Learn the American Accent: How to Pronounce the AA /æ/ vowel

Improve your American accent! Learn how to pronounce the American English vowel AA /æ/, like in the word "bat" - including how this vowel changes when it is next to an N, M, or NG consonant!
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[@IannWu]

This is a very helpful video, Julie. Thanks!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thank you for your comment! You're very welcome - I'm glad it's helpful! :)

[@mrleeok8]

Your awesome pronunciation videos are the most helpful ones I've ever seen on KZbin. Thank you so much for explaining the pronunciation so clearly.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Awesome, J D! I'm so glad to help! :)

[@TaiLe-dr5ve]

Great! You are one of the best teacher in English.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks, Tai! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

Thank you for amazing and valuable video, and the part for how this vowel changes when it is next to an N, M, or NG consonant, thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're welcome - I'm glad it was helpful!

[@ramzy-6566]

Thank you so much.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're welcome, Ramzy! Thanks for the comment :)

[@javierlorenzo9682]

thank you very much for the class teacher

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're welcome :) I'm happy to help!

[@berthagranados5772]

I just found you and I think you are an excellent instructor! How about when AA comes before a voiced consonant as in dad, bad etc. Is the AA sound a little bit longer than unvoiced consonant? Thanks!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thank you! And thanks for your question :) Yes - you are correct - all vowels are said a little bit longer when they come before a voiced consonant vs. an unvoiced consonant. So the AA vowel in the word "dad" will be said slightly longer than the AA vowel in the word "dat". Vowel length is one way to signal voicing of the following consonant sound, so if you are struggling with final consonant voicing, focus on the vowel length to help "trick" your listeners into hearing the voicing. I hope this helped!

[@abedabiiid2597]

شكرا لك من الجزائر

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're welcome, Abed! Thanks for your comment! :)

[@leobardomagdaleno7943]

It will be great if we see how the tongue looks inside to leen the position thank you I love it

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Yes, I agree. Try this website: sail.usc.edu/span/rtmri_ipa/

[@leobardomagdaleno7943]

Thank you I appreciate it

[@neynazareno7603]

I've read about æ - tensing in Wikipedia . It says : " The realization of this " tense æ " varies from [ æ ] to [ ɛə ] to [ eǝ ] to [ 1ǝ ] , depending on the speaker's regional accent . A common realization is [ eə ] ( that is , a centering diphthong with a starting point closer than the vowel [ ɛ ] as in dress ) " Which transcription do you think best represents your pronunciation ? From this video I guess it's [ ɛ ] , or perhaps [ [ eǝ ] .

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ney - thanks for your comment! I'll need to do more research on this before I can give you a clear answer :)

[@Hamza-12759]

Hi What is the scientific explanation behind changing /æ/ before nasal sounds ? Thanks ❤

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! Thank you for your question :) Generally speaking, all vowels are nasalized when they come before a nasal consonant due to the effects of coarticulation and assimilation. The vowel changes to become more like the nasal sound - it assimilates with the nasal sound to become more similar. I'm not 100% sure of why the /æ/ vowel changes so dramatically when it comes before a nasal consonant, but I think it has something to do with the vowel height. The /æ/ vowel is considered to be a "low" vowel - the jaw and tongue are low, and this impacts the sound of the vowel (the actual frequency of the vowel). When vowels become nasalized, they tend to become "higher" - the tongue/jaw lift a little bit, which changes the sound of the vowel (the actual frequency of the vowel). So since the /æ/ vowel is so "low", the effect of the nasalization will be perceived as greater than the effect of the nasalization on a vowel that is already "high", like EE /i/. I hope I was able to answer your question :) But I'm not sure if my answer is correct - so don't quote me on it!

[@ameennjar9744]

❤❤❤❤❤Julie ❤❤❤❤

[@bertapista]

One question: Where is the æ vowel formed/created in the mouth front, back or middle? For instance the b consonant sound created in the front but with vowels it is difficult to figure out. Could you please explain? (Your tutorials are great by the way.)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi bertapista - Thanks for your question! The AA /æ/ is considered a front vowel, meaning the tongue is positioned at the front of the mouth (or in other words, more forward in the mouth). However, I also feel slight tension in the back of my tongue when I say AA /æ/, as if I'm squeezing my tongue and throat just a little bit. I hope this helps! :)

[@shwetadevrani6206]

Please make a video of all short vowel

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thank you for your comment! I will be publishing videos on the short vowels each week, and the next one will be the EH /ɛ/ vowel, like in the word "bed", on 5/25/2020. Stay tuned! :)

[@shwetadevrani6206]

Please Make next video on other u /ʊ/: put /pʊt/ . 👍🏻

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@shwetadevrani6206 Thank you for the suggestion :) I'll make a video on the /ʊ/ vowel soon! It's on the list!

[@ramzy-6566]

3:54 hello. i think the letter ( a ) in man and ham raising up to /ɛ/ plus schwa /ɛə/ = man /mɛən/ - ham /hɛəm/ - fan - van - tan - jam not to /eɪ/ as in rang.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ramzy - thanks for your comment! Let's talk about this during the next class at Julie's Conversation Club :)

[@martinpractice9977]

I enjoyed this video, I have a question what happens with the Words " planet", "granit" "granted" and"Spanish" sounds like the unstress AA, instead of the N consonant (AA uh as in hand or Jam), it's that correct?, I'm confused, I'd greatly appreciate it if can help me with this problem.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Martin - Thanks for your comment! I agree with you - the AA in "planet" sounds different than the AA in "hand". But I still feel that the AA vowel becomes nasalized in "planet", "granite", "granted", and "Spanish", but it doesn't have the full "AA + UH" effect, like in the word "hand". In the word "hand", the AA and the N consonant feel more...connected? And the AA vowel feels like it is said for a longer duration, so the AA and the N have more time to blend together into one, long sound. So I feel the effects of the "AA + UH" nasalization much more in "hand" versus a word like "planet". In "planet", the AA vowel is said for a shorter duration than in "hand", so the AA and N feel less connected, less blended together. The syllable structure also feels like "PLAA - niht" /ˈplæ.nɪt/, even though the online dictionary transcription uses this: "PLAAN - iht" /ˈplæn.ɪt/. The correct IPA transcription is /ˈplæn.ɪt/, but the AA vowel is shorter, and so there isn't as much time for the "AA + UH" nasalization effect to occur. I don't know if this is making sense :) But that's how it feels to me! Let me know if you have additional questions! :)

[@martinpractice9977]

​@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Thank you so much for that full explanation, teacher Julie, I don't have words to say how much I appreciate your videos and advice.

[@abedabiiid2597]

أتمنى أن أتكلم الإنجليزية مثلكي

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Keep practicing! I know it is difficult to learn another language, but your pronunciation will improve the more you practice. Thanks for the comment! :)

[@richardfrangie3518]

👍

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks for your comment, Richard! I'm glad the video was helpful! :)

[@shwetadevrani6206]

I didn't get long A vowel sound . How to pronounce A please a make video again

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thank you for your comment! Here is a video about the long A vowel (also called the AY /eɪ/ diphthong): kzbin.info/www/bejne/noS3pIBtmpiCjNU I hope this helps!

[@ramzy-6566]

hello are pronounce the word land like this [ɫeə̯nd]. Thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ramzy - The AA vowel is nasalized, though I don't show that in my IPA transcription. It looks like you're using a much more narrow transcription than I typically do, and I'd have to hear what your transcription sounds like in order to tell if this is indeed how I pronounce it :)

[@martinpractice9977]

I enjoyed this video, I have a question what happens with the Words " planet", "granit" "granted" and"Spanish" sounds like the unstress AA, instead of the N consonant (AA uh as in hand or Jam), it's that correct?, I'm confused, I'd greatly appreciate it if can help me with this problem.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Martin - See my response in your edited comment above :)

[@martinpractice9977]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Thank you so much for that full explanation, teacher Julie, I don't have words to say how much I appreciate your videos and advice, you rock! :)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@martinpractice9977 Thanks Martin! You're very welcome :)