5: The American English /r/ and /l/
American English Pronunciation Podcast
Deep Dive
Why do students from Asia often struggle with the R and L sounds in English?
Students from Asia, particularly those from Japanese-speaking backgrounds, often find it difficult to produce and distinguish between the R and L sounds due to the absence of these sounds in their native language. This difficulty extends to hearing the difference as well, which is linked to the ability to produce the sounds accurately.
What are minimal pairs and how are they useful for practicing the R and L sounds?
Minimal pairs are sets of words that are identical except for one sound, such as 'play' and 'pray'. They are useful for practicing the R and L sounds because they allow learners to focus on the subtle differences between the two sounds in a controlled context.
Why do the R and L sounds conflict with each other?
The R and L sounds conflict because of how they are produced in the mouth. The R sound is articulated with the back of the tongue in the throat, while the L sound is produced at the front of the mouth with the tongue touching the tooth ridge. This requires a significant tongue movement to transition between the two sounds.
What is retroflexing and how does it affect the L sound for some speakers?
Retroflexing is placing the tip of the tongue too far back, behind the tooth ridge, instead of at the front where it should be for the L sound. This is a common issue for speakers from the Indian subcontinent, affecting the clarity of the L sound.
What is the practice sentence for today's podcast?
The practice sentence is 'I would really like a little red wagon like Laura's'. This sentence is designed to help practice various sound issues, including the R and L sounds.
What is the significance of R-controlled vowels in American English pronunciation?
R-controlled vowels are a distinctive feature of American English pronunciation, particularly different from Received Pronunciation (British standard). Learners transitioning from a non-rhotic accent like British English need to overcome habits related to these vowels to achieve a native-like American accent.
- Review of past practice sentences: 'On Thursday, Thelma threw three red rocks' and 'Cats love boxes. Dogs love beds'.
- The final sound before an 's' ending determines whether it's pronounced as /s/ or /z/.
- Additional practice resources are available on pronuncian.com.
Shownotes Transcript
<context>5: 美式英语中的/r/和/l/ 当/r/靠近/l/时，棘手的/r/可能会造成更多问题。</context> <raw_text>0 再次你好，欢迎回到西雅图学习学院的美式英语发音播客。我叫曼迪，这是第五期播客。今天，我们将继续研究两个液体音，R音和L音。今天的练习句子是，我真的很想要一个像劳拉的那样的小红车。我们稍后会再提到这个。你上周练习了练习句子吗？
在星期四，塞尔玛扔了三块红石头。我将开始回顾过去三期节目的练习句子或单词组。我们两周前的S音、Z音练习句子是“猫爱箱子。狗爱床。”
请记住，单词在S结尾之前的最后一个音决定了最后的S是S音还是Z音。我们第二期的单词组是...
上周，我们谈到了美式英语口音是一个卷舌口音，意味着我们在单词中无论在哪里都发R音。今天，我们将比较R音和L音。我发现来自亚洲的学生在这两个音上往往有很多困难，如果你的母语是日语，你可能已经知道R音和L音的挣扎。
我的许多日本学生来找我，不仅无法发出这些音，而且在英语母语者说这些音时也听不出区别。有很多研究将听音能力与发音能力联系在一起。如果你是那些听不出L音和R音区别的人，请访问pronuncian.com，找到你想练习的音，并点击“额外练习”。
许多棘手的音都有最小对立体以供特定练习。最小对立体是像我们为D音、T音节目练习的那样的单词。有两个单词是相同的，除了一个音，比如dime和time。英语中有很多L音和R音之间的最小对立体。你能听出以下单词之间的区别吗？Play, pray, climb, crime。
“Arrive alive。”如果你听不出来，一定要进行一些听力练习。此外，来自各种背景的说话者在L音出现在R音附近时也会遇到困难。因此，即使你不是来自亚洲，你也并不免于L音的问题。这些音相互冲突的原因在于它们在我们口腔内的发音方式。
请记住，R音在我们舌尖的形成上可以有很多变化。重要的是，在美式英语口音中，舌头的最根部，也就是喉咙深处，负责发音。然而，L音则发生在我们口腔的前面，舌头触碰到牙齿的边缘，正是在我们发T音时触碰的地方。
这需要我们舌头进行相当大的运动，以便快速从L音转到R音。我还想说，舌头的后部在发L音时是低的，而不是像发R音时那样高。来自印度的人在发L音时往往会有另一个问题。就像来自印度次大陆的许多语言的人将他们的T音和D音卷舌一样，他们对L音也这样做。
卷舌是将舌尖放得太远，位于牙齿边缘的后面，而不是在前面。让我们先说一些在单词开头有L音的简单单词，然后再将其与R音结合。跟我重复：laugh, like, let, list。这些对你来说简单还是困难？
如果它们很困难，请在Pronuncian.com上练习L音单词列表。现在让我们练习一些同时包含L音和R音的单词。准备好了吗？跟我重复。Girl. World. Learn. Early. Really. 让我们再说一遍。Girl. World. Learn. Early. Really.
Really。我想确保你能清楚地发出单词word（W-O-R-D）和world（W-O-R-L-D）。我有很多学生无法清晰地说出这些单词，以至于英语母语者听不出区别。你需要确保在单词world中添加L音。我们一起说。Word, world, world, world。
那么让我给你今天的练习句子。再说一次，我必须说，这是我最喜欢的练习句子之一，因为它涉及了许多声音问题，其中许多我们甚至还没有讨论过。
我们将来会再提到这个句子，所以你不妨把它记住。我真的很想要一个像劳拉的那样的小红车。希望你现在更好地理解R音和L音。但我们还没有结束。正如我上周所说，R音的另一个方面是R控制元音。
对于学习标准发音（Received Pronunciation）的那些人来说，如果你试图学习美式口音，你将不得不克服一些主要习惯，而这些习惯中的许多都是我们控制元音的元素。希望你喜欢这个播客。请通过电子邮件告诉我你的想法，邮箱是[email protected]。你也可以访问pronuncian.com获取节目笔记和文字记录。
如果你喜欢这个节目，可以通过在iTunes上写评论来表达你的赞赏。今天就到这里，大家。祝你有美好的一周，享受练习你的美式英语口音。感谢收听。</raw_text>