It is recommended that you study all of the American vowel sounds in detail. (See Chapters One and Two.) However, pay special attention to the vowel sounds highlighted below which are the most problematic ones for Chinese speakers of English.

The /eɪ/ sound

For native Chinese speakers the /eI/ sound creates by far the biggest vowel error when it is followed byn, m, orl. The formation of these consonants sometimes prevents the tongue from moving correctly for the /eI/ sound. Generally this /eI/ tends to be pronounced as /ɛ/ or /æ/ making the pronunciation ofpain, pen, andpansound similar or the same when Chinese speakers pronounce them. Also,saleandsellwill often sound the same. Here’s a technique for fixing this problem.

Chances are you sayrainandransimilarly or the same. To fix this problem say the wordray, then slowly add the /n/ sound. Seeing them as separate in your mind will help you to fully pronounce both of the vowel sounds before you begin to move your tongue into thenposition.

The /eI/ sound is easier for Chinese speakers to produce if it is at the end of the word or when it is followed by any other consonant. It’s generally only a problem when it’s followed by ann, m, orl.

Words for Practice

Let’s practice the technique described above by saying some common words that have /eɪ/ + /n/, /m/, or /l/. First say the word that ends in /eI/ and then slowly add the consonant sound.

Words Contrasts for Practice

Make sure you pronounce the two words in each pair below differently.

Confusing /ɛ/ and /æ/

Confusing these two vowel sounds will cause you to pronouncemenandmanthe same way. Review Chapters One and Two to fix this type of error.

Confusing /i/ and /eɪ/

Make sure you pronounce these vowel sounds differently. Pay special attention to words that end with the /i/ sound:very, actually, really, me, andwe. Make sure the /i/ is long.

Word Contrasts for Practice

Sentence Pairs for Practice