The fun fundamentals of English Pronunciation/ðə i:jelesju: ɪzɪn ʃɜrfi:ld ru:m θri:wənaɪn/Brett W Harmony

b.harmony@ic.ac.uk

Our own pronunciation becomes more important when we communicate in an international environment.

• Communicating fluently and clearly is most important

• You don’t have to speak like the Queen to do this.

This is a crash “course” in how to break down and deal with the aural English communication system.

•Vowels•Not Vowels•Stress•Strategies

Unfortunately, English spelling does not always reveal a word’s pronunciation.

How many letters are in the English Alphabet?

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

26

Unfortunately, English spelling does not always reveal a word’s pronunciation.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

How many vowels do we use when speaking?

12 vowels and 8 two vowel combinations

A= æ, a, ɔ, eɪ

If this is a map to your mouth, your tongue is the car. Let’s take a drive through the E.U.!

There are some mistakes with vowels you don’t want to make.

I rested in peace on a sheet on the beach.

I rested in /pi:s/ on a /ʃi:t/ on the /bi:tʃ/. How relaxing!

I rested in /pɪs/ on a /ʃɪt/ on the /bɪtʃ/. Oh Dear!!

Vowel pronunciation is governed by the vowel length, your Tongue, Jaw and Lips

How /i:/ is different than /ɪ/

• It’s Longer• It’s a bigger smile•More pressure on your tongue

University of Iowa site

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/about.html#

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

Say this short phrase, but be sure to say the vowel longer and with a smile!

I stepped on…

University of Iowa site

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/about.html#

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

Some vowels is all about the jaw.

How / æ / is different than /e/

•A wide open mouth

University of Iowa site

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/about.html#

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

Things to think about when working on your Vowels

Mouth Wide Open? or almost Biting?

Open for lower Vowels

Lips Rounded or in a smile as needed

Tongue Move it to where it needs to go.

You need more than your tongue to get to where you want to go on this map.

Fortunately, with consonants, English spelling sometimes helps with pronunciation

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

How many consonants?24 consonants

The Periodic table of English Consonants

How do you Pronounce “TH?”

Stick out your tongue!Pronounce the following sentence:

There are 3,033 of them on Thursday.

/ð/ere are /Ɵ/ree /Ɵ/ousand and /Ɵ/irty- /Ɵ/ree

of /ð/em on /Ɵ/ursday.

Stick out your tongue 7 times, but what’s the difference?

Voice and Voiceless Consonants Partners

The Voiced “TH”

All of the little words in English which begin with “th” use

/ð/: Them Then Those This These They Their Thus There Than The

Strategies for Practicing Consonants

H HandsUse fingers and hands to remind you how to do it.

U Uncomfortable feeling

If it feels weird, then you’re probably doing it right!

M MouthsSometimes you see some teeth, a tongue, or nothing.

English’s Overall System of Meaning is Stress

But what is stress?

The vowel is the key to finding stress.

The stressed vowel sound is different by being

•Higher•Louder•Longer

English’s Overall System of Meaning is Stress

How many syllables in the following words?• Conduct• Progress• Rebel• Suspect

Which syllable has the stress? The first or second?

It depends on whether the word is a verb:

“I conducted an experiment”

Or a noun

“Your conduct on the beach was horrible.”

What does it mean to be unstressed?

to rest in peace on a sheet on the beach!

The unstressed Vowel sound is:•Lower•Shorter•Quieter

/ə/

How Unstressed Syllables Affect Listening

How do you say the following sentences?

•You should not have done that!•We could not have seen to it earlier.•Did you hear what I was saying?

How does Liz say it?

How Unstressed Syllables Affect Listening

How do you say the following sentences?

•You should not have done that!•We could not have seen to it earlier.•Did you hear what I was saying?

Practice these words

Nouns Verbs

insult insult

object object

contract contract

project project

rebel rebel

record record

pervert pervert

increase increase

convert convert

conflict conflict

Strategies for Stress revolve around vowels

Wait for stressed vowels

Take your time pronouncing those stressed vowels

Shorten those unstressed vowels

Don’t even worry about the vowel in unstressed syllables. Say it, but don’t worry.

PracticeTalk, and sing, and read poetry aloud, and rap. Rhythm helps.

Now what do you do?

Vowels Underhill’s phonemic chart

Consonants The mirror in your bathroom

Stress Your mobile phone

References and Useful Tools all on our Blackboard Learn Virtual Learning Site

English Articulatory Anatomy from University of Iowa

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/anatomy.htm

BBC Learning English/ Pronunciation Tips

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/sounds/con_voiced_6.shtml

Howjsay.com

http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=tribology&submit=Submit

Speech accent Archive:

http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php

ELSP Pronunciation classes are only an hour, at lunchtime, available through online registration.

Hope to see you again soon!

The fun fundamentals of English Pronunciation/ðə i:jelespi: ɪzɪn ʃɜrfi:ld ru:m θri:wənaɪn/Brett W Harmony

b.harmony@ic.ac.uk

The fun fundamentals of English PronunciationThe ELSP is in Sherfield Room 319 (near our friends in ISS)

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FQPSZPQ

Brett W Harmony

b.harmony@ic.ac.uk