Today we're going to talk about something very important to me.
Today we're going to be talking about how to pronounce my name, Kim.
As you may have noticed this is the English with Kim YouTube Channel and I'm Kim,
which is short for Kimberly.
Many non-native speakers struggle with the name Kim because it uses a short vowel.
We're actually going to talk about the difference between short and long vowels in this video
so that I can help you pronounce English a little bit better.
In a previous video I've talked about my secret to producing vowel sounds correctly and that's
shaping the long vowels.
So because we're talking about my name, Kim, we're going to compare it to the vowel "e": ee.
If you notice, Kim, my mouth is a little more closed: Kim, Kim, Kim.
To produce the short sound "i," my mouth is not opening very much.
In fact, my jaw is dropping a little bit and my mouth is more closed.
That's what creates a short vowel sound: i, i, i. Kim.
My mouth only really moves in order to produce the "m" sound where I have to open my mouth.
But ki-, ki-, ki-, my mouth wouldn't open.
It opens only to produce "m": Kim.
My mouth stays closed for the vowel sound.
If you've seen my video on how to improve the way you pronounce vowels, I'll include
the link below the video or also in one of the cards, I show you how to shape your vowels.
When we talk about the short vowel "i," the long vowel that's similar is "e."
Do you notice the difference in how my mouth is moving?
Ee, ee, ee.
I'm creating this "y" shape in the "v" shape in my mouth and as I say "e" my mouth is moving.
So let's say the word "see."
My mouth moves and then closes down.
It's this shaping to the vowel that creates the long vowel sounds: "e."
Because your mouth is opening more and then you need that shape in order to create the
pitch variation and the difference on the stressed syllable: "e."
So let's think about the word seem, seem.
It's close to Kim, right?
Seem, seem.
My mouth goes open to the "e" and then it closes to the "m": seem, seem.
That doesn't seem right.
It sounds different than the sound Kim, Kim.
Kim Is my name.
It doesn't seem right.
My mouth opens a little more.
In order to distinguish between the short vowel sound and the long vowel sound, I often
encourage non-native speakers to really hold the long vowel sound a little bit longer,
until it feels a little uncomfortable.
This isn't because the long vowel sounds need to be so much longer in length
than the short vowel sounds.
It's in order to give yourself time to fully shape the vowel: seem, seem.
You need time to be able to create that shape with your mouth.
Whereas when you say the name Kim, it's a little bit shorter.
Kim, Kim, Kim, my mouth doesn't need to move as much as it does to produce the sound "seem."
Do you see the difference in the way that my mouth is moving.?
That's what's going to create the difference between the short and long vowel sounds.
And this is why so many non-native speakers pronounce my name "Keem."
When I lived in Peru and Chile, people said, Kim, Kim, Kim.
Obviously I understand that it's my name, but I was most touched when people made an
effort to pronounce my name correctly.
I'm sure you guys can relate.
I often feel bad when I'm saying names that aren't familiar to me on video because I want
to make sure to pronounce your name correctly.
When people make an effort to get the sound correct, it actually means a lot to us.
A lot of us, if we speak languages that other people aren't familiar with are used to people
mispronouncing our name.
It's OK.
It's no big deal, but my name is actually Kim, and when people say Keem, it's cute because
I know that they're probably a Spanish speaker and that's the way it's pronounced, but my
name is actually Kim.
Don't feel bad if you've been saying my name wrong.
[laughter] So I hope this helps you understand the difference in the mouth shape that you
need to produce the short vowel "Kim" and the long vowel "seem" where your mouth
moves into that shape.
For more guidance on how to stress and shape your vowels, be sure to check out my other
videos on vowel sounds.
I'll link them below in the description.
You can also be sure to sign up for my free email course, Sound More Natural
in Just Five Days at soundmorenatural.com.
This email course will help you understand the importance of stressed syllables and how
to increase your understanding of vowel sounds so that you can produce those stressed syllables
more accurately.
I hope this video has helped clarify a little bit of the difference between short and long vowels.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below the video.
Once again, I'm Kim from englishwithkim.com.
I am your guide to the essential conversation skills you need to sound more natural in English.
Have a good one.
Goodbye!