Hi everyone! In this video, you'll learn how to pronounce the OH as in no
diphthong.
In previous videos, I talked about the American English vowels like
the AH in father and the UH in butter. In this video, I'll talk about another set
of American English vowels called diphthongs. A diphthong is a vowel that
is made of two vowel sounds like the AY in late or the OW in how. Since there are
two sounds in a diphthong, that means there needs to be movement of the
articulators from the first vowel position to the next. The jaw might close
more as you say the sound, or the lips might round more. The important thing is
there needs to be movement as you say the sound from the first position to the
last position. AY. Late. OW. How. If there isn't any movement, then
you're not pronouncing the diphthong correctly. In this case, you may be
pronouncing the vowel like a monophthong, which is one vowel sound only, like the
AH in father and the UH in butter. But diphthongs are two sounds, so there needs
to be movement. Today I'll discuss how to pronounce the diphthong OH as in no.
Watch my mouth as I say OH. OH. Two things are changing: my jaw and my
lips. Watch again. OH. For the first part of the sound, my
jaw is open and my lips can be relaxed or slightly rounded like this. Then for
the second part of the sound, my jaw closes and my lips round like this. OH.
Slow down and exaggerate the movements at
first, OH, OH, until you feel like you understand the two parts of this vowel.
OH. OH. Focus on the transition between the first part of the sound and the
second part of the sound, then you can speed yourself back up. OH. OH. But stay
focused on the changes in the lips and jaw. Practice in front of a mirror so you
can see the movements. OH. OH. Here is a close-up of the OH sound in slow motion.
The jaw is open, and the lips are relaxed at the beginning of this sound. Then the
jaw closes, and the lips round. Here is the word toe in slow motion.
My lips are a little flared out because of the T sound that comes before the
vowel. Whenever two sounds are next to each other like the T and OH sounds in
the word toe, one sound can affect how the other is pronounced. This is called
coarticulation, and it is very common in speech. In the case of toe, the
coarticulation effects of the T don't change the sound of the OH diphthong -
just the lip placement at the beginning of the vowel. Then the lips round at the
end. Now watch my lip position in the word show.
You can see the effects of coarticulation again as the lips are
flared out because of the SH sound that comes before the vowel. This doesn't
change the sound of the OH diphthong, and my lips round at the end. In a stressed
syllable, the pitch of the voice glides up and then down as you say OH. No. But in
an unstressed syllable, the OH vowel is pronounced at a lower pitch with a
flatter shape, and it's said for a shorter duration.
OH. Let's compare the stressed OH in show to the unstressed OH in meadow. On the top
is the stressed OH in show, and on the bottom is the unstressed OH in meadow.
Notice the difference in jaw opening and lip rounding between the stressed and
unstressed OH diphthongs. The unstressed OH has less jaw opening and less lip
rounding. In English, it is common to reduce or simplify the pronunciation of
vowels and diphthongs when they are in the unstressed position. So in the case
of the OH diphthong, there is less jaw drop and less lip rounding. Native
speakers do this because unstressed syllables are said faster than stressed
syllables, so the pronunciation of unstressed syllables is simplified.
Stressed OH. Show. Unstressed OH. Meadow. Here are some practice words and sentences. Phone.
OH. Phone. I'm talking on the phone. Close. OH.
Close. Please close the door. Knowing. OH. Knowing. There was no way of knowing
what was on his mind. Obey. OH. Obey. You need to obey the law.
Tiptoe. OH. Tiptoe. She stood on tiptoe to reach the cookie jar. Hotel. OH. Hotel. Our
hotel is on Park Street. Thanks so much for watching, and let me know how I can
help you with pronunciation of the American English diphthongs.