Practice the nasal vowels, ã vs õ
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| This is the õ sound. And this is the ã sound. 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 Doria, and this is French Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is õ. This is the õ sound in mon, ombre, nom, and other words. |
| ã is the ã sound in vent, sans, chambre, and other words. |
| õ and ã are "nasal vowels" because they are pronounced when air passes through the nose as well as the mouth. |
| To make the õ sound: the mouth is almost closed, and the lips are tightly rounded. |
| The tongue pulls back. |
| Lower the soft palate and let air go through your nose and mouth at the same time. |
| õ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| õ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| õ |
| õ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| õ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| õ |
| To make the ã sound: the mouth is wide open and relaxed. The tongue is back. |
| Lower the soft palate and let air go through your nose and mouth at the same time. |
| ã |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ã (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ã |
| ã |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ã (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ã |
| The difference between these two sounds is about the shape of your mouth. |
| /ã/ is pronounced with a more open mouth, and /õ/ is pronounced with more rounded lips. |
| When you say the vowel /õ/, like in mon, |
| your lips are rounded, |
| and your mouth is almost closed. |
| For the vowel /ã/, like in vent, |
| your mouth is more open. |
| So, Listen to the difference and repeat after me. |
| õ ã. |
| [3 sec pause] |
| õ ã (enunciated). |
| [3 sec pause] |
| õ ã. |
| õ ã. |
| [3 sec pause] |
| õ ã (enunciated). |
| [3 sec pause] |
| õ ã. |
| So, try to focus on the openness and the roundness of the mouth when you pronounce these two sounds. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| paon/pont |
| (space for repetition) |
| paon/pont |
| lent/long |
| (space for repetition) |
| lent/long |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound that's more open? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ã |
| (1) |
| ã |
| And the sound with more rounded lips? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| õ |
| (1) |
| õ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the more rounded lips, and which has the more open mouth? |
| paon/pont |
| (1) |
| paon/pont |
| (1) |
| Pont has the more rounded lips, and paon has the more open mouth. |
| Let's try another. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| lent/long |
| (1) |
| lent/long |
| (1) |
| Long has the more rounded lips, and lent has the more open mouth. |
| Let's try one more. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| mens/mon |
| (1) |
| mens/mon |
| (1) |
| Mon has the more closed sound, and mens has the more open sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. Which words have the more rounded lips, and which have the more open mouth? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| Le paon marche sur le pont. |
| pont, paon |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Mon ami pense que tu mens. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| mon, mens |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| Le trajet semble long quand le train est lent. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| long, lent |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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