Linguaspectrum.com, is that it's the
only place that I can publish them. If I could post them on YouTube, I would.
So what is an Interactivity?
I believe that Interactivities are as close as you can get to having a real lesson with a real teacher.
I have found that for the purposes of pronunciation, an active approach to learning is necessary.
Interactivities are similar to video lessons, but with the important difference that you interact with the content rather than me just telling you what's what.
When you hear, you forget. When you see, you may remember. But when you do something, you understand how it's done.
So take a look at the link underneath this video, if you're watching this on YouTube. It'll take you straight to the Interactivity.
As I said before, you don't have to pay anything. It's completely free to use.
Bookmark the site when you get there, as I will be publishing the rest of this course there over the coming weeks.
Sign up for a free membership and I'll send you a regular email when I post new material on the site.
If you like the site, and I'm confident that you will, please tell your friends about it, and leave a comment or two on the lessons.
I hope to see you there soon.
- published: 06 Mar 2013
- views: 757
25:53
How To Do an American Accent - Part 2: Consonants and Letter Combinations
How To Do a Standard American Accent - Part 2: Consonants and Letter Combinations
Improve...
published: 14 Oct 2011
How To Do an American Accent - Part 2: Consonants and Letter Combinations
How To Do a Standard American Accent - Part 2: Consonants and Letter Combinations
Improve your consonants, learn where we change "t"s to "d"s, work the "th", and more, in this Fun, in-depth, private tutorial series with accent specialist and actress, Amy Walker. Just like one-on-one lessons, but Free! with fun tips and tricks you won't find anywhere else.
See why Amy's intuitive techniques have helped thousands of people all over the world to improve their American Accent.
All the best!
Learn More:
http://www.21accents.com/tutorials/
Reviews of Amy's Teaching Sessions:
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"I have gone through speech therapy my entire life. I have also been teased about a speech impediment my entire life. No one could convince me to open up and really work on my voice, until I met Amy. She creates a very inviting and encouraging environment. Working on a "downfall" is such a venerable time but with Amy, I was always eager to receive feedback from her. " Bo Roberts Model, Actor
"Amy is a sheer delight to work with! Her 'amiable' nature and intuitive teaching style make working with dialects both an entertaining and natural experience. I look forward to training with her again and again in the future!" Mara Junot Voice-Over Specialist
"I was talking to my husband today after practicing from our tapes, and he said that this is the best improvement in accent he had ever heard from me!"
Shikha Jain Actress
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- published: 14 Oct 2011
- views: 89285
7:54
The First Pure Vowel - /i:/ | British English Pronunciation | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
...
published: 10 Aug 2012
The First Pure Vowel - /i:/ | British English Pronunciation | Phonetics
Podcasts, Typescripts, Interactive Quizzes and Language Forum: http://linguaspectrum.com
Learn and Teach Online: http://linguaspectrumplus.com
An essential part of an English student's learning process. If you learn phonetics, your pronunciation will improve dramatically and quickly. If you would like coaching on phonetics or pronunciation, please sign up for Private English Classes online at http://linguaspectrumplus.com
The first pure vowel sound on our chart is a long vowel sound. We know it is a long vowel because it has two dots (:) after it.
The first pure vowel sound is the sound we make when we say the letter e.
E is one of the five letters in the English alphabet that represent vowels.
These letters are...
a, e, i, o, u
This long vowel sound is heard in words such as tree /tri:/, me /mi:/ and pea /pi:/.
Notice that the sound /i:/ can be spelt in many ways.
The most obvious spelling is ee as in the words week, feet, speech and screech.
/wi:k/ /fi:t/ /spi:ʧ/ /skri:ʧ/
But we can also spell the sound /i:/ using the letters ea, as in the words weak, feat, speak and scream.
/wi:k/ /fi:t/ /spi:k/ /skri:m/
But don't imagine that ea is always pronounced /i:/ in English. That would be too easy, wouldn't it?
Take the word bear. It's pronounced /beə/ which rhymes with air /eə/ not bee /bi:/.
But even beer doesn't have the /i:/ sound in it. It has the diphthong, /ɪə/ not the long vowel /i:/.
/bɪə/
But there are other combinations of letters that will give us the sound /i:/...
We can use the letter e before a consonant followed by another letter e.
For example, in the words fever, scene and complete, the first letter e is pronounced /i:/ as it is followed by a consonant and another letter e.
/fi:və/ /si:n/ /kəmˈpli:t/
But this being English, it is not always the case that an e followed by a consonant followed by another e will form the sound /i:/.
Sphere doesn't, adhere doesn't, and neither does sincere. They all use the diphthong sound /ɪə/.
/sfɪə/ /ædˈhɪə/ /sɪnˈsɪə/
A similar thing to the /i:/ formed by e consonant e happens to the letter i when it is followed by a consonant and the letter e.
For example, in the word élite the letter i is pronounced as the sound /i:/.
/eɪˈli:t/
And so it is in the word lysine, an amino acid which is a constituent of most proteins.
/ˈlaɪsi:n/
But it is not always the case that an i followed by a consonant followed by an e is pronounced /i:/.
Take the word admire, for instance. The letter i is followed by a consonant and the letter e, but the i is not pronounced as /i:/. It is pronounced as /aɪ/.
/ædˈmaɪə/
And it is the same for the word confide.
/kənˈfaɪd/
One combination of letters that gives English speakers a headache is the combination of the letter i with e or e with i.
Did you notice the word protein back there? It is spelt with the letter combination, ei, which sounds like /i:/.
/ˈprəʊti:n/
And the letter combination ie also sounds like /i:/.
It is the fact that both ei and ie sound like /i:/ that causes endless confusion for native speakers when it comes to spelling words correctly.
Take the words thief, niece and chief which have the ie combination, and the words ceiling, conceit and receipt, which have the ei combination. The sounds are nevertheless /i:/
/θi:f/ /ni:s/ /ʧi:f/ /ˈsi:lɪŋ/ /kənˈsi:t/ /rɪˈsi:t/
I was taught a simple rhyme at school which is supposed to help you to remember whether to use ie or the ei combination
i before e except after c and except when said as ay as in neighbour or weigh.
/ˈneɪbə/ /weɪ/
Of course, like everything in English, there are exceptions to the rule.
- published: 10 Aug 2012
- views: 8157
10:59
Pronunciation German Vowel a
This video shows the difference between the short a, the long a and the reduced a sound (e...
published: 21 Nov 2012
Pronunciation German Vowel a
This video shows the difference between the short a, the long a and the reduced a sound (ending -er or -r). You can read more about the vowel a and other vowels here: http://www.easy-online-german.com/phonetic_script_vowels.html
- published: 21 Nov 2012
- views: 155
