How to pronounce /ʌ/, /ə/ and /ɜː/ sound in English

Summary

Welcome to ECHO's pronunciation series, designed to enhance your English pronunciation skills. This video focuses on mastering three crucial vowel sounds: /ʌ/ as in 'butter', /ə/ (Schwa sound) as in 'banana', and /ɜː/ as in 'bird'. It guides viewers through mouth movements and tongue positions for each sound, with practical examples like 'bus', 'sofa', and 'journey'. The tutorial is practical, encouraging viewers to listen, observe, and repeat for effective learning. Don't miss out on the next installment in the series!

Takeaways

• 📖 The video is part of ECHO's pronunciation series aimed at improving English pronunciation.
• 🔤 The focus is on practicing pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
• 🔊 The video covers three specific vowel sounds: /ʌ/ as in 'butter,' /ə/ as in 'banana,' and /ɜː/ as in 'bird.'
• 👄 To pronounce /ʌ/, open your mouth slightly, and relax your tongue and lips (examples: 'bus,' 'run,' 'mother').
• 🗣️ Example sentence for /ʌ/: 'My brother is studying in London.'
• 😀 The schwa sound /ə/ is always unstressed and pronounced with a slightly open mouth and relaxed tongue and lips (examples: 'balloon,' 'sofa,' 'afraid').
• 🍌 Example sentence for /ə/: 'I have breakfast with a carrot and a banana.'
• 😮‍💨 To pronounce /ɜː/, open your mouth, slightly round your lips, push them forward, raise the middle of your tongue, and curl back the tip (examples: 'bird,' 'learn,' 'journey').
• 👕 Example sentence for /ɜː/: 'The purple shirt is dirty.'
• 📢 The video encourages viewers to listen, observe mouth movements, and repeat the sounds for better pronunciation practice.

Q & A

What is the main focus of ECHO's pronunciation series?

The main focus of ECHO's pronunciation series is to help improve English pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

What are the three vowel sounds covered in this particular video?

The three vowel sounds covered in this video are /ʌ/ as in 'butter', /ə/ as in 'banana', and /ɜː/ as in 'bird'.

How should you position your mouth and tongue to produce the /ʌ/ sound?

To produce the /ʌ/ sound, open your mouth a little, relax your tongue and lips.

What is the Schwa sound, and how is it produced?

The Schwa sound is /ə/, an unstressed sound. It is produced by slightly opening your mouth and relaxing your tongue and lips.

What are some examples of words that contain the Schwa sound /ə/?

Examples of words containing the Schwa sound /ə/ are 'balloon', 'sofa', 'afraid', and 'experience'.

How do you produce the /ɜː/ sound, and what are the specific mouth and tongue movements involved?

To produce the /ɜː/ sound, open your mouth, slightly round your lips and push them forward, raise the middle of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, and curl back the tip of your tongue without touching anything.

What are some words that include the /ɜː/ sound as demonstrated in the video?

Words that include the /ɜː/ sound are 'bird', 'learn', and 'journey'.

What is the significance of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) in learning pronunciation?

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is significant in learning pronunciation as it provides a standardized representation of the sounds of spoken language, which can be used to improve pronunciation accuracy.

Why is it important to listen, look at mouth movements, and repeat when practicing pronunciation?

Listening, observing mouth movements, and repeating are important for practicing pronunciation because they help in accurately mimicking the sounds and mouth positions necessary for correct pronunciation.

What is the advice given for maintaining the tongue position when making the /ʌ/ sound?

For the /ʌ/ sound, the advice is to relax the tongue and lips, which allows for the correct sound production.

How can watching this video series help in improving one's English pronunciation?

Watching this video series can help improve English pronunciation by providing clear demonstrations and explanations of vowel sounds using the IPA, along with visual cues for mouth and tongue positions.