|
#1
| |||
| |||
| here is my problem: I find it very confused when I do pronounciation tasks, esp. in finding out the difference between the words ending with "s". I dun know they're pronounciated "z" or "s"... E.g : A. months B. paths C. wreaths D. youths Could you give me any hint on doing this kind of exercise to differentiate those more correctly. Many thanks in advance |
|
#2
| ||||
| ||||
| welcome to this site there are lots of books that can help you about pronunciation. especially books about phonology, linguistics and some other books. as we live in different countries, i can not certainly tell you what exact book you can buy. but you can ask your teacher to tell you the name of one or some useful books |
|
#3
| |||
| |||
| The difference in words with "s" just means more then one usually. Month = 1, Months = 2 or more. When words have a "th" at the end that is similar to the "f" sound (similar, NOT the same), and then the "s", it sounds like a cross between s and z. Its not something I would worry about a lot and most people wont be able to tell the difference unless you spoke with a strong british or american accent. my own accent (irish) makes it sound more like "z". |
|
#4
| ||||
| ||||
| Usually a final "s" to indicate a plural has a "zzz" sound. But in words ending in "th", the "s" maintains is traditional "ssss" sound. |
|
#5
| |||
| |||
| It's [s] if it's proceeded by a voiceless consonant, [z] if a voiced one. Unfortunately "th" can be either voiced or unvoiced, and it isn't indicated in the orthography. |
|
#6
| |||
| |||
| thanks for your help. |
|
#7
| |||
| |||
| The difference between voiced/voiceless consonants is essential, and we sometimes have fun with my pupils explaining the difference: I ask them to put their fingers on their throats and make sssszzzzsssszzzzssss sounds. It's a bit like a Tibetan mantra after a while... They can feel the difference and then, understand how "t" is different from "d", etc. Very useful for -ed endings too : - missed/buzzed, slapped/grabbed, ... but : shouted, decided, etc. Similar to : - bets/beds, pats/pads,... but glasses, freezes, judges, etc. I'm always short of examples of the "cloth/clothes" type though... |
![]() |
| Bookmarks |
| Tags |
| confused, ending, word, quotsquot |
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
| |
Similar Threads | ||||
| Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
| The meaning with no word . . . | ScaryEders | General Language Discussions | 5 | 06-May-2009 07:15 |
| The misused word--absolute | pljames | Text Analysis and Statistics | 10 | 13-Dec-2007 22:19 |
| One word | sharath | Ask a Teacher | 3 | 16-Jun-2005 16:36 |
| Ending a word with the wrong suffix | Anonymous | Ask a Teacher | 1 | 13-Feb-2004 03:04 |