This video is by request, from one of my Facebook fans, Renata. The subject: how to pronounce
the word 'something'.
This word is mispronounced by a lot of non-native speakers. One of the things that makes it
tough is the TH sound. So in this video, we're going to break it down step by step, first
talking about the sounds, then talking about stress.
The first sound is the S consonant sound. Teeth are together, ss, ss, ss, to make that
unvoiced sound. Then the first vowel is the 'uh' as in 'butter' sound, so there's a very
relaxed drop of the jaw, so-, so-, so-, and the tongue remains very relaxed. Some-- then
the lips have to come together to make the M sound. Some. If your lips don't come together,
you're probably making the NG sound, a common substitution. Sung, sung. So make sure they
do come together to get the M. Some, some, some.
Next is the tough part: the TH sound. It's unvoiced. Someth--. So the lips part, and
just the very tip of the tongue comes out. Th, th, th. And we let air pass through there,
with no voice underneath it. The next sound is the IH as in SIT vowel. Now, when this
sound is followed by the NG consonant, it does tend to go a little bit more towards
the EE as in SHE vowel. Somethi--. So the tongue tip is now down, but the front part
of the tongue is raising towards the roof of the mouth. Something. And finally, the
NG consonant, where the back part of the tongue will reach up and touch the soft palate here.
Something, something.
So now, stress. If you've noticed, something, stress is on the first syllable. Something,
-thing, -thing. So, the second syllable, -thing, -thing, will be flatter, lower in pitch, and
a little quieter. The first syllable will have more shape to it. Something, something.
Ok, so now you understand how to pronounce the word. How to integrate it into conversation?
Well, just the knowledge is never going to be enough. You have to drill it repetitiously
to bring it into your habit. So, start out slowly. Never do it so fast that you're no
longer doing it the correct way. Something. Take your time to make sure that your tongue
is coming through the teeth for that unvoiced TH sound. Something. Eventually, when you're
comfortable with that, you can speed it up, slowly, until you get it to a normal conversational
pace. I can't stress enough the importance of repetition. It's the only way to make it
habit. That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.