Speak like a Native Speaker with the Nasal Flap /ɾ̃/ | Learn American English

[@ramzy-6566]

all of your videos very useful.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks so much, Ramzy! :)

[@zahraps-n2j]

just amazing

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks, Zahra! I'm glad you liked this video! :)

[@wellingtonmarciel]

Amazing content.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Wellington - Thanks so much! Glad you liked it! :)

[@caganyldran7904]

👍👏

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Awesome! I'm so glad you liked this video on the nasal flap! :)

[@omidzakeri7393]

Thanks so much Julie for this amazing video. Your teaching is wonderful. You really bring out the best in your students. 😁😁😁😁😁😊😊😊😊

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Wow, Omid! That's wonderful to hear! And hey - if you'd like to share your thoughts as a review on my Google Business page, I would really appreciate it! That helps other people to find me in the huge world of "the internet" :) Here's the link to leave a review: g.page/r/CRKVA27p84i0EBM/review Thank you!

[@وصايا-ر1ع]

appricia'e i'

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked this video! :)

[@bantorio6525]

... excellent as always ... !!! ... ... ... and what about in the word 'interesting' ... can we drop the 't' ... ???

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks, Banto! And yes, you can drop the "t" in "interesting" - the first "t' :)

[@vincevilan3525]

By the way, why are the syllables breaks like that where the /n/ is in the first syllable when it really sounds like it's in the second syllable? Like what you said around 5:12, the /n/ should have linked up with the next vowel syllable just like how the /t/ went to the /i/. In short, /kænt.i.vɪn/ to /kæn.ti.vɪn/. /ˈtwɛn.i/ sounds like /ˈtwɛ.ni/ (6:51). /ˈwɑn.ɪd/ sounds like /ˈwɑ.nɪd/ (7:07). /ˌɪn.ə˞ˈdus/ sounds like /ˌɪn.ə˞ˈdus/ (7:25). /ˈdɛn.ɪst/ sounds like /ˈdɛ.nɪst/ (7:52). /kæn.i.vɪn/ (8:19) and /doʊn.ɛ.ə˞/ (8:50) already look right. I slowed down the video 0.25 to really hear it closely.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

This is a fantastic question, and I have to admit that I sometimes struggle with knowing how to best transcribe these sorts of words and phrases due to the exact reason you mentioned. My guess is that the /ɛ/, /ɑ/, /æ/, and /ɪ/ vowels are lax vowels, and one of the definitions of lax vowels in American English (at least as I understand the definitions) is that lax vowels can't occur in syllable-final position in American English; they always have to have a consonant after them. The exception is for exclamations, things like "Ha ha!" or "Heh heh!" for laughing, or something like that. So when the dictionary transcribes "twenty" it will typically follow the lax vowel rule and transcribe it as /ˈtwɛn.i/, even though when it's pronounced it sounds like /ˈtwɛ.ni/ due to the effects of linking. I'm not 100% sure about this, but it seems to make sense to me :) Let me know if you find out anything else about this topic - I'd be very happy to learn more about it!

[@vincevilan3525]

I looked up the /ɾ̃/ symbol, and it led me here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiced_dental_and_alveolar_taps_and_flaps#Alveolar_nasal_tap_and_flap According to article, the *alveolar nasal tap and flap* is also the /ň/ or the "extra-short n." The /ň/ seems more intuitive than using the /ɾ̃/ because I tried it on the word "bottle" /bɑːt̬ᵊl/ or /bɑːɾᵊl/ by swapping /ɾ/ or /t̬/ with the /ɾ̃/ or /ň/. I tried to produce the /ɾ̃/, so /bɑːɾ̃ᵊl/, and it does somewhat indeed sound more like an "n," but it still is recognizable as the word "bottle." When I tried /ň/, so /bɑːn̆ᵊl/, it was close, but it felt more like "bottle" to "bonnle" if that makes sense. Again, it was close. However, do please correct me if there's something missing from how I am understanding this. Thanks! (By the way, *our* *pronunciation professor showed us this video two weeks ago* along with the other video I commented in. 😊)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Vince - Very interesting! Thank you so much for sharing this information - it's always great to learn more about IPA and phonology! I discussed this with one of my colleagues who is an expert in phonology (he teaches it at the university level), and he prefers to use the /ɾ̃/ symbol for the nasal flap/tap. I wonder if /ɾ̃/ vs. /ň/ just comes down to a person's preference for which symbol they prefer to use - that maybe both are equally valid, but it depends on who taught that person's phonology class in college? :) And wow, that's amazing to hear that your professor showed this video and another one in class - I'm blown away! Hopefully they used it as a positive example, haha! 😉