Hi everyone! In this video, you'll learn how to pronounce the OO as in too vowel.
The OO vowel is in the words too, coupon, and shampoo. OO.
This vowel is somewhat common in other languages, so it may be in your native
language. But there are a few things that make the vowel different in American
English. Let's first talk about how to make the OO vowel. Even though the vowel is
a monophthong, which means there is only one vowel sound, native speakers
pronounce this vowel with two lip positions. At the beginning of the vowel,
the lips are more relaxed. Then as you progress through the vowel, the lips
round into a tight circle. So you can think of the vowel as having movement in
the lip placement. The lips begin as more relaxed, and then the lips move into a
tightly rounded position. Now let's see the OO vowel in a word like too. Notice how
the lips are more neutral at the beginning of the vowel, and then they
round into a tight circle at the end of the vowel. When the OO vowel comes at the
end of a word, native speakers will hold out the vowel just a little bit, and the
voice will glide down at the end. OO. Too. It's not OO,
with a short, flat voice. It's OO with an elongated vowel that glides down at the
end. OO. Too. This is called gliding, as the
vowel glides down in pitch when it occurs at the end of a word. This might
be different than how the vowel is pronounced in your native language. For
example, in Spanish the word tu is said with a shorter OO
vowel. Tu. But in English, the word too has a longer OO vowel that glides down in pitch
at the end. Too. When the OO vowel is in a stressed syllable, the pitch of the voice
can glide up and then down. OO. Too. But when OO is an unstressed syllable, the
pitch of the voice may be flatter, and the vowel may be said faster and at
a lower pitch. OO. The OO vowel is unstressed in a word like duet. On the
left is the stressed OO vowel in the word too, and on the right is the unstressed OO vowel
in the word duet. Notice how the lip position is identical.
Both vowels are made with tightly rounded lips, but the unstressed vowel
may still sound different from the stressed vowel because the unstressed
vowel will be said at a lower pitch and volume and may also be said faster than
the stressed vowel. Stressed OO. Too. OO. Unstressed OO. Duet. OO. Here are some
practice words and sentences. Shoes. OO. Shoes. Put your shoes on, please. Zoo. OO.
Zoo. The San Diego Zoo is the best. Igloo. OO. Igloo. I've never slept in an igloo.
Cashews. OO. Cashews. I love to eat cashews. Blue. OO.
Blue. The blue sky is beautiful today.
Canoe. OO. Canoe. Let's take a canoe out onto
the lake. Thanks so much for watching, and let me know how I can help you with
pronunciation of the OO vowel.