The very first consonant that we will look at is /p/. If you look at the IPA chart, it is the first symbol listed, and is under the column "Bilabial", and in the row "Plosive".
Remember, that the letter 'p' is not the same as the IPA symbol /p/.
Lets look a little closer at those two different descriptions "Bilabial" and "Plosive".
Bilabial
The words Bilabial has two different parts: "bi-" and "labial".
"Bi-" is a common prefix that means "two". It is also found in the words bicycle (two wheels), bilingual (two languages), and biannual (two years), as well as many other words.
"Labial" means lips.
So, what do you get when you put "bi-" and "labial" together? Two lips. A bilabial sound is a sound made by pushing both lips together.
If you say the word 'part', you will notice that to say it you have to push your lips together. Look at the following words:
- part
- make
- beat
All of these words start with a bilabial sound.
Plosive
/p/ is also a plosive. A plosive is a sound that uses a little puff of air. If you hold your hand close to your mouth and say 'part', you will feel a little little puff of air at the beginning of the word. Think of the word plosive as being 'explosive', like a little bomb.
Summary
So, the symbol /p/ represents a bilabial plosive, made by pushing both lips together and then letting out a small puff of air. Next, we will talk about what it means that /p/ is voiceless, and how /p/ is used in English.
The English /p/
Many languages have the sound /p/. However, if you want to learn to pronounce the letter /p/ in English, you need to learn how the English /p/ is different than the /p/ in other languages.
Voice Onset Time (VOT)
Now we are going to learn about voice onset time (VOT). This might sound complicated, but take a deep breath, let it out, and listen carefully. VOT is a very important principle that is necessary to learn about if you want to perfect your English pronounciation.
Recall the two different types of sounds: 'voiced' (your throat vibrates) and 'voiceless' (your throat doesn't vibrate).
Now think of the word 'how'. You can say the word 'how' very slowly, like 'hhhhhhhhhhow'. If you feel your throat while you say it slowly, you will notice that the vibrations do not start until you get to the 'ow' part of 'how'. If you just say the 'hhhhh' part, your throat will never vibrate.
Now say the word 'part'. If you say it very slowly, you will notice that at some point right after the /p/, your throat will start vibrating. However, if you say it correctly (listen to me say it), when you first open your mouth your throat is not vibrating. Here is how it works:
1. You push your lips together.
2. You open your mouth, and let out a puff of air.
3. You breath out for a very small length of time.
4. You start vibrating your throat.
Keep saying part (or listening to me say it) until you can feel all of these individual steps.
As you can see, there is a length of time between when you open your mouth (step 2) and you start vibrating your throat (step 4). This gap is called the Voice Onset Time (VOT). Whew, that wasn't so hard, was it?
Now, you are probably wondering why this is important? It is important because the VOT of Plosives are different in every language. If you do not use the correct VOT, your /p/ might sound like a /b/, or even a /m/ or /n/. It is very important to use the correct VOT for each letter.
How do you learn the right VOT? Practice, practice, practice. This Lesson will have a worksheet you can use to work on it, and I recommend you listen to the audio file and follow along on a regular basis, until you are certain that you have it right.
Conclusion
The symbol /p/ is a voiceless bilabial plosive, which means it is made by pushing the lips together, opening them with a puff of air, and not vibrating your throat while you do it.
Practice
Listen carefully to me say the following words, and try to say them along with me:
1. part part part part
2. peel peel peel peel
3. panda panda panda panda
4. police police police police
Please view the attached worksheet to practice more! Practice, practice, practice!
Lets look a little closer at those two different descriptions "Bilabial" and "Plosive".
Bilabial
The words Bilabial has two different parts: "bi-" and "labial".
"Bi-" is a common prefix that means "two". It is also found in the words bicycle (two wheels), bilingual (two languages), and biannual (two years), as well as many other words.
"Labial" means lips.
So, what do you get when you put "bi-" and "labial" together? Two lips. A bilabial sound is a sound made by pushing both lips together.
If you say the word 'part', you will notice that to say it you have to push your lips together. Look at the following words:
- part
- make
- beat
All of these words start with a bilabial sound.
Plosive
/p/ is also a plosive. A plosive is a sound that uses a little puff of air. If you hold your hand close to your mouth and say 'part', you will feel a little little puff of air at the beginning of the word. Think of the word plosive as being 'explosive', like a little bomb.
Summary
So, the symbol /p/ represents a bilabial plosive, made by pushing both lips together and then letting out a small puff of air. Next, we will talk about what it means that /p/ is voiceless, and how /p/ is used in English.
The English /p/
Many languages have the sound /p/. However, if you want to learn to pronounce the letter /p/ in English, you need to learn how the English /p/ is different than the /p/ in other languages.
Voice Onset Time (VOT)
Now we are going to learn about voice onset time (VOT). This might sound complicated, but take a deep breath, let it out, and listen carefully. VOT is a very important principle that is necessary to learn about if you want to perfect your English pronounciation.
Recall the two different types of sounds: 'voiced' (your throat vibrates) and 'voiceless' (your throat doesn't vibrate).
Now think of the word 'how'. You can say the word 'how' very slowly, like 'hhhhhhhhhhow'. If you feel your throat while you say it slowly, you will notice that the vibrations do not start until you get to the 'ow' part of 'how'. If you just say the 'hhhhh' part, your throat will never vibrate.
Now say the word 'part'. If you say it very slowly, you will notice that at some point right after the /p/, your throat will start vibrating. However, if you say it correctly (listen to me say it), when you first open your mouth your throat is not vibrating. Here is how it works:
1. You push your lips together.
2. You open your mouth, and let out a puff of air.
3. You breath out for a very small length of time.
4. You start vibrating your throat.
Keep saying part (or listening to me say it) until you can feel all of these individual steps.
As you can see, there is a length of time between when you open your mouth (step 2) and you start vibrating your throat (step 4). This gap is called the Voice Onset Time (VOT). Whew, that wasn't so hard, was it?
Now, you are probably wondering why this is important? It is important because the VOT of Plosives are different in every language. If you do not use the correct VOT, your /p/ might sound like a /b/, or even a /m/ or /n/. It is very important to use the correct VOT for each letter.
How do you learn the right VOT? Practice, practice, practice. This Lesson will have a worksheet you can use to work on it, and I recommend you listen to the audio file and follow along on a regular basis, until you are certain that you have it right.
Conclusion
The symbol /p/ is a voiceless bilabial plosive, which means it is made by pushing the lips together, opening them with a puff of air, and not vibrating your throat while you do it.
Practice
Listen carefully to me say the following words, and try to say them along with me:
1. part part part part
2. peel peel peel peel
3. panda panda panda panda
4. police police police police
Please view the attached worksheet to practice more! Practice, practice, practice!
No comments:
Post a Comment