Improving your Pronunciation

Transcription

1 Consonant Test Improving your Pronunciation 1. Is there a threat of World War Three? After a third war, many think there will be nothing left on earth. We must be thankful for peace. (/θ/) 2. My mother and father loathe northern weather. They prefer the climate of the southern states. (/ δ /) 3. We would like to see the Seven Wonders of the World. (/w/) 4. The strong young men are exercising this morning. They are running long distances. (/ŋ/) 5. George is majoring in education. He will graduate from college next June. (/dž/) 6. The United States started with 13 small states. Now there are 50 states spread from east to west. (/s/ + consonant cluster) 7. Lazy cows graze in the fields of New Zealand. The pleasant breeze blows from the seas. (/z/) 8. Year after year, millions of people visit New York. Young and old enjoy the sights. (/y/) 9. Leave the veal and gravy in the oven. Vicky wants to keep it very hot. She will serve everyone at seven. (/v/) 10. Heaven helps those who help themselves. Anyhow, hard work never hurt anyone. (/h/) 11. I m coming home for Christmas. As the poem says: Wherever you may roam, there s no place like home. (/m/) 12. I can see him through the trees. He can t see us.

2 Vowels Improving your Pronunciation Short vowels: /I/ Tim s sister swims a little bit. Spelling: i (closed syllable: C-V-C) /ε/ Ten times seven is seventy. Spelling: e (closed syllable: C-V-C) /æ/ /a/ Many animals inhabit Africa. Africa has camels, giraffes, parrots and bats. Spelling: a (closed syllable: C-V-C) Doctors say jogging is good for the body. Lots of starch causes heart problems. Spelling: o (closed syllable: C-V-C); a or ea occasionally before r /ɔ/ /υ/ The author gave a long talk in the office. The small audience thought it was boring. Spelling: o + ng, au, a+lk, a+ll, ou+ght, and others occasionally. Would you look for my cookbook? It should be full of hints for good cookies and pudding. Spelling: ou+ld, u+ll, usually oo /ə/ The southern governor is Republican. The public election was fun. He won by one hundred votes. Spelling: Many different possibilities, often including o or u. Long Vowels: /iy/ Please believe that sweet peas and beans are good to eat at least twice a week. Spelling: Often: ea, ee; e before silent final e /ey/ /ow/ /uw/ Maine is a state in the northern United States. It s a great place for a vacation. Spelling: Often: ai; a before silent final e, a (in open syllable), rarely ea The North Pole is close to the Arctic Ocean. It s known for polar bears, snow, and severe cold. Spelling: ow, o in open syllable, o before silent final e Who flew to the moon? Numerous lunar flights are in the news. Spelling: final o, ew, oo, u (in open syllable) Diphthongs: /aw/ /ay/ /oy/ Owls are now found throughout the world. They avoid crowds and make loud sounds. Spelling: ow, ou Eyesight is vital for a normal life. I prize mine highly. Spelling: eye, I, igh, i before silent final e, i (in open syllable) The auto industry is a loyal employer in Detroit. People enjoy their choice of cars. Spelling: oy, oi Others: /ɚ/ Nurses do worthy work. They certainly deserve a word of praise. Spelling: Vowel (usually e, o, u) before r

3 References: Improving your Pronunciation Websites: American Accent American English Pronunciation Practice: Fonetiks Phonetics: The sounds of American English Pronouncing English Sounds Pronunciation Textbooks (some are quite old, but still good): Baker, Ann and Goldstein, Sharon. Pronunciation Pairs: An introductory course for students of English. Cambridge University Press Bowan, J. Donald. Patterns of English Pronunciation. Newbury House Publishers, Dale, Paulette and Poms, Lillian. English Pronunciation for Spanish Speakers: Consonants. Prentice-Hall, Dale, Paulette and Poms, Lillian. English Pronunciation for Spanish Speakers: Vowels. Prentice-Hall, Gilbert, Judy B. Clear Speech, Pronunciation and listening comprehension in North American English. Cambridge University Press, Lane, Linda. Focus on Pronunciation: Principles and Practice for Effective Communication. Longman, Orion, Gertrude F. Pronouncing American English: Sounds, Stress and Intonation. Heinle & Heinle Publishers, Prator, Clifford H., Jr. and Robinett, Betty Wallace. Manual of American English Pronunciation. Third Edition. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., (Annotation: THE classic)

4 rom Macmillan Essential Dictionary for Learners of American English, p. 482.

5 Improving your Pronunciation JoAnn Miller Editorial Macmillan What you need to do to improve your pronunciation First realize you have a problem Then investigate how to correct it Finally, practice, practice, practice Types of Errors Errors that cause a foreign accent Errors that impede communication A test: Consonants Listen while I read the sentences. In pairs, A: reads sentences B: circles the underlined sounds that were mispronounced Then change roles Why do you have pronunciation problems? Places of Articulation Spanish Labial p Labio- Dental Dental t Alveolar Palatal Velar k Glottal Stop (Occlusive) b d g f s χ Fricative tš Affricate Nasal m n ñ Liquid l, r Glide w y Bilabial Labiodental Interdental English Stop (Occlusive) Labial p b Interdental Labio- Dental Alveolar t d Palatal Velar k g Glottal f θ s š h Fricative v δ z ž tš Affricate dž Nasal m n ŋ Liquid l, r Glide w y Alveolar Palatal Velar Is there a threat of World War Three? After a third war, many think there will be nothing left on earth. We must be thankful for peace. (/θ/) My mother and father loathe northern weather. They prefer the climate of the southern states. (/ δ /) Interdental / θ / -/ δ / th- / θ /: think, bathtub, mouth / δ /: though, mother, smooth Can cause communication problems: / θ /-/t/; / δ /-/d/ Don t exist in Spanish ([δ] is variant of /d/) We would like to see the Seven Wonders of the World. (/w/) /w/ bilabial / velar Spelling: w (want, when, way, would) Spanish speakers tend to pronounce with initial /g/ Spelling: TH

6 The strong young men are exercising this morning. They are running long distances. (/ŋ/) / ŋ / Spelling: ng (single, strong, swinger, sing) Doesn t exist in Spanish except as variant of /n/ in some coastal dialects) Replaced with /n/ or /ng/ Typical of Spanish accent and can cause confusion. George is majoring in education. He will graduate from college next June. (/dž/) Voiced / dž / j, g, gg, dg, (jam, gym, agent, injure, suggest, age, edge) Doesn t exist in Spanish except as variant of /y/ Spelling problems Replaced by /tš/, /y/ The United States started with 13 small states. Now there are 50 states spread from east to west. (/s/ + consonant cluster) Tendency to add an e before the s to break the cluster and make it a separate syllable. Clusters many more in English than in Spanish Consonant clusters Spanish (initial only) bl / br cl / cr dr fl / fr gl / gr pl tl / tr English (just some of them) Initial: pr / pl / py / tr / tw / kr / kl / ky / kw / br / bl / by / dr / dw / gl / fr /fl / fy / sf / sl / sw / šr /sp / st / sk / sm / sn / sl / spr / str / skr Final: rl / rn / rm / rf / rs / rz / rp / rb / rt / rd / rtθ / rdθ / rk / rg / ln / lm / lf / lv / lp / lt / ld / lk / mp / nt / nd / / ft / sp / st / sk / pt / kt / pt / kt / ft / θt / st / bd / gd / vd / δd / md / ŋd / zd / ts / ks / rld / rbd / rvd / lvd / nzd / rdžd / dzd / mpt / mpf / ntθ / nts / ltθ / lts / ltδ / ksθ / mtθ / rmpθ / ksθs / ksts / rsts / mpts / mpfs / mpft / mpst / ntθs / ntst / ntkθs / ltst / ltθs Lazy cows graze in the fields of New Zealand. The pleasant breeze blows from the seas. (/z/) Alveolar /z/ -z, zz, s (zoo, lazy, easy, these, buzz, his) /z/ is variant of /s/ in Spanish; before a nasal (mismo, desde) Errors in /z/ can cause communication problems and accent: this-these Year after year, millions of people visit New York. Young and old enjoy the sights. (/y/) /y/ palatal y, i, u (yet, union, amuse, usual) Spanish initial /y/ is often pronounced /dž/ Spelling can cause problems Typical of Spanish accent Leave the veal and gravy in the oven. Vicky wants to keep it very hot. She will serve everyone at seven. (/v/) Labiodental /v/ -v (f) (very, even, love, of) /v/ does not exist in Spanish; can cause accent problems Heaven helps those who help themselves. Anyhow, hard work never hurt anyone. (/h/) Glottal /h/ -h (he, who, ahead, inherit) Similar to Spanish velar / χ / (spelled g or j), but / χ / is stronger. Can cause accent problems. I m coming home for Christmas. As the poem says: Wherever you may roam, there s no place like home. (/m/) /m/ m, mm (milk, animal, summer, him) Vowel problem: I can see him through the trees. He can t see us. Sound is same Spanish no word final /m/-replaced with /n/ I c n see him through the trees. He can t see us. Typical of Spanish accent

7 Vowels: Why are there problems? Spanish Vowels i u English Vowels e o a Long/Short Vowels: /iy/-/i/ -- these / this /ey/ - /ε/ -- bait / bet /a/--same pronunciation, but spelled o /æ/ --no equivalent in Spanish, spelled a Diphthongs: /aw/, /ay/ and /oy/--no real problem Spanish /i/ Spanish /e/ Back vowels: /uw/, /ow/--similar to Spanish, longer, spelling /υ/--no equivalent in Spanish / /--no equivalent in Spanish /ə/--most common vowel sound in English and no equivalent in Spanish. Spelling English vowel spelling often doesn t seem logical There are some rules: A vowel followed by a silent -e says its name. Some short vowel appear in closed syllables. A vowel followed by a silent -e says its name. Vowel names From alphabet: A - /ey/ E - /iy/ I - /ay/ O - /ow/ U - /uw/ Examples name, tale these, believe ice, bite rope, hole rule, tune Short vowel appear in closed syllables. Closed syllable: C-V-C red, hit, sill Short vowels I (bit, rip, win) ε (red, set, bell) æ (cat, mat, rat) a (mop, sod, rot) Spanish: one kind of word stress English: two kinds strong: Gérman medial: bédròom Many rules Word stress Why is it important? All unstressed vowels in English as reduced to schwa -- / ə / dìf-fer-én-ti-à-ted I ə ε I ey ə How can you know?? From Macmillan Essential Dictionary for Learners of American English, p. 482.

8 Intonation English and Spanish are very similar Statements: falling intonation Interrogative word questions: rising Yes/No questions: rising Differences: English has more levels of intonation Rhythm Serious problem, but very difficult to correct Spanish: syllable timed each syllable has the same duration English: stressed timed unstressed, reduced syllables are shortened. Spanish Rhythm English Rhythm Prator, Cli fford H., Jr. and Robinett, Betty Wallace. Manual of American English Pronunciation. Third Edition. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., How you can improve? Practice: With friends Alone Record yourself Be constantly aware Choose one problem at a time Websites

9 Thank you very much JoAnn Miller Handout available at: