Sound | Tongue | Lips | Jaw | Teeth | Air | Vocal Chords |
---|
/ˈ/ | | | | | | |
/k/ | The back part of the tongue reaches up and touches the soft palate, cutting off the air. The tongue pulls away and the air flows. | The lips position to adjust the sound that comes next. | | | Air passes through the mouth. First, the air stops. Then, it flows. | The vocal cords do not vibrate. |
/w/ | The back of the tongue reaches up high in the back. It does not touch the soft palate. The front part of the tongue remains forward. It touches the bottom front teeth. | The lips form a rounded shape. They move away from the face. | | | | 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. |
/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. |
/s/ | The tongue is behind the teeth. | | | The teeth remain clenched. | The air flows through the tip of the tongue towards the edge of the teeth. | The vocal cords do not vibrate. |