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Since Spanish has a lot fewer vowel sounds than English, you will need to review all of the American vowel sounds in Chapters One and Two. Also pay special attention to the vowel sounds highlighted below which are the most problematic ones for native Spanish speakers.
Words Spelled with o
English words spelled with o are particularly difficult for Spanish 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. Study Chapter 2 in detail.
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 |
Reduced Vowels in Unstressed Syllables
In Spanish all the vowels are pronounced fully, whereas in English vowels in unstressed syllables almost disappear and become a reduced schwa /ɘ/ sound. For example, the word doctor exists in both languages. In Spanish both of the o sounds are pronounced the same way. In English, the word sounds like “doctr.” The second o is changed to a short, reduced /ɘ/ sound because it’s part of the unstressed syllable. For further study and practice, refer to Chapter Five on syllable stress. Below are some examples of the vowel differences between the two languages.
| Spanish: |
English (no vowel in front): |
| color |
color – sounds like “colr” |
| normal |
normal – sounds like “norml” |
| popular |
popular – sound like “populr” |
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