[This page is to help the tutor explain how to make the speech sounds. The tutor should make these sounds and notice what is going on with his speech organs. Note that my classifications and descriptions may not be linguistically precise. For an excellent more technical treatment go to Phonetics.]

We make about 44 different speech sounds. We make these different sounds by using our lips, teeth, teeth ridge, palate, tongue, nose, lungs, and vocal cords in different ways. For example, you will find several pairs of consonants in which one is voiced with the vocal cords and other is unvoiced. To hear the difference, press the palms of your hands over your ears and make the unvoiced /s---/ sound as in sip. Now make the /z---/ sound as in zip. You can feel the vibrations of voiced sounds by putting your finger on top of your larynx or "voice box." Do that and say /z---/.

/m---/ as in mam : Close the mouth and hum through the nose.

/n---/ as in nun: Open the mouth, press the tongue against the teeth, and hum.

/ng---/ as in sing : Open mouth and make the humming sound in the back of the mouth.

Explosive sounds (stops):

/p-p-p/ as in pip (unvoiced)- /b-b-b/ bib (voiced): Close lips and open them with a burst of air.

/t-t-t/ as in tot (unvoiced) - /d-d-d/ dad (voiced): Open mouth and press tongue against teeth and ridge and release with burst of air.

/k-k-k/ as in kick (unvoiced) - /g-g-g/ gig (voiced): Open mouth and press tongue against the soft palate and release with a burst of air.

Explosive-friction sounds (affricates):

/ch-ch-ch/ as in church (unvoiced) - /j-j-j/ judge (voiced): Open mouth and press tongue against ridge behind teeth and release with a burst of air.

Friction sounds (fricatives):

/f---/ as in fife (unvoiced) - /v---/ verve (voiced): Open lips, press upper teeth against lower lip, and force out air.

/s---/ as in sip (unvoiced) - /z---/ zip (voiced): Open mouth, raise tip of tongue against teeth ridge, and blow.

/th---/ as in thin (unvoiced) - /th---) then (voiced): Open mouth, put tongue between upper and lower teeth, and force out air.

/sh---/ as in shin (unvoiced) - /zh---/ vision (voiced): Open mouth but flatten lips, press tongue against palate, and force out air. The /zh/ sound has no unique spelling. It may begin French words such as genre.

Gliding sounds (These sounds glide easily into the vowel.):

/h---/ as in hen : Open mouth and make a voiceless breath sound.

/y/ as in yes (voiced): Open mouth, curl lips, and press tongue against palate, and force out air.

/wh/ as in whet (unvoiced) - /w/ wet (voiced): Open mouth with puckered lips and force out air.

/r---(not er--)/ as in red (voiced): Open mouth with slightly puckered lips and force out air. Compare "red" and "wed," which is formed farther back in the mouth.

/l---/ as in lull (voiced): Open mouth, press tongue against teeth ridge, and force out air.

The vowels are open-throated, voiced sounds. They differ one from another by the tongue position (how far back), tongue height, lip rounding, and tenseness in vocal cords. Tense vowels are "long vowels." Listen to the vowels in these words and notice how the tongue moves back and down as you go from one to another:

Front vowels: he - hit - hay - hen - hat

Central vowels: her - bacon (/ba-kuhn/ the schwa sound) - hut

Back vowels (lips rounded): hot - haw - ho - hook - hoot

Shifty vowels or diphthongs (The sounds shift when you say them.): hi - cow - boy