"Think", "Sink", 'Tink"

[Baba Yaga]

Thinking or sinking?

YouTube - We Are Sinking (German Coast Guard) (Berlitz Ad)

[Abstract Idea]

Thinking or sinking?

YouTube - We Are Sinking (German Coast Guard) (Berlitz Ad)

Very interesting indeed!!
I will use it in my classes.

It is a pity that, contrary to Asian students, Brazilian students usually do not mispronounce "think", "thank", "thought" as "sink", "sank", "sought", but rather as "fink", "fank", "fought".

[Linguist__]

It is a pity that, contrary to Asian students, Brazilian students usually do not mispronounce "think", "thank", "thought" as "sink", "sank", "sought", but rather as "fink", "fank", "fought".

Well, considering here in Britain voiceless 'th' being realised as 'f' is increasingly common, in a few generations the student's incorrect pronunciation will be correct. Already, several dialects in Britain have 'f' as standard, and no doubt the others will catch up soon.

It's a good thing, I think. Dental fricatives are rare in languages, and even in English, it is one of the last phonemes children learn. In fact, it is the last sound to be learnt before the voiced post-alveolar fricative ('measure'), but this sound is rare in English, so it could be assumed that the dental fricatives are indeed the last sound to be learnt. Also, as I said, a lot of people say 'f', so some children never learn it!

As a speech therapist, a child who says 'f' for 'th' wouldn't be given speech therapy. The fact is, if their communicative environment uses 'f' for 'th' then it is what the child should be expected to do.

[Abstract Idea]

Well, considering here in Britain voiceless 'th' being realised as 'f' is increasingly common, in a few generations the student's incorrect pronunciation will be correct. Already, several dialects in Britain have 'f' as standard, and no doubt the others will catch up soon.

It's a good thing, I think. Dental fricatives are rare in languages, and even in English, it is one of the last phonemes children learn. In fact, it is the last sound to be learnt before the voiced post-alveolar fricative ('measure'), but this sound is rare in English, so it could be assumed that the dental fricatives are indeed the last sound to be learnt. Also, as I said, a lot of people say 'f', so some children never learn it!

As a speech therapist, a child who says 'f' for 'th' wouldn't be given speech therapy. The fact is, if their communicative environment uses 'f' for 'th' then it is what the child should be expected to do.

When I was taught those "th" sounds in English, as a teenager, teachers used to tell us that since the "right" pronounciation was difficult to achieve, one could pronounce them as "f" and go on without problems. That is what I did for many years. In fact it is very common to know many non native English teachers here who can pronounce it correctly but do not do it in usual speech. I mean they pronounce it correctly only when they are stressing what the correct pronunciation should be, but in everyday speech they simply "forget" it.

Only after watching many many American movies, and repeating over and over the parts where I could see the speaker's tongue in my DVD player, and after really really policing myself in respect to "th" sounds could I manage to have a reasonable pronunciation of it.

[Linguist__]

Only after watching many many American movies, and repeating over and over the parts where I could see the speaker's tongue in my DVD player, and after really really policing myself in respect to "th" sounds could I manage to have a reasonable pronunciation of it.

Well, for a native English person trying to learn Portuguese, 'lh' is difficult. Also, when I speak the nasal sounds it sounds like I'm putting so much effort in, and I am!