In this American English pronunciation video,
we're going to go over the pronunciation of the word 'quote'.
This week's Word of the Week is 'quote'. Thanks so much to the fan who suggested it!
'Quote' is a one syllable word, and it's a noun or a verb, so it's a content word. Quote.
It should be longer than the unstressed syllables in a sentence.
'Quote' begins with the KW consonant cluster.
Your lips will round for the W as your tongue takes the position for the K
because the lip position doesn't affect the sound of the K. Kw, kw.
So, my lips are rounded and the back part of the tongue reaches up and touches the soft palate.
It pulls down, making the sound of the K, and I'm ready to go for the W, qu-, qu-, quote.
Then we have the OH diphthong.
A lot of my students don't make their lips work hard enough for this diphthong.
So we relax the lips and the jaw drops, quo-.
But then we have to make the lips round again, quo-.
It won't be as dramatic as it was for the W,
but if we do no lip rounding, we don't really get the second half of the diphthong.
So the jaw drops for the first sound,
then you bring it back up and round your lips for the second half. Quo-, quote.
Now, we end with a T. The pronunciation depends on what comes next.
If it's at the end of a sentence, "I like that quote,"
most native speakers will make that T a Stop T in conversation.
What's happening is my tongue is going into position for the T, here,
and I'm cutting off the air here: quote, quote. So that abrupt stop is the Stop T.
If we don't stop the air or move the tongue, quoooow,
then we get the feeling of no T at all, quote, quote.
So, it's not the same thing as leaving out the T, quote.
We will also make this T a Stop T if the next word begins with a consonant:
"I need a quote for my presentation." Quote for, quote....for. Do you hear the stop?
I'm holding the air in my throat for just a fraction of a second
so that we get that stop feeling. Quote for.
If the next word begins with a vowel,
then most native speakers will make that T a Flap T, and use it to connect the two words.
For example, 'quote about'. "I need a quote about music." Quote about, quote about.
Now there's no stop of the air,
I'm just letting my tongue bounce against the roof of my mouth, oh-da, oh-da.
It sounds like a D between vowels. Quote a-, quote about. Quote about.
Here it is in slow motion.
If there's a word you find difficult to pronounce, suggest it in the comments.
That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.