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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 which are the most problematic for Russian speakers.
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 below the same way.
| |
/oʊ/ |
/ɔ/ |
| 1. |
low |
law |
| 2. |
boat |
bought |
| 3. |
coat |
caught |
| 4. |
woke |
walk |
Words Spelled with o
English words spelled with o are particularly difficult for Russian speakers since o is usually pronounced as /ɑ/ as in stop and hot, but it can also be pronounced as /ɘ/ as in love and Monday or even as /ou/ as in so and only.
Another common mistake is to pronounce a final o as /ɘ/ or /ɑ/. Make sure it’s pronounced as /ou/ instead.
| typical mistake: /ɑ/ |
should be: /ou/ |
| “Mexica” |
“Mexico“ |
| “San Francisca” |
“San Francisco“ |
The /I/ Sound
You might have a tendency to pronounce /I/ (as in sit) incorrectly. Make sure you pronounce the following words differently:
| |
/I/ |
/i/ |
| 1. |
sit |
seat |
| 2. |
live |
leave |
| 3. |
fill |
feel |
The /ɘ/ Sound
You might confuse /ɘ/ as in fun, with /ɑ/ as in hop. Practice pronouncing the following words differently:
| |
/ɑ/ |
/ɘ/ |
| 1. |
shot |
shut |
| 2. |
lock |
luck |
| 3. |
cop |
cup |
The /ʊ/ Sound
Do not make the common error of confusing /ʊ/ as in good, with /u/ as in food. Make sure you pronounce the following words differently:
| |
/ʊ/ |
/u/ |
| 1. |
full |
fool |
| 2. |
pull |
pool |
| 3. |
look |
Luke |
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