In this American English pronunciation
video, we’re going to learn how to
pronounce the AW as in LAW vowel.
This vowel sound, when pure, is quite
similar to the AH as in FATHER vowel.
In some areas of the United States, we
don’t even make this sound. We
always use the AH as in FATHER sound
instead.
Also, when this vowel is followed by
the R consonant, it changes. We’ll go
over that.
First let’s study the mouth position.
To make this vowel, the jaw drops and
the tongue shifts back. The tip of the
tongue doesn’t touch anything. The
lips flare a bit.
AW. One technique that might help
you make this sound is to think of the
cheeks coming in and shifting forward
just a little bit, aw. This is a way to
make it different from the AH as in
FATHER vowel, where the lips and
cheeks are totally relaxed. AW, AH.
Let’s watch up close and in slow motion.
The jaw drops, the lips flare out a little
bit, and the tongue pulls back.
Let’s compare with the AH as in
FATHER vowel, on top. In AH, the lips
are relaxed. In AW, the lips flare. Also
notice how the tongue pulls back in
the AW vowel.
In a stressed syllable, this vowel has
the up-down shape of stress. AW. AW.
For example, in the word ‘saw’.
Jaw drops, lips flare, tongue shifts back.
In an unstressed syllable, the voice will
be lower in pitch, quieter, and flatter.
Unstressed syllables won’t be as long,
aw, aw. AW, aw. The voice is
unstressed in the word ‘on’, a function
word, on. Function words are
unstressed, aw, aw. Note, this word
can also be pronounce with the AH as
in FATHER vowel.
The vowel here is extremely quick
since it’s in an unstressed syllable.
The tongue tip isn’t quite forward.
The tongue is in position just an
instant before the tongue flips up to
make the N.
Let’s compare the stressed AW in SAW,
on top, with the unstressed AW in ‘on’,
on the bottom. You can see the jaw
drops less, the lips are more relaxed,
and the tongue doesn’t shift back as
much.
Unstressed syllables are shorter than
stressed syllables, so often the
unstressed version of a vowel or
diphthong doesn’t take the full mouth
position of the stressed version.
This vowel can be affected by
following consonants. When the AW
vowel is followed by the R consonant,
the sound does change. The lips flare
more, and the tongue pulls back more,
and up a little bit. This is because we
blend the position for the R with the
position for the AW when the R follows
the AW. Instead of AW, the sound is
aw, core, aw, aw, AW.
Let’s look at another word. Sore, aw,
aw, sore, aw, AW.
Let’s compare the pure AW with the
AW followed by R, in the word
‘quarter’, on the bottom. You can see
for the AW followed by R, the lips
round more and the jaw drops less.
Because of the lips, it’s hard to see the
tongue, but it pulls back and up more
than in a pure AW vowel, above.
Pure stressed AW: saw, AW
Pure unstressed AW: on, aw
AW, aw, AW, aw
AW modified by R: core, aw, aw.
Example words. Repeat with me.
Boss, long, runoff, lifelong, login, wrong, daughter.