viernes, 31 de enero de 2014
jueves, 30 de enero de 2014
English pronunciation: some issues Spanish speakers experience
As a native Spanish speaker, I'd like to tell you about some of my impressions and views regarding pronunciation issues learners face when they start to study English. Being a teacher of English as a foreign language, I have noticed certain problems most people encounter, which I think are worth mentioning. I will be referring to issues people experience when they start to learn English in their teens or adulthood.
Spelling is the first obstacle learners find, which makes them fear pronunciation in English. The main reason why this happens is that in Spanish, the written words reflect sounds on a one-to-one basis. This means that each letter in a word corresponds exactly to the sounds we produce in speech. However, this is not the case in English.
I have been asked questions such as: "Why do you write one thing and say another in English?", "Why don't they write words as they pronounce them?" , "Why is English spelling so difficult?", "Spanish is easier, words are written exactly as they are pronounced"; and the list goes on and on.
Another problem I have detected, which is very common, is the fact that many learners find it difficult to "feel" and acquire the rhythm of English. As Spanish is a syllabic language, learners tend to transfer this quality to the foreign tongue. Naturally, this happens subconsciously.
I think it is important to get as much input as possible when learning English, not only in class, but outside it. These are some tips:
Spelling is the first obstacle learners find, which makes them fear pronunciation in English. The main reason why this happens is that in Spanish, the written words reflect sounds on a one-to-one basis. This means that each letter in a word corresponds exactly to the sounds we produce in speech. However, this is not the case in English.
I have been asked questions such as: "Why do you write one thing and say another in English?", "Why don't they write words as they pronounce them?" , "Why is English spelling so difficult?", "Spanish is easier, words are written exactly as they are pronounced"; and the list goes on and on.
Another problem I have detected, which is very common, is the fact that many learners find it difficult to "feel" and acquire the rhythm of English. As Spanish is a syllabic language, learners tend to transfer this quality to the foreign tongue. Naturally, this happens subconsciously.
I think it is important to get as much input as possible when learning English, not only in class, but outside it. These are some tips:
- open your mind to English, its sounds and spelling.
- listen to music in English, watch films, TV series, as much as possible. The more you listen, the better.
- train your ears: when you are listening, try to detect the different sounds, and recognise words and phrases. Listen for contractions.
- practise what you learn, a little every day (no rhyme intended, ha ha! :)
miércoles, 29 de enero de 2014
Practising vowels: /i:/ and /ɪ/
These are "i" vowel sounds.
In Spanish there is only one "i" vowel, which sounds practically the same in all words and positions.
Some examples in Spanish: isla, Irene, maní, amarillo, ceibo, Daniela, Luis, minuto.
In English, on the other hand, there are two sounds for "i": /i:/ and /ɪ/. Let's start with /i:/: this is a long, close front sound. It is produced with lips in relaxed, neutral position, open enough to allow the air to come out of the mouth cavity. You should feel tension inside the mouth, and this is the key to produce /i:/ correctly: the tongue will be in the higher position, almost touching the alveolar ridge (just behind your upper teeth). You should "feel" this vowel sound in the front part of the mouth cavity.
Some examples: believe, green, leave, even, three, reincarnate.
The other vowel sound is /ɪ/, which is a short, half close and a little more open sound. It is produced with relaxed, neutral lips, and it is so short that you won't feel any tension at all. It should be felt a little further back than /i:/ in your mouth cavity.
Examples: rich, igloo, pretty, lips, sister, image, Phil.
Tip: I think these are difficult sounds for Spanish speakers. I suggest you practise these vowels "exaggerating" them, that is, by making /i:/ quite tense, and long, and /ɪ/, as short as possible.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to comment, or suggest some topic for further discussion. Thank you!
In Spanish there is only one "i" vowel, which sounds practically the same in all words and positions.
Some examples in Spanish: isla, Irene, maní, amarillo, ceibo, Daniela, Luis, minuto.
In English, on the other hand, there are two sounds for "i": /i:/ and /ɪ/. Let's start with /i:/: this is a long, close front sound. It is produced with lips in relaxed, neutral position, open enough to allow the air to come out of the mouth cavity. You should feel tension inside the mouth, and this is the key to produce /i:/ correctly: the tongue will be in the higher position, almost touching the alveolar ridge (just behind your upper teeth). You should "feel" this vowel sound in the front part of the mouth cavity.
Some examples: believe, green, leave, even, three, reincarnate.
The other vowel sound is /ɪ/, which is a short, half close and a little more open sound. It is produced with relaxed, neutral lips, and it is so short that you won't feel any tension at all. It should be felt a little further back than /i:/ in your mouth cavity.
Examples: rich, igloo, pretty, lips, sister, image, Phil.
Tip: I think these are difficult sounds for Spanish speakers. I suggest you practise these vowels "exaggerating" them, that is, by making /i:/ quite tense, and long, and /ɪ/, as short as possible.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to comment, or suggest some topic for further discussion. Thank you!
Practising vowels: /u:/ and /ʊ/
These are "u" vowel sounds.
In Spanish, we have only one "u" vowel, which is produced with round, half open lips. It is neither short nor long. Some words that have this vowel are:
uva, unión, truco, cubrir, humo, Uruguay. This vowel is pronounced exactly in the same way in all words, no matter where it occurs. We'll almost always hear the full quality of "u".
In English, there are two sounds for "u": one of them is /u:/, which is a long, close, back sound. It is produced with round lips, open enough as to let the air escape through the mouth. You should feel some tension in your mouth cavity, and the tongue will remain in the lower position when /u:/ occurs. By "back" we mean that this vowel sound is "felt" at the back of the mouth.
Some examples: boot, Hugh, balloon, do (as main verb, as strong form of the auxiliary), blue, cute.
The other sound is /ʊ/. This is a short, half close, back sound (not as back as its counterpart). It is pronounced with relaxed, neutral lips, and the mouth opening will be a little wider than for /u:/. No tension is felt when producing this sound.
Some examples: book, look, good, put, wolf.
Tip: for Spanish speakers, it is a good idea to practise this sound making it longer and closer than "u", and much shorter for /ʊ/, depending on each case. You will notice that the Spanish vowel "u" is somewhere between the two English ones, and it is more open as well.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to post comments or questions. Why not share this with your friends? Thank you!
In Spanish, we have only one "u" vowel, which is produced with round, half open lips. It is neither short nor long. Some words that have this vowel are:
uva, unión, truco, cubrir, humo, Uruguay. This vowel is pronounced exactly in the same way in all words, no matter where it occurs. We'll almost always hear the full quality of "u".
In English, there are two sounds for "u": one of them is /u:/, which is a long, close, back sound. It is produced with round lips, open enough as to let the air escape through the mouth. You should feel some tension in your mouth cavity, and the tongue will remain in the lower position when /u:/ occurs. By "back" we mean that this vowel sound is "felt" at the back of the mouth.
Some examples: boot, Hugh, balloon, do (as main verb, as strong form of the auxiliary), blue, cute.
The other sound is /ʊ/. This is a short, half close, back sound (not as back as its counterpart). It is pronounced with relaxed, neutral lips, and the mouth opening will be a little wider than for /u:/. No tension is felt when producing this sound.
Some examples: book, look, good, put, wolf.
Tip: for Spanish speakers, it is a good idea to practise this sound making it longer and closer than "u", and much shorter for /ʊ/, depending on each case. You will notice that the Spanish vowel "u" is somewhere between the two English ones, and it is more open as well.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to post comments or questions. Why not share this with your friends? Thank you!
martes, 21 de enero de 2014
domingo, 19 de enero de 2014
Pronunciation: vowel sound /e/
This is a short vowel sound. As a speaker of Spanish, I find this vowel sound the most similar to our Spanish "e".
When uttering this sound, you will feel your lips are apart and relaxed, and the tongue will be in the low position.
Let's look at some words in English and Spanish, in which the "e" sound occurs. I've chosen transparent words for you to compare:
English: elephant, energy, elegant, Helena, telephone
Spanish: elefante, energía, elegante, Helena, teléfono
Tip: in order to make a clear difference between the "e" in English and the one in Spanish, when speaking English, try to produce a much shorter "e". Once you've grasped the sounds of English, you will be able to notice, and feel these variations, no matter how slight they may be.
Some more examples in English: head, met, however, read (past simple and participle)
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to post your comments, or even a suggestion for further topics to be discussed. Thank you!
When uttering this sound, you will feel your lips are apart and relaxed, and the tongue will be in the low position.
Let's look at some words in English and Spanish, in which the "e" sound occurs. I've chosen transparent words for you to compare:
English: elephant, energy, elegant, Helena, telephone
Spanish: elefante, energía, elegante, Helena, teléfono
Tip: in order to make a clear difference between the "e" in English and the one in Spanish, when speaking English, try to produce a much shorter "e". Once you've grasped the sounds of English, you will be able to notice, and feel these variations, no matter how slight they may be.
Some more examples in English: head, met, however, read (past simple and participle)
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to post your comments, or even a suggestion for further topics to be discussed. Thank you!
martes, 14 de enero de 2014
domingo, 12 de enero de 2014
Pronunciation: vowel sounds /ͻ:/ and /ɒ/
These are "o" vowel sounds. The main characteristic is that /ͻ:/ is a long, mid-close, back sound, while /ɒ/ is a short, open, back sound. This means that the first "o" is produced with a half open mouth and it's "felt" at the back of the cavity; the second "o" is produced with an open mouth, and it'll be "felt" at the back of the mouth cavity as well.
Our Spanish "o" is an open vowel sound which, like the other vowels, is produced in pretty much the same way in all words. Naturally, variations do occur, but they are not as striking as to make the listener confused as to what word is being uttered.
Some Spanish words: otro, Osvaldo, corto, oro, ahora, deletreo.
Some examples in English for /ͻ:/ : awesome, court, law, short, although, lord, August, floor, call.
Some examples for /ɒ/ : orange, lock, pot, wrong, olive, Oliver, Scotland.
As for all vowel sounds in English, it is vital to produce them as accurately as possible to avoid confusion or misunderstanding. For instance:
/pɒt/ is "pot", and /pͻ:t/ is "port". These are called "minimal pairs, which means that two utterances differ only in one sound.
Tip: when practising, try to make /ɒ/ as short as possible, with a relaxed, open but not "round" mouth. This will help you to feel the difference between this sound and the Spanish "o" (which is rounder and more open)
For /ͻ:/ your mouth should be round-shaped, and closer than for /ɒ/. You should also be able to feel a little tension, which contrasts with our "o" in Spanish.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave your comments, or ask questions about this topic. You are also welcome to suggest other topics for further discussion. Thank you!
Our Spanish "o" is an open vowel sound which, like the other vowels, is produced in pretty much the same way in all words. Naturally, variations do occur, but they are not as striking as to make the listener confused as to what word is being uttered.
Some Spanish words: otro, Osvaldo, corto, oro, ahora, deletreo.
Some examples in English for /ͻ:/ : awesome, court, law, short, although, lord, August, floor, call.
Some examples for /ɒ/ : orange, lock, pot, wrong, olive, Oliver, Scotland.
As for all vowel sounds in English, it is vital to produce them as accurately as possible to avoid confusion or misunderstanding. For instance:
/pɒt/ is "pot", and /pͻ:t/ is "port". These are called "minimal pairs, which means that two utterances differ only in one sound.
Tip: when practising, try to make /ɒ/ as short as possible, with a relaxed, open but not "round" mouth. This will help you to feel the difference between this sound and the Spanish "o" (which is rounder and more open)
For /ͻ:/ your mouth should be round-shaped, and closer than for /ɒ/. You should also be able to feel a little tension, which contrasts with our "o" in Spanish.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave your comments, or ask questions about this topic. You are also welcome to suggest other topics for further discussion. Thank you!
miércoles, 8 de enero de 2014
Pronunciation: vowel sounds /ʌ/ , /a:/ and /æ/
In English, there are three vowel sounds for "a". It is super important to notice the differences in pronunciation, because different sounds will produce different words.
Let's look at our Spanish "a" first. It is pretty simple: we produce roughly the same "a" sound in all Spanish words.
Some examples: Alicia, amor, planeta, hora.
In English, however, we don't rely on spelling, that is, NOT all words spelt "a" are pronounced like "a". English spelling can be a little hard to understand, but practice makes perfect, so let's start!
/ʌ/ is found in such words as: sun, under, ton, blood, luck, upper, love, suck. This sound is mid close, which means you produce it with a relaxed, half open mouth. You should "feel" - so to speak - this sound in the middle of your mouth cavity, and make it as short as possible.
/a:/ is found in words like: car, glass, art, Arthur, part. This is an open back sound, which means you produce it with your mouth open, and should feel it at the back of your mouth cavity.
/æ/ is found in words like: apple, cat, sand, pack, rat. It is a somewhote open sound, and in order to produce it accurately, you should spread your lips, as if you were going to smile. You should feel this sound at the front of your mouth cavity.
Tip: when listening to material in English, pay attention to this sound. It is a good idea to focus on separate sounds at a time, so that your brain starts "feeling" and assimilating them.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave your comment, questions, or some suggestion for further topics. Thank you! : )
Let's look at our Spanish "a" first. It is pretty simple: we produce roughly the same "a" sound in all Spanish words.
Some examples: Alicia, amor, planeta, hora.
In English, however, we don't rely on spelling, that is, NOT all words spelt "a" are pronounced like "a". English spelling can be a little hard to understand, but practice makes perfect, so let's start!
/ʌ/ is found in such words as: sun, under, ton, blood, luck, upper, love, suck. This sound is mid close, which means you produce it with a relaxed, half open mouth. You should "feel" - so to speak - this sound in the middle of your mouth cavity, and make it as short as possible.
/a:/ is found in words like: car, glass, art, Arthur, part. This is an open back sound, which means you produce it with your mouth open, and should feel it at the back of your mouth cavity.
/æ/ is found in words like: apple, cat, sand, pack, rat. It is a somewhote open sound, and in order to produce it accurately, you should spread your lips, as if you were going to smile. You should feel this sound at the front of your mouth cavity.
Tip: when listening to material in English, pay attention to this sound. It is a good idea to focus on separate sounds at a time, so that your brain starts "feeling" and assimilating them.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave your comment, questions, or some suggestion for further topics. Thank you! : )
martes, 7 de enero de 2014
lunes, 6 de enero de 2014
Pronunciation: "b" words
Words spelt "b" in English, are pronounced /b/. In order to make this sound accurately, make sure you press your lips together (as if you're going to kiss someone : )
Try this: press your lips together and say "bah". You should hear some light vibration . Make the "b" longer, something like "bbbb..."
Some words which have this sound are: Barbara, baby, lab (short for "laboratory").
Exceptions: there are cases where the /b/ sound is silent. What? Yes! it is silent because... we don't produce it!
Examples: comb, bomb, lamb . These words are pronounced: /kəum/ , /bom/ , and /læm/
In comparison with the Spanish /b/, the English sound is stronger than the Spanish one.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to comment, or even suggest some topic you would like me to discuss. Keep practising!
Try this: press your lips together and say "bah". You should hear some light vibration . Make the "b" longer, something like "bbbb..."
Some words which have this sound are: Barbara, baby, lab (short for "laboratory").
Exceptions: there are cases where the /b/ sound is silent. What? Yes! it is silent because... we don't produce it!
Examples: comb, bomb, lamb . These words are pronounced: /kəum/ , /bom/ , and /læm/
In comparison with the Spanish /b/, the English sound is stronger than the Spanish one.
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to comment, or even suggest some topic you would like me to discuss. Keep practising!
Pronunciation: "v" words
Words spelt "v" in English are pronounced with the /v/ sound. How do we produce it?
Try biting your lower lip with your upper front teeth. Right. There you've got the place of articulation for the /v/ sound. If you make a "long" "vvvv" you will notice the vibration that occurs when the air escapes through the tiny opening between your teeth and the lip.
Some words which have this sound: vanity, love, cover, convenient.
A weird exception: nephew.
In Spanish, it does not matter whether we produce the "v" biting our lip, or pressing our lips together as for "b". In English, on the other hand, it is vital to make this difference. Why? Because different sounds produce different words.
Example:
"bat" and "VAT"
"ban" and "van"
As you can see, they are all different words : )
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to comment and suggest. Thank you!
Try biting your lower lip with your upper front teeth. Right. There you've got the place of articulation for the /v/ sound. If you make a "long" "vvvv" you will notice the vibration that occurs when the air escapes through the tiny opening between your teeth and the lip.
Some words which have this sound: vanity, love, cover, convenient.
A weird exception: nephew.
In Spanish, it does not matter whether we produce the "v" biting our lip, or pressing our lips together as for "b". In English, on the other hand, it is vital to make this difference. Why? Because different sounds produce different words.
Example:
"bat" and "VAT"
"ban" and "van"
As you can see, they are all different words : )
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to comment and suggest. Thank you!
sábado, 4 de enero de 2014
Pronunciation: "f", "ph" and "gh" words
Words spelt "f", "ff", "gh" and "ph" in English are generally pronounced "f".
The "f" sound in Spanish is practically the same as in English. However, the English "f" will be produced with more energy.
To test if you're making the sound correctly, try making a long, non-stop "ffff" sound. You should feel air coming out of your mouth, between your upper teeth and lower lip, and you will even hear a "hissing" sound.
Some examples in English: fog, Frank, laugh, coffee, roughly, left, riff.
Some words in Spanish, for comparison: Francisco, elefante, café, flotar. (In Spanish, BTW, the "f" sound only occurs in words spelt "f")
Some exceptions to the rule in English:
"nephew": the "ph" sounds like "v"
"ghost": the "gh" sounds like "g" (plus, you won't find a "f" sound in words which begin with a "gh" spelling ;)
"of": the "f" sounds like "v"
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave a comment below, questions or even some suggestion for further topics you would like me to talk about. Thank you! :)
The "f" sound in Spanish is practically the same as in English. However, the English "f" will be produced with more energy.
To test if you're making the sound correctly, try making a long, non-stop "ffff" sound. You should feel air coming out of your mouth, between your upper teeth and lower lip, and you will even hear a "hissing" sound.
Some examples in English: fog, Frank, laugh, coffee, roughly, left, riff.
Some words in Spanish, for comparison: Francisco, elefante, café, flotar. (In Spanish, BTW, the "f" sound only occurs in words spelt "f")
Some exceptions to the rule in English:
"nephew": the "ph" sounds like "v"
"ghost": the "gh" sounds like "g" (plus, you won't find a "f" sound in words which begin with a "gh" spelling ;)
"of": the "f" sounds like "v"
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave a comment below, questions or even some suggestion for further topics you would like me to talk about. Thank you! :)
Pronunciation: "d" words
Words spelt "d" in English sound pretty much the same as in Spanish, so you shouldn't have many problems learning this sound.
However, the English "d" sound is "alveolar", while in Spanish, it is a "dental" sound. How come? Let's take a look!
Some Spanish "d" words: Daniela, dedo, tempestad. In all cases, the "d" is produced by touching the upper teeth with the tip of the tongue. The sound is not very strong.
Some English "d" words: Daniela, daddy, load. In all cases, the "d" is produced by touching the alveolar ridge with the tip of the tongue, uttering a rather "strong" sound. BTW, the alveolar ridge is that rugged part of the palate, just behind the upper teeth.
As you see, the position of the tongue is super important to produce the correct sound in either language :)
For "th" words pronounced like a dental "d", please take a look at "Pronunciation: "th" words".
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave your comments, questions or suggestions for further topics. Or you can even share this if you think it may be useful to a friend. Thank you! :)
Pronunciation: "th" words
Words containing the spelling "-th" are not always pronounced in the same way. Let's take a look at some examples:
Arthur, Thomas, those
Although the three words above are spelt "th", they sound differently.
In "Arthur", the "th" sounds like our Spanish "z", or like the English word "thank".
In "Thomas", the "th" sounds like "t".
In "those", the "th" sounds like a dental "d"
Some other words for you to think about:
Thames (the river in London :) sounds like "t"
Netherlands sounds like dental "d"
think sounds like a Spanish "z"
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave your comments, questions or suggestion for further topics to discuss. Thank you ;)
Arthur, Thomas, those
Although the three words above are spelt "th", they sound differently.
In "Arthur", the "th" sounds like our Spanish "z", or like the English word "thank".
In "Thomas", the "th" sounds like "t".
In "those", the "th" sounds like a dental "d"
Some other words for you to think about:
Thames (the river in London :) sounds like "t"
Netherlands sounds like dental "d"
think sounds like a Spanish "z"
I hope this has been useful. Feel free to leave your comments, questions or suggestion for further topics to discuss. Thank you ;)
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