Master the pronunciation of voiceless stops
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| This is the p sound, this is the t sound, and this is the k sound. By the end of this lesson, you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Horacio, and this is Spanish Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is p. This is the p sound in papá "dad," perro "dog," país "country," and other words. |
| T is the t sound in taza "cup," tres "three," todo "everything," and other words. |
| K is the k sound in casa "house," camino "path," carro "car," and other words. |
| These are called voiceless stops. In Spanish, these sounds are unaspirated, meaning they are pronounced without the puff of air. |
| To make the p sound: start by bringing both lips together to block the airflow, creating a build-up of pressure behind the lips. Release the lips without adding a burst of air (no aspiration), resulting in a clean, voiceless bilabial stop. This is similar to the English p sound in "spy." |
| p |
| [3 sec pause] |
| p (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| p |
| p |
| [3 sec pause] |
| p (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| p |
| To make the t sound: position the tip of your tongue so that it lightly touches the upper teeth, creating a complete seal. Gently flick your tongue without any burst of air. This voiceless dental stop is similar to the English t sound, but with the tongue touching the teeth instead of the alveolar ridge. |
| t |
| [3 sec pause] |
| t (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| t |
| t |
| [3 sec pause] |
| t (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| t |
| To make the k sound: raise the back of your tongue to make contact with the soft part of the roof of your mouth. Then, release the tongue without adding a burst of air, producing a voiceless velar stop. This is similar to the English k in "cat," but without aspiration. |
| k |
| [3 sec pause] |
| k (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| k |
| k |
| [3 sec pause] |
| k (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| k |
| In English, p, t, and k are aspirated when they occur at the beginning of a stressed syllable. |
| In Spanish, these sounds are unaspirated, meaning they are pronounced without a puff of air. |
| p, t, k |
| [3 sec pause] |
| p, t, k (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| p, t, k |
| Try to pronounce these sounds without any puff of air. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| poca/toca |
| "little"/"touch" |
| (space for repetition) |
| poca/toca |
| "little"/"touch" |
| panal/canal |
| "honeycomb"/"channel," "canal" |
| (space for repetition) |
| panal/canal |
| "honeycomb"/"channel," "canal" |
| toma/coma |
| "take"/"comma" |
| (space for repetition) |
| toma/coma |
| "take"/"comma" |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| poca/toca |
| "little"/"touch" |
| (1) |
| poca/toca |
| "little"/"touch" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| panal/canal |
| "honeycomb"/"channel," "canal" |
| (1) |
| panal/ canal |
| "honeycomb"/"channel," "canal" |
| (1) |
| rota/roca |
| "broken"/"rock," "boulder" |
| (1) |
| rota/roca |
| "broken"/"rock," "boulder" |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Estoy harta de escuchar música de arpa. |
| "I'm fed up with listening to harp music." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| harta, arpa |
| Desde que descubrí mi primera cana, no uso pantalones de pana. |
| "Since I discovered my first gray hair, I no longer wear corduroy pants." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| cana, pana |
| Las avispas hicieron un panal en el canal de desagüe. |
| "The wasps made a nest in the drain channel." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| panal, canal |
| Read the following sentences out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| La roca está rota por el medio. |
| "The rock is broken in the middle." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| roca, rota |
| Quita esa tuna de la cuna del bebé. |
| "Take that prickly pear away from the baby's crib." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| tuna, cuna |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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