Practice the fricatives, s vs z and ʃ vs ʒ
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| In this lesson, we'll learn the following sounds used in English: s, z, and ʃ, ʒ. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Alisha, and this is English Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is s. This is the s sound in "say," "also," "yes," and other words. |
| Next is z. This is the z sound in "zone," "music," "does," and other words. |
| Next is ʃ. This is the sh sound in "she," "social," "fish," and other words. |
| The last is ʒ. This is the g sound in "genre," "vision," "garage," and other words. |
| All the sounds are fricatives. |
| To make the s sound: the upper front teeth rest on top of the lower front teeth, and the lips part slightly. The tongue moves forward, near the back of the teeth. Blow air through the teeth. |
| s |
| (3 sec pause) |
| s (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| s |
| s |
| (3 sec pause) |
| s (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| s |
| To make the z sound: the upper front teeth rest on top of the lower front teeth, and the lips part slightly. The tongue moves forward, near the back of the teeth. Release the sound from the throat. |
| z |
| (3 sec pause) |
| z (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| z |
| z |
| (3 sec pause) |
| z (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| z |
| To make the ʃ. sound: the teeth come together, with one layer over the other. The lips make an O shape. Blow air through the teeth. |
| ʃ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʃ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʃ |
| ʃ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʃ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʃ |
| To make the ʒ sound: the teeth come together, and the tongue moves forward. The throat constricts slightly as we release the sound. |
| ʒ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʒ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʒ |
| ʒ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʒ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʒ |
| Pairs of the sounds are quite similar. The difference is in the place of articulation and voicing. s and z are alveolar sounds, and ʃ and ʒ are postalveolar. S and ʃ are voiceless sounds, and z and ʒ are voiced. |
| Listen to the difference and repeat after me. |
| s, z, ʃ, ʒ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s, z, ʃ, ʒ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s, z, ʃ, ʒ |
| s, z, ʃ, ʒ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s, z, ʃ, ʒ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s, z, ʃ, ʒ |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| sip/zip |
| (space for repetition) |
| sip/zip |
| sip/ship |
| (space for repetition) |
| sip/ship |
| closer/closure |
| (space for repetition) |
| closer/closure |
| zoo/shoe |
| (space for repetition) |
| zoo/shoe |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the voiceless sounds? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| s, ʃ |
| (1) |
| s, ʃ |
| And the voiced sounds? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| z, ʒ |
| (1) |
| z, ʒ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the voiceless sound, and which has the voiced sound? |
| sip/zip |
| (1) |
| sip/zip |
| (1) |
| "Sip" has the voiceless s sound, and "zip" has the voiced z sound. |
| Let's try one more. |
| zoo/shoe |
| (1) |
| zoo/shoe |
| (1) |
| "Shoe" has the voiceless postalveolar ʃ sound, and "zoo" has the voiced alveolar z sound. |
| Let's try one more. Which word has the z sound and which has the ʒ sound? |
| closer/closure |
| (1) |
| closer/closure |
| (1) |
| "Closer" has the alveolar z sound, and "closure" has the postalveolar ʒ sound. |
| Let's try one more. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| sip/ship |
| (1) |
| sip/ship |
| (1) |
| "Sip" has the alveolar s sound, and "ship" has the postalveolar ʃ sound. |
| Now listen to this sentence. Which words have the alveolar z sound, and which have the postalveolar ʒ sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| I had the pleasure of visiting the zoo where I saw an Asian zebra. |
| Now try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| I had the pleasure of visiting the zoo where I saw an Asian zebra. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try one more. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| I made the decision to get a massage while listening to soothing music. |
| Now try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| I made the decision to get a massage while listening to soothing music. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try one more. Which words have the voiceless s sound, and which have the voiced z sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| He fixed the zipper on his bag then sat down to sip his tea. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| He fixed the zipper on his bag then sat down to sip his tea. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try another. Which words have the voiceless ʃ sound, and which have the voiced ʒ sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| She caught an unusual fish that tasted delicious. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| She caught an unusual fish that tasted delicious. |
| Here's a special resource just for you… |
| If you want to master these minimal pairs even faster… |
| Download our English Minimal Pairs Explained Companion eBook for FREE |
| This bonus eBook contains even more examples that are not in this video. |
| Just click the link in the comments section. |
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