Can any native speakers help me to listen to my pronunciations of /i:/ and /I/?

Hello, everyone!
I am not an English native speaker. Some people say that sometimes I seem to have added a /j/ before my /i:/ or /I/ probably due to my native language. I hope you can help me to listen to my pronunciations of /i:/ and /I/ in the following recordings to see if I have already got rid of this problem, and if there need any more modifications. Thank you very much!

Words read
/i:/: sheep, leak, cheek, peel, bean, leave
Download ii.mp3 from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way


/I/: it, ship, lick, chick, pill, bin, live
Download i.mp3 from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

The sound you're using is too long with most of the second group, so that they're not readily distinguishable from the first group.

PS Many people will not download files because of the security risk, especially with a place that tries to get you to download software. You can attach small sound files here or upload larger ones to something like YouTube where no download is required and you'll get more answers.

It's much more useful in my opinion to practice these words (or any other words for that matter) in real English sentences. Words without context are meaningless. Try writing sentences using these words and then record those. It's a much more natural exercise.

One more tip: you could upload your recordings to Free mp3 hosting, upload mp3 | upload file direct link - Kiwi6 Mp3 Upload. This site allows direct linking, which is much more convenient.

Thank you very much for all your advice. I now understand why there was no reply for so long. I did not know about the mp3 upload site and the upload function provided by this forum.

Am I correct that my problem now lies in the length of pronunciation instead of the additional /j/?
I try to upload 2 recordings now.
The first one is my reading of words in group 2 (it, ship, lick, pill, bin, live).
The second one is the reading of the minimal pairs.

I would appreciate it a lot if you could help me with it.
Thank you once again!

Yes, vowel length strikes me as the issue. However, you are pronouncing the words in isolation, which does not help greatly. How about saying a sentence with some sample words like The sheep live in a field.

I have tried to record 5 sentences, each containing the minimal pair /i:/ and /I/. Could you to listen to my recordings and tell me if you can distinguish the pair in my recording? Thank you in advance for you help.

1. Please throw the beans into the bin.
2. I'm not talking about your chicks, but your cheeks!
3. I need to leave now because I live far away.
4. Somebody claims that the peel of lemon contains more vitamin C than a normal vitamin C pill. (PS: Of course it is not the truth )
5. It is a sheep, not a ship.

I would be grateful if you could inform me of any articulation error, in case there is.

thincat said:

I have tried to record 5 sentences, each containing the minimal pair /i:/ and /I/. Could you to listen to my recordings and tell me if you can distinguish the pair in my recording?

Click to expand...

Yes, I can hear the difference, well done. The intonation requires a bit of work, but you're on the right track.

You have the difference in the quality of the vowel, but you are tending to make the /i:/ vowel too long sometimes. When the vowels are followed by the same consonant (as in sheep/ship), /i:/ is slightly longer than /I/, but the difference is normally almost imperceptible to the ear.

Thank you very much for all your precious opinions!

To clarify 'the difference in length is almost imperceptible to the ear.

b

PS re thread title: I know of no way to 'help someone to listen'; I could make it easier for someone to hear if I controlled the ambient background noise, but that's not quite the same. What you wanted is that native speakers help you by listening (and commenting). ;-)