Extra Practice/Examples: Half-L Vowel/L-Colored Vowels (#1) | American English Pronunciation Course

[@NhatNguyen-qx4ql]

Thanks Josh, you should have more videos like this! I believe half l is the most challenging pronunciation for foreigners, especially when it is preceded by another vowel. It is even trickier when to differentiate between tell vs tail. Looking for more video on this half-l vowel.

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

It's definitely a sound I plan to talk a lot about in the future, but probably not all at once because there are so many topics I need to cover. Part 2 of this extra practice is coming soon, though ☺

[@evermorevictorious2742]

An important suggestion: Always include the International Phonetic Symbols alongside the Respelling.

[@evermorevictorious2742]

Thanks a lot, Josh! How do you actually determine the position of the Half-L vowel in the vowel chart?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

It's based on how it feels in my mouth. It's a rough approximation, but based on where the other vowels are placed and how they also feel in my mouth, I put the Half-L where it is

[@alexandrvinokurov2358]

Thank you a lot.

[@ShabbirShah-s5o]

November 15, 2024

[@user-lf2zh3mo5l]

Can you give an example which sound dark l is closes to?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

It's probably closest to AW, but it's kinda in the middle area between AW, UH, and UUH (what I call the "high schwa"). There are some cases where you can use the dark L/half L directly, but it's much more commonly use as the end point in the L-colored vowels (which are technically diphthongs)

[@user-lf2zh3mo5l]

@@NativeEnglishHacks can you compare it in those consonants?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

If I understand your queation correctly, you're asking which consonant sounds would be close to it in the mouth, right? It uses the back of the tongue, so the consonant group k/g/ng would be closest, but those require you to use the back of the tongue to close off the air flow by touching the top of the back of the mouth near the throat. If you don't close and lower the back of your tongue a little, you should be around the right position, but remember that there's a certain tenseness in the back of the tongue for this L sound, too, and the middle and front are also slightly involved (see the main lesson if you haven't already)

[@user-lf2zh3mo5l]

@@NativeEnglishHacks how could I really know I am making the right dark l sound?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

That's where feedback is needed. You can go to a site like italki and find an informal tutor to tell you how you sound. Alternatively, you can record yourself and compare it to some other audio, like me saying it in the examples. It's not guaranteed that you'll hear it correctly, but recording yourself allows you to hear it much more easily. Feedback of some kind is always part of the process of learning skills ☺

[@kioto_oliver]

❤❤

[@davidrock65]

Does the half L become a light L and connect over to the next word that begins with a vowel sound in a sentence? Like “ The girl feLL Over .”

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

That's the basic linking rule, yes. I talk about that in the 4 big "exceptions" to the 4 general rules of English linking. However, it's not actually required because vowels can flow into vowels, so keeping the Half-L is also common and natural

[@liangxu530]

Since the “l” is difficult for English learners, some KZbinrs said to stick the tongue out of mouth. I do not know if it makes difference from the real half L but it seems like easier to master. Since I do not have a good ear, I am kind of relying on the mouth shape and tongue position. Thank you.

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

For the half-L ("dark L"), you definitely shouldn't be sticking your tongue out of your mouth. That's going to give you a strange sound and it actually makes it harder to do. The full-L ("light L") can stick the tongue out, but not the half-L

[@liangxu530]

Thank you

[@stevefx6281]

Why does the "ah" sound like the vowel in "bad" and sometimes "got" in this case? Am i mishearing?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

Definitely mishearing. The vowel in "got" is AW. The problem in your case is likely that when we transition from AH to the Half-L, your ears are getting confused because the Half-L is close to AW in the mouth

[@stevefx6281]

thanks! But.. Another question, i see some teachers using "aa" for the sound that u use as æ (ah), so, how u usually spell "ɑ" ?

[@NativeEnglishHacks]

You can find all that information in the English Hacks Phonetic Transcription Guide (linked in all videos after November 2020). Yes, it's unfortunate that most teachers use AH to represent /ɑ/, but this is partially because most teachers don't teach the cot/caught merger where the spelling AW represents /ɔ/. Instead, I use the spelling AW to represent /ɑ/ because I don't use or teach /ɔ/ because the merger is part of how I speak and easier for English learners. In addition, I think the spelling AA is misleading because it can make you think it's a "long A", so even if I didn't use and teach the cot/caught merger, I wouldn't use the AA spelling

[@stevefx6281]

@@NativeEnglishHacks gotcha ;)

[@stevefx6281]

@@NativeEnglishHacks more one question 😂, even in the dipthong "oi" u use this aw sound?