We continue our pronunciation lessons from a native speaker - American Dave Skonda. In this lesson you will learn how to pronounce sounds correctly [Ө, ð] and get rid of common pronunciation errors T.H., characteristic of Russian speakers, the so-called "Russian accent"
My comment:
Pronunciation TH- causes particular difficulties and here's why.
Sounds [Ө, ð]
- are absent in Russian. We have similar sounds [s, z]. And therefore, when pronouncing, we replace English sounds with Russian ones and as a result we get «
Russian accent". To get rid of it, pay attention to the difference in pronunciation. Here are two main mistakes.
- When pronouncing Russian [s, z] We don't blow air out. When pronouncing English [Ө, ð] - air passes freely through the gap between the tongue and the upper teeth. Put your hand to your mouth. Feel the difference.
- When pronouncing Russian [s, z] the tongue lies in a heap in the mouth. When pronouncing English [Ө, ð] - the tongue should lie flat, then the air will flow freely and the sound will be correct. To do this, you need to straighten your tongue and stick it out.
TH -sound / Pronunciation of TH (video lesson from native Dave Skonda)
Here is the translation of the lesson into Russian:
Two sounds that are very similar. The TH-sound:voiseless- [Ө] ,voiced- [ð] .
Letter combination TH pronounced differently: deaf (without voice) - [Ө] and sonorous (with voice) - [ð]
OK, the T.H.-sound [ð] or [Ө] . Voiced T.H. — [ð-ð-ð] vibrates [ð-ð-ð]. You can feel the vibration right here [ð-ð-ð]. Don't squeeze too hard))
Let's figure it out. TH ringing sound pronounced with vocal vibration. When pronouncing it, you clearly feel the vibration if you put your hand on your throat. Just don't overdo it.
Voiceless T.H. — [Ө-Ө-Ө] . You touch here - no vibration [Ө-Ө-Ө] .Voiced [ð-ð-ð] , voiceless [Ө-Ө-Ө] . This is fun. You can do this all day.
Pronouncing a dull sound T.H. you will not feel this vibration. Like this. Isn't it funny? You can do this all day long))
Common mistakes with voiceless T.H. depending on your native language and country.
Practice
OK ma th,ma th. Are you studying ma th?
Th ank you. Th ank you. Th ank you very much.
Too th,too th. My too th hurts.
Ba th, ba th. I am going to take a ba th, not bat.
I like your mou th, not I like your mouse.
Move your mou th.
We are th rough. Not we are true. Are we true? Are you true? th rough th rough
The main reason why people pronounce this or that sound incorrectly is that such a sound does not exist in their native language. Try saying the word "ma" th“- mathematics, you have such a subject as mathematics?
And now the word “too” th"tooth, and the expression my too th hurts - “I have a toothache.”
Ba th- bathroom. I am going to take a ba th, not bat. Don't pronounce the word "bathroom" like "bat."
I like your mou th, not I like your mouse. Don't say the word "mouse"
Move your mou th. Articulate.
We are th rough. - We're done. It should not be confused with the word “truth” - true.
First, voiceless T.H., tongue stuck out beyond the teeth. Don’t be afraid, just stick it out.
Push air out between the top teeth and the tongue. Between - [Ө-Ө-Ө].
Practice this position, pushing air out, like you re exercising. Have fun with it. Get comfortable with it.
Tell your brain, your are creating a new habit. Tell your brain this is important.
First, by pronouncing the silent T.H., we stick the tip of our tongue between our teeth. We are not afraid to stick it out!! When pronouncing this sound, air should pass between the upper teeth and the tongue. Practice, good sound takes practice, you have to get used to it. It is very important.
Practice voiceless TH:
at the beginning of the word: th ank you, th ink, th ought
at the middle of the word: some th ing, no th ing, healing th y.
(I say naturally heal th y. And my tongue is very fast.)at the end of the word: ma th, mou th, bo th.
Now let's practice pronouncing this sound
at the beginning of words: th ank you, th ink, th ought
in the middle of a word: some th ing, no th ing, healing th y.
(Word heal th y I say it quickly.)
And finally, at the end of the word: ma th, mou th,bo th.
Practice more
<….>
The T.H.-sound. Use your tongue, push it out. Don't be shy. Don’t be afraid to push out your tongue, to show your tongue. Be proud of your tongue. It is like a massage for your mou th. May be more massage for your tongue.
We are still training.
I will eat any th ing heal th y with my tee th. (2)
Th ank you for driving back and for th th is mon th. (2)
I th ink Be th is traveling nor th on the pa th. (2)
Pronouncing TH sound Be sure to stick out the tip of your tongue. Don't be shy, stick out your tongue. We need to show it to everyone, we need to be proud of it.
Voiced TH- [ð-ð-ð]. Mistakes some people make.
Practice
Th is, th is. Is th is yours?
Th here th ere. Are you going th here?
Th en, th en. Then will you go with us?
Brea th e, brea th e. You need to brea th e.
Th is is beautiful.
Look over th ere.
Improve your English than celebrate.
Th at's it, very good.
At the beginning of the word: th here th at th e
At the middle of the word: bro th er, ei th er,o th er
At the end of the word: smoo th, brea th e
That mo th er can't breathe th e. (2)
Ira th er like th is wea th er. (2)
Voiced T.H.. Pay attention to common mistakes. Do not hurry! Improve your pronunciation, then you will celebrate! That's it, right?
Now let’s say this sound at the beginning of words: th here th at th e
Now sonorous T.H. in the middle of a word: bro th er, ei th er,o th er
And finally, at the end of the word: smoo th, brea th e.
Remember push the tongue out beyohd the teeth. Push the air out over the tongue.
[ð-ð-ð] Touch your th roat. It vibrates. Now you know you have the correct voiced sound if it’s vibrating here.
It's not [Ө-Ө-Ө] . It's not voiced.
Now let's exercise. [Ө-Ө-Ө] You do this alone. No one's gonna see you. [ð-ð-ð]
Tell your brain to remember this.
Don’t forget that your tongue should be between your teeth and blow out the air.
Touch your throat with your hand, do you feel the vibration? If yes, then you are pronouncing the sound correctly.
See the difference with silent T.H. You won’t feel its vibrations when you pronounce it.
Now let’s start practicing, pronounce it carefully, you are alone, and no one sees you.
You have to get used to this sound.
Pronunciation is rather fun. That's all for now.
Learning pronunciation is a funny thing. Here are some more phrases to practice.
If you try no th er technique, th ink about th e person you talking wi th.
Al th ough you are pretending, this method will make speaking more smoo th.
That's all for today.
You need to stick your tongue out for this sound. Please, don’t be shy or afraid. Be proud of your tongue. The biggest problem that I see the students are afraid to stick there tongue out. It feel uncomfortable for a while.
But you will get used to it. You might even like it.
Remember, in North American English we move our mouth more than many other countries.
Please, understand this and you will improve your pronunciation much faster.
Now remember the technique, exaggerate when you practice in order to make this habit stay with you.
So you don’t forget after time passes. We want your brain to remember these actions and make a new habit. OK?
And I remind you again.
Don't forget that sticking out your tongue is very important. Do not be shy. We should be proud. One of the typical mistakes students make is that they are embarrassed to stick out their tongue. It may be strange at first, but over time you will get used to it. You'll even like it. Interestingly, North America sticks out its tongue more than any other country. Keep this in mind and you will improve your giving.
And don’t forget, in order to remember how to pronounce a sound, you need to exaggerate it while you practice.
You must make this sound familiar to your speech so that after a while you do not forget it.
You must teach your brain a new sound and then you will pronounce it correctly.
Pronunciation TH -sound (exercises for daily practice)
Be sure to repeat these words and phrases three times a day for 5 days.
thank you, think, thought
something, nothing, healthy
math, mouth, both
I will eat anything healthy with my teeth.
Thank you for driving back and forth this month.
I think Beth is traveling north on the path.
there, that, the
brother, either, other
smooth, breathe
That mother can't breathe.
I rather like this weather.
[Ө, ð]
Pronunciation is rather fun.
If you try another technique think about the person you are talking with.
Although you are pretending this method will make your speaking more smooth.
That's all for now.
Have questions about th pronunciation- write in the comments!
Introduction
Sound is rightfully considered the king of complexity among English sounds.
In many languages, such a sound does not exist at all, with the exception of Arabic, Greek, Castilian and Swahili.
You and I are also “lucky”.
We don't have such a letter!
For this reason, it is so difficult for us to pronounce words such as the, this, with... And therefore we often replace the sound with S, T, Z or D.
And instead of The it sounds Ze or De; instead of Think - Sink or Tink.
And you, by the way, know that it was not because of a good life that the English people began to stick out their tongues, but because of the lack of upper front teeth during scurvy. Don't believe me? Read the story of the origins of the English sound.
“...scurvy, which was a consequence of the cold snap, dramatically changed the phonetic picture of Europe. Babies whose teeth fell out before they had time to grow in were physically unable to pronounce dental sounds, and the rest of their speech apparatus was forced to restructure itself for a more or less intelligible pronunciation of the simplest words... The sounds d, t, s, z fell out along with the teeth, and the swollen ones scurvy gums and tongue could not pronounce the contractions of two consonants..."
That is, if it seems to you that the sound is a lisping S or Z, then you are on the right track.
Try saying the tongue twister “Sasha walked along the highway and sucked on a dryer,” replacing C with the sound Th. It should look something like this: “Thla Thatha according to thоthe and thоthala thуthк.”
If there was scurvy in Russia, you and I would probably talk like that.
By the way, the above phrase is convenient to use as a warm-up exercise before classes. Just make sure there are fewer people nearby.
Who is guilty?
They usually say stick your tongue out and Tell «
THIS«
.
But in many countries “THIS” is considered indecent!
"Don't stick your tongue out"- our mother says to her child.
Even as adults, people cannot perform this simple action, so necessary in the English language.
And here Einstein didn't hesitate to do it. And that means you shouldn’t either.
In addition, some particularly sophisticated teachers even recommend biting the protruding tongue with your teeth.
What to do or debunking myths?
Well, we have already figured out who is to blame - this is our mentality and the inclinations of some teachers.
And here I would like to quote an excerpt from Mikhail Zadornov about a foreign intelligence agent:
“I was taken straight from the construction site to an English language course, from which I was expelled for poor academic performance, because the teacher did not understand my purely English pronunciation.
One day he asked me where I learned the language. I honestly admitted - in an English special school.
He replied that he always did not trust English special schools, and not at all like me, you need to pronounce the word “The table” according to the latest instructions of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions.”
Now all that remains is to figure out what to do? How to learn to pronounce this sound without spending the rest of your life on it?
Having tried to do this on my own, looking through a bunch of literature and carefully listening to my own feelings, I came to certain conclusions and found the right ways to quickly solve the problem. According to the comedian: “After drinking, I thought soberly.”
Firstly, it is absolutely not necessary to stick your tongue out a kilometer - this is a common misconception. Usually 2-3 MILLIMETERS is enough, which looks quite decent even with our reserved mentality.
Secondly, the tongue should be pressed against the UPPER TEETH, and not just sticking out, which is another common misconception. However, you should press it only lightly so as not to block the air movement. In the end, do you want to stay alive?
Third, the core of this manual is my Know-How.
Or maybe How-No, as Zadornov says :)):
Imagine that the BOTTOM edge of the UPPER teeth...
Ok, I know - it sounds a little complicated, especially after a long day of work.
Let's look at the photo.
Ouch!
This child has no teeth at all!
And scurvy has nothing to do with it.
Then one more try...
OK, This photo is closer to the topic.
Although Keira Knightley looks
a little vampire, but
she clearly did not suffer from scurvy
and she has a good view
the same edge of the upper teeth.
So here it is. Imagine what this edge represents guitar string
.
And you need SLIGHTLY sticking out the sharp and hard tip of your tongue, pull this string with it. Pull the tip of your tongue from outside to inside. Jing...
Those who have played the guitar probably know what a plectrum or pick is. The tip of the tongue performs the same function.
Now it is clear? With the tip of the tongue we pull the edge-string deep into the mouth and slightly upward.
Try it. Try it several times - you will like it, I promise!
Do you really want to master this? voiced dental fricative consonant
?
Oh, sorry! It seems that with this phrase I scared away more than half of the readers.
However, half is never greater and this is incredibly comforting...
Watch and listen
my pronunciation explanation sound- the king of the complexity of English sounds
To purchase Linvo-vitamin sound follow this link.
Related site articles
--------------------
B The majority of Russian speakers who take up English,
don't realize that Sh It's not pronounced the way they think.
Let's say in words Shit or Sheet:
Instead of Sheet(sheet of paper) they often say ...
More than once in the comments we have been asked to understand the interdental th sound. This is not at all surprising: th is one of the most frequently encountered sounds in the English language, while in Russian (and in many others) this sound simply does not exist.
How to pronounce it? How to fix common mistakes? How to “train your mouth” to pronounce correctly? Today we will answer these questions using videos, exercises, tongue twisters, words and examples from songs.
What sound do the letters th make?
Just let’s make it clear right away that th is not a sound. This is a combination of letters that can be read as two sounds: unvoiced /θ/, as in the word thanks, and voiced /ð/, as in the word that. It is with these signs that the interdental “th sounds” are indicated in transcription. But in the article I will sometimes write “th sound” for convenience.
Both sounds, voiced and voiceless, are articulated in the same way(lips and tongue are in the same position). Therefore, we will structure the work as follows:
- First, let's learn the correct mouth position for both sounds;
- Then we will analyze possible errors and find out how to correct them;
- Then we will work on tongue twisters and words, each sound separately.
Yes, we don't have these sounds. But we have the concept of “lisp.” Do you remember Sid the sloth from Ice Age: “No, I f whether f com young, f to die!”. In the English explanatory dictionary, the word “lisp” (lisp) is interpreted as “a speech defect in which s and z sound like th in think And this respectively".
This video talks about lisps. I recommend watching: simple and humorous.
That is, it turns out that we need to pronounce Russian / s / with a lisp for the deaf / θ / and Russian / z / for the voiced / ð /. What do you mean, “lisp”? Say the word right now "compound". When pronouncing the /c/ sound, your tongue is BEHIND your teeth. Now put your tongue between teeth(sound th – interdental) and say again "compound". You will end up with something like a deaf th, as in the word thick.
Now do the same, but with the word "gap". As a result, you will get something like a voiced th, as in the word then.
Why do I say “similarity”? Because Russians are /s – z/ /s – z/, which means their lisp will be slightly different. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at the position of the articulatory apparatus.
How to pronounce th sound in English
Language spread out and tense, and its tip is located between the upper and lower teeth, forming a narrow flat gap between cutting edge of the upper teeth and the surface of the anterior edge of the tongue.
To learn the ideal positioning of the articulatory apparatus, I suggest you watch the video. It shows three life hacks:
2:08 – how to put the articulatory apparatus in the ideal position: open your mouth, place your tongue on top of your lower teeth so that the tip is directly behind the lower lip and slowly lower your upper teeth onto your tongue – try to pronounce the voiceless version of th, as in think.
2:52 - how to feel the necessary tension on the tongue: take a straw and place it between the tongue and the upper teeth - this way you will feel how strong the tension should be on the tongue.
3:36 – how far to stick your tongue forward: place your finger perpendicular to your lips (as when we ask you to be quieter) and stick your tongue out. The tongue should lightly touch the finger - this is the limit.
And don’t forget to repeat sentences and words after the presenter! This sound takes practice and more practice.
Pronunciation of the interdental sound th: video.
How to pronounce th sound in Russian
Now that you have figured out what position the articulatory apparatus should be in, let’s laugh together at the typical mistakes of Russian speakers in order to avoid them in practice (which, by the way, will come immediately after this point).
| Possible mistakes: | How to fix: |
| Replacing voiceless /θ/ with /s/ ( think pronounce “sync”);
Replacing voiced /ð/ with /z/ ( then pronounce it like "zen"). |
Do not arch the front back of your tongue upward. + The tip of the tongue should be between the teeth, and not at the base of the lower front teeth (and not at the alveoli,). Do exercises on contrasting words, for example: mouth /maʊθ/ – mouse /maʊs/, thing /θɪŋ/ – sing /sɪŋ/, with /wɪð/ – whizz /wɪz/. |
| Replacing voiceless /θ/ with /f/ ( three pronounce it like “fries”);
Replacing voiced /ð/ with /v/ ( breathe pronounce it like “briv”). |
Expose your teeth, especially the lower ones, as when brushing them, so that the lower lip does not come into contact with the upper teeth or come close to them. Report contrasting pairs: three /θriː/ – free /friː/, thought /θɔːt/ – fought /fɔːt/. |
| Replacing voiceless /θ/ with /t/ ( thick pronounce it like "teak");
Replacing voiced /ð/ with /d/ ( this pronounce it like “dis”). |
Do not press the front part of the tongue against the upper teeth: it is lowered down, and the tip is between the teeth. Do exercises on contrasting words, for example: thick /θɪk/ – tick /tɪk/. |
| Deafening of the voiced version th / ð / ⇒ replacement with the voiceless version / θ / at the end of the word. It can happen out of habit, because in Russian, voiced consonants at the end of a word are pronounced dull. |
Remember that in English, voiced sounds at the end of a word are not deafened! Do exercises on contrasting words, for example: teeth /tiːθ/ – teethe /tiːð/. |
See, it's not all that complicated. 🙂 It’s quite possible to figure out exactly how this sound should be pronounced. Moreover, the Internet is full of educational videos on this topic (for example, watch, from which you will learn how to correctly pronounce th sounds in combination with other sounds).
What's the catch then? Why does this sound still cause difficulty? Because to accustom ourselves to pronounce it correctly when speaking quickly and spontaneously is a real feat for us. The solution is special exercises and a lot of practice.
Practicing the th sound in English: exercises and training
First tip: first, to make this “interdental position” more familiar to your tongue, deliberately exaggerate it! Stick your tongue out as far as possible, pronounce it in a very exaggerated manner, don’t be shy about looking stupid. More details in the video:
Another exercise that will help you get used to it: hum absolutely any melody (for example, “A Christmas tree was born in the forest”), replacing all the words with the sounds / θ / and / ð /.
A Christmas tree was born in the forest, it grew in the forest, it was slender green in winter and summer.
Thethethethethethethe,thethethethethe,thethethethethethethethethethethethethe.
Now that you are used to it, move on to practicing in words and tongue twisters.
English words with th sound: voiceless version
So, we adjust our mouth to the desired position and begin phonetic exercises for the sound th. Remember that this sound does not need to be softened before front vowels (such as i). The sound /θ/ is always only hard.
thought /θɔːt/
thrust /θrʌst/
through /θruː/
strength /strŋθ/
thrall /θrɔːl/
fourth /fɔːθ/
Great! Now you can try it on tongue twisters.
Tongue twisters in English with the sound th
- Th irty- th ree th ousand and th irty th inkers th ought th irty- th ree th ousand and th irty th oughts.
- Th ree th erapists th rew th ree th ermometers in th ree th ick th ickets of th orny th istle.
- I am th ankful for a th ousand th ings...for fai th full ear th, for bir th and brea th, for th thought and heal th and strength th and world th, and, may be, when it comes, for dea th.
To conclude our training, as usual, we will take an example from a famous song with the sound th. I settled on the song “Under My Thumb” by The Rolling Stones. Word thumb repeated throughout the song with a distinct pronunciation of the /θ/ sound.
Words with th sound in English: voiced version
Now we move on to the voiced sound /ð/. I would like to draw your attention again to the fact that this sound is always hard and does not soften in front of the front vowels.
loathe /ləʊð/
breathe /briːð/
other /ˈʌð.ə r/
there /ðeər/
whether /ˈweð.ər/
mother /ˈmʌð.ər/
father /ˈfɑː.ðər/
brother /ˈbrʌð.ə r/
neither /ˈniː.ðər/
worthy /ˈwɜː.ði/
leather /ˈleð.ər/
together /təˈɡeð.ər/
another /əˈnʌð.ər/
English tongue twisters with th sound
- Th ese bro th ersba th e wi th th ose bro th ers, th ose bro th ersba th e wi th th ese bro th ers.
- Th ey are always bo th ering Fa th er and Mo th er to do things for th em.
- Th ese clo th es are ra th er for th e southern wea th er, th ose clo th es are ra th er for th e northern wea th er.
By the way, I highly recommend learning another tongue twister. More precisely, these are many different tongue twisters in unvoiced and voiced th, which are set to music. Learn this song, and your articulatory apparatus will never forget the correct position. 🙂
And now an example from the song. For ringing th, I settled on the song “One Way Or Another” by Blondie. Word another repeated throughout the song and clearly articulated.
Results: reading th sounds in English
As you can see, there is nothing too scary about the th sound. The main thing is practice. You can save our article to bookmarks and periodically practice th sounds training over and over again. And so that nothing gets confused in your head, I propose to briefly summarize:
- The letter combination th gives 2 sounds: unvoiced / θ /, as in thanks, and voiced /ð/, as in that. Remember these icons: if you come across a new word, then turn to the dictionary to find out the transcription and hear the pronunciation.
- This sound is pronounced as a lisp / s / and / z / - the tongue is spread out and tense, the tip is located between the upper and lower teeth, forming a narrow flat gap between the cutting edge of the upper teeth and the surface of the anterior edge of the tongue.
- The main difficulty for us is to accustom our articulatory apparatus to this sound. Especially to pronounce it correctly during fast, fluent speech. Therefore, be sure to do some training for yourself: hum songs, practice sets of words and tongue twisters.
Don't switch: to be continued
We calculated that we had 24 sounds left to make out. Therefore, after today’s training, there are 22 left. Next time we will take on a new portion of sounds, this time – vowels. See you again! 🙂
Today we will look at two very similar English sounds - voiced and unvoiced “th” sounds.
The difference in the pronunciation of the voiced and unvoiced sound “th”
When pronouncing a voiced “th” sound, you should feel vibration in your throat, while pronouncing a voiceless “th” sound should not cause vibration (place your hand on your throat while pronouncing the sound).
Common mistakes when pronouncing the dull sound “th”
These errors depend on your native language and the country in which you grew up.
- Very often dull sound "th" pronounced as /t/ or /s/.
- At the end of words this sound is also mistakenly pronounced as /f/
Tongue position, exercise.
You need to stick the tip of your tongue forward behind your teeth. Don't worry about anything, just get your tongue out and practice. Air should pass between the tongue and the upper teeth. You have to train, take it with humor. Get used to this new sound and tongue position. Your brain needs to be told about the new habit.
Unvoiced "th" sound at the beginning of words: th ank you, th ink, th ought
Unvoiced "th" sound in the middle of words: some th ing, no th ing, healing th y
The unvoiced “th” sound at the end of words: ma th, mou th,bo th
Offers:
I will eat any th ing heal th y wi th my tee th
.
Th ank you for driving back and for th this mon th.
I th ink Be th is traveling nor th on the pa th.
Errors when pronouncing the voiced sound “th”
- Often instead of this sound they pronounce the sound /d/ or /z/
ringing sound"th" at the beginning of words: th here th at, th e
Voiced "th" sound in the middle of words: bro th er, ei th er,o th er
Voiced "th" sound at the end of words: smoo th, brea th
Offers:
Th at mo th er can't breathe th e.
Ira th er like th is wea th er.
Don't forget to stick your tongue out.
Practice:
Pronunciation is ra th er fun
if you try no th er technique
th ink about th e person you are talking wi th
al th ough you are pretending
th is me th od will make your speaking more smoo th
That's all for now.
Practice and feel free to stick your tongue out to make this sound. Over time, you will not notice any discomfort. This will be your normal sound.
Go through this lesson again and again and the result will not keep you waiting.
English Joke
Mary: John says I'm pretty. Andy says I'm ugly. What do you think, Peter?Peter: I think you're pretty ugly. (A digraph is a combination of two letters reflecting one sound.) These sounds are absent in the phonetic system of the Russian language. The tongue is spread out and not tense. The tip of the tongue should be placed between the upper and lower front teeth. The difference between [s] and [z] and [θ] and [ð] is that [θ] and [ð] have an audible character, while [s] and [z] do. Thus, [θ] and [ð] to some extent correspond to the Russian pronunciation of “s”, for example, in the word “bough” and “z”, for example, in the word “zone”. The digraph th has two sound meanings: voiceless [θ] and voiced [ð]:
- in English, voiced [ð] occurs in function words (articles, pronouns, prepositions, etc.) and in the middle of other words as a result of voicing of the voiceless [θ] by the vowels surrounding it. For example: that [ðæt] - that, then [ðen] - then, the [ðe], there [ðeə]
- in other cases th indicates the unvoiced sound [θ]. For example: thing [θıŋ],thrill [θrıl]
| Example | |
|---|---|
| [θ] | theme, thin, tenth, teeth |
| [ð] | them, than, that, then |
Three sound meanings of the English digraph ch
- The digraph ch usually reflects a combination of two sounds [t] and [ʃ], reminiscent of the Russian [ch] in the word man, but with a more distinct first element. for example: chin, chess, chill, chips, chops, chinch
- Several words, relatively recently borrowed from French, retain the French reading of the digraph ch as [ʃ] for example: machine, chic [ʃık]
- In words of Greek origin, ch is pronounced [k]. If the spelling of a word has a digraph ch, which in Russian in a similar word corresponds to the letter x, then this is a word of Greek origin, and in this case ch reflects the sound [k]. for example: architect - architect ["ɑ:kıtekt], archaic ["ɑ:keık], chemist - chemist ["kemıst], scheme-, character - character, chemistry - chemistry
An exception to this rule is the word and prefix arch
| Example | |
|---|---|
| such, chess, match, chin, China ["tʃaınə] | |
| [k] | chemist ["kemıst] , technical ["teknıkəl] , scheme , school |
Sound meaning of the English digraph ck
The digraph сk reflects the sound [k].For example: sick, thick [θık], check, lock, trick, cock, neck, clock, knock, block.
Sound meaning of the English digraph sh
The digraph sh reflects the sound [ʃ], similar to the Russian [sh], but is pronounced somewhat softer [sh].For example: shell [ʃel], fish, shelf [ʃelf], shin [ʃın], fresh, shift, shim
Two sound meanings of the wh digraph
- when after the letter combination wh there is an o, then only the second letter h is usually pronounced in it, for example: whose, whole, who, whom
- in all other cases wh reflects the sound [w] for example: when , which , why , while
Sound meaning of the digraph gu
This digraph reflects the sound [g]For example: guest , plague , guide , guess , guild , guile
Digraph gh
- The English letter combination gh is found in words of Germanic origin. It should be remembered that in English the digraph gh in the middle of a word does not sound, and the vowel letter i in front of it is pronounced as a diphthong. For example: light , might , right , night
- in a few words, in final position the digraph gh reflects the sound [f]. For example: laugh , enough [ı"nʌf] , rough
- the combination ought is pronounced [ɔ:t]. For example: ought [ɔ:t], bought, fought, brought
- at the beginning of a word, gh reflects the sound [g]. For example ghost, ghetto ["getɒʋ], ghastly ["gɑ:stlı].
Digraph ph
The digraph ph occurs in words of Greek origin and is pronouncedlike the sound [f]
For example: graph chart, photography photograph, photo ["fɒʋtɒʋ]
Digraphs wr, kn, gn
At the beginning of a word, the sound of these digraphs was simplified to the sounds [r] and [n]. Thus, the English digraph wr is read as [r], English letter combinations kn,gn as [n]For example: write, knight, gnat, knee, knife
Digraphs ng, nk
The letter combination ng at the end of a word is read as the sound [ŋ], for example: thing [ðıŋ]The letter combination nk is read as the sound combination [ŋk], for example: ink [ıŋk]
Digraphs mb, mn
At the end of the words in sound combinations, the sounds [b] and [n] have disappeared, only [m] is pronounced.For example: lamb, bomb, limb, autumn [ɔ:tm], hymn.
Two sound meanings of the English digraph qu
You should know that the letter q is always followed by the letter u, and this English letter combination qu is read as follows:- at the beginning and middle of a word it reflects the combination For example: , quill , quint , quilt
- at the end of a word qu conveys the sound [k] For example: unique , technique
Sound meaning of English letter combinations ci (si, ti)
The letter combination ci (si, ti) reflects the sound [ʃ], for example: Asia ["eıʃə],specialist ["speʃəlıst]. This letter combination is often part of the noun suffix -ion, which forms abstract nouns. This suffix corresponds to the Russian suffixes -tsia, -siya, for example: mission ["mıʃn] - mission, nation ["neıʃn] - nation, demonstration - demonstration.
Note. If there is a vowel before -sion, then this combination conveys the sound [ʒən], for example: explosion [ıks"pləʋʒən], erosion [ı"rəʋʒən], conclusion, revision.
Sound meaning of English letter combinations ture, sure
- As a result of certain phonetic changes in the English language, the combination ture began to be perceived as a symbol of sound combination. for example: lecture ["lektʃə], literature ["lıtərıtʃə], mixture ["mıkstʃə]
- The letter combination sure has become a graphic symbol of the sound combination [ə]. for example: pressure ["preʃə], tonsure
- If the letter combination sure is preceded by a vowel, then it reflects the sound [ʒə] for example: pleasure ["pleʒə],treasure ["treʒə],measure ["meʒə]
