Hello there!
This is the "Sounds American" channel.
In this video we're going to talk about the American consonant sound /m/,
as in the word "map."
You can also hear this sound in words like
"make,"
"room,"
"smile"
or "email."
We'll be using a special phonetic symbol - /m/ - for this sound.
The /m/ sound exists in almost every language in a world,
and that's good news if you're learning American pronunciation.
But there's also some news that's not so good.
There are many languages where this sound is pronounced differently.
And it can be hard to catch these differences and improve your pronunciation.
But don't worry
that's exactly what we'll be doing in this video.
So let's see how Americans pronounce the /m/ sound.
To make the /m/ sound correctly, focus on passing the air through your nose.
Let's take a closer look at how to do that:
First, press your lips together.
Next, keep your lips closed to stop the air from escaping from your mouth and direct it into your nose.
If you make this sound correctly,
you should be able to stretch out this sound,
like this:
/m-m-m-m-m/
Now, let's try saying it:
/m/
Here are a few typical mistakes people make when they pronounce the /m/ sound.
Number one
Some people pronounce the /m/ with their mouth open,
especially when it's at the end of a word.
If you make the /m/ this way, the air will pass through your mouth.
This is okay in certain languages,
but the American /m/ should be pronounced with your lips pressed together,
to direct the air through your nose.
Like this:
/m/
Number 2
This problem is pretty common.
Many foreign speakers don't pronounce the /m/ at the end of words.
That's not how English works :).
Remember, in English the 'm' is always pronounced,
no matter where it's found in a word.
If you drop it,
you may end up saying a completely different word.
Compare:
"game" - "gay."
"claim" - "clay"
How do you fix this?
Practice adding the /m/ at the end of words,
like this:
"clay" - /m/ - "claim"
Number 3
This is another common problem.
It's best to explain it with an example.
Take a look at the word "home."
In this word the /m/ follows a vowel sound.
In words like these some people may distort the vowel by pronouncing it through the nose.
This happens if you pass the air through your nose too early,
before making the /m/ sound.
How do you fix this?
Just like the previous problem.
Practice pronouncing such words this way:
"blue" - /m/ - "bloom"
Watch your vowels!
Number 4
Finally, some people confuse the nasal sounds:
the /m/, the /n/ and the /ŋ/.
Guess what happens?
Correct, it can change the meaning of the words.
Compare:
"ram"
"ran"
"rang."
Three absolutely different words!
We hope that these problems have nothing to do with your pronunciation.
Still, just in case, we've prepared a few exercises.
As we always do. :)
This is how it works.
You'll see a word on the screen and hear its pronunciation.
Like this.
You'll have a few seconds to pronounce the word.
♪
Repeat each word after the speaker,
and try to go through as many words as possible.
Remember, this is the most important part of the whole lesson.
Let's start with the /m/ at the beginning of words.
Let's pause for a second.
The next 15 words have the /m/ sound following a vowel.
Remember how to pronounce such words?
Correct, focus on the /m/ and watch your vowels!
Let's continue practicing.
Good job so far!
The next words are tricky.
Don't confuse the /m/ with the other nasal sounds or you'll get a different word!
BTW, can you guess what word it would be? :)
Let's get back to the practice.
You're done! Congratulations!
It's kind of cool that the /m/ sound is always spelled with the letter 'm'.
Except for the cases when it's spelled with two 'm's.
Like in the word "comment," for example.
Needless to say that we love this word as much as we love your comments.
Thanks for watching!
Don't forget to subscribe and stay tuned for more videos!