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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.
Confusing /æ/ and /ɛ/
The sounds /æ/ (as in bad) and /ɛ/ (as in bed) are often confused by native Korean speakers. Review Chapters One and Two for more explanations and exercises related to these sounds.
Word Contrasts for Practice
Make sure you pronounce the words in each pair below differently.
| |
/æ/ |
/ɛ/ |
| 1. |
flash |
flesh |
| 2. |
man |
men |
| 3. |
salary |
celery |
| 4. |
ex |
axe |
| 5. |
taxes |
Texas |
| 6. |
sand |
send |
The /ɔ/ Sound
Be careful that your /ɔ/ sound (as in saw) is not influenced by the very different British version of this sound. In British English pause sounds almost like “pose,” but in American English it sounds much more like /pɑz/, and has the same /ɑ/ sound as in father or watch.
Word Contrasts for Practice
Don’t pronounce the two words in each pair the same way.
| |
/oʊ/ |
/ɔ/ |
| 1. |
low |
law |
| 2. |
boat |
bought |
| 3. |
coat |
caught |
| 4. |
woke |
walk |
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