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When do we pronounce plural nouns with an /ɪz/ sound?Hi. My name is Enrique and I am the creator of Say it in English...!Thanks for listening to our weekly podcasts. They are available for free on iTunes store. So, download them when you’ve got the chance.In today’s program we will talk about sibilants and affricates and how these consonants affect the pronunciation of plural nouns in English. Let’s start from the beginning. First, we have to check basic phonetic concepts in order to help you understand how both sibilants and affricates work in the production of the plural form of certain nouns.What is a sibilant?A sibilant can be either a voiceless  or  a voiced consonant sound. It means that its articulation can be made without or with vibration of the vocal cords. Let’s take, for example the voiceless consonant sound /s/ and the voiced consonant sound /z/.Put gently your fingers on your throat and repeat the next sound three times after me:s…, s…, s…You can feel clearly the lack of vibration when articulating this consonant sound. It is a voiceless  consonant sound.Now, put gently your fingers on your throat again and repeat this other sound three times after me:z…, z…, z…You can feel the strong vibration of this consonant sound while it is articulated. It is a voiced  consonant sound.Another characteristic of a sibilant is that it is a continuous sound. It means that we can prolong voluntarily the length of the sound.Listen:sssssssszzzzzzz Now,  let’s check the consonant sounds /s/ and  /z/ with other sibilants all together:  Listen and repeat after me. Put your fingers on your throat and notice both the lack of vibration in some of them and the strong vibration on the others. Notice the control that we have over their length too.szʃʒOk. This is just an introduction in the understanding of how the plural nouns are articulated in English. So, be patient. We are going to get into the point in a few minutes. What are affricates? Other pair of consonant sounds that are important to learn in today`s episode are the affricates.Affricates are a sort of two mixed consonantal sounds that come together and are articulated simultaneously as one single sound.Listen and repeat three times after me:tʃ..., tʃ...., tʃ...This consonant sound is voiceless and it is the result of pronouncing  /t/ and /S/ together.t  +  ʃ  =  tʃNow, listen and repeat three times after me this other affricate:dʒ..., dʒ..., dʒ...This consonant sound is voiced and it is the result of pronouncing /d/ and /Z/ together.d  +  ʒ  =  dʒWith this said, let’s start showing you how the pronunciation of plural nouns are done when a word ends either in a sibilant or in an affricate consonant sound.Notice how the singular forms of the next words get an extra syllable when they are pronounced in their plural form.  The added sound is not just a /z/ sound, but an /Iz/ sound.I will pronounce the singular form followed by the plural form of every single word.Listen and repeat. SINGULAR FORM PLURAL FORM Consonantal types Ending sound One to three syllable words One more syllable is added Added sound sibilants s 1 vasecase 2 vasescases Iz z 1 praisephrase 2 praisesphrases Iz ʃ 1 wishdish 2 wishesdishes Iz ʒ 2 massage 3 massages Iz 3 arbitrage 4 arbitrages affricates

When do we pronounce plural nouns with a /z/ sound?Hi. My name is Enrique and I am the creator of  Say it in English...!  This is the fifth podcast of a series that will discuss topics related to American English Pronunciation. Our weekly podcasts are available on iTunes store for free. So check them out and download them when you got the chance.In today's podcast we will talk about the /s/ sound and its correct pronunciation in plural nouns.If you remember what it was said on our last episode about the /z/ sound, you should easily pronounce the next words correctly. Check carefully the singular form of every single word in the next list. Do they end in a voiced or in a voiceless sound? How do you pronounce the plural form of nouns that end in a voiced sound?Listen and repeat after me:eye      eyesarm     armsshoulder      shoulderscar        carsbar       bars1.     The word "eye" has the diphthong /aɪ/ which ends in the vowel sound /ɪ/. Vowels are voiced, so the plural form of the word eye has to be pronounced with the /z/ sound although it is spelled with the letter "s".2.     The word "arm" ends in the consonant sound /m/. The consonant sound /m/ is a voiced sound because the vocal cords vibrate during its articulation. So, when we add the /s/ sound to the word arm, the /s/ sound turns into a /z/ sound.3.     "Shoulder" ends with the consonant sound /ɹ/. This is a voiced consonant sound. So, when we add the /s/ sound to the word shoulder, the /s/ sound turns into a /z/ sound. 4.     The same happens with the words "car" and "bar". Both end with the voiced consonant sound /ɹ/. So, their plural form has to be pronounced with the /z/ sound. Let's try it one more time. Listen and repeat after me.eye      eyesarm     armsshoulder      shoulderscar        carsbar       barsWhen do we pronounce plural nouns with an /s/ sound? We already saw that some consonants are called voiced because the vocal cords vibrate during their articulation. Some examples are the consonants /m/ and /ɹ/ from the words in the previous list. Consonants sounds are not all voiced. In matter of fact, there is a big group of consonant sounds that are produced without vibration of the vocal cords. These groups of consonant sounds that are not vibrated are called voiceless consonants.As an example of voiceless consonant sounds, we can mention the next consonants:Listen and repeat after me:ptkIf you paid carefully attention to your own articulation while pronouncing these consonant sounds, you could realize that all these sounds are produced without vibration of the vocal cords.Let's try to pronounce the next nouns. I will say the singular form of every noun first and then its plural form. All plural nouns in this list are pronounced with an /s/ sound.Repeat after me:map      mapspot     potsdesk    desksWhy do we not pronounce the /z/ sound in the plural form of these words?  The reason is simple... All these words end in voiceless consonants. So, the /s/ sound of the plural form is not affected by the vibration of the vocal cords and /s/ does not turn into a /z/ sound.Let's try one more time the pronunciation of these nouns. All of them are pronounced with an /s/ sound.map      mapspot     potsdesk    desksThat's it for today's program. I hope you find this podcast, and the previous one, useful to improve your English pronunciation of the plural form of nouns. There is still one more case of the plural form of nouns. It is the case of words that end in sibilants. We will develop this topic in our next podcast. Stay in tune. This is an ELC academy podcast sponsored by Say it in English...! Your pronunciation improvement is just waiting for you...! Bye, bye...!

When do we pronounce plural nouns with an /s/ sound?Hi. My name is Enrique and I am the creator of  Say it in English...! Say it in English...!  This is the fourth podcast of a series that will discuss topics related to American English Pronunciation. Our weekly podcasts are available at iTunes store for free. So check them out and download them when you got the chance. In today’s podcast, we will cover the pronunciation of plural nouns with the consonant sound  /z/.A very common pronunciation mistake that EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students make is pronouncing the plural forms of certain nouns with the consonant sound /s/ instead of the consonant sound /z/. Most of the plural forms that are spelled in English with (s) should be pronounced with a /z/ sound, but EFL students usually ignore this fact and they tend to pronounce all plural nouns with the consonant sound /s/.There are phonetical reasons to pronounce the plural form of certain nouns with the consonant sound /z/ instead of the consonant sound /s/.Let's see, for example, the word tree.tree...!Listen and repeat this word three times after me...tree..., tree..., tree...!As you can feel, the last sound in this word is a vowel sound. It is the vowel sound /i/. Ok, it is spelled with double (e), but the sound is /i/. Vowel sounds are voiced; it means that the vocal cords vibrate when vowels are articulated.Now, put gently your fingers on your throat and feel the vibration while pronouncing the vowel sound /i/.Repeat three times after me./i/...,/i/...,/i/...!As you can feel, there is a strong vibration. The vocal cords vibrate to produce this sound. So, when we add an extra /s/ to this vowel, the /s/ sound turns into a /z/ sound. We cannot stop vibrating the vocal cords when adding the /s/ sound to this vowel. The /s/ sound is not a voiced sound, but voiceless. It means it is produced without vibration of the vocal cords. Now, put gently your fingers on your throat and feel if there is vibration or not.Listen and repeat the /s/ sound three times after me.../s/...,/s/...,/s/...!As you can feel, there is no vibration. The vocal cords do not vibrate when pronouncing the /s/ sound.When pronouncing the vowel sound /i/, its vibration reaches the /s/ of the plural form and /s/ turns into /z/. This is the simple logic in the understanding of why we are expected to pronounce the plural form of certain nouns with a /z/ sound, although the word is spelled with (s).Listen and repeat three times after me, both the singular and plural forms of the word tree:tree..., trees...!tree..., trees...!tree..., trees...!Now, let's check out how both the singular and plural forms of the word tree are represented phonetically by using the IPA symbols:/tɹiː/...,/tɹiːz/...!/tɹiː/...,/tɹiːz/...!/tɹiː/...,/tɹiːz/...!Notice that the /z/ sound is neither long nor a strong sound. It has to be pronounced both briefly and very smoothly. Failing in doing this, the articulation of the plural form of certain nouns could sound very foreign to native speakers' ears. The /s/ sound, on the other hand, is usually long and strong.Are consonants sounds voiced too?Vowels are not the only voiced sounds. Some consonants are voiced too. Let's take, for example the word door.door...!Listen and repeat this word three times after me.door..., door..., door...!As you can feel, the last sound in this word is not a vowel sound, but a consonant.  It is the consonant sound /ɹ/.  Some consonant sounds are voiced; it means that the vocal cords vibrate when these consonants are articulated.Now, put gently your fingers on your throat and feel the vibration while pronouncing the consonant sound /ɹ/.Repeat three times after me:/ɹ/..., /ɹ/..., /ɹ/...!As you can feel, there is a strong vibration. The vocal cords vibrate to produce the /ɹ/  sound. So, when we add an extra /s/ to this voiced consonant, the /s/ sound of the plural form turns into a /z/ sound. We cannot stop vibrating the vocal cords when adding the /s/ sound to the /ɹ/ sound to make the plural.Now, let's check out how both the singular and plural forms of the word "door" are represented phonetically by using the IPA symbols:/dɔːɹ/..., /dɔːɹz/...!/dɔːɹ/..., /dɔːɹz/...!/dɔːɹ/..., /dɔːɹz/...!As we noticed before, the /z/ sound is neither long nor a strong sound. It has to be pronounced both briefly and very smoothly. Failing in doing this, your articulation of the plural forms could sound very foreign to native speakers' ears. The /s/ sound, on the other hand, is usually long and strong.That's it for today's program. The pronunciation of plural forms with the /s/ sound will be covered ín our next podcast. This is an ELC academy podcast sponsored by Say it in English...! Your pronunciation improvement is just waiting for you...! Bye,...bye...!

    Learn to recognize and pronounce the SCHWA SOUND.Hi. My name is Enrique and I am the creator of Say it in English...! This is the second podcast of a series that will discuss topics related to American English Pronunciation. Our weekly podcasts are available at iTunes store for free. So check them out and download them when you got the chance.  In today's podcast, we will talk about one of the most important vowel sounds in English: the schwa sound.When it comes the time to pronounce words in English, it is a very common fact that non-native speakers of English tend to omit sistematically the use of an importarnt sound in English phonology: the schwa vowel. It is incredibly fascinating to find out that most EFL (English as Foreign Language Students) are not aware about this sound. The natural consequence is that it is never used, but replaced by non standard vowels coming from the native speaker's mother tongue.Believe it or not, this ignored sound is the most common vowel sound in English. It is always present as part of unstressed syllables. It is never present in stressed syllables.Its articulation is simple. Just keep the lips relaxed and do not open your mouth too much. In matter of fact, the opening of the mouth is little when pronouncing this vowel sound.Repeat three times after me:/ə/ ..., /ə/ ..., /ə/ ...As you can listen, its sound is not definitively clear. It is a reduced vowel sound.Let's take, for example the word lesson. This word has two syllables. One is stressed: less; the other is unstressed: on.                               less-onThe first syllable (less) is stressed, it means that it has to be full pronounced. The vowels and consonants in this first syllable have to be perfectly articulated because this syllable is stressed.On the other hand, the second syllable (on) is not stressed, but de-stressed. This lack of stress makes the syllable week  So, its elements are pronounced faster and without paying too much attention to their careful articulation. The sounds in this second syllable are, in conclusion, reduced. The vowel sound especifically experiments here the greatest reduction. It becomes a non-definite vowel sound called schwa.Let's listen this word again. Pay attention the way the second syllable is articulated.                              less-onNow, let's take a look to its phonetic representation using the IPA symbols:                         /ˈlɛs ən/ The vowel in the second syllable is definitely not an (o), but a schwa.Let's have a little more of the vowel schwa on the next words.cushoncircuslemmongeniusapronaboutNow listen and repeat after me.cushoncircuslemmongeniusapronabout         Now that you are aware about the existence of the schwa, why do not you start finding out what words from the ones you usually use have this sound. Use a dictionary that includes the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols to find out where the schwa sound is. I highly recommend dictionary.com. It is a free dictionary and it has a huge amount of information. It includes the IPA symbols in it. Just write the word in the search box and click the link that says Show IPA symbols.        That's it for today's program. Let's keep in touch with our free podcasts in iTunes store. This is a presentation sponsored by Say it in English...! Your improved pronunciation is just waiting for you...!

Standard dialects of English and other dialects around the world. Hi. My name is Enrique Guerra Medina. I am the creator of Say it in English...! This is the first podcast of a series that will discuss topics related to American English Pronunciation. Today’s podcast is about accents. Many students of English believe that the standard form of American English learned in the classrooms is the only form of American English they can learn, so they usually ask: “Why do I not understand some American native speakers? What’s wrong with me?”The truth is that the formal English that we learn in the classrooms is most of the time so different from the way native speakers talk. Among other reasons, it is due to the existence of what it is called dialects.A dialect is not a minor form of language. It is the way certain community uses the official language, the standard language. Communities from different regions can speak the same language, but differently. The difference can be based on pronunciation, vocabulary and even grammar. There are more than 60 dialects in the USA territory. Among them, the northern and southern dialects, the Boston dialect, the New York dialect, the Texas dialect, and the African American Vernacular English dialect. As you see the list is long. We didn’t mention the dialects from all over the world, but they are more than one hundred, including the more than 30 British dialects, the Australian dialect, the Canadian dialect and other non native speaking countries where English language is spoken.Every single community has its own dialect and, of course, its own accent. English as a Second Language students need to understand this and not to feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable when they face the shocking experience of talking to a native English speaker who has an accent that makes his English a language almost impossible to understand.When such situation occurs, it is the encounter of the two accents that creates the conflict, the interference. Yours and the other’s.Our mother tongue sounds and intonation patterns interfere constantly the way we speak other languages. We tend to speak with an accent. Native English speakers are able to identify almost immediately the particular way you pronounce their language, in spite of hours of intensive and exhausting exercises under the supervision of speech trainers. To get rid of our own accent is the most difficult thing to do. We can try hard for years, but we will never speak like a native English speaker. Our mother tongue will be affecting, in one way or another, our pronunciation. It is not the objective of learning a new language to speak like native speakers do. Some students have the ability to produce an accent very similar, almost identical, to native speakers of English, but this is just a plus in their learning. The purpose in learning a new language is not to have a perfect English accent; but to communicate our thoughts and feelings efficiently. Such proficiency is possible to be reached without sacrificing our own accents.I remember have been part of a multinational meeting. We were 5 persons from different nationalities who tried to arrive to an agreement about a task given during a conversation class. There were two young men from Japan, a woman from India, a Chinese man and a Peruvian guy. I was the last one. We needed to discuss certain information from two small cards. We literally could not understand each other not even a word on our first try, but after a few minutes we could. That day, we had a long discussion about a crucial ethical topic. It was one of the most incredible experiences I ever had.As I said before, accents can interfere our communication, but if we are able to control efficiently the proper sounds of English, I mean vowels and consonants, we will overcome any communication problem. So, for awhile, we will concentrate on the sounds of English as our main concern.The next podcasts will cover progressively information related to vowels, consonants, diphthongs and tripthtongs and the way they have to be articulated in English words. Future works will include topics in intonation patterns and English rhythm as well as the natural speech phenomena, important topic to get fluency and confidence in Spoken English.I hope to help you get a deep understanding of all subjects that will be cover along the next podcasts. Good luck and keep in touch with our weekly podcasts available at iTunes store for free. This is a Say it in English...! podcast. Your improved pronunciation is just waiting for you…