Learn the American Accent: AH /ɑ/ and UH /ʌ/ Minimal Pairs Listening Quiz

[@JamesHofmann-vx7ul]

The best teacher ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thaaaaaaanks

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks, @JamesHofmann-vx7ul!

[@silicongen]

definitely helpful video. i finally clarified this for myself. thank you!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

That's great to hear, @silicongen! Thanks so much for your comment :)

[@joeblade2976]

very helpful video! I was confused by color and collar, now I get it, thank you!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Awesome, Joe! That's great to hear :)

[@abolfazlkelashloo7458]

Many Thanks for all ur efforts ma'am 🌹

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're welcome, Mahdyar! I'm glad this video has helped you :)

[@chrisxdm3014]

Thank you very much! I understand them a lot better

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi ChrisXDM - Awesome! So glad to hear that! :)

[@geraldoalvinoalvino4111]

You're very kind.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks - that's nice of you to say! :)

[@luisalwayscurious]

Thank you! This is quite helpful!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Gerardo - Awesome! Thanks so much for your comment - I'm glad this video helped you :)

[@ramzy-6566]

practice makes perfect. i like minimal pairs. Thank you Mrs Julie.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're welcome! I like minimal pairs, too :)

[@cailingwang8249]

Really appreciate your listening quize

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Cailing - Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you liked the listening quiz!! :)

[@พันธุ์ศักดิ์ศิริเลิศ]

Thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're very welcome! :)

[@darioadame9]

Thanks a lot, teacher. You helped me a lot. ❤

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hey Dario - That's so great to hear :) Thanks so much for your comment - I'm glad my video was helpful! And hey, if you could do me a favor and share your experience with others in a Google review of my business, that would be super helpful: g.page/r/CRKVA27p84i0EB0/review It would be great for others to hear about your experience!

gracias Margarita Ortega

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

De nada! I'm glad you liked the video! :)

[@gojjamadane2963]

please give us more minimal pairs.Thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Gojjam - Thanks for your comment :) I'll be uploading new content soon! If you want to access more minimal pair practice right now, take a look at online course about the American English Vowels: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/ The Master the American English Vowels courses have hundreds of minimal pairs for you to practice :)

[@maximvs_]

I find it especially difficult when the /ɑ/ sound in AmE is in place of the /ɒ/ sound in BrE (like in "hot"). No problem in words like "father" where the /ɑ/ is longer, more like /ɑː/ (and, if I'm not mistaken, the pronunciation is the same in AmE and BrE).

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks for your comment, ᴍᴀxɪᴍᴠs! It's interesting how words in AmE and BrE sometimes share very similar pronunciations, yet in other words, the pronunciation is quite different! :)

[@felipewallace8936]

I could notice all the words correctly. Oh my Gosh. Does it means that my listening and pronunciation is getting better, doesn't? 😍

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

That's great! And yes - for most people, being able to hear the difference between words can mean that their pronunciation will also improve! Thanks so much for your comment :)

[@ramzy-6566]

Thank you so much for this video, There are two schwa (ə as in about) unstressed , (ʌ as in son - up) stressed The sound very similar

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Yes - you are correct! The two UH vowels (stressed /ʌ/ and unstressed /ə/ ) do sound very similar. They are made with practically the same tongue and mouth position, but the UH in butter has more stress (higher pitch, held out longer, more volume) and usually it's also said with the mouth opened up more. The unstressed UH in about is said with less stress (lower pitch, shorter in duration, lower volume) and usually the mouth is more closed. This would be a good topic for a video! I'll let you know when I make it! Thanks for watching :)

[@ramzy-6566]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Great, I'm waiting this video, take your time.Thank you.

[@valeskapedro]

2:33 2:41

[@刃风-h5b]

It is nearly impossible to distinguish them from each other

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi 刃风- Oh no! It's challenging, I know, but keep practicing! You will hear the difference between these vowels eventually! :)

[@ivomoreira42]

The thing that makes the /ʌ/ so confusing is that in most accents of American English, at least to me, that is not the correct vowel, but indeed a conventional and obsolete representation of what actually is exactly or really close to the near-open central vowel [ɐ]: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/PR-near-open_central_unrounded_vowel.ogg Can you tell me if I'm right? Or is it just my ears? Haha, thanks in advance!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ivo - thanks for your question! You could be correct - the /ɐ/ vowel may take the place of the /ʌ/ vowel in some dialects of American English. It all depends on where the speaker is from! I think I use the true /ʌ/ vowel (I'm from California), but I'll pay closer attention to how I pronounce the /ʌ/ vowel in different words to see if it sounds closer to /ɐ/ in certain contexts! :)

[@ivomoreira42]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent haha, thanks for your answer! I was seeing a video from the Graham Norton's Show and he probably use that vowel, he says "but" in super different way! Haha

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@ivomoreira42 Oh, haha! Yes, that could be true!!

[@edo7131]

4:31 I hear Run Run..

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Edo - Thanks so much for your comment! This particular minimal pair is very tricky to hear and pronounce. If you want extra help with these vowels, I'll invite you to my Conversation Club (learn more here: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/courses/julies-conversation-club). We have live meetings every week, and during the meeting I could give you feedback on how you sound :) I hope to see you there!

[@alexsalychev9324]

I'm not sure but sometimes I hear like some native American speakers pronounce the word "NOT" with /ɑ/, and others with /ʌ/. Am I right or my listening skills aren't good enough to catch that tiny difference?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! Thank you for your comment! Hmm... I suppose that native speakers might sometimes say "not" with the schwa UH /ə/ sound, maybe when they are speaking quickly and the word "not" is unstressed in that sentence. I could see that happening in fast conversation, but probably not all of the time - only when a native speaker is being "sloppy" with their pronunciation. If you say "not" with the /ʌ/ sound and you add stress to that word, then you're saying a different word: "nut". So native speakers typically wouldn't use that stressed UH /ʌ/ vowel because it would change the meaning of the word to "nut". It would be great if you had a recording of the times when you heard the /ʌ/ sound! I'll listen for the UH /ə/ schwa sound in my conversations and see if anyone uses it! Thanks! :)

[@alexsalychev9324]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Thank you so much! I'll find some examples later.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@alexsalychev9324 You're welcome! :)

[@ElPocoyo]

I find it difficult to hear the difference between both sounds, as a native speaker of Spanish, language that only has two vowels, improving will be a challenge

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! Thank you for your comment! Yes, these vowels can be very challenging for a native Spanish speaker. Watch this video every day for a week, and see if that helps you! Keep working at it - it will become easier, I promise :) Good luck!

[@tr3buh]

good miniature xd

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks - glad you liked the video! :)

[@elsunshine9976]

Imposible i give up

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Oh no, el SunShine! Don't give up - keep trying! It will get easier the more you practice :)

[@Sabrewolf0]

I can hear the difference when they are pronounce together, but I can't hear the difference when I try to guess which one is the word. It's weird haha

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! Thank you for your comment! That makes sense to me - when the words are pronounced together, I think it's easier to hear the different vowels. But when you only hear one of the words, then it becomes much harder to hear the vowel. Keep practicing - it'll get easier, I promise :)

[@vjacheslavb2832]

You don't pronounce upturned v in all words.In nut and shut you pronounce more likely schwa

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi @vjacheslavb2832 - Thanks for your comment! I appreciate it! :)

[@aleja778]

☹️

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Aleja - Oh no! Why the frowny face? Do you have any questions about the video? Just let me know!

[@aleja778]

It's a sad face ... and it's because those sounds are too difficult for me.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@aleja778 Oh, I understand - these vowels are also difficult for almost all of my accent clients. Keep practicing - it will get easier! :)