Everything you NEED to Know about American English Vowels | Masterclass Compilation

[@yossibarzilai445]

This is just impressive. We’ll have to learn how to use KZbin subscriptions… whatever you do, don’t delete these videos.

[@iiAbdullah635]

This made realize how good your old videos were.

[@iiAbdullah635]

I've talked about different mouth postures in General American English. I think some do some sort of a shift. Like, Rachel from Rachel's English, she seems to shape it a little differently, not enough to throw off the sounds. Her back of the tongue seems to be lowered which pushes the middle higher, and gives her a different quality of the schwa. When I say a different posture, that doesn't mean that the person would sound non-native. They might but not mandatory. For example, 1 and 1.3 are close. They're different numbers, however, close.

[@tomaszserafin4760]

You are the best American English accent teacher out there 😊

[@robertocardenas5006]

I just finished watching the whole video. Josh, you cleared up every single doubt I had regarding vowels and diphthongs in american english. There is a saying in singing that goes 'the journey is in the passing note.' And I enjoyed this journey. Thank you Josh.

[@Pamela-o6b]

👀👀Wow🤯🤯, this is the most incredible pronunciation video I've ever seen. I'm speechless👏👏👏 Phenomenal🙏🤩

[@44nina44]

this was really useful. I need to learn more about anchoring and the R, appreciate your replies to my previous questions ^_^

[@44nina44]

2:24:33 here in uphill without the H, the P sounds a bit like B , as they're the voiced-voiceless pairs.

[@44nina44]

adhere, adherent-which one's more often used as the starting vowel, the schwa or the AE?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Linking P is weak, and weak P sounds very similar to B

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

AH (cat) is the fully enunciated "correct" sound. Schwa is the reduced sound. It doesn't really matter. We commonly use both and it's just whichever comes out

[@44nina44]

@@NativeEnglishHacks actually in the word "open" I always hear a weak P, similar to a B, is that an actual thing in this word only?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

@44nina44 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWTZdpp7m62Kjc0

[@أحمدالدسوقي-ت9س]

The tongue is pulled backward and down into the throat in the Arabic language. When I do the /k/ sound, I use the middle of my tongue, while you do it with the back of your tongue. All of the sounds you do using the back of the tongue, I do them using the middle of the tongue because my tongue is pulled more to the back and into the throat.

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Which is why Arabic sounds throaty to English speakers

[@أحمدالدسوقي-ت9س]

Interesting. I would say that I produce all of the sounds very good, but without having any of the American mouth posture characteristics. The back of my mouth doesn't exist at all in the process of articulating any of the sounds. When I try to be aware of it, I feel like I have no back of the mouth since I don't use at all to produce any change in the voice.

[@أحمدالدسوقي-ت9س]

@@NativeEnglishHacks I checked it now, my tongue is very pulled back that my middle touches the uvula when I raised it up.

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

It's possible to produce all or most of the sounds really well without changing the posture, but the quality won't be quite right. That's the one little gap between sounding native and not (which I know from personal experience)

[@أحمدالدسوقي-ت9س]

@@NativeEnglishHacks Yeah, you're right one hundred percent. I listen to many people whose pronunciation is very great, but my ears can tell they have this little gap to sound totally native. I am not that good but I can hear the absence of that gap you're talking about.

[@rewal5910]

thank you sir

[@任我行-e8n]

牛逼，非常好，听了几个视频觉得那个音标标注非常好

[@HoHo-e5g]

thanks sir

[@44nina44]

1:21:02 question: what's another way of doing it? one without sliding the tongue? will it sound abrupt if the back makes contact with the alv.ridge and then remains stationary and doesn't shift forward, and how about for Eh, e.g. "keg",

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

The other way is to not slide. Note that the back of the tongue never touches the alveolar ridge in American English. I'm not even sure if that's physically possible. You can get a little sliding in the K+EH

[@44nina44]

1:46:38 IDK why I notice a difference between the ah as in father vowel when it's followed by M/N (I know you use the merger though but I'm learning them as 2 different vowels, "aw and ah".) but: mantra and mom sound different, perhaps the M "nasalizes" it more? :/

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKGWnKKKoZ1nla8

[@44nina44]

4:09:12 I didn't really get the ball analogy, so in terms of placement it feels like the ground makes a ball roll to the front?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

The ball sits on the middle of the tongue, especially the back of the middle (how it feels in my mouth; some natives might not be back of middle, but still middle). It doesn't really "roll", but as you're doing other sounds through speech, it can feel a little like it's slightly rolling back and forth, but anchored to the same area

[@44nina44]

1:58:26 I'm wondering why does the l in "all" sound different from the l in "stalk", aren't the Ls in both words dark Ls? is it because the dark L is pure in the first one and not followed by any consonant?

[@44nina44]

and how about the AW sounds, they are affected differently by the following dark L in those words?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Stalk doesn't use an L. It's silent. Like walk, talk, etc. It just marks the 5th vowel (AW merger)

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Any vowel followed by L can be colored by the L. This is optional, but very common. Coloring means that the center of gravity is modified

[@Paulat_ae]

NICE VIDEO!

[@AUSWQPCV]

Hey josh, i remember you mentioning a meditation video specifically for building awareness in your mouth? If you remember plz tell me who uploaded it

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

No memory of that, unless maybe it was Idahosa Ness/Mimic Method

[@44nina44]

4:6:20 So basically some Americans use the aw, the unmerged sound as the start of OI, and some use the starting position of ou as the start of OI, is that right, I thought the beginning of ou and oi had no relation, of course they're blends and we should not consider them separate but how come I never noticed :D

[@44nina44]

I always start the OI not in a neutral position, the lips start rounding already by the way, my language (Georgian) has those 5 standard vowels: aeiou,(although I'm not certain as to the sounds' position as Wikipedia doesn't have precise charts or symbols for Georgian), from which the "O" in my opinion sounds exactly like the British ɒ you mentioned, I always start the OI diphthong with ɒ, how close is it to how you pronounce it? Since you start with the first sound of OU that transitions into ih, it does get modified doesn't it?

[@44nina44]

1:08 so the middle-back center of gravity should not be flattened out to a forward position right?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Not sure why you put 1:08 for this question, but yes, that's correct

[@44nina44]

@@NativeEnglishHacks at hour 1 and 8 minutes

[@iiAbdullah635]

I'm starting to find my center of gravity, and, honestly, it feels a little tensed more than I thought it'd be. The middle is very tensed. When I achieved this tense tongue, I thought to myself there's no way this is correct, but it seems to be correct. My accent got way better. It doesn't make any sense. It's very tensed. I'm gonna confirm whether I improved with a native speaker today. I'll see what the result is. Though I can be almost certain, I hit the nail, or, at least, close to it.

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Well, I have been telling you guys things aren't completely relaxed, and I've said in many videos that you have to push down or add some sort of tension to form the sound, just like any other sound. In more recent videos, I've been focusing more on removing excess tension because my students can usually find the correct sound with just a bit of practice, but the extra tension in the tongue ruins the quality.

[@44nina44]

any update?

[@iiAbdullah635]

@@44nina44 It doesn't seem to change my accent so much, but I think I didn't quite get it yet. It is useful though.

[@44nina44]

4:09:49 what does it mean to keep the difference in tension, so the sides of the tongue being a bit higher than the gravity pressure point in the middle right?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Yes

[@44nina44]

1:28:07 so even the Ae+nasal consonant doesn't require raising the back of the tongue right?

[@44nina44]

I've asked so much in the comments ,Thanks in advance for your response 🙂🙂

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Correct, but it can help.

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Kinda hard to keep up haha

[@44nina44]

2:23:20 you don't pronounce the ing with than nasal N right? or was that a typo?

[@44nina44]

also, when pronouncing the U/high schwa sound, I feel the space's constricted, like in the I as in seat sound, is small width of this vowel in the mouth normal?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZW7madngqt8i8U

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Hard to say without knowing exactly what's happening in your mouth. A little is probably fine, but I'd try to avoid it. Sound is king. If you sound good, that's all that matters

[@44nina44]

31:00 what does the arrow show, from the front to the back?

[@44nina44]

at 31:20

[@44nina44]

43:40 -can you indicate the sides, what does it mean they're touching the teeth?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

The red one? That's just showing the backness setting as seen on the basic/UH map. I kept it on most maps as a reminder that the tongue posture is set farther back compared to many languages.

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

I described that in the basic settings lesson. Go to the description and see the schwa compliation lesson. Skip to 6:22 (that's the start of the settings video), or 11:19 for that detail specifically

[@desokeymahmoud2654]

Did any of your students manage to build the dip(the center of graviry)?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

All but one so far

[@desokeymahmoud2654]

@@NativeEnglishHacks I am happy to hear that because I thought it to be near impossibility. But when you know that somebody else has done it, then you get motivated to do it. I appreciate and respect the science you are doing. But I did not have the motivation to take action regarding my mouth posture. I think it is really motivational for us to post some videos of your students to witness the improvement they achieves. Thx Josh :)

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

@desokeymahmoud2654 I have plans to possibly do that at some point

[@44nina44]

could you elaborate on which the fourth teeth are? the ones next to the incisors? and contact with them means the sides of the tongue touch them the insides of them, right?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Count starting from the first top tooth (the big ones in front). The second is next to that, the third is the incisor, the fourth is the first molar (I suppose technically it's a pre-molar). Upper corner of the side of the tongue (not the whole side) touches the inside corner of the fourth tooth (not the whole inside of the tooth). There's a bit of wiggle room, but those paramters help ensure you don't accidently hold the tongue too high and make it easier to drop into sounds like AH and AW. This also helps get the middle body lower than the sides as it "hangs" between them. The contact is light, not pushing into the teeth

[@44nina44]

1:39:39 wait which one was the high schwa, the one before dark L?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Any time you have schwa+L or high schwa+L, you can simply use the dark L (what I call the half L vowel), so it doesn't matter. But yes, that was referring to the vowel before the L in the video

[@44nina44]

@@NativeEnglishHacksthank you, so the high schwa on its own refers to the uh as in butter?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

@44nina44 No. The high schwa is the one that looks like a horseshoe. The symbol usually used in butter is the upside down V

[@44nina44]

why is the u as in book called high schwa, in terms of tongue height or its back position rather than middle? no idea why I get vocal fry with high vowels and some diphtongs

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

I explained why I call it the high schwa in the main lesson.

[@44nina44]

why does the vocal fry happen after ending a sentence with the NG ?for AU and AI too💁‍♀💁‍♀

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Likely posture issue. Vocal fry doesn't matter much, so as long as you don't sound odd, you're fine. Brw, you're leaving so many comments/questions that the youtube comment notification system isn't showing me all of them, so I might not see some

[@44nina44]

1:14:10 here you didn't pronounce it with the ei di[hthong right? to me it still sounded like eh

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Correct. I intentionally used the EH in those cases because that lesson was focused on EH

[@44nina44]

2:3:08 how can the top of the throat come down? what does it feel like to lower the inner throat, without conscious effort :D

[@44nina44]

and I notice in my speech(as well as in some of my English teachers)that artificially deep voice you discussed, which I feel is due to the larynx being pushed down deliberately for that natural low placement effect

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZ_bZ6tsoZx2Y9E

[@44nina44]

question: how can I tell my center of gravity on the tongue, what does it feel like?is it what attracts the sounds in the mouth?

[@44nina44]

and can you define the hinge too? I watched your videos on these a while back but still don't get if it means that the tension in your mouth has to be felt in the middle of the mouth or..?

[@44nina44]

my posture must be in the back and I also feel vibration above the fundamental frequency, in the head whensaying the EE sound,

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

It feels like a ball is sitting in the middle of the mouth, specifically the back part of the middle of the tongue

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

The hinge is just the 4th tooth contact. That's it

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Your global resonance is probably too far foward (as is the case with many languages compared to American English). See this lesson: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZ_bZ6tsoZx2Y9E Skip to the section about resonance, but the whole video is part of the solution

[@GP71_OO]

Wow amazing, thank you for your amazing content, I can't believe it's free. I was just wondering if you know anything about American voice tone, couse I feel like Americans sound very similar to each other and I don't think I sound 100% american even though I'm studying everything about pronouncition, placement etc, I just want to sound 100% as much a non-American actor who's playing an American character would want, YKWIM? Thank you

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

I discuss voice change here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZ_bZ6tsoZx2Y9E Outside of what I describe there, I'm very much against the idea that any language has a particular "voice" or "tone"

[@GP71_OO]

​@@NativeEnglishHacks thank you

[@iiAbdullah635]

I know right!

[@johnconor5485]

what would be the major difference in making eh as in bed and ae as in bad then? a small dent you make in the front part of the tongue when making "ae" sound?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

That's the key difference, yes, though other little details can and often do also change. Focus on sound, not description. Whatever way you can make the sounds work is all that matters.

[@44nina44]

BTW that last question , I can't believe I asked that, 😅of course stalk walk talk doesn't have dark Ls never mind 😅

[@44nina44]

when saying Bat voice placement shifts forward 💁‍♀💁‍♀

[@44nina44]

and I feel the back of my throat pinch in for AE.. does the placement have to be forward or backward in the mouth? I know generally it's low but is it fine to feel tension in the back?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Due to the jaw opening so much and partially bc of the position of the AH, the top of the throat needs to be held in place and held open enough with a LITTLE bit of engagement (not tightening, just stabilizing to hold it in place). The voice placement is the same, but this jaw/throat configuration can make it sound a bit different than what you might expect from the basic settings.