Page 20 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Unit 1: Simple Rule for Pronunciation & Intonation

Notes
[ ] ... 'g' as in 'gap' & [ ] ... 'k' as in 'cap'

These two sounds are paired together because they take the same mouth position. K is unvoiced,
kk, meaning; only air passes through your mouth. And G is voiced, gg, gg, meaning, you're
making a sound with your vocal cords. These consonants are stop consonants, which means
there are two parts to the sound. First, a stop of the airflow, and second, a release. To stop the
airflow, the back part of the tongue reaches up and touches the soft palate, cutting off the air, gg.
The second part: the tongue pull away and the air is released, gg, kk. The lip position of these
consonants is influenced by the sound that comes next.

[ ] ... 'th' as in 'thin' & [ ] ... 'th' as in 'this'

The two TH consonant sounds. These sounds are paired together because they take the same
mouth position. Th is unvoiced, meaning, only air passes through the mouth, and th is voiced,
meaning you make a sound with the vocal cords. To make this sound, the very tip of the tongue
comes through the teeth, th, th, thanks, th, th, this. The rest of the mouth remains relaxed. For
the THR consonant cluster, the lips will begin to move into position for the R while the TH is
being made. Three, three. In some cases, these sounds will be replaced with a similar sound,
when the tongue does not quite come through the teeth. Instead it presses against the closed
teeth. This will happen in an unstressed word only, when there isn't enough time given to the
word for teeth to part and the tongue to come through

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