Hello there!
This is the “Sounds American” channel.
In this video we’re going to talk about the American vowel sound /i/
as in the word “be”.
You can also hear this sound in words like
"each,"
"see,"
"key,"
or "ski."
Please, note, that we’ll be using a special phonetic symbol - /i/ - for this sound.
The /i/ is the third most frequently used vowel sound in American English,
so pronouncing it correctly is important for your American accent.
Let’s find out how to make this sound.
To make the /i/ sound,
you should focus on the correct position of your lips,
tongue and jaw.
Open your mouth a little,
stretch your lips as wide as you can,
and make them tense.
Raise your tongue very high and push it to the front of your mouth.
The tip of your tongue should be lowered just behind your bottom front teeth.
Remember,
the /i/ is a tense sound,
so your lips and tongue should be tense.
Your tongue should be at the front of your mouth.
Let’s try saying it:
/i/
Now, let’s practice this sound in some words.
You’ll see a word on the screen and hear its pronunciation.
Like this:
You’ll have a few seconds to pronounce the word, if you want to.
Let’s begin!
Let's pause for a second and check how you're pronouncing the /i/ sound.
Remember,
your lips should be very tense and stretched as wide as possible.
Let's continue practicing.
You're done!
Congratulations!
By the way,
did you know that the /i/ sound is represented by the letter 'e' in only 15% of words?
Most often the /i/ is represented by the letter 'y',
as in "city,"
followed by the letter 'e',
as in "be,"
and lastly by the letter 'i',
as in "ski."
It's also often represented by a combination of letters,
such as 'ea,'
as in "each,"
'ee',
as in "see,"
and 'ie",
as in "piece."
Thanks for watching!
Hope you find it useful!
Stay tuned on our Sounds American channel!