This video explores on the various places of articulation in English phonology, such as bilabial, dental, alveolar, post-alveolar, retroflex, velar, palatal and glottal. It delves into how speech sounds are formed at the various places in the vocal tract and how the place influences the quality of the sounds in English, specifically consonant sounds. Read more

This video offers a detailed exploration of English consonant sounds’ manner of articulation, explaining how the lips, tongue, and vocal cords produce plosives, fricatives, and other sounds. The host ensures accessibility by providing real-life examples and exercises, making it suitable for language enthusiasts and students. Viewers can expect to grasp English consonants’ nuances by the… Read more

This video provides a clear explanation of the vocal tract and articulators. The vocal tract, which includes our oral and nasal cavities, pharynx, and larynx, plays a crucial role in sound production. The articulators, such as the tongue, lips, and teeth, shape the airflow from the lungs to create sounds. These articulators can be either… Read more

The video compares the British and American English sound charts developed by Adrian Underhill. Both charts share 24 consonant sounds but differ in the vowel sections. The American chart has fewer monophthongs and diphthongs. The video also explores transcribing words with the sound symbols for an American accent and looks at alternative sound symbols from… Read more

The video explores the phonemic charts for British English, focusing on Adrian Underhill’s chart, widely used in English language study materials. It compares this chart with those from the British Council and English File by Oxford University Press. Although based on the IPA, the Underhill chart has a unique symbol for the /e/ sound. The… Read more

The video discusses two groups of sounds: sonorants (or resonants) and obstruents. Sonorants are produced with continuous airflow, without restrictions causing air friction, and are always voiced in English. Obstruents, on the other hand, are produced with restricted airflow, causing air turbulence or blockage. This group includes plosives, fricatives, and affricates, and can be either… Read more

The video explores additional IPA symbols used in transcription, which are commonly seen in phonemic transcriptions. These symbols, apart from sound symbols, fall into two categories: suprasegmentals and diacritics. The video focuses on the most frequently used symbols essential for English transcription. Read more

The video discusses syllabic consonants, a phenomenon where consonants take on the role of vowels in unstressed syllables to maintain the syllable status. In English, only the nasals /m/, /n/, /ŋ/ and the liquids /l/, /r/ can become syllabic consonants. The video provides examples of words with syllabic consonants and explains their prevalence in fast… Read more

The video explores syllable structure, comprising three components: onset (one or more consonant sounds at the beginning), nucleus (one vowel sound forming the core), and coda (one or more consonants at the end). A syllable must have a nucleus, while onset and coda are optional. Topics covered include zero onset, open vs. closed syllables, and… Read more

The video practices hearing the difference between long and short vowel sounds in minimal pairs. Minimal pairs are almost identical words that differ in one sound, such as “fit” and “feet.” Learning to distinguish these pairs is crucial for understanding and pronouncing English correctly. The video focuses on minimal pairs with ɪ & i: and… Read more

In this second video on contracted forms in English we are going to look at some more contractions. Each type of contraction is followed by a pronunciation practice with short sentences to help you master this combination of words and to become faster at speaking English. Some of them might be a bit difficult at… Read more