Pronunciation exercise - /ɪ/ - /i:/ - /e/

[scorpio2002]

Hi there, I'm still practicing with pronunciation. Now I'm focusing on getting the vowel sounds /ɪ/ and /i:/ right. I find it difficult to make the /ɪ/ sound as I understand that it is not only shorter than /i:/ but it is also different in quality.

This is as far as I've got till now:

http://scorpio2002.altervista.org/ex3_ii.mp3

lead - lid - led
wheat - wit - wet
been - bin - Ben
cheek - chick - check
feel - fil - fel
reach - rich - wretch

Thank you again,
Donato

[PROESL]

Originally Posted by scorpio2002

Hi there, I'm still practicing with pronunciation. Now I'm focusing on getting the vowel sounds /ɪ/ and /i:/ right. I find it difficult to make the /ɪ/ sound as I understand that it is not only shorter than /i:/ but it is also different in quality.

This is as far as I've got till now:

http://scorpio2002.altervista.org/ex3_ii.mp3

lead - lid - led
wheat - wit - wet
been - bin - Ben
cheek - chick - check
feel - fil - fel
reach - rich - wretch

Thank you again,
Donato

1. lead - lid - led
2. wheat - wit - wet
3. been - bin - Ben
4. cheek - chick - check
5. feel - fil - fel
6. reach - rich - wretch

Set one and five sound like the ones that could use some work. The others are good.

It's hard to type quite precisely how I hear your pronunciation of these vowels, but at least it gives you something to go on. And maybe someone else can listen and post additional comments.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by scorpio2002

Hi there, I'm still practicing with pronunciation. Now I'm focusing on getting the vowel sounds /ɪ/ and /i:/ right. I find it difficult to make the /ɪ/ sound as I understand that it is not only shorter than /i:/ but it is also different in quality.

This is as far as I've got till now:

http://scorpio2002.altervista.org/ex3_ii.mp3

lead - lid - led
wheat - wit - wet
been - bin - Ben
cheek - chick - check
feel - fil - fel
reach - rich - wretch

Thank you again,
Donato

Maybe my connection isn't fast enough, but I can only hear the first five words. In those, the vowel sounds aren't bad, but as PROESL says the first set could do with some work; but it's not so much the vowels as the final consonants - your /d/ is no sufficiently voiced (in fact, I'm not sure it's voiced at all).

(You can get the feel of voicing by touching your voice-box while you alternate /ssssssssszzzzzzsssssss/ or /ffffffvvvvvvvffffff/. You should feel the voice-box vibrating during the voiced consonant. This isn't so easy to feel for a stop consonant like /d/, but you can work on voicing if you start with fricatives - as I've described.)

b

[scorpio2002]

Thank you all for your valuable help. Studying pronunciation is very difficult and without your feedback I wouldn't be able to do that.

Here are sets one and five again:

http://scorpio2002.altervista.org/ex4_ii.mp3

Any better or the same?

[BobK]

Originally Posted by scorpio2002

Thank you all for your valuable help. Studying pronunciation is very difficult and without your feedback I wouldn't be able to do that.

Here are sets one and five again:

http://scorpio2002.altervista.org/ex4_ii.mp3

Any better or the same?

I can hear those 'loud and clear' (a usage typically used in wireless communication [the old sort - not WiFi]: the receiving radio operator would say, before any serious interchange, 'receiving you loud and clear').

The lack of voicing is still there. the /i:/ is a bit long, but it needs to be, to be distinct from your /ɪ/ - which is too similar to it in quality. But /ɪ/ represents a very hard sound to describe. So I think your versions of these two are fine; I think the only way to get them right is to be immersed in the sounds of an English-speaking country. In fact, if your main use for English is as a lingua franca to communicate with other non-native speakers of English, your versions may be more useful than more English-sounding ones.

b

PS I expect your spellings of 'fill' and 'fell' were just slips. But fill fell and fall have a double L, which becomes single in compounds: fulfil, wonderful... (fulfil - Wiktionary). And then, just to confuse you, the second L gets reinstated in other forms of the verb - fulfilling, fulfilled.... (Am English wisely avoids these problems )

[scorpio2002]

PS I expect your spellings of 'fill' and 'fell' were just slips.

Well, I was so focused on the phonetic transcription that I got confused XD Thank you for pointing it out.

[scorpio2002]

I'm practicing with a different list of words... any better?

http://scorpio2002.altervista.org/ex6_ii.mp3

cheap - chip
beat - bit
seat - sit
leap - lip

Thanks as usual,
Donato

[PROESL]

Originally Posted by scorpio2002

I'm practicing with a different list of words... any better?

http://scorpio2002.altervista.org/ex6_ii.mp3

cheap - chip
beat - bit
seat - sit
leap - lip

Thanks as usual,
Donato

Yes, this sounds better. There is just one thing, however. The "ch" in "cheap" sounds just a very little bit like it starts off as an "sh" sound. This is very slight; however, it seems to be, also, ever so slightly noticeable to me. If you're really going for attaining native speaker pronunciation, every little detail is important. Push less air out, and make a slightly shorter sound. "Ch" is staccato; "Sh" is more legato. (sh - fricative and ch - affricate)

[BobK]

Originally Posted by PROESL

Yes, this sounds better. There is just one thing, however. The "ch" in "cheap" sounds just a very little bit like it starts off as an "sh" sound. This is very slight; however, it seems to be, also, ever so slightly noticeable to me. If you're really going for attaining native speaker pronunciation, every little detail is important. Push less air out, and make a slightly shorter sound. "Ch" is staccato; "Sh" is more legato. (sh - fricative and ch - affricate)

I agree - both about the improved vowels and about the slight problem with the affricate. Bear in mind that the IPA transcription is /ʧ/; start with the closure for a /t/ and use the pressure built up behind the closure as a /ʃ/.

b

[scorpio2002]

Thank you for your feedback. I'm trying to concentrate on one sound at a time, otherwise it becomes too hard :P

I made this list of common English words that I'm used to pronounce using the /i:/ sound but that should be pronounced using the /ɪ/ sound.

in, is, it, this, which, if, will, thing, did, live, little, give, think, before, different, difficult, big, why, kid, animal, build, still, city, begin, fish, list, wind, ship, king, kid, interest, invite, sing, listen, simple, appear, unit, sit, miss, bit, pit, pick, fit, lip.

Recording:
http://scorpio2002.altervista.org/common_words_i.mp3

Could you please point out which of these words need more work? Maybe each one of them needs more work :P

Thank you again for your patience,
Donato