The pronunciation of 'Sh' - Pronunciation in Use

[Billie9274]

Hello, teachers.
I have a curiosity about pronouncing the 'sh' sound.
I thought it's sounded with a closed teeth(as people do in the video), but
according to my book, Pronunciation in Use by Cambridge, describes it with rather opened teeth.
Actually it looks completely opened.
Do you have any opinion about why the book describes 'sh' sound like that, could you tell me?

[BobK]

I'm not sure why the book should describe it that way. I find it impossible to make this sound with my teeth apart. (I don't know the book - perhaps the photograph is of someone with what dentists call an 'overbite' [their teeth don't meet when they have their mouth shut]).

b

[Billie9274]

Thank you very much.. I think I get the picture now. And thank you for the new word!

[5jj]

When I make the sound, my teeth are not touching, but I can make an almost identical sound with my teeth together.

My phonetics books all illustrate this fricative with a sagittal section showing the teeth apart.

[Billie9274]

I didn't know about the detail you told and about other books.
Thank you for your explanation and information.

[BobK]

I'm not sure why the book should describe it that way. I find it impossible to make this sound with my teeth apart. (I don't know the book - perhaps the photograph is of someone with what dentists call an 'overbite' [their teeth don't meet when they have their mouth shut]).

b

To clarify: when I make the sound my molars are touching; my front teeth ('incisors') aren't.

b

[5jj]

To clarify: when I make the sound my molars are touching; my front teeth ('incisors') aren't.

Yours may be; mine aren't. Indeed, I cannot have my molars touching without my incisors touching.

Unfortunately, most sagittal sections do not show the molars. However, if we can imagine them in these illustrations, which are presumably intended to show the tongue positions for most people, they would not, I feel, be touching:


palatoalveolar fricatives
Phonetics & Phonology Tutorial (answers) | Azus Notes (Diagram D)

[BobK]

Thanks for the links. I guess I'm a freak

b

[emsr2d2]

I can make the "sh" sound with none of my teeth touching, with my molars but not my incisors touching and with my incisors but not my molars touching. I should point out that I have a slight overbite and I can't make my molars and incisors meet at the same time.

[Raymott]

"Sh" is made with the tongue and palate. I can't see where teeth enter into it.
I can make a more or less acceptable /sh/ sound from a teeth clenched position to an amost fully open mouth position - but it is most natural with the teeth not quite together, as 5jj says.