13 Minutes to Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet!
Summary
TLDRThe video explains how English is not a phonetic language, so the same letter combinations can have different pronunciations. The international phonetic alphabet solves this problem by assigning unique symbols to represent the 44 sounds in English. The instructor breaks down the consonants and vowels, focusing on the eight trickier consonants and five longer vowel sounds. A quiz tests the viewer's knowledge of the phonetic symbols. Learning the phonetic alphabet helps improve pronunciation by indicating exactly how a word should be sounded out. The symbols look daunting but are manageable to memorize if practiced.
Takeaways
- 😀 English is not phonetic, leading to pronunciation challenges with silent letters and varying letter combinations.
- 📚 Phonetics, represented by unique symbols in dictionaries, are essential for correct pronunciation.
- 🌭 There are 44 sounds in English: 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds.
- 🔢 Sixteen consonant sounds are relatively easy to learn, leaving eight that might be new and challenging.
- 🔫 Examples of difficult consonant sounds include 'sh' as in 'show', 'zh' as in 'vision', and 'th' as in 'this' or 'three'.
- 🌟 Vowel sounds include both short and long vowels, as well as diphthongs, which are combinations of vowel sounds.
- 🐱 The schwa sound, represented by an upside-down e, is the most common sound in English.
- 💬 Eight diphthongs combine two vowel sounds to create a single sound, like 'oy' in 'boy' or 'ai' in 'fight'.
- 🔠 Learning the International Phonetic Alphabet can significantly improve pronunciation skills.
- 🔓 The video includes a quiz to test knowledge of phonetic symbols and pronunciation, encouraging active learning.
Q & A
What is the purpose of learning phonetics according to the video?
-The purpose of learning phonetics, as outlined in the video, is to help individuals improve their pronunciation of English words by understanding the strange looking symbols found in dictionaries, which represent sounds not always intuitively connected to the letters used in spelling.
How many sounds are there in English, and how are they categorized?
-There are 44 sounds in English, categorized into 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds.
What are some examples of the 'easy' 16 consonant sounds mentioned?
-Examples of the 'easy' 16 consonant sounds include B (as in 'best'), F (as in 'fine'), M (as in 'male'), and T (as in 'tile').
What does the 'sh' phonetic symbol represent, and can you give an example word?
-The 'sh' phonetic symbol represents the 'sh' sound, as in the words 'push' and 'show'.
How is the 'j' sound phonetically represented, and what are some example words?
-The 'j' sound is phonetically represented by a symbol that looks like two letters stuck together (ʤ), with example words including 'joke', 'June', 'college', and 'suggest'.
What is a diphthong, and how many are there in English?
-A diphthong is a complex vowel sound that consists of two vowel sounds combined to make one sound, and there are eight diphthongs in English.
Can you name a vowel sound that is particularly important to learn and its most common representation?
-The 'schwa' sound, represented phonetically as an upside-down or backwards 'e' (ə), is particularly important as it's the most common sound in the English language.
What phonetic symbol looks like a 'zero with a line through it', and what sound does it represent?
-The phonetic symbol that looks like a 'zero with a line through it' (θ) represents the voiceless 'th' sound, as in 'three' and 'month'.
How does the video suggest practicing phonetic symbols can aid in English pronunciation?
-The video suggests that practicing phonetic symbols can aid in English pronunciation by familiarizing learners with the sounds of English, especially those that do not have direct equivalents in their native language, thereby improving their ability to pronounce words correctly.
What is the significance of the two dots following a vowel symbol according to the video?
-According to the video, two dots following a vowel symbol indicate that the vowel is long, meaning the sound should be elongated when pronounced.
Outlines
🗣 Introduction to Phonetics
The video begins with a humorous interaction to highlight common pronunciation challenges among English learners. It introduces the concept of phonetics, explaining that they are the strange symbols found in dictionaries which help with pronunciation. The video aims to demystify the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), making it accessible for learners. It outlines that English comprises 44 sounds, including 24 consonant and 20 vowel sounds, some of which may be familiar or easy to learn. The video promises to teach the pronunciation of more challenging sounds and concludes with the promise of a quiz to test the viewer's knowledge, alongside the offer of a handout for further review.
🔤 Deep Dive into Consonants and Vowels
This segment provides a detailed examination of English phonetics, focusing on consonant and vowel sounds. It starts with eight consonant sounds that might be new or confusing for learners, including examples and phonetic symbols. The video then moves on to discuss the 20 vowel sounds, distinguishing between single vowels and diphthongs. The explanation includes phonetic symbols for each sound, practical examples, and tips on pronunciation, such as the importance of voice vibration for certain sounds. The segment is educational, offering clear insights into the complexity of English pronunciation and how to navigate it using phonetic symbols.
🏆 Phonetics Mastery and Quiz
The final segment reinforces the viewer's understanding of all 44 sounds in English, culminating in a quiz to test their knowledge. It breaks down the phonetic composition of various words, demonstrating how to apply the learned phonetic symbols and sounds to actual English words. This practical application aims to boost the viewer's confidence in their pronunciation skills. The video encourages further learning through a handout linked in the description, invites viewers to engage with the content through likes, and promises more helpful content in future videos. The segment is designed to inspire learners to continue improving their English pronunciation with the help of phonetics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Phonetics
💡International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
💡Consonant Sounds
💡Vowel Sounds
💡Diphthongs
💡Silent Letters
💡Pronunciation
💡Voiced and Voiceless Sounds
💡Schwa Sound
💡Phonetic Transcription
Highlights
Introduction to the importance of learning phonetics for improving English pronunciation.
Explanation of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and its utility for English learners.
Overview of the 44 sounds in English, including 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds.
Identification of 16 consonant sounds that are easier for English learners to pronounce.
Introduction to 8 new consonant sounds with examples and phonetic symbols.
Detailed explanation of specific challenging consonant sounds like 'sh', 'zh', 'j', 'ch', and 'th'.
Introduction to vowel sounds and the concept of dipthongs.
Explanation of 12 vowel sounds with examples, focusing on easier ones first.
Discussion of the schwa sound, the most common sound in the English language.
Explanation of 8 diphthongs in English and how to pronounce them.
Quiz to test knowledge on phonetic symbols and pronunciation of various English words.
Practical tips on how to use the IPA for improving English pronunciation.
Encouragement to practice pronunciation using phonetic symbols.
Conclusion summarizing the importance of phonetics in mastering English pronunciation.
Call to action for further learning resources and practice materials.
Transcripts
hey Chris how do you say this
word that's soup so this one is s uh-huh
uh nope that's actually sour sour but
what about soup yeah I don't
know okay what about this one
F not quite it's four
four four four four four so this one's
right
um for
if you have problems pronouncing
words like my friend in the previous
video you need to learn
phonetics what are phonetics they are
those Strang looking symbols that you're
find in the dictionary when you're
looking for the meaning of a word just
underneath the word and as I'm sure you
know English is not phonetic so
sometimes there are words that have
silent letters sometimes the same
combination of letters have different
pronunciations I know it's pretty
annoying right but don't worry in this
video I'm going to make the
international ftic alphabet really easy
for you and at the end of this video
I've got a little test for you which I
am 100% sure you are going to pass and
if you want the handout for this lesson
just to review what you've learned check
the link in the description below anyway
let's get started shall
we so there are 44 sounds in English 24
are consonant sounds and the other 20
are vow sounds now this may sound like a
lot right but actually 16 of the
consonant sounds will be easy for you to
understand how to pronounce so basically
there will only be eight new consonant
sounds or the symbols of those sounds
that you will have to learn for example
some of the e easy 16 consonant sounds
include B like best or trouble F like
fine offer off ma like
male M some ha like he he h t like T
tile flat so if you see phonetic
transcription There are 16 consonant
sounds that you will be able to read
easily now let's have a look at learning
the extra eight consonant sounds that
are going to be new for you first up we
have this one is it a big S no I mean it
looks like a giant s right but it
actually represents the s h sound sh
like in the words push show Sho this
symbol does look a bit like the number
three and and it's said similar to the
previous symbol we looked at sh sh but
while you're making that sound the sh
sound try to vibrate your voice
sh okay that's the sound that this
symbol represents you will normally find
this sound in words that end s i o n for
example
conclusion
decision television as well as words
ending in s u a l for example usual
Visual and words ending in s u r e
exposure measure pleasure next up we
have this one so we have two symbols
together we have the symbol we looked at
before as well as du what sound does it
make J J so it's normally spelled with
you guessed it a j like joke or June but
you may also find this sound with words
that are spelled with a GE or a GI as in
the words College
suggest religion or general this next
one also looks like it has two letters
stuck together and compared to the sound
before this sound is voiceless so you
shouldn't feel any vibrations in your
throat or your vocal cords this sound is
CH for example
check teach
Church apart from the CH spelling you
will sometimes find it in words that
have a tu spelling such as culture
Century or virtue all right we're making
some real progress now the next one we
have looks a bit like a number again
it's like a backwards six and uh you
should feel the vibration in your vocal
cords which of course makes it a voiced
sound this symbol represents the sound
theth so word words like that this they
other you can also find it at the end of
words like with or smooth like a zero
with a line through it this sound is
very similar to the one we looked at
before this is th for example three
something month you may notice the
difference between the previous sound
and this one is that it's quite smooth
there's no vibration so it's voiceless
for this sound you you have to kind of
curl the tongue up against the back of
your mouth so
basically starts in the nose and comes
out of the throat bring y long words
with this sound in the middle are pretty
uncommon but here are a couple
finger stronger and finally from the
consonant sounds we have this one which
might look a bit confusing because it
looks like a j so you you might think it
represents a j sound
but actually it represents y like yellow
U yacht so those are the eight difficult
or confusing consonant sounds time for
the vowels there are 20 vowel sounds in
total eight of them are dip thongs or in
other words two vow sounds put together
to make one sound these dip thongs will
be easy if you know the symbols of the
other vowels so let's come back back to
the dip thongs later okay now if we take
away the eight dip thongs we're left
with 12 vow sounds let's start with the
easiest first and finish with the harder
ones the e in leg bed when is written
like this the i in bit sit fil is
represented with this symbol the a in
map CAT pack uses this symbol okay this
one is a little strange looking but but
you have something that looks like an a
from the alphabet so it can be fairly
easy to remember the uh in but up or bus
is written like this so try to remember
like an upside down U or V okay the r in
hot lot on is written phonetically with
this symbol which looks fairly similar
to an O getting slightly harder now with
the vowel sounds this vowel sound uh is
normally spelled with the letter U as in
the words put push or full but it can
also be spelled with the letter o or
double O as in woman or book this vow
sound is really important it's called
the schah sound and it sounds like uh it
looks like an upside down or backwards e
and it's the most common sound in the
English language so it's really useful
to know here are a few words that have
the schah sound
teacher
Freedom about Supply now to show you the
final five vow sounds in English I need
to introduce this symbol to you if you
see a vow with two dots after it it
means that the vowel is long basically
you have to elongate the sound when you
say it e me c b ooh
to you sh are Smart Start Cal or chore
or ER learn turn ear just make sure to
make the vow sound long when you see the
two dots and finally we have the dip
thongs as I mentioned before there are
eight dip thongs and remember they are
two vowel sounds combined to make one
sound so this one is the I and the schw
together and it makes the sound ear ear
it is often found in words that are
spelled with an e or an EA so in words
like ear real or nearly the next if song
we have is this one which is the sound e
as in bed and the I sound again as in
bit together they make the sound a like
able game or day as you can see this dip
thong is usually representing the letter
A next up we have uh and
the so it sounds
like and you can find this sound or this
dip thong in words like our during
security if we swap those two vowel
sounds around we get the next dip thong
which is o o as in go so so flow
following that we have a combination of
a and uh and it makes a sound Ow like
when you bang your elbow and you're like
ow that's the sound that's the dip thumb
you will usually find it in word spout
with an o or an o u so like allow down
or out just three more to go this one is
a mixture of O and I and it makes a
sound oi oi you you will find this dip
thong spelled in many different ways it
is often spelled with the letters o l or
o y as in words like enjoy boy or oil
other examples are
avoid join employee this one uses one of
the same vowel sounds as before I and a
as in cat which makes the sound I I
you'll find it in words like I I item Pi
fight and finally we have the last dip
thong see it wasn't that hard now was it
now this one is e as in bed and the
schwar sound uh so together a a in some
example words we have a CH R be there
and that's it you now know all 44 sounds
in English it's time to test that
knowledge with a little quiz are you
ready let's go tell me what this word
is house we have the H the ow and the S
how about this
one this is beat beat we have the B and
the T the t t and then we have the
elongated vowel sound e e what's the
this
word letter letter starts with the L and
then we have a short vowel sound e like
in bed T and finally schwar at the end
with the e r uh letter what's this
[Music]
one freedom freedom again we have some
consonant sounds which are easy to see
like f and r
then we have the vow the long vow sound
e and dum thew sound as The Vow tell me
what this word
is knowledge what's this next
word lawyer lawyer we have the L
consonant the or long vowel sound the J
sound looking symbol to represent Y and
we finished with the schw sound uh
lawyer let's try one more what's
this
thoroughly
thoroughly okay so that's everything for
this video I hope you now have a much
better understanding of the phonetic
symbols and it has inspired you to
improve your pronunciation remember if
you want to get the hand out check the
link below smash the like button and
I'll see you next time
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