• Author / Uploaded
• Ákila Arcanjo

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Standard American English Pronunciation Workshop A generalized overview

Vowels How many separate, distinct vowel sounds can you identify? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Beat Bit Bet Bat Robot Bought But Book

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Boot About Boat Bite Bait Boy About Burn

/ɑː/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Father Not Ah! Mom Water Lot Pond Jolly

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

God Body Top Mop John Got Yacht Operation

/ɒ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Bought Thought Dog Law Boss Caught Off All

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Fog Want Yawn Paw Loss Call Jaw On

*In some regions of the U.S., this sound is equal to the previous slide.*

Which is it?

A. Cot B. Caught A. Bot B. Bought

In some regions of the U.S., like the West Coast, these two pronunciations are the same. Often called the “Cot-Caught Merger.” In other regions, like the South, they are two distinct vowel sounds, with the second being more closed. See if you can hear the difference.

/ɛ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Dress Mess Sell When Pen Fed Set Never

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Death Red Yellow Generation Yet Wet Penny Bet

/æ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Mass Apple Fat Flash Task At After Lap

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Talent Radical Rat Rap Gas Static Last Tad

Which is it? A. Mess B. Mass

A. Net B. Gnat

A. Said B. Sad

A. Led B. Lad

A. He left. B. He laughed.

/iː/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Teach Peach Lead Feed Beat Seat Eat Each

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Leap Feet Seed Three Dream Green Jeep Me

/ɪ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Kid Fit Kiss Pitch With Wish Principle Is

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Shift Lip River Kill Pillow This Vindication Physical

Which is it? A. Least B. List

A. Neat B. Knit

A. Seat B. Sit

A. Each B. Itch

A. Peach B. Pitch

/ʌ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Bus Cut Much Luck Just Done Was Gun

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Love Of Gutter Suck Must Enough Chuckle Sun

/uː/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Do Tuesday Boot New True Dude Cool Blue

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Poodle Ruin You Lose Clue Food Soon Tune

/ʊ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Book Would / Could / Should Look Foot Put Good Took Woman

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Pussycat Sugar Full Cook Bully Pudding Input Push

Now you say it! Pick one of the groups and say all 3 words

A. But

A. Pun

A. Luck

B. Boot

B. Poot

B. Loot

C. Book

C. Put

C. Look

“A” before “M” or “N” ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Can Fan Cranberry Mandatory Dam Damage Pamphlet Tamper

/ɛr/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Where Wear Hair Care Fair Snare Dare America

/ə/ The “Schwa” ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

About Machine Police Organize Enemy Portugal Camera Pizza Africa

A reduced vowel in a nonaccented syllable

THE DIPHTHONGS

/aɪ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

I High Bye Why Fight Mighty Lie Prize

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

White Guy Buy Try Imply Night Rye Fry

/aʊ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Now Cow Lousy Drown Count Down Town About

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Loud Crowd Wow! Sound Joust Ground Gouge How

/eɪ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Day Say Tray Face Paid Lay Bait Baby

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Eight Late Fade Ray Way Drape Rake Wake

/ɔɪ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Boy Toy Choice Moist Royal Noise Voice Destroy

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Voyage Ploy Void Soil Joy Join Loyal Employ

/oʊ/ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Close Hope Bone Boat Float Dough Mow Grow

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Tone Rope Toe Poke Crow Grope Rose Goat

Vowel Review: Now you say it! Pick one of the groups and say all 4 words

● ● ● ●

Seat Sit Set Sat

● ● ● ●

Bead Bid Bed Bad

● ● ● ●

Peak Pick Peck Pack

CONSONANTS

Consonant Sounds Difference in tongue placement between English and Portuguese when pronouncing some consonants

T, D, N *Portuguese - tongue touches back of teeth *English - tongue touches alveolar ridge BEHIND teeth Tell, Tree, Tackle, Death, Duck, Drive, Now, Never, No

Consonant Sounds Aspirated P, K/C, T to start a word or syllable *Put your hand in front of your mouth and feel the release of air, which does not happen in Portuguese* Pig, Peace, Place, Pond, Price --if not aspirated, native speaker may hear a B (such as “bond” instead of “pond”)

Kind, Kill, Clean, Cat, Christ --if not aspirated, native speaker may hear a G (such as “gill” instead of “kill”)

Teeth, Tall, Ten, Into, Trap

Consonant Sounds L at the end of a word or syllable *Does not resemble a semi-vowel u/w like in Portuguese* *Tongue finishes at the top of your mouth to form an L* Wall, Legal, All, Always, Fill, Until, Altogether, Little, People, Crumble Fill up; tell everyone; all of them “L” connects into the next word

Consonant Sounds M or N at the end of a word or syllable *need to make the consonant sound instead of just nasalizing the vowel like in Portuguese* Into, Independent, Fins, Print, Tent --tongue touches roof of mouth to make “n”-Impartial, Tamper, Teams, Nimble, Pimple, Harlem --lips close to make “m”--

Consonant Sounds S before L, M, and N *does not sound like a z* *do not insert an imaginary initial vowel*

Sleep, Slide, Sloppy Smooth, Smoke, Smile Snore, Snake, Snap

Consonant Sounds connected speech

He plays six sports. His snake is scary. You need to stop. My cat tries some things. *Words connect into each other with no vowels inserted*

Consonant Sounds

TH *Tongue placed between teeth, without using lower lip like an F* Unvoiced: Thick, Thin, Three, Bath, Athlete, Tooth Voiced: This, These, Father, Other, Breathe, Smooth

Difference between unvoiced and voiced “TH” resembles the difference between unvoiced “F” and voiced “V”

Which is it? A. Free B. Three

A. Fret B. Threat

A. Fin B. Thin

A. Oaf B. Oath

A. Fought B. Thought

Glides / Semivowels W/Y

Where, Will, Win, Year, Yes, Onion “Will is two years old.”

An observation on some words... ● Mountain

● Manhattan

● Fountain

● Curtain

● Cotton

● Pardon

● Rotten

● Hidden

● Eaten

● Forbidden

Final syllable almost gets swallowed, unless spoken more carefully

Consonant Clusters All of these examples are 1-syllable words, even when adding -ed for past tense

Fifth

Gagged

Asked

Depth

Bobbed

Popped

Ninth

Charged

Watched

Accept

Wizzed

Missed

Craft

Learned Consonant before -ed is voiced: Final “D” makes “D” sound

Consonant before -ed is unvoiced: Final “D” makes “T” sound

Practice Sentences Look at her yellow apple over there. Please do not eat the camel’s foot. Tell her to give me a pack of earrings. None of these are what I’ve asked for. His mother speaks Finnish very well. Put it on the bookcase after 3:00.