Sound | Tongue | Lips | Jaw | Teeth | Air | Vocal Chords |
---|
/ˈ/ | | | | | | |
/f/ | | The bottom lips are in contact with the teeth. | | The top teeth press the bottom lips. | The air flows through the teeth. | The vocal cords do not vibrate. |
/l/ | The tongue is against the back of the upper teeth. | | | | The air flows around the sides of the mouth. | The vocal cords vibrate. |
/ɛ/ | The tongue tip touches the back of the bottom front teeth. The middle part of the tongue arches up towards the roof of the mouth. | | The jaw drops. | | | 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. |
/d/ | The tongue comes up. The front part touches the roof of the mouth behind the top teeth. Then it pulls down to release the air. | | | The teeth are together. Then they separate. | First, the air stops. Then it flows. | The vocal cords vibrate. |