4 Indispensable Rules For Better English Pronunciation

Download Elsa and get discounts of 85% off of lifetime and 40% off of one year membership elsaspeak.com/inf/LetThemTalkTV/
Download ELSA for free and get 7 days pro membership for free bit.ly/ELSAxLETTHEMTALKTV
Love the English language? Get the LetThemTalkTV newsletter here - IT'S FREE!
eepurl.com/izRKww
Instead of learning the pronunciation of individual words learn the rules of English pronunciation. English spelling/pronunciation seems chaotic but there are rules and in this video you'll learn (more than) 4 that will help you see the logic behind the English language and will help raise your level of pronunciation.
..If you are a grammar lover you might be interested in our new range of grammarian merchandise exclusive to LetThemTalkTV
teespring.com/stores/my-store...
0:00 The logic of English
00:42 Learn the regular
03:33 Elsa speak
05:18 Weak forms
10:11 The voiced and unvoiced TH
14:14 Pronounce the phrase not the words
Subscribe here
kzbin.info...
Learn English in Paris or join an online class.
www.letthemtalk.fr
instagram @LetThemTalkParis

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Download Elsa and get discounts of 85% off of lifetime and 40% off of one year membership elsaspeak.com/inf/LetThemTalkTV/ Download ELSA for free and get 7 days pro membership for free bit.ly/ELSAxLETTHEMTALKTV

[@ranieridemaria6083]

I have installed Elsa Speak, which is an excellent and very functional application, but it seems to me that it is designed for American English, so it is not appropriate for British English learners.

[@irenejohnston6802]

Sorry. Dislike the demo voice it's American. I'm English. There's too much if it already

[@Booz2010]

Yow Gideon. Dicha know that the word Indispensable actually borrowed from FRENCH ❓Credit goes to Norman Conquest and Plantagenet Dynasty who brought a bunch of French loanwords into English Vocabulary 👀

[@Eddi.M.]

Long time no see! English has rules and logic? That was new to me 🙂

[@patsypatti990]

To me too 🤣

[@LetThemTalkTV]

yes, a few

[@josealbarran7202]

Actually what makes English seem illogical is the spelling system. The language per se is super logical and regular. If the spelling system was changed to make it more regular like Italian or Spanish, it would be super easy to follow.

[@Eddi.M.]

@@josealbarran7202 You are jumping a bit short, but no changes, please, to this beloved English language. It is like an old wife, you have grown fond of. *Crazy words* Have you ever thought of the word eggplant and realized that there’s no “egg” in eggplant, or the word hamburger and realized there is no “ham”? I am from Hamburg, bye the way. Is there anyone who likes side boobs? I clearly prefer them in the front. *Arbitrary word compounds* When is it shoemaker or when shoe maker? I wouldn't know any clear rule. Better would be to either always compound words or never. *Words can be verb forms or nouns without change* Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. Why do performers recite a play, yet play at a recital? *Some grammar irregularities* I was, you were and I were *Modal verbs* Freddie filled in his form by filling it out? *Adjectives and attributes* A slim chance and a fat chance are the same thing, but then a wise guy and a wise man mean completely different things. There are so many *silent letters* - knock, knee, knight - and *plurals* that just don’t make sense. Comfortable Vegetable Salmon Almond Sword Womb Yacht The plural of ‘box’ is ‘boxes’, yet the plural of ‘ox’ is ‘oxen’, not oxes. I heard an Englishman look for his mouses, not mice, yet he'd never forget where his houses are. Is there any other language, in which information is uncountable despite the information overflow all around us? Some more examples: “The city tip was so full that it had to refuse more refuse,” “The bandage was wound around the wound,” “The market garden was designed to produce produce,” and “To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

[@josealbarran7202]

@@Eddi.M. all these things that you have mentioned are not exclusive to the English language. You can find these characteristics in many other languages. Irregularities and weird grammar exist in every language. But in terms of phonology, English is super regular. Phonetics might slightly vary between dialects, though.

[@OceanChild75]

This is such a detailed and articulated video, thank you so much! I do feel guilty for always wanting more videos and podcasts from you but the quality of your work is way beyond compare

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Thank you so much. I will increase output....

[@lets.go.brandon67827]

This video WORTH a COUPLE of HUNDREDS money’s.

[@59Canuto]

Fascinating. I’m a native Spanish speaker that has been learning and speaking American English for the last 40 some years. It’s great to see the why of things I recognized as weird but leaned to accept and conform to. Thank you.

[@sultanawwad4267]

One of the best English language content there to find … many thanks

[@tahiranaveen]

Glad to see you're back

[@LetThemTalkTV]

I never went away

[@mariannereuter]

What an eye-opener! I never thought about weak and strong words until now. Makes so much sense though ... Thank you!

[@itsyourgirlzuzu]

This is a rather exciting and educational video. I appreciate all the works you put into your content. Thank you so much.

[@LetThemTalkTV]

It's my pleasure

[@lisaedmondson780]

Wow, I’m impressed! These are the very notions I’m trying to impart to my French students right now! And now I have the tools to strengthen my classes. Pure GOLD!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Def a “passer-onner”😁 And definitely contacting you (as you’d suggested before😊). Thank you so very much, Gideon, and talk to you soon!🙏🏽

[@alkante2962]

Impossible to implement on a French audience. They are told from their very young age how they do not articulate enough and how they must correct that. The absolute contrary of the chewing-gum English is.

[@lisaedmondson780]

@@alkante2962 hmmm… I tend to disagree, Al Kante. I teach a host of 25 to 60-odd-year-old French students every single week and have been concentrating on weak forms-schwa and friends-stressed syllables, content and function words, the whole shebang, this past year. And, au contraire, they report better comprehension and more ease when approaching new words. They sound more natural too, on the whole. Sure, the whole concept is a bit strange in the beginning and some actually don’t believe what you’re saying at first (thankfully, we have videos such as Gideon’s to back us up🙏🏽), but I insist on being a broken record until they get it and start implementing the notions in their speech pattern. And they do get it and have started. So, from my experience, it really works. One student asked me: Why didn’t I learn this at school?” And he went on to say, how much easier it would’ve been had he known all this. So yes, I agree: the French pedagogical system does not in any way contribute to understanding natural English. But, it’s un-doable (albeit with a huge dose of patience).

[@alkante2962]

@@lisaedmondson780 Strange. What he is talking about is taught in french schools. Unless the level has dropped so much and I don't know about it... There is just a gap between a theory and practice. My point is on how radically different and opposite pronunciation of the two languages is.

[@gaufrid1956]

As an Aussie and a native speaker of Aussie English I agree wholeheartedly with what you say! Having lived for five years in Mindanao Philippines I've also noticed similar things in the way people shorten words in Mindanao Cebuano (or as it is known here "Bisaya"). Back in 2017 my wife Helly spent three months in Australia with me and my son Donovan. She is fluent in English and five Filipino languages but she said to me that when I was speaking to Donovan it was hard for her to understand because it was "so slang". Of course my son and I were speaking like native speakers. I have conversational level of Bisaya now and higher level for chat online and singing, and people have said they don't hear an Aussie accent! English really is a hard language to learn. Cebuano and Tagalog here in the Philippines are easier. Of course the grammar is so different from English that many foreigners don't bother to learn the local language. I've noticed that when I chat online with my wife I often use a combination of Mindanao Cebuano and English, with the occasional Tagalog words. I call this "Taglishaya". Because in the Philippines the official languages are Filipino (Tagalog) and English, most people speak "Taglish" or "Bislish". As someone very interested in languages I find it amazing to be here and experience how languages change!

[@dudablack2426]

Great class! Thanks so much, Gideon!! ❤

[@curtiscroulet8715]

"-ture" is pronounced "-chuh" in your dialect. I'm an American from California. I clearly pronounce the "R." I my speech, and that of most Americans that I converse with, "for" and "four" are pronounced identically. There may be regional differences that I don't often encounter.

[@janepage3608]

I would have said that Americans pronounce for as fr in the weak form, and four as a much longer word - you can hear the diphthong. And in the southern states it’s almost fower. Or fowe(r). I’m English, lived in America for five years.

[@curtiscroulet8715]

@@janepage3608 Thank you for the observations of southern (U.S.) speech. I don't get to talk to many southerners.

[@sabasolivellaabuabara8156]

Anyone who follow this channel knows he speaks in a particular British accent

[@Nogreaterjoy1]

I’m with you. “Chur” as the right way, but In Utah they don’t pronounce the T in mountain so I wondered at first if he was joking. But still these rules helped me identify what to go over with my kiddos.

[@soniamayrink3295]

Extremelly useful and necessary. Thank you.

[@AlbertBoth]

Thank you for sharing these great insights!

[@mariefrenchtutor3180]

Thank you so much! Very helpful.

[@genevieverouet1340]

That is a very appealing approach of pronunciation ! Thank you.

[@SreevatsaKota]

A very good video tutorial. Thanks, Gideon.

[@user-em4kh9gb1l]

Great explanations! Thank you so much. You're so generous for these free lessons.

[@harrybarrow6222]

On a different topic: I have noticed that there seems to be a preferred order for multiple adjectives in front of a noun. For example, we say “the big red ball”, but usually do not say “the red big ball” (unless we are emphasising “red”). In this case, size comes before colour as a general rule. There are probably more semantic grammar structures like this…

[@janetmackinnon3411]

So many good points! Thank you.

[@nezapamatovatelne]

I like most of your videos, Gideon, but this one it's just a gem. Thank you so much.

[@harrybarrow6222]

I am a native English speaker and I definitely pronounce the “t” in Get back, and similar phrases.

[@mariambajelidze8515]

Thank you

[@guillaumeromain6694]

Brilliant content Gideon, you consistently make relevant points which trully help me improving. I can't thank you enough.! And the way you deliver them makes me feel relaxed. You are a master

[@Korocoran]

THank you so much ! Excellent !

[@francoo.m.]

No doubt you are a great teacher!

[@user-qq5hd9wo9t]

Thanks for the video. I will try to do so)

[@lumavis9294]

Amazing lesson!👏🏻

[@proshunsarkar2033]

Thank you you are great and intelligent. I appreciate you.

[@maritzajimenez6690]

Wow! This is a great class! I have to back on it again and again ! It's the first time someone teaches it ! Thank you so much !

[@arieliturbide6326]

this video has at least one year lessons in it! Excelente! Gracias por compartir

[@MohammedAli-ch2cz]

Excellent class, thank you Sir.

[@Agadoo5]

Sir , You are the best teacher in the whole world ! Thank you very much for your videos 🙂

[@vicentemontequin4113]

Outstanding Beatles' reference, Gideon!

[@markdonovan1540]

The slides with "arriving", at time stamps 06:05 and 06:13, are shown incorrectly written as "ariving". This is an excellent video which will help many students of the English language. You're right in saying that most of the time, if not all, the emphasis is on the exceptions instead of regular pronunciation. The "schwa" is one sound that often foxes speakers of more phonetic languages, such as Spanish.

[@Benighted.1]

Great video. Thanks!

[@SpecialNightStar]

Thank you so much!!!

[@isabelatence7035]

My joy to see you, I think I need a (tongue ) for pronunciations, I didn't imagine 70% of rules, I loved every tip, listen several times, practice unrolling the intonation of words, I bought 2 new LetThemTalkTV t-shirts, I love this one channel, Gideon stay mellow, very grateful💕

[@LetThemTalkTV]

I'm glad you liked the video and thanks for getting the t-shirts. I'm sure you'll look super cool in them. Best wishes.

[@isabelatence7035]

@@LetThemTalkTV I'm sure I'll look stylish, I'll join ELSA👍

[@jerome2874]

Great video! Thank you Gideon!

[@nicolasloiseau8971]

Thank for great topic

[@thierrybravier7095]

Hi Gideon, as always I am very fond of your lessons. To my surprise, I realized that as Mr Jourdain does prose without knowing it, I was using those alternate forms of pronunciations (weak forms and voiced vs unvoiced th) without having been properly exposed to them. Adding some theoretic sugar on this really made my day. Many thanks (as always :-) Bonus question, it seems you did not mention "with" in the voiced vs unvoiced th chapter. I was waiting for it as I have many times had the impression that it varies from case to case (ie. "when I'm with you" vs. "the friend I came with") or am I mistaken? Extra bonus thanks for citing "I saw-R-a file today oh boy", I had been wondering what was going on in the song for more than 40 years. Double-plus-good time listening to this video.

[@isabelatence7035]

Hello Gideon, good to see you with news on this super channel, I acquired the material, I'm already enjoying it, I like it a lot, it will give me an extra plus in learning binomials, Fantastic video, thank you very much, you are always moving forward🎉🙌✨

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Hello Isabel, thanks for your purchase. You have my email do send me any feedback good or bad. Best wishes

[@isabelatence7035]

@@LetThemTalkTV I'll see it in full and get back to you. Best wishes

[@Crisguay]

I caught the light!! Many thanks for the lesson. But it's easier said and heard than done... Too many rules, too many exceptions, but I'll give it a go. Slowly but surely. Bit by bit, that's the key. 😅

[@lilianarmstrong6719]

Fantastic lesson.

[@StuffMadeOnDreams]

I understand how English works better because of this video. Many thanks.

[@AlejandroMallea]

Very informative as usual! Quick correction though: the sound of the unvoiced TH is *not* present in Spanish, but in Spain. θ is not used in Latin America, where the alveolar fricatives are used instead.

[@williampatten9165]

"I had noticed the "colour" of the "aluminum" had "brightened". Being from Montana, I pronounce this sentence as "I noticed the coller of thugh aloomenum had brytnd". Notice for some reason native speakers pronounce "aluminum " the was it should be correctly spelled, but don't pronounce "colour" the way it is spelled. Also, I do pronounce "r's" at the end of words (instead of "ah"), and I don't "ax" questions. That one really erks me.

[@teresajohnson5265]

Loved this video!

[@user-om2ti8jj1f]

Interesting fact: both "th" sounds existed in Proto-Germanic and in Germanic languages afterwards. But then, for some reason, Germans and the Dutch, and speakers of other Germanic languages, decided to substitute them with the /t/ and /d/ sounds. And only English and Icelandic preserved them. Icelandic has two special letters that represent them: "ð" and "þ".

[@user-om2ti8jj1f]

*and Faroese

[@robertogrossige67]

Thanks , Prof

[@farookali6693]

What a fantastic explanation, layman like Me could learn a lot Great

[@brian9438]

As a proud speaker of the general American accent, I was as surprised as anyone to hear of the "caught/cot" merger. For me, "caught" and "cot" have always been pronounced identically.

[@lilianarmstrong6719]

I used to be an English teacher, but I'm always learning.

[@sabasolivellaabuabara8156]

This video is a masterpiece!

[@asterstar]

Learnt a lot from you. Cheers Gideon x Follower from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

[@andrescastro4836]

Good day Sir and thanks for helping this non native English speaker to keep learning. By the by, do you have a lesson describing the difference between 'its' and 'it's'? I learned that back in the '50s but some people still have difficulty with them, specially those "hooked on phonics". Kind regards from Vancouver Island.

[@abdirahmanshali5938]

Thank you

[@raishaaa_]

I just found this video and i do love it..

[@baregildegomcesval]

Gideon is the greatest. His dynamic English is so mellow and flows so easily.

[@christoph_stadler]

It was very interesting to learn (again) these pronunciation rules in such detail. At minute 14:06, however, I was amazed when he pronounced the "th" in the word "with" like "wif". This phenomenon is called "th-fronting" and is becoming more and more common in England - as you can see even among educated people. He could have still mentioned this "th-fronting" in this topic 🙂

[@minookalantari]

Thanks

[@asakiito765]

I loved the video!! I noticed for myself, that when I use ELSA, they often say it was a mistake when I used the weak form, so I kind of thought it was ironic lmao Other than that, content was soo good, easy to understand, and the sponsorship was well fitting too!

[@LetThemTalkTV]

I'm glad you liked the video. Elsa has good AI but I guess not 100%

[@Tony32]

Great Video! 👍

[@vincenzospezia4324]

I'm a native Italian speaker 🇮🇹...thanks a lot for your amazing videos!

[@freddiemercury8700]

Not only......but also. Great piece of inversion there 👍 Your English grammar is getting BETTER Gideon 😁😂🤣

[@LetThemTalkTV]

I do my best

[@fabiogerussibueriis]

Very interesting.

[@torrawel]

The weak forms are really fascinating. I probably mentioned it before but they are also very common un Dutch, especially with the personal pronouns. My students are always astonished when they learn this but now I can tell them it also exists in English :). For the Spanish speaking students, I always compare it to using the p.p. In Spanish : YO hablo español (versus hablo español) Is there a book or article about the English weak forms? Do we know where they come from? And what came first, the weak or the strong version? Thank you for another excellent video!

[@BeatBoxBudda]

Is there a portuguese equivalent of this channel? I'm learning it at the moment, and finding this channel for elgon has been wonderful for my foreign friends but I would love something for learning português! Obrigado!

[@CoronaVirus-uy1cw]

Good job

[@nHans]

As an EFL (non-native English) speaker whose native language and script are completely phonetic, I'm trying very hard at the moment not to blurt out _"Spelling Reform."_ DAMMIT-lost control. 🤣 BTW, I find these spoken features of SSBE extremely interesting: - Linking and intrusive R - Intrusive Y: i+a = iya - Possibly intrusive W as well: o+a = owa Because similar 'quirks' exist-quite independently-in Classical Sanskrit as well. In fact, they have been formally codified as rather elaborate _'sandhi'_ rules. What's really interesting is that these rules didn't exist in the older "Vedic" Sanskrit. So when you take poetry composed in Vedic Sanskrit, and chant it according to the _sandhi_ rules of Classical Sanskrit, the rhythm and meter sound a bit off! (My native language is not Sanskrit, but has been heavily influenced by it. And the _sandhi_ rules have carried over. We study Sanskrit formally in school, kinda like how English students used to study Latin and Greek.)

[@notit7282]

Are those truly SSBE features at all? Linking and intrusive Rs are common in non-rhotic English accents to bridge word-final vowels with word-initial vowels, generally to keep the transition between words smooth and fluid without the need to insert abrupt glottal stops. Intrusive semivowels, specifically /j/ (for front vowels) and /w/ (for back vowels) in English, are also commonly used as linking sounds for the same purpose. It's virtually a natural phenomenon (if you speak fast enough or blur your speech/word boundaries a little, it'll occur regardless of your level of English, provided you are using the right sounds); and I suspect other languages do the same too to a varying degree. Except German that is-I know they inert a glottal stop before words that begin with a vowel, which is the exact opposite of what linking sounds in English do.

[@nHans]

​@@notit7282 You're absolutely right-linking and intrusive R's occur in many non-rhotic English accents, including SSBE. (I didn't say these features were exclusive to SSBE.) The only exception I know is the one Gideon himself covered in an earlier video: the so-called Transatlantic Accent-a synthetic non-rhotic accent that doesn't use the intrusive R. (It does use the linking R though.) As for the intrusive semivowels-I'm pretty sure what you described is exactly how they became a feature of Classical Sanskrit as well. 👍

[@aaronodonoghue1791]

There's also intrusive W for words ending in a U or O sound (e.g. you W_are, too W_old, go W_away) And for voiced TH words, "smooth" and "swath" (alternative spelling of "swathe") are the only words I know with final voiced TH spelled without the last E

[@Maronite2]

Very informative video, Gideon, as usual. As a native speaker, I value the clarifications you endeavor to provide. Words ending in "ough" must befuddle non native speakers of English. Consider the range of the following examples: cough, through and bough. This must pose quite the conundrum for students of English.

[@marythurlow9132]

As a Welsh person, I don't say tuh for to.I say it like too. I've noticed that a lot of English people do this. I have a definite different pronunciation of for and four. And I put a t in get back. I've also noticed that English people pronounce room differently from me. I use the of sound whereas many English people say something like rum.

[@marythurlow9132]

A few corrections . The oo sound in room.

[@HongNguyen-ve6wx]

Thanks for an informative video. Do you mind if I ask you a question? I notice that native speakers also pronounce samwich rather than sandwich. What do you call it? Is it also intrusion? And why is it so? Many thanks.

[@hizaleus]

Intrusive R is used in RP but not North American standard ("broadcast" -- don't know if there is a proper term for this pronunciation, but the US and Canadian version are not that dissimilar, though some Canadians tend towards Scottish). There may be other differences, but I have not picked up on them in your video.

[@dourighan]

Hi Gedeon, might you are an excellent teacher or I am an excellent student to be able to understand the whole lesson !! Both of suppositions could be correct

[@martysears]

Great video, although 'arriving' is spelt wrong at 6:00

[@hibohappy6203]

How can i differentiate b/w English and American accent, and which is easy for English beginners? plz help me

[@msartlit]

Having read the title of this video I just said aloud For and Four and realized that I do pronounce them differently. I live in Canada and family is 1/2 French Canadian so my pronunciation may be influenced by French. My ou in four is closer in sound to the ou in vous.

[@ajwinberg]

Where I live in America we don't use an intrusive R. It sounds wrong and weird.

[@zetasportworld1325]

Could you please help me with this one. were air not available in such unlimited amounts. people would pay for the air they breathe Is there any adj clause, adv clause or noun clause in the santence above

[@kampai71]

I wish you were my English teacher 25 years ago. Would you do something about comprehension? Please! Fast speaking people are often a problem in understanding.

[@dscham1507]

What's the clip at 9:20 from?

[@hglundahl]

"for four years" I'd have both end on a tense vowel but only the word four actually long, and I'd definitely stress "four" more.

[@hglundahl]

8:18 I'd spontaneously use the "oo" sound both in "to" and in "two" but again, the first one shorter and less stressed. So, you are telling me, it should be more like "tattoo" and less like "tutu"?

[@notabit]

Arriving !

[@Benighted.1]

Indeed... but it sounds like əˈraɪv+ing 😅

[@SlightlySusan]

I'verecently developed a sensitivity to the helper version of "to" as "ta," not knowing it should be "ta." Hmmm.

[@elkyubi4281]

I often noticed something out of place with me when I talk and this is revealing, that's exactly what's off in way of speaking 😂, using the strong form all of the time.

[@LetThemTalkTV]

It's ok to use the strong form but it's important at least to recognize the weak forms to improve comprehension

[@benimneselidunyam8901]

Hi everyone, I would like to teach phonics to kids. I am looking for a free pdf but couldn't find it. So I want to buy one. Do you suggest a qualified phonetics books for young learners?

[@fredericroy]

6:07 "ariving" is not wit 2 "r" ?

[@MarisolFarfalla]

Elsa is speaking American English, but I want to learn a british accent. 😕

[@hglundahl]

15:30 So, a native English speaker would pronounce "pulled over" as "pull Dover" ... Fun fact, that's not just a mistake a Slav would make, separating the words, but a German too. "pult [knacklaut] over" with a very audible aleph separating the words ... (Auslautverhärtung more optional mistake ...)

[@lightdark00]

I was like we never learned this in school, and then I figured out the rules are how to sound English! I'm American.

[@maheshganga3044]

I like your videos. From Bharath (India).

[@DenisMaksymowicz]

Wow! Same pronunciations no both sides of the pond! Please consider doing more presentations on the commonalities of English rather than the differences

[@DenisMaksymowicz]

I tend to pronounce weak forms stronger than you might. I am a Yank from the NE. Yes...now now that I think about it, you are halfway correct from my viewpoint...which pronunciations make me sound like a Mid-Atlantic much less than a Brit

[@zsombi77]

arriving and not ariving (6:03 -6:13)

[@ThornySubject]

Yes I think he was checking if were paying attention, and *we* passed the test at least!😅

[@franzdeassi13]

Hallo Gideon, I would like to recommend Simon Roper's KZbin channel. A young Brit doing various language comparisons, erymological explanations and all sorts of linguistics here on KZbin. If you don't already know his channel, just switch over. He recently released a video about comparing and evaluating North Frisian vs. English. Very interesting stuff indeed. 😊

[@dadams7731]

Is there an equivalent to this channel for Spanish?

[@katherinegan9196]

I notice the word "arriving " is misspelt at 6:29. Am I going crazy?

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

I use a glottal stop rather than an intrusive R.