Making English Decodable
What if every English word told you exactly how to say it?
Learning the Soft Sounds: f, h, l, p and th.
The mouth movements for these sounds are not difficult, but many students can make them but think they are not making the right sound because the sounds are so soft. Fo√ne…tic √Ēng…lish fixes this problem by teaching these soft consonants followed by a vowel.
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Learning the Soft Sounds: f, h, l, p and th.
The mouth movements for these sounds are not difficult, but many students can make them but think they are not making the right sound because the sounds are so soft. Fonetic English fixes this problem by teaching these soft consonants followed by a vowel.
Soft Sounds: f, h, l, p and th
Five English consonant sounds are soft: f, h, l, p and th. The th is the unvoiced th in thumb.
Why these sounds cause difficulty
The mouth movements for these sounds are relatively easy to make. The sound produced is soft, so many students do not think they are making the sound correctly when they are. A student who doubts a correct sound keeps changing it, and the pronunciation gets worse.
Always followed by a vowel
These sounds are almost never said by themselves in English. They are almost always followed by a vowel. Fonetic English teaches each soft sound the way it is used in speech: followed by a vowel. Each of the five soft sounds has been recorded followed by each English vowel sound.
How each sound is made
- f: the top teeth rest on the bottom lip and air flows out between them. The sound is continuous.
- h: the mouth is open and relaxed and air is breathed out from the throat. The sound is continuous.
- l: the tip of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth just behind the top teeth, and air flows around the sides of the tongue. The sound is continuous.
- th: the tip of the tongue sits between the teeth and air flows out over the tongue. The sound is continuous.
- p: the lips close, air pressure builds behind the lips, and the lips open to release the air. The mouth movement is the same as for b, but p is unvoiced.
Pronunciation Instructions shows the mouth for each sound from the front and in cross section, with videos.
How students practise
In the Soft Consonant Sound tool, the student chooses f, h, l, p or th. The tool then shows the 16 combinations of that sound followed by a vowel. The student listens to each combination, records their own pronunciation with the microphone, and plays the recording back to compare it with the reference sound. A student can watch their own mouth in the computer’s camera while practising.
For students of any language
The soft sounds cause difficulty for students from many language backgrounds. The Soft Consonant Sound tool works the same way whatever the student’s native language is. Students can practise on their own between lessons, and tutors can set the tool as homework.
