Practice the nasal sounds, m, n, and ŋ
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| This is the m sound. This is the n sound, and this is the ŋ sound. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Alisha, and this is English Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is m. This is the m sound in "make," "woman," "same," and other words. |
| Next is n. This is the n sound in "no," "another," "when," and other words. |
| The last is ŋ. This is the ŋ sound in "sing," "think," "evening," and other words. |
| All the sounds are nasal, which means they are produced in the nose. |
| To make the m sound: the lips are firmly together and curled slightly inward. Release the sound from this position. |
| m |
| [3 sec pause] |
| m (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| m |
| m |
| [3 sec pause] |
| m (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| m |
| To make the n sound: the lips and teeth move slightly apart. The tip of the tongue touches the top of the mouth near the upper teeth. Release the sound from this position. |
| n |
| [3 sec pause] |
| n (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| n |
| n |
| [3 sec pause] |
| n (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| n |
| To make the ŋ sound: Part the lips and the teeth. Move the back of the tongue to the top of the back of the mouth and release the sound. |
| ŋ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ŋ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ŋ |
| ŋ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ŋ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ŋ |
| Sounds differ in the place of articulation. M is a bilabial sound, n is an alveolar sound, and ŋ is a velar sound. |
| Listen to the difference and repeat after me. |
| m, n, ŋ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| m, n, ŋ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| m, n, ŋ |
| i m, n, ŋ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| m, n, ŋ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| m, n, ŋ |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| mail/nail |
| (space for repetition) |
| mail/nail |
| map/nap |
| (space for repetition) |
| map/nap |
| gum/gun |
| (space for repetition) |
| gum/gun |
| thin/thing |
| (space for repetition) |
| thin/thing |
| win/wing |
| (space for repetition) |
| win/wing |
| swim/swing |
| (space for repetition) |
| swim/swing |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| (Do you remember the bilabial sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| m |
| (1) |
| m |
| And the alveolar sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| n |
| (1) |
| n |
| And the velar sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ŋ |
| (1) |
| ŋ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the bilabial sound, and which has the alveolar sound? |
| mail/nail |
| (1) |
| mail/nail |
| (1) |
| "Mail" has the bilabial m sound, and "nail" has the alveolar n sound. |
| Let's try one more. |
| map/nap |
| (1) |
| map/nap |
| (1) |
| "Map" has the bilabial m sound, and "nap" has the alveolar n sound. |
| Let's try another |
| gum/gun |
| (1) |
| gum/gun |
| (1) |
| "Gum" has the bilabial m sound, and "gun" has the alveolar n sound. |
| Let's try one more. Which word has the alveolar sound, and which has the velar sound? |
| thin/thing |
| (1) |
| thin/thing |
| (1) |
| "Thin" has the alveolar n sound, and "thing" has the velar ŋ sound. |
| Let's try another. |
| win/wing |
| (1) |
| win/wing |
| (1) |
| "Win" has the alveolar n sound, and "wing" has the velar ŋ sound. |
| Let's try one more. |
| swim/swing |
| (1) |
| swim/swing |
| (1) |
| "Swim" has the bilabial m sound, and "swing" has the velar ŋ sound. |
| Now, listen to this sentence. Which words have the alveolar n sound, and which have the velar ŋ sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| She ran to the door as the phone rang loudly. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| She ran to the door as the phone rang loudly. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try one more. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| "The bird won't win with its broken wing. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| The bird won't win with its broken wing. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try another. Which words have the bilabial m sound, and which have the alveolar n sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| He found a nail in the mail. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| He found a nail in the mail. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try one more. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| My knee hurt, so she helped me. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| My knee hurt, so she helped me. |
| Here's a special resource just for you… |
| If you want to master these minimal pairs even faster… |
| Download our English Minimal Pairs Explained Companion eBook for FREE |
| This bonus eBook contains even more examples that are not in this video. |
| Just click the link in the comments section. |
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