1. Presented By: Amy E. Lingenfelter
Tackling English Pronunciation
Presented By: Amy E. Lingenfelter

2. Tackling English Pronunciation

3. Overview of Course:
Day/Step 1: Overview, warm up, voiced vs. voiceless consonants, phonetic symbols
Day/Step 2: Consonants
Day/Step 3: Consonant Clusters
Day/Step 4: Vowels
Day/Step 5: Vowel Clusters
Day/Step 6: Stress and Rhythm
Day/Step 7: Sounds in Connected Speech
Day/Step 8: Intonation
Day/Step 9: Sounds and Grammar
Day/Step 10: Pronouncing Written Words
Day/Step 11: Informal Speech and Idioms
Day/Step 12: Wrap up/Practice Test/Review

4. Today’s Class: Tongue twisters to warm up tongue:
Finish watching videos on vowel physiology of short vowels
Vowel differentiation exercises according to your needs: Speaking and Listening
“Pronunciation Plus” exercises:
Unit 1: Pgs. 3-4, #1, 2, 6, 10, 13
Unit 2: Pgs. 6-7 #1, 2, 4
Unit 3: Pgs. 8-9 #1, 2, 3

5. Let’s Warm Up Our Tongues:
“Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.”
“A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.”
“I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.”
“Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.”
“Betty Botter bought some butter
But she said the butter’s bitter
If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter
But a bit of better butter will make my batter better
So ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter”

6. Phonetic Symbols: ʔ
batman ɛ/
er/
ir/ ur ɔ/
raw
America ɾ
butter /y

7. Please Write the Following Words Using Phonetic Symbols:
Onomatopoeia /ɒnəmɒdəpi:ə/
Oasis- /əʊeɪsɪs/
Mutton- /mʌʔən/ or
/mʌtən/
Analogy- /ənælədʒɪ/
Purpose- /pɜ:pəs/
Shouldn’t- /ʃʊdənt/
Armaggedon- /ɑ:məɡɛdən/
Furor- /fjɜ:rɔ:/ or /fjɜ:rɜ:/
Pouring- /pɔ:rɪŋ/ or /pɔ:ri:ŋ/
Maiden- /meɪdən/
Alcoholic- /ælkəhɒlɪk/
Matter- /mædɜ:/ or /mætər/
Rastafarian- /rɒstəfɑ:ri:ən/
Rhinoceros- /raɪnɒsərəs/ or
/raɪnɒsɜ:rəs/
Mousehole- /maʊshəʊl/

8. Some General Truths:
Short vowels are called short vowels because they involve more constriction of airflow in the mouth and/or vocal tract
(/æ/…/e/ &/ɛ/…/ɪ/…/ɒ/.../ʌ/)
Long vowels are drawn-out and have less constriction in the mouth and/or vocal tract
The long vowels in English are similar to the Spanish vowels in articulation, except in Spanish the airflow is more constricted.

9. Some General Truths: LONG I- /aɪ/(bite)- like “aaii”
Any vowel that you think is the same in Spanish, like all the long vowels, in English are pronounced with less constriction, with a change or rounding/closing of the vowel at the end of the utterance (sound):
LONG A- /eɪ/ (bate)- like “eeeee-i”
LONG E- /i:/ (beat)- like “iiiiiiiii-y”
LONG I- /aɪ/(bite)- like “aaii”
LONG 0- /əʊ/ (boat)- like “ooo-u”
LONG U- /u:/ (boot)- like “uuuu-w”

10. Some General Truths:
American English vowels tend to be very “lazy,” with a more relaxed tongue, and “softer” than Spanish:
All short vowels: /æ/; /e/ &/ɛ/; /ɪ/; /ɒ/; and /ʌ/
/ʊ/ (good)
/ə/ (America)
Many American English vowels tend to be produced more in the back of the tongue or throat

11. Vowel Sounds
Phonics:

12. Watch these videos: Video: Articulatory Phonetics: Vowels:

13. Watch these videos: Video: Overview of short vowel sounds:

14. Watch these videos: Video: Pronouncing /æ/: (“can”)
Video: Pronouncing /ɛ/: (“Ken”)
Video: Pronouncing /ɪ/: (“kin”)
Video: Pronouncing /ɒ/: (“con”)
Video: Pronouncing /ʌ/: (“cun”)

15. Some General Truths Specific to Native Spanish Speakers:
Native Spanish speakers seem to have the most difficulty differentiating the following phonemes:
/i:/ as in “leak” vs. /ɪ/ as in “lick”
/ɒ/ as in “cop” vs. /ʌ/ as in “cup”
/æ/ as in “sat” vs. /e/ &/ɛ/ as in “set”
/ɪ/ as in “fill” vs. /ʊ/ as in “full”
/ʊ/ as in “should” vs. /u:/ as in “shoot”
/ʊ/ as in “full” vs. /ʌ/ as in “fun”

16. Some General Truths Specific to Native Spanish Speakers:
Native Spanish speakers and others also have difficulty with:
/ɔ:/ as in “talk” vs. /ʌ/ as in “tuck”
/ɔ:/ as in “talk” vs. /ɒ/ as in “tock”
/ə/ as in “America” vs. /ʌ/ as in “Mutton”

17. Watch these videos: Videos: /i:/ as in /sheep/ vs. /ɪ/ as in /ship/:
Videos: /i:/ as in /sheep/ vs. /aɪ/ as in /shy/:

18. Differentiation Practice:
/i:/ vs. /ɪ/
/i:/ as in “leak” vs. /ɪ/ as in “lick:”
A) Leak B) Lick
A) Sheep B) Ship
A) Beat B) Bit
A) Keen B) Kin
A) Steal B) Still
A) Jean B) Gin
A) Leave B) Live
Now let’s practice with a partner!

19. Differentiation Practice:
/ɒ/ vs. /ʌ/
/ɒ/ as in “cop” vs. /ʌ/ as in “cup”
A) Cop B) Cup
A) Lock B) Luck
A) Snob B) Snub
A) Ron B) Run
A) Tock B) Tuck
A) Doll B) Dull
Now let’s practice with a partner!

20. Differentiation Practice:
/æ/ vs. /e/ &/ɛ/
/æ/ as in “sat” vs. /e/ &/ɛ/ as in “set”
A) Sat B) Set
A) Can B) Ken
A) Sand B) Send
A) Ram B) R.E.M.
A) Pack B) Peck
A) Gas B) Guess
Now let’s practice with a partner!

21. Differentiation Practice:
/ɪ/ vs. /ʊ/
/ɪ/ as in “fill” vs. /ʊ/ as in “full”
A) Fill B) Full
A) Kid B) Could
A) Ship B) Should
A) Git B) Good
A) Pit B) Put
A) Fit B) Foot
Now let’s practice with a partner!

22. Differentiation Practice:
/ʊ/ vs. /u:/
/ʊ/ as in “should” vs. /u:/ as in “shoot”
A) Should B) Shoot
A) Could B) Coot
A) Full B) Fool
A) Soot B) Suit
A) Roof B) Roof
A) Put B) Poot
Now let’s practice with a partner!

23. Differentiation Practice:
/ʊ/ vs. /ʌ/
/ʊ/ as in “full” vs. /ʌ/ as in “fun”
A) Full B) Fun
A) Put B) Putt
A) Shook B) Shuck
A) Book B) Buck
A) Look B) Luck
Now let’s practice with a partner!

24. Differentiation Practice:
/ɔ:/ & /ɔ/ vs. /ʌ/
/ɔ:/ & /ɔ/ as in “talk” vs. /ʌ/ as in “tuck”
A) Talk B) Tuck
A) Stalk B) Stuck
A) Shawn B) Shun
A) Caught B) Cut
A) Fought B) Fut
Now let’s practice with a partner!

25. Differentiation Practice:
/ɔ:/ & /ɔ/ vs. /ɒ/
/ɔ:/ & /ɔ/ as in “talk” vs. /ɒ/ as in “tock”
A) Talk B) Tock
A) Stalk B) Stock
A) Caught B) Cot
A) Bought B) Bot
A) Raw
Now let’s practice with a partner!

26. Differentiation Practice:
/ə/ vs. /ʌ/
/ə/ as in “America” vs. /ʌ/ as in “Mutton”
A) America B) Money
A) Purpose B) Enough
A) Maria B) Rut
A) Shouldn’t B) Nut
A) Maiden B) Dungeon
A) Syllabus B) Bus
Now let’s practice with a partner!

27. Homework:
Watch the section of each video for each short vowel where Rachel talks about the physiology (tongue and mouth formation) of each. Please record for each vowel:
The position of tongue (height and closeness to bottom front teeth)
The position of mouth (open, closed, spread apart)
Is the tongue relaxed or tense, and where specifically is it this way?

28. Voiced vs. Voiceless Consonants: