| Would you like to know a quick and easy way to | | | | You shouldn't feel anything. |
| master English pronunciation? What if you could | | | | Now, put your hand on your throat and say |
| learn 16 sounds in just under 2 minutes? Of | | | | z-z-z-z-z. You should feel the vibration because |
| course, you will still have to practice to master | | | | your voice has to be turned on to make the Z |
| them, but I'm going to give you the secret of | | | | sound. |
| how it's done. | | | | Your mouth, teeth, and tongue should be in |
| The secret: it's all in the voicing. | | | | exactly the same position for saying S and Z; you |
| One of the most common challenges for second | | | | just need to turn your voice off for the S and on |
| language learners trying to improve their spoken | | | | for the Z. Does that make sense? |
| English is knowing the difference between voiced | | | | Now you can try it with the other pairs of |
| and unvoiced sounds. The beauty of this is that | | | | sounds. I'll list below which ones are voiced and |
| when you understand this concept, you have | | | | which are unvoiced. Remember, for each pair, the |
| automatically figured out the differences in 8 pairs | | | | mouth placement is the same; all that changes is |
| of sounds: s/z, p/b, t/d. f/v, k/g, sh/j, tch/dj, and | | | | the voicing. |
| voiced and voiceless th. | | | | - Unvoiced Sounds and Voiced Sounds |
| So, what exactly is the difference in these voiced | | | | - s for sip and z for zip |
| and unvoiced sounds? Glad you asked! | | | | - p for pat and b for bat |
| Each pair of sounds has the exact same tongue, | | | | - t for two and d for do |
| teeth, and mouth placement; the only difference | | | | - f for fine and v for vine |
| is whether or not your voice is turned on. | | | | - k for come and g for gum |
| To know if your voice is turned on, try this | | | | - sh for wishing and j for vision |
| simple test. Put your hand gently over the front | | | | - tch for choose and dj for juice |
| of your throat and breathe. Do you feel anything? | | | | - th, as in thank and th, as in these |
| No, you shouldn't. Now, put your hand on your | | | | The secret to these sounds is not such a secret |
| throat and say "ah". Feel the vibration? That's | | | | any longer! Spend some time practicing these |
| because your voice is turned on. | | | | sound pairs, and you will be well on your way to |
| Now, let's try it with one pair of sounds: S and Z | | | | mastering English pronunciation. |
| Put your hand on your throat and say s-s-s-s-s. | | | | |