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It is recommended that you study all of the American vowel sounds in detail. (See Chapters One and Two.) However, pay special attention to the vowel sounds highlighted below which are the most problematic ones for German speakers of English.
Confusing /æ/ and /ɛ/
You might have a tendency to confuse /æ/ (as in bad) with /ɛ/ (as in bed.) If so, you will want to review the explanations and many exercises for these sounds in Chapters One and Two. A typical mistake would be to pronounce sand and send the same way.
Word Contrasts for Practice
Make sure you pronounce the words in each pair differently.
| |
/æ/ |
/ɛ/ |
| 1. |
flash |
flesh |
2.
|
man |
men |
3.
|
salary |
celery |
4.
|
ex |
axe |
5.
|
taxes |
Texas |
The /ɔ/ Sound
Be careful that your /ɔ/ sound (as in saw) is not influenced by the very different British version of this sound. In British English pause sounds almost like “pose,” but in American English it sounds much more like /pɑz/, and has the same /ɑ/ sound as in father or watch.
Word Contrasts for Practice
Make sure you pronounce the words in each pair differently:
| |
/oʊ/ |
/ɔ/ |
| 1. |
low |
law |
2.
|
boat |
bought |
3.
|
coat |
caught |
4.
|
woke |
walk |
The /I/ Sound
You might have a tendency to pronounce /I/ (as in sit) incorrectly. Make sure you pronounce the following words differently:
| |
/I/ |
/i/ |
| 1. |
sit |
seat |
2.
|
live |
leave |
3.
|
fill |
feel |
The /ɘ/ Sound
You might confuse /ɘ/ as in fun, with /ɑ/ as in hop. Practice pronouncing the following words differently:
| |
/ɑ/ |
/ɘ/ |
| 1. |
shot |
shut |
2.
|
lock |
luck |
3.
|
cop |
cup |
The /ʊ/ Sound
Do not make the common error of confusing /ʊ/ as in good, with /u/ as in food. Make sure you pronounce the following words differently:
| |
/ʊ/ |
/u/ |
| 1. |
full |
fool |
2.
|
pull |
pool |
3.
|
look |
Luke |
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