#51: American English pronunciation comparison of long e, short e and short i sounds
#51: American English pronunciation comparison of long e , short e and short i sounds
Video podcast of the pronunciation of the long e , short e and short i sounds.
Transcript
Hi everyone, and welcome to Seattle Learning Academy's 51st American English Pronunciation Podcast, and our fourth video podcast. My name is Mandy.
The show today is about comparing the short i sounds the short e and long e, which is where I hear tons of problems. This show is taken from Video Lesson 3, which is available in its entirety to Pronuncian subscribers. You can see it by joining Pronuncian, logging in, and going to the materials page. You'll also get the MP3 minimal pairs practice and quizzes for all of these sounds. It's a good deal. Today we're going to watch a short portion of the video, which explains what is happening inside the mouth during these sounds, then I'm going to come back to the screen and read some minimal sets. I want you to see me read these sets so you can see that the lips are NOT what set these sounds apart. Our lips to not need to be tight and pulled apart at the corners during the long e sound. The long e sounds like this (long e). Notice that my lips are relaxed. I do NOT need to say it like this (tight long e). I can, and I will get the same sound, but, because it is so much more mouth movement, it is actually much harder to do. The more you need to move your mouth to create a sound, the less likely you are to do it. These sounds are created inside the mouth, not on the outside.
Let's watch. I'm going to compare the long e , short i , and short e sound because all of these sounds happen with the placement of the tongue in the middle of the mouth. The long e has the tongue the highest, then it lowers slightly for the short i , then lowers a little more for the short e . Listen to all three sounds, long e , short i , then short e .
( long e , short i , short e )
Say those sounds with me, noticing your tongue placement. All three sounds have relaxed lips.
( long e , short i , short e
Now I'm going to say some minimal sets of these sounds. I'll say the short e, which is the lowest tongue position, then the short i, which is in the middle, then the long e, which is the highest. I'll give you time to repeat after me. Try for really good accuracy in these sounds.
bed bid bead check chick cheek dead did deed etch itch each fell fill feel head hid he'd net knit neat peck pick peak red rid read wet wit wheat Now you're going to hear and be able to repeat the list again without watching my mouth. Remember, keep your lips relaxed. Focus on the movement of the tongue inside the mouth. The next video podcast will be about the long and short o sounds, and THEN you'll need to focus on the outside of the mouth, but not today. Good luck!
Now let's practice some minimal sets for these three sounds. I will say all three, then pause for you to repeat the set.
bed bid bead check chick cheek dead did deed etch itch each fell fill feel head hid he'd net knit neat peck pick peak red rid read wet wit wheat There you go everyone. If you want to see the entire lesson and have access to online exercises and quizzes that accompany this video, go to www.proununcian.com/join. The biggest benefit of the quiz is that you really test if you can hear these sounds accurately. If you can't hear it, you will never be able to tell if you are saying it correctly. Listening comprehension is SO important for language production!
Don't forget, if you're interested in attending the upcoming Pronunciation 1 course intensive in Seattle, WA, in April, go to www.seattlelearning.com for more information. You get a discount for registering before March 15, so check it out now!
This has been a Seattle Learning Academy digital publication.
This has been a Seattle Learning Academy Digital publication. Seattle Learning Academy is where the world comes to learn.
Bye-bye.
