GANGA'S VOICE WORK PAGE
Hi Ganga, and welcome to your own personal 'voice hacking' page, where over the coming weeks/months, you and I are going to be exchanging ideas and working on the task of adopting a more neutral and international sounding accent whilst speaking English.
I have no doubts about your ability and know you are dedicated, so it shouldn't prove too gruelling if you maintain a consistent practice.
As we move forward through this process, the exercises, info, worksheets and recordings will accumulate.
At times you may find yourself making breakthroughs, and other times might seem like you're going backwards. It can get frustrating, but this is natural. Frustrations are good as they mean you are challenging your body to adopt new habits, so don't be discouraged and maintain true to form.
Below is an intro video, a relevant YouTube tutorial, your three previous recordings and under that you'll find your first set of considerations as well as a diagram named 'Places of Articulation'
I have no doubts about your ability and know you are dedicated, so it shouldn't prove too gruelling if you maintain a consistent practice.
As we move forward through this process, the exercises, info, worksheets and recordings will accumulate.
At times you may find yourself making breakthroughs, and other times might seem like you're going backwards. It can get frustrating, but this is natural. Frustrations are good as they mean you are challenging your body to adopt new habits, so don't be discouraged and maintain true to form.
Below is an intro video, a relevant YouTube tutorial, your three previous recordings and under that you'll find your first set of considerations as well as a diagram named 'Places of Articulation'
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THEN |
NOW |
First area of work!
TH vs TH
For your accent Ganga, these next few sounds are giveaways that you are a non native speaker and by mastering them you will make a tremendous leap closer to your goal. The vowel sounds are very close (and not forgotten) but we'll look at a couple of these sounds before visiting the vowels as they may get affected by your consonant creation. First up is the voiced and unvoiced 'TH' sounds or as they are written phonetically θ and ð.
I've explained (in the video above) the pronunciations around these.
Get practicing and we can meet next week to go over them so I can make any quick adjustments and
I've explained (in the video above) the pronunciations around these.
Get practicing and we can meet next week to go over them so I can make any quick adjustments and
Then
They Though Than Lather Worthier Bother Soothe Clothes |
Think
Thought Thin Thread Path Arthur Mathematician North Thousand |
Also, if you wish, you can use these next two lines to consider and practice as an exercise the air placement and two types of TH sounds.
THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THINK)
THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THAT)
THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THINK)
THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THAT)
T's and D's
So we can start to define the TH sounds from the T and D sounds. We should also now look at the tongue placement for the T and D. Check again the diagram above. Where you have been practicing the TH sounds and using your tongue in between your teeth (somewhere between 2 and 3) I'm going to now ask you to pull it back just a little so as you pronounce the TH sound it is starting instead from behind the top teeth (3) . This should be a little easier especially after all the work to takes to create this sound in between the teeth as you have been doing already. Continue will the same exercises not to forget the THOO THOH ones etc, but keep the tongues starting position resting behind the top teeth.
Below are some words and exercises with the T and D sounds in a similar format to the TH ones. The tongue tip placement for this is slightly back on the gum ridge (Alvelolar) for both T and D and they are the same sound only one is voiced (D) and the other (T) Unvoiced.
I'll explain further in the video below.
Below are some words and exercises with the T and D sounds in a similar format to the TH ones. The tongue tip placement for this is slightly back on the gum ridge (Alvelolar) for both T and D and they are the same sound only one is voiced (D) and the other (T) Unvoiced.
I'll explain further in the video below.
Then - Den
They - Day Though - Dough Than - Dan Lather - Lader Worthier - Wordier Bother - Bodder Soothe - Sood Clothes - Clodes |
Think - Tink
Thought - Taught Thin - Tin Thread - Tread Path - Part (take the R away like in English) Arthur - Artur Mathematician - Matematician North - Naught Thousand - Tousand |
THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THINK) - TOO TOH TAW TAH TAY TEE TOW TI
THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THAT) - DOO DOH DAW DAH DAY DEE DOW DI
THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THAT) - DOO DOH DAW DAH DAY DEE DOW DI
You are correctly pronouncing the TH, T and D sounds however we will need to begin looking at the vowel sounds and correcting the tongue position for each as well as the length of each one.
Consider again the same exercise as before but with the vowel sound from the work in brackets (which should sound the same)
THOO (BLUE) - THOH (KNOW) - THAW (LAW) - THAH (HEART) - THAY (LATE) - THEE (MEET) - THOW (NOW) - THI (SIGH) - (ALL TH AS IN THINK)
TOO TOH TAW TAH TAY TEE TOW TI
THOO (BLUE) - THOH (KNOW) - THAW (LAW) - THAH (HEART) - THAY (LATE) - THEE (MEET) - THOW (NOW) - THI (SIGH) - (ALL TH AS IN THAT)
DOO DOH DAW DAH DAY DEE DOW DI
THOO (BLUE) - THOH (KNOW) - THAW (LAW) - THAH (HEART) - THAY (LATE) - THEE (MEET) - THOW (NOW) - THI (SIGH) - (ALL TH AS IN THINK)
TOO TOH TAW TAH TAY TEE TOW TI
THOO (BLUE) - THOH (KNOW) - THAW (LAW) - THAH (HEART) - THAY (LATE) - THEE (MEET) - THOW (NOW) - THI (SIGH) - (ALL TH AS IN THAT)
DOO DOH DAW DAH DAY DEE DOW DI
"Through good tone all not part must serve and then shape fit speech"
NURSE = nɜːs (Like - err)
ɜː Being the sound to practice Typical Spellings: ur, or, ir, er, ear usurp, hurt, lurk, church, turf, purse curb, curd, urge, curve, furze, turn, curl, spur, occurred, burnt, burst, murder, further, shirt, irk, birch, birth, bird, dirge firm, girl, fir, stirred, first, circus, virtue,...; myrrh, myrtle, Byrne; twerp, assert, jerk, perch, serf, berth, terse, verb, erg, emerge, nerve, term, stern, deter, err,' preferred certain, person, immersion, emergency, kernel Earp, earth, dearth, hearse, rehearse, search heard, earn, yearn, earl, pearl, rehearsal, early, earnest; wort, work, worth, worse, word, worm, whorl, worst, Worthing, worthy, whortleberry; scourge, adjourn, courteous, journal, journalist, journey; attorney, colonel, liqueur, masseur, connoisseur. a) usurp, hurt, church, turf, purse, curb, curd, urge, curve, furze, turn, curl, spur, occurred, burnt, burst, murder, further; myrrh, myrtle, Byrne; b) shirt, irk, birch, birth, bird, dirge, firm, girl, fir, stirred, first, circus, virtue; c) twerp, assert, jerk, perch, serf, berth, terse, verb, emerge, nerve, term, stern, deter, err, preferred, certain, person, immersion, emergency, kernel; earth, dearth, hearse, search, heard, earn, yearn, earl, pearl, rehearsal, early, earnest; d) wort, work, worth, worse, word, worm, whorl, worst, worthy; scourge, adjourn, courteous, journal, journalist, journey; attorney, colonel. |
Practice these sentences below as often as you can and pay attention to the correct vowel sounds for each. It will help with connecting the dots between, what you can already do and differentiating the funds which might be a little trickier. I added the phonemes next to each (since you know them):)
LONG VOWELS ɑ: - The army master asked the fathers pardon. ɔ: - The tortoise called the tall mortal awful. ɜ: - Her skirt was pert which flirted with her shirt. u: - You flew too soon from shoe to moon. i: - She sealed the meat in three pieces feeding the steaming fleas. SHORT VOWELS ə - Isabel don't contradict the londoner, understand? ɪ - It's beginning to filter into the split killing the filling. ɒ - Lotty and Dotty got hot on the pott Olive and Spot did not. e - Get steadily ready to tread through the lead eventually entering the bed ʌ - Have you money for the butter and honey? æ - Gather that hat and that mat and flatter Andrea Samantha Panders. ʊ - Look, put that book back in the nook you hooded crook. DIPTHONGS (TWO VOWELS SOUNDS TOGETHER) ɪə - 'Hear, hear,' cheers the peer, sheer fear from the beer in his ear. eə - The fair pair shared caring and wearing the scarce mare's chair. ʊə - The dour gourd during security endured the curious moor. eɪ - The ape made the lady waste the eigth veil weighing a great steak. aɪ - Either try to dye the bright cider or bite the high light fighting mightily. ɔɪ - The boy's voice and oils the coiled point in the void. əʊ - So the old folks at home toasted the soapy and moulting toads. aʊ - How about shouting down the town house allowing a mouse to flounder. |
LONG VOWELS
Print out the text for 'Tarantella' and either highlight or underline the correct places for all the long vowels.
I suggest going through and speaking the text in the Standard English accent we have been working on (as best you can) and then paying attention to both where you hear them and where you think they should be.
Remember, just do this for the long vowels.
I'll ask you to send me a photo of the highlighted sheet and even a recording that correlates to the findings you have made. From there we can discuss and adjust accordingly.
I suggest going through and speaking the text in the Standard English accent we have been working on (as best you can) and then paying attention to both where you hear them and where you think they should be.
Remember, just do this for the long vowels.
I'll ask you to send me a photo of the highlighted sheet and even a recording that correlates to the findings you have made. From there we can discuss and adjust accordingly.
Tarantella
by Hiliare Belloc
Do you remember an Inn,
Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?
And the tedding and the spreading
Of the straw for a bedding,
And the fleas that tease in the High Pyrenees,
And the wine that tasted of the tar?
And the cheers and the jeers of the young muleteers
(Under the vine of the dark verandah)?
Do you remember an Inn, Miranda,
Do you remember an Inn?
And the cheers and the jeers of the young muleteers
Who hadn’t got a penny,
And who weren’t paying any,
And the hammer at the doors and the din?
And the Hip! Hop! Hap!
Of the clap
Of the hands to the twirl and the swirl
Of the girl gone chancing,
Glancing,
Dancing,
Backing and advancing,
Snapping of the clapper to the spin
Out and in–
And the Ting, Tong, Tang of the guitar!
Do you remember an Inn,
Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?
Never more,
Miranda,
Never more.
Only the high peaks hoar:
And Aragon a torrent at the door.
No sound
In the walls of the halls where falls
The tread
Of the feet of the dead to the ground,
No sound:
But the boom
Of the far waterfall like doom.
by Hiliare Belloc
Do you remember an Inn,
Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?
And the tedding and the spreading
Of the straw for a bedding,
And the fleas that tease in the High Pyrenees,
And the wine that tasted of the tar?
And the cheers and the jeers of the young muleteers
(Under the vine of the dark verandah)?
Do you remember an Inn, Miranda,
Do you remember an Inn?
And the cheers and the jeers of the young muleteers
Who hadn’t got a penny,
And who weren’t paying any,
And the hammer at the doors and the din?
And the Hip! Hop! Hap!
Of the clap
Of the hands to the twirl and the swirl
Of the girl gone chancing,
Glancing,
Dancing,
Backing and advancing,
Snapping of the clapper to the spin
Out and in–
And the Ting, Tong, Tang of the guitar!
Do you remember an Inn,
Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?
Never more,
Miranda,
Never more.
Only the high peaks hoar:
And Aragon a torrent at the door.
No sound
In the walls of the halls where falls
The tread
Of the feet of the dead to the ground,
No sound:
But the boom
Of the far waterfall like doom.