Fun Easy English - American English Pronunciation

The following words are frequently used when talking about pronunciation.

Air flow - the flow of air out of the mouth.

Aspiration - a small burst of air when you make a sound.

Auditory – hearing rather than seeing.

Clusters/Blended sounds - two or more sounds together that make a single sound.

Curl - tongue position where the tongue is shaped in a curve rather than flat.

Flatten – tongue position where the tongue is flat rather than round.

Glide or Slide – moving the tongue as you make a sound.

Hard palate - the hard part of the roof of the mouth.

Intonation - change in the pitch of a sentence either up or down.

Lengthen sound – make the duration of a sound longer.

Lips spread – lips slightly open and pulled back.

Lower – bottom of the mouth.

Pitch – the amount of height or depth of a sound.

Pressed lips – the top and the bottom lips are touching.

Protruded lips – lips that are rounded and pushed out.

Roof – the top part of the inside of the mouth.

Round lips – making a circle with the lips.

Shorten sound – making the duration of a sound shorter.

Soft palate – the soft part of the roof of the mouth.

Tap - touch quickly.

Tooth ridge – the area directly behind your top front teeth.

Top of the mouth/Roof of the mouth – The area of the tooth ridge, hard palate and soft palate.

Unvoiced (voiceless) – the vocal cords do not vibrate.

Upper – the top of the mouth.

Visual – seeing rather than hearing.

Voiced – the sound made by vibrating the vocal cords (voice box).