Sound | Tongue | Lips | Jaw | Teeth | Air | Vocal Chords |
---|
/ˈ/ | | | | | | |
/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. |
/t/ | The tongue will come up. The front part will touch the roof of the mouth behind the top teeth. Then it will pull down to release the air. | | | The teeth are together. Then they separate. | Air passes through the mouth. First, the air stops. Then, it flows. | The vocal cords do not vibrate. |
/r/ | The tongue forms an arch near the roof of the mouth. It does not touch any part of the mouth. | | | | The air flows through a narrow space in your 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. |
/ʤ/ | Raise the middle part of your tongue towards the hard palate, which is the bony ridge in the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth. At the same time, lower the back of your tongue towards the floor of your mouth. | Keep your lips relaxed and slightly open. | Keep your jaw slightly open and relaxed. | Keep your teeth slightly apart. | Build up some pressure behind your tongue by briefly stopping the airflow with the tip of your tongue against the hard palate. Then, release the air by quickly pulling your tongue back from the hard palate. | Start vibrating your vocal cords just as you release the burst of air. This produces a voiced sound. |