Lesson 9 – Nasals /m/, /n/, /ŋ/ and consonants /l/, /r/, /w/, /j/

Let’s continue with the consonants.

Review

Review the American English phonetic chart:

 

The next set of consonants we will cover are the nasal consonants. You make these sounds by letting the air go through your nose.

The /m/ sound

Words

  • me
  • jump
  • arm
  • hum
  • smile
  • make
  • rim
  • manatee

Comparison

/m/ and /b/ both use the same lip position, but for /m/ the air goes through the nose.

  • me, be
  • men, been
  • met, bet
  • come, cub
  • lamb, lab

Phrases

  • Mighty Mouse
  • maybe, maybe not
  • I might have met him last March.
  • mail me a mouse
  • ham and jam
  • I must go.
  • marry me

Song

 

The /n/ sound

Words

  • new
  • nice
  • nasty
  • panda
  • intention
  • internet
  • sun
  • thin
  • button

Phrases

  • That’s a no-no.
  • fun in the sun
  • Nice to know you.
  • no one noticed
  • Good night.

Comparison

/n/ and /d/ both use the same mouth position, but for /n/ the air goes through the nose.

  • need, deed
  • nice, dice
  • know, dough
  • an, add
  • wine, wide

Tongue Twister

“Nighty-night, knight,” said one knight to the other knight the other night. “Nighty-night, knight,” answered the other knight the other night.

The /ŋ/ sound

See this illustration for the tongue position.

Words

  • sing
  • sang
  • song
  • sung
  • ringing
  • singing
  • thinking
  • tongue

Comparison

  • sing, sin
  • walking and talking, walkin’ and talkin’
  • thing, thin
  • Bing, bin

Also, don’t add a /g/ after /ŋ/.

  • sing it, sing “get”
  • thing on, thing gone

Phrases

  • sing a song
  • a long song
  • think of something
  • Hong Kong

The /l/ and /ɫ/ sounds

See where the air goes.

Words

/l/

  • loud
  • love
  • lips
  • lice
  • pilot

/ɫ/

  • cool
  • skill
  • feel
  • mile
  • owl
  • pillow
  • little
  • full
  • fool
  • old

Phrases

  • look before you leap
  • feel full
  • a little old lady

Song

I Love My Lips

 

The /r/ sound

 

Compare to /ɝ/ and /ɚ/.

See the tongue position here.

Words

  • read, rid, red, rad, rod, rude, raid, ride, rode
  • real
  • arrive
  • radio
  • arrest
  • referee

Comparison

  • rice, lice
  • reek, leak
  • ray, lay
  • row, low

Notice the sounds in middle of words

  • error, better, seller
  • errand, atom, Allan

Phrases

  • really ready
  • rest a little
  • a roller coaster ride

Tongue twisters

Jerry’s jelly berries taste really rare.

Rory’s lawn rake rarely rakes really right.

The /w/ sound

Words

  • wary
  • wilted
  • wicked
  • one
  • twelve
  • between
  • what
  • waddle
  • wood

Comparison

  • wary, very
  • wiser, visor
  • wicker, vicar

A minority of Americans pronounce wh words as /hw/.

  • wear, where
  • witch, which
  • weather, whether
  • where, when, why, which

Phrases

  • Wee Willy Winky
  • I wonder where
  • will work for food

The /j/ sound

Words

  • year
  • yellow
  • yet
  • yes
  • cube
  • cute
  • yodel

Comparison

  • ear
  • year

Phrases

  • yippie yi yay
  • yellow yaks
  • you’re yelling

Song

 

You want to learn to yodel?

 

Homework

Take a test with 50 double sounds. Try to to get at least 90%.

 

 

 

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