Aprender Inglês
for Portuguese Speakers
Because your native language is Portuguese, you naturally will have difficulty pronouncing several American English sounds. You may notice that some are harder to learn than others. Here are a few sounds that you are most likely having difficulty pronouncing.
1. The ?z? sound is often pronounced like ?s?
This sound may be very challenging for you because you naturally pronounce ?z? in Portuguese like the American English ?s? sound.
In American English we form the "s" and "z" sounds the same; place the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth, but not touching them. Prolong the sound by making only very light contact with your tongue and roof of your mouth.
The difference between the sounds is in what we call ?voicing.? We use our voice to say ?z? but don?t for ?s.? The tricky part is that most of the time, the ?z? sound in English is represented with the letter ?s.?
The word ?was? may sound like ?wuss.?
The word ?busy? may sound like ?bissy.?
2. The voiced ?th? sound is usually pronounced like ?d?
Because you don't have the "th" sound in Portuguese, you may find that this sound is difficult to learn initially. To form this sound in American English you need to stick out your tongue in between your teeth. You should feel your top front teeth resting very gently on it. Keep your tongue and teeth in contact and push out your voice as you prolong the sound. You use your voice to say this sound, which means that if you place your hand on your throat when you say it, you should feel your vocal cords vibrate. You will also hear your voice.
The word ?the? may sound like ?duh.?
The word ?that? may sound like ?dat.?
3. The "p" sound is often pronounced like "b"
The "p" and "b" sounds are formed in exactly the same way in American English, except one uses your voice and the other doesn't.
To form the "p" sound, place your lips together, hold your breath, and then force the air out of your mouth in a little explosion. This sound does not use your voice, which means that you should only hear a puff of air when you say it. If you place your hand on your throat when you say this sound, you should not feel any vibration.
For the "b" sound, you will place your lips together in the same way you did for "p," and you hold your breath. This time, however, when you force the sound out, you will use your voice. This means that if you place your hand on your throat when you say "b," you should feel a vibration.
The word "pay" will sound like "bay"
The word "pad" will sound like "bad"
Source: http://www.speakingyourbest.com
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Aprender Inglês
Common Mispronunications
for Portuguese Speakers
Because your native language is Portuguese, you naturally will have difficulty pronouncing several American English sounds. You may notice that some are harder to learn than others. Here are a few sounds that you are most likely having difficulty pronouncing.
1. The ?z? sound is often pronounced like ?s?
This sound may be very challenging for you because you naturally pronounce ?z? in Portuguese like the American English ?s? sound.
In American English we form the "s" and "z" sounds the same; place the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth, but not touching them. Prolong the sound by making only very light contact with your tongue and roof of your mouth.
The difference between the sounds is in what we call ?voicing.? We use our voice to say ?z? but don?t for ?s.? The tricky part is that most of the time, the ?z? sound in English is represented with the letter ?s.?
The word ?was? may sound like ?wuss.?
The word ?busy? may sound like ?bissy.?
2. The voiced ?th? sound is usually pronounced like ?d?
Because you don't have the "th" sound in Portuguese, you may find that this sound is difficult to learn initially. To form this sound in American English you need to stick out your tongue in between your teeth. You should feel your top front teeth resting very gently on it. Keep your tongue and teeth in contact and push out your voice as you prolong the sound. You use your voice to say this sound, which means that if you place your hand on your throat when you say it, you should feel your vocal cords vibrate. You will also hear your voice.
The word ?the? may sound like ?duh.?
The word ?that? may sound like ?dat.?
3. The "p" sound is often pronounced like "b"
The "p" and "b" sounds are formed in exactly the same way in American English, except one uses your voice and the other doesn't.
To form the "p" sound, place your lips together, hold your breath, and then force the air out of your mouth in a little explosion. This sound does not use your voice, which means that you should only hear a puff of air when you say it. If you place your hand on your throat when you say this sound, you should not feel any vibration.
For the "b" sound, you will place your lips together in the same way you did for "p," and you hold your breath. This time, however, when you force the sound out, you will use your voice. This means that if you place your hand on your throat when you say "b," you should feel a vibration.
The word "pay" will sound like "bay"
The word "pad" will sound like "bad"
Source: http://www.speakingyourbest.com
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Many of my students say they want to sound just like a native English speaker. I understand the desire, but my answer to them is always the same. The goal is not to be perfect, but to progress; to beunderstood when speaking...
- Analyze Your Speaking Style
By Lisa Mojsin Here?s something that will help some of you quickly improve your accents. Do a little self-diagnosis of your individual speaking style. Here are three questions to ask yourself: 1. Do you tend to speak quickly in you native language?...
- Analyze Your Speaking Style
By Lisa Mojsin Here?s something that will help some of you quickly improve your accents. Do a little self-diagnosis of your individual speaking style. Here are three questions to ask yourself: 1. Do you tend to speak quickly in you native language? If...
- Common Reduced Forms In American English
This article was written by M.J.Mardanclos Reduced forms usually use during native speakers conversations. Non-native English speakers can use these reduced forms during their conversations in order to improve their speaking skills. In the context bellow...
- "ghoti" = "fish"
By Josef Essberger Some languages are "phonetic". That means that you can look at a word and know how to say it. English is not phonetic. You cannot always look at an English word and know how to say it. You cannot always hear an English word and know...