Sound | Tongue | Lips | Jaw | Teeth | Air | Vocal Chords |
---|
/ˈ/ | | | | | | |
/p/ | Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth, or slightly below them, so that the air is completely blocked in the oral cavity. | Round your lips tightly, creating a seal to prevent any air from escaping through your mouth. | Keep your jaw relatively tense and stable, without any movement. | The teeth should not be involved in the production of this sound. | Build up air pressure behind the blockage created by your tongue and lips, and then release the air suddenly by popping open the lips, causing a burst of air to be expelled. | Do not use your vocal cords to produce this sound, as it is an unvoiced sound. |
/l/ | The tongue is against the back of the upper teeth. | | | | The air flows around the sides of the mouth. | The vocal cords vibrate. |
/e/ | The tongue is high at the front of the mouth. It is not at the top of the mouth. | The lips are smiling. | The jaw drops, opening the mouth a little bit. | | | The vocal cords vibrate. |
/ɪ/ | The tongue raises high in the mouth. It moves to the front of the mouth. Then the tip of the tongue moves behind the bottom front teeth. The tongue remains relaxed in the front of the mouth. | The lips separated and relaxed. | The jaw drops and the mouth opens a little bit. | | | The vocal cords vibrate. |
/n/ | Your tongue is against the ridge behind the top teeth. | | | | The air flows through the nose. | The vocal cords vibrate. |
/z/ | The tongue is behind the teeth. | | | The teeth remain clenched. | The air flows through the tip of the tongue. | The vocal cords vibrate. |