Learn the American Accent: How to Pronounce the OH /oʊ/ Diphthong

[@MrBertrandMarie]

I really appreciated your video because it is complete and detailed with the coarticulation (it's the first time a video talks about this) and the stressed or unstressed vowel, and the good advice for pronouncing the diphthongs ❤

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks so much for your comment! That's awesome! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

the best video for /oʊ/ Diphthong. Thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks so much, Ramzy - that's great to hear! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

Thank you for this video. every part in this video amazing.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

[@ramzy-6566]

thank you so much.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

You're welcome - glad you liked this one! :)

[@detalles8400]

Thanks a lot I am learning a lot with you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Awesome, Detalles! I'm so glad to hear that! :)

[@metaliphuong]

I really love this video. Thank you so much

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Awesome! Thank you so much, Binh! :)

[@kathygordon9627]

Such a comprehensive pronunciation guide - thank you so much.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Kathy - Thank you for your comment! That's awesome to hear! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

Is the /oʊ/ Diphthong as the sound ( O ) in alphabet, if yes, stressed or unstressed. Tank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks for the question! Yes, the name of the letter "o" is pronounced like the diphthong /oʊ/. It can be stressed, like in the word "Hello", or unstressed, like in the word "hotel". Both the stressed and unstressed versions will have the two vowel sounds /o/ and /ʊ/, but the unstressed version will be said faster, and the pronunciation will be simplified (e.g., less jaw drop, less lip rounding).

[@ramzy-6566]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent thank you so much for reply.

[@ramzy-6566]

great video, you said the word (phone /foʊn/ ) 6:01 in this time i heard a little schwa /ə/ between the /oʊ/ sound and / n/ sound l please make the video slow and listen (phone /foʊən/ ) and little w between the /oʊ/ sound and /ən/ sound . the w sound come also when we say ( go w way ),,,,.

[@ramzy-6566]

i heard the word phone over 100 times

[@ramzy-6566]

or just little /w/ between the /oʊ/ sound and /n/ sound (phone /foʊwn/ )

[@SeaRich]

Good job!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! Thank you! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

this video takes one hour and a half today.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Ramzy! That's amazing!! :)

[@yungwest00]

Hi julie. How come your newer lessons don't utilize the up close footage this lesson does? Just curious.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

HI yungwest - Thanks for the question! I see that you've posted this on other videos as well, and I posted my answer there :)

[@lucasl.5479]

would you say the first sound in this dipthong is pretty much a schwa or an ʌ as in "butter"? It's a bit confusing because technically it's represented under a different symbol in the phonetic transcriptions, but it sounds the same as a schwa or a "ʌ" to me. Let me know what you think : )

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Lucas - Thanks for your comment! You'll find a variety of opinions about IPA symbols, but I think it is the /o/ sound at the beginning of this diphthong, so that it what I use in my transcriptions. However, I understand your point of view! It can sound like the /ʌ/ vowel, especially if you don't use enough lip rounding.

[@tazi4690]

Do we have to clench our lips when pronouncing this in normal colloquial speech?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi! Thank you for this great question :) The short answer is no - you don't need to round your lips into a super tight circle in order to say the correct OH /oʊ/ sound in conversation (formal or colloquial speech), especially when this sound is in the middle of a word. You just need a little bit of extra lip rounding at the end for the correct OH /oʊ/ sound to come out. The important thing is you want it to sound different from the monophthong O /o/, and the thing that makes it sound different is the extra bit of lip rounding at the end. So as long as you have enough lip rounding at the end, it will sound like OH /oʊ/ and not O /o/. But when OH /oʊ/ comes at the end of a word, like "snow" or "toe", then you will usually round your lips a little bit more because the vowel usually glides down at the end. I hope this helped! :)

[@tazi4690]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent thank you so much for your help. Best American accent you tuber!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@tazi4690 You're welcome - I'm glad I can help! :)

[@richardfrangie3518]

Hi, what's the difference between assimilation and coarticulation? thanks

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Assimilation and coarticulation are similar processes, and I sometimes use those terms interchangeably. They both describe the process of when sounds influence each other to become more similar. It's difficult to discuss the finer details between the two terms in a comment, but I'd be happy to discuss this during one of my live English classes at Julie's Conversation Club. Join the next live class, and I can answer your questions in real time :) Here's the link to join, if you're interested: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/courses/julies-conversation-club.

[@edflam7555]

is it oh oo or oh u? thanks

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ed - Thanks for your question :) It's just too difficult to provide an adequate explanation of how to pronounce things with words! It would be so much more effective if I could hear your pronunciation and then give you feedback about how you sound - that way, there would be no confusion! Let me know if you would like to join my live, weekly English class :) Here's the link: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/courses/julies-conversation-club.

[@vsbookslives5048]

Hi Julie, the first sound is ə why is it like [ɒ]

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks for your question :) I use /oʊ/ as my IPA transcription of this diphthong, not /ə/ or [ɒ], though I know that the pronunciation will change depending on the other sounds that surround the diphthong. I keep /oʊ/ as my IPA transcription to keep things simple for people who aren't familiar with the IPA :) I hope this helps!