Sh as pronounced in English pronunciation. English sounds

We continue the series of articles from the “English Pronunciation” series and today the wonderful teacher Dave Skonda will teach you how to pronounce sh sound[∫] is correct.

Pronunciation of the letter combination SH. Sound [ʃ]

Before you start watching the video, please note that speakers of languages ​​that do not have this sound pronounce it instead s[s] or ch. There is a similar sound in the Russian language - the sound “sh”. But it is weak, since articulation in Russian is very sluggish -> . To get the sound right, you need to monitor the position of your lips and pronounce the sound clearly, blowing air forcefully. So, watch the video, repeat after the announcer and follow our advice. I did it, so you can too!

Video from a native speaker “Sound [ʃ]”

You may think you make the sound correctly but it may not be strong enough.
This requires mouth movement and air pressure.
Sh-sh…..
For practice exaggerate the mouth position. Remember. For practice. Exaggerate like this: sh-sh-sh!

You may think you are pronouncing this sound correctly, but it may not be “strong” enough.

Remember! Pause the video any time to practice. Remember to pause the video and practice.

Ok, we're gonna talk about some common mistakes with the “sh-sound”

The first word we gonna look at is “shoe”
Some people will say: "sues". I like your "sues". Where did you get your “sues”? No, it is shoes.

Or I like your “chews”. That's nice "chews". Where can I buy some chews? No, it is shoes. Say it with me “shoes”

So we'll talk about the most common mistakes when pronouncing the sound sh.

First, let's take the word "shoe" as an example. Some people pronounce it "soufflé". I like your souffles. Where did you get these “souffles”? No, that's right: SHOES.

I like your "chuffles". Excellent “chuffles”. Where can I buy “chuffles?” No, that's right SHOES.

The next one is “ship”.
Some people will say “That’s a beautiful sip. I like that sip. I will go on sip." Or other people say “That’s a beautiful chip.” I like your chip." It's ship. Say with me "ship"

My comment: I once received a comment from someone who doesn’t care about pronunciation, and he states it directly. However, in this case, you will really look funny in the eyes of a foreigner, just as you would be funny if you pronounced “souffle” or “chuflya” instead of SHOEF and “sorable” instead of SHIP.

Let's take the following word "ship"
Some people will say: "sorable". I like this "sorable". I'll go on the Sorable.

Or this: This is a beautiful “ship”. I like this "ship". No, SHIP. Say CO-RA-BL.

Ok, let's try the “sh-sound” at the beginning of the words:
I will say it, then you repeat.
sh are
sh ake
sh y
sh owgirl

Make sure the lips are out: " sh owgirl sh y." That's good.

Now let's try to pronounce sh sound at the beginning of words. It should be funny. Repeat after me:

Make sure your lips are drawn out: " sh owgirl s h y." That's so good!

Now let’s try this “sh-sound” in the middle of the words. This should be fun. Repeat after me:
mi ss ion
o c ean
wa sh er
ti ss ue
Look at my mouth position: ti ss ue, ti ss ue

Now we will pronounce sh sound in the middle of words. Repeat after me:

Watch your mouth position: ti ss ue,ti ss ue

Ok, let's try this “sh-sound” at the end of the words. It is very important at the end. Repeat after me:

English sh
fi sh
tra sh
puny sh
Exaggerate the "sh-sound". Look at my mouth (push your lips out far): “punish.”
If you don’t practice, I am going to punish you.

Now we will pronounce sh sound at the end of words. This is a very important sound at the end. Repeat after me:

Let's try some phrases:

Shame on you!

Please repeat after me.

The showgirl will punish anyone on the ship…
(pause)
who doesn't speak clear English.
That’s outlandish (very unusual, strange)! Tino, get me some tissue….
(pause)

Now let's try to pronounce the phrases:

Do you think the shy show girl will shake her shoes for me?
With my luck, I doubt she will shake anything for me.
Shame on you!

Repeat after me:

The showgirl will punish anyone on the ship… (pause) who doesn’t speak clear English.
(pause)
That’s outlandish (very unusual, strange)! Tino, get me some tissue…. (pause)
and please put the dishtowels in the washer!
(pause)

I will speak. When I stop you repeat. Ok? And really hit this “sh-sound” hard.

Will you share your fish…(pause) that you caught in the ocean…. (pause)…on our mission to clean up the trash?
(pause)

Ok, it's very good.

I will say. When I stop, you repeat. Fine? And try to tense your mouth.

Will you share your fish...(pause) that you caught in the ocean... (pause)on our mission to clean up the trash?
(pause)
Very good.

Remember to create a strong image or situation in your mind in order to remember and change habits! Remember that you need to create an image of the sound in your memory in order to change your habitual articulation!

Remember, if you are having trouble with this after thinking in a new way think like you are in a big movie theatre. It is your movie that is being played and a bunch of people are talking and you are going to tell them to be quiet: “Sh-sh-sh...”
Make them quiet, be very strong about it. I will see you next time!

Still, if you can’t get this sound, then imagine that you are in the theater. There's a play going on, your play, and people are talking and you're going to say to them: “Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhof of of them of To silence them, say it loudly. See you next time!

My comment: It is actually very important to practice every day so that the articulation of the sound does not fade from memory. To do this, you can repeat a poem or tongue twister every day. Here are some examples:

List of words for daily practice of pronunciation of the sound sh [∫]:

At the beginning of the words: shore (coast), shift (shift), shelf (shelf), show (show)

In the middle of words: machine (apparatus), fashion (fashion), pressure (pressure), passion (passion)

At the end of the words: wish (desire), dish (dish), trash (garbage), foolish (stupid), rubbish (large garbage)

Tongue twister for the sound sh: Wishes don't make dishes. (translation) If only mushrooms grew in your mouth.

Poem for training the sound sh [∫]

A short direction to avoid dejection,
By variations in occupations,
And prolongation of relaxation,
And combinations od recreations,
And disputation on the state of nation
In adaptation to your station,
By invitations, to friends and relations,
By evitation of amputation,
By permutation in conversation,
And deep reflection you will avoid dejection.

(The poem is taken from the textbook for universities “Workshop on the English language: English pronunciation.” Author: Lebedinskaya B.Ya.)

More meanings of this word and English-Russian, Russian-English translations for the word “SH, “SH” in dictionaries.

• SH, "SH - shh!
  New large English-Russian dictionary
• — St. Helena
  Internet Domains English vocabulary
• — I. interjection Date: 1847 — used often in prolonged or rapidly repeated form to urge or command silence or less …
  English Dictionary - Merriam Webster
• — I. sh often prolonged interjection Etymology: origin unknown — often used in prolonged or reduplicated form to enjoin silence or …
  
• — abbreviation 1. sacrifice hit 2. schoolhouse 3. often not capitalized semester hour 4. serum hepatitis 5. ship"s heading 6. specified …
  Webster's New International English Dictionary
• - /sh/, interj. (used to urge silence.) Also, shh . [1840-50]
  Random House Webster's Unabridged English Dictionary
• — I. sh often prolonged interjection Date: 1847 — used often in prolonged or rapidly repeated form to urge or command …
  Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary
• - abbreviation share
  Merriam-Webster English vocab
• - sh, shh, ssh BrE AmE ʃ
  Longman Pronunciation English Dictionary
• - (also shh) / ʃ; NAmE / exclamation the way of writing the sound people make when they are telling …
  Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
• - sh BrE AmE, shh /ʃ/ interjection used to tell someone to be quiet: Sh! I'm trying to sleep.
  Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
• - int. calling for silence.
  English Basic Spoken Dictionary
• - int. calling for silence. [var. of HUSH]
  Concise Oxford English Dictionary
• - int. calling for silence. Etymology: var. of HUSH
  Oxford English vocab
• — also shh You can say ‘ Sh! ’ to tell someone to be quiet. (INFORMAL, SPOKEN) CONVENTION
  Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
• — also ~h You can say ‘Sh!’ to tell someone to be quiet. (INFORMAL, SPOKEN) CONVENTION
  Collins COBUILD - An English Dictionary for Language Learners
• - shh, ssh, shush - used to tell someone to be quiet; hushSh, you"ll wake the baby!Sh, don"t cry.Shh, the …
  Cambridge English vocab
• — 1. < operating system >Bourne shell. 2. The country code for St. Helena. (1999-01-27)
  FOLDOC Computer English Dictionary
• — Same Here Senior High School She"s Hot For more possible definitions for SH, click here 1988-2002, All Rights Reserved, …
  Most Common Acronyms and Abbreviations English vocabulary
• — stackable hub, scalable hub (allowing inclusion in a cascade) vlasenko.com
  Computer ABB's English Dictionary
• —Sh
  American English-Russian Dictionary
• —SH
  Russian-American English Dictionary
• — int shh!
  
• "SH - int shh!
  English-Russian-English dictionary of general vocabulary - Collection of the best dictionaries

1. in English, voiced [ð] occurs in function words (articles, pronouns, prepositions, etc.) and in the middle of other words as a result of voicing of the voiceless [θ] by the vowels surrounding it.
For example: that [ðæt] - that, then [ðen] - then, the [ðe], there [ðeə]
2. in other cases th indicates the unvoiced sound [θ].
For example: thing [θıŋ],thrill [θrıl]

Three sound meanings of the English digraph ch

1. The digraph ch usually reflects a combination of two sounds [t] and [ʃ], reminiscent of the Russian [ch] in the word man, but with a more distinct first element.
for example: chin, chess, chill, chips, chops, chinch
2. Several words, relatively recently borrowed from French, retain the French reading of the digraph ch as [ʃ]
for example: machine, chic [ʃık]
3. In words of Greek origin, ch is pronounced [k]. If the spelling of a word has a digraph ch, which in Russian in a similar word corresponds to the letter x, then this is a word of Greek origin, and in this case ch reflects the sound [k].
for example: architect - architect ["ɑ:kıtekt], archaic ["ɑ:keık], chemist - chemist ["kemıst], scheme-, character - character, chemistry - chemistry
An exception to this rule is the word and prefix arch

Sound meaning of the English digraph ck

Sound meaning of the English digraph sh

Two sound meanings of the wh digraph

1. when after the letter combination wh there is an o, then only the second letter h is usually pronounced in it,
for example: whose, whole, who, whom
2. in all other cases wh reflects the sound [w]
for example: when , which , why , while

Sound meaning of the digraph gu

Digraph gh

1. The English letter combination gh is found in words of Germanic origin. It should be remembered that in English the digraph gh in the middle of a word does not sound, and the vowel letter i in front of it is pronounced as a diphthong.
For example: light , might , right , night
2. in a few words, in final position the digraph gh reflects the sound [f].
For example: laugh , enough [ı"nʌf] , rough
3. the combination ought is pronounced [ɔ:t].
For example: ought [ɔ:t], bought, fought, brought
4. at the beginning of a word, gh reflects the sound [g].
For example ghost, ghetto ["getɒʋ], ghastly ["gɑ:stlı].

Digraph ph

Digraphs wr, kn, gn

Digraphs ng, nk

Digraphs mb, mn

Two sound meanings of the English digraph qu

1. at the beginning and middle of a word it reflects the combination
For example: , quill , quint , quilt
2. at the end of a word qu conveys the sound [k]
For example: unique , technique

Sound meaning of English letter combinations ci (si, ti)

Note. If there is a vowel before -sion, then this combination conveys the sound [ʒən], for example: explosion [ıks"pləʋʒən], erosion [ı"rəʋʒən], conclusion, revision.

Sound meaning of English letter combinations ture, sure

• As a result of certain phonetic changes in the English language, the combination ture began to be perceived as a symbol of sound combination.
for example: lecture ["lektʃə], literature ["lıtərıtʃə], mixture ["mıkstʃə]
• The letter combination sure has become a graphic symbol of the sound combination [ə].
for example: pressure ["preʃə], tonsure
• If the letter combination sure is preceded by a vowel, then it reflects the sound [ʒə]
for example: pleasure ["pleʒə],treasure ["treʒə],measure ["meʒə]

I have not yet mastered all 44 sounds of the English language. Today we will analyze 4 sounds - paired | ʃ | – | ʒ | and | ʧ | – | ʤ|.

For those who are reading the section for the first time, I will explain: we select several similar sounds and compare them with their Russian counterparts. Afterwards we practice the correct pronunciation using several dozen words, tongue twisters and examples from songs.

1. English consonant sound |ʃ| - pronunciation

Pronounced in words: shape, she, shirt and etc.

The sound resembles Russian | w |, but there is an important difference:

Pay attention to the advice to “make the sound noisier.” Due to the different position, the English version is more “hissing” (imagine when you or your friend “shushed” so much that you could even hear a whistle).

It is also noisier and “whistling”. This “noise” can be clearly heard in the pronunciation of actor Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon Cooper.

Leonard: What are you doing?
Sheldon: We're going to be late. I'm pa c ing nerve s ly.
Leonard: You're jogging.
Sheldon: Thi s i s how the Fla sh pa ces.
Leonard; Just chill out, Sheldon.
Sheldon: I'm not Sh Eldon. I'm the Fla sh. And now I’m going to the Grand Canyon to s cream in fruit s tra tion. I'm back.

Exercises on English sounds

So, we figured out the pronunciation. Now let's hone our skills on a set of words. We adjust the speech organs to the desired position and proceed:

shower /ˈʃaʊər/

shrimp /ʃrɪmp/

shoulder /ˈʃəʊldər/

Tongue twisters for English sounds

• Sh e sells sea sh ells by the sea sh ore. The sh ells sh e sells are s urely sea sh ells. So if sh e sells sh ells on the sea sh ore, I'm s ure sh e sells sea sh ore sh ells.
• Sh irley has just finished sh ed wa sh ing this sh eet in the wa sh ing ma ch ine.
• Sh aron wa sh eddi sh es in a di sh wa sh er, next sh e wa sh ed sh ades in a wa sh ing ma ch ine. Sh might sh e wa sh the di sh es in the di sh wa sh er, before wa sh ing the sh ades in the wa sh ing ma ch ine?

And the last step is a line from a song that will be etched into your auditory memory. I settled on the immortal song “Shake Shake Shake” by KC & The Sunshine Band.

From 0:33 to 0:51

2. English consonant sound |ʒ| - pronunciation

Pronounced in words: vision, usual, beige, decision and etc.

Differs from the Russian version | f | exactly the same as his deaf predecessor.

Another important point is the English sound | ʒ | is not stunned at the end of words, etc.: bei ge . It becomes weaker, but remains sonorous.

Examples of words with the sound |ʒ|

pleasure /ˈpleʒər/

measure /ˈmeʒə r /

treasure /ˈtreʒər/

leisure /ˈleʒər/

vision /ˈvɪʒn/

decision /dɪˈsɪʒn/

explosion /ɪkˈspləʊʒn/

invasion /ɪnˈveɪʒn/

usual /ˈjuːʒuəl/

casual /ˈkæʒuəl/

Asia /ˈeɪʒə/

occasion /əˈkeɪʒn/

conclusion /kənˈkluːʒn/

garage /ˈɡærɑːʒ/

confusion /kənˈfjuːʒn/

mirage /ˈmɪrɑːʒ/

provision /prəˈvɪʒn/

television /ˈtelɪvɪʒn/

massage /ˈmæsɑːʒ/

Tongue twisters in English for practicing sound |ʒ|

• After much persuasion si on he took the deci si on to watch “Trea s ure Island” on television si on at lei s ure.
• Bei ge lin g erie is more u s ual than a z ure bi j ou, a z ure bi j ou is less u s ual than bei g elin g erie.
• Vi s ual revi s ion of a fusela g e for corro s ion u s usually occa s ions gara g e, camouflage g e and demonta g e of the fusela g e.

Finally, a song: Argent, “Pleasure.”

From 1:01 to 1:14.

3. Consonant |tʃ| – pronunciation of English sounds

Pronounced in English words: chair, cheap, lunch, champion etc. Reminds me of Russian sound | h |, but not identical to it.

To accustom yourself to the firmer and noisier version of English, practice the word contrast exercise: сheese – clean, child – tea, сhalk – Chop, choose – sensitive etc.

I also decided to find an example of this sound in a famous TV series. This time “Friends”:

Words: chair, Chandler, Joey (voiced version of the sound, but more on that below).

Examples for the unvoiced sound |tʃ| in English

chair /tʃeər/

champion /ˈtʃæmpiən/

change /tʃeɪndʒ/

question /ˈkwestʃən/

cheers /tʃɪəz/

chapter /ˈtʃæptər/

cherry /ˈtʃeri/

chicken /ˈtʃɪkɪn/

child /tʃaɪld/

China /ˈtʃaɪnə/

church /tʃɜːtʃ/

Tongue twisters with the sound |tʃ|

• Ch erry tea ch es ch ildren at ch ur ch. Ch erry also ch ecks the rooms and does ch ores.
• The tea ch er ch angry the questions t ion in the ch Allenge. The ch Allengers ch angry the answers for the ques t ion.
• Ch arles is a ch eerful ch icken farmer. A poa ch er is wat ch ing Ch arles' ch ickens ch oozing whi ch to snatch ch, and ch uckles at the ch ance of a ch oice ch icken to ch ew for his moon ch. But the ch uckle rea ch es Ch arles who ch ases the poa ch er and cat ch es him.

As a song example, the classic “We Are The Champions” by Queen.

From 0:38 to 1:17

4. Consonant |dʒ| – pronunciation of English sounds

Pronounced in words job, jam, jazz, joke etc. There are no analogues to this sound in the Russian language!

A typical mistake of Russian speakers is to pronounce this sound as a combination | j |. Actually sound | dʒ | – this is simply a voiced version of the previous sound – | tʃ |, as in chair. There will be no problems with it if you have learned to pronounce the unvoiced version. But we’ll repeat it just in case.

WE RECOMMEND: First say the Russian word chas, and then say it with the tip of your tongue at the back of the alveoli. Make the sound a little harder and noisier. The third step is to make the sound ringing ⇒ you will get an English sound | dʒ | and something like the word jazz :)

To feel the contrast between Russian |j| and English | dʒ |, compare pronunciation of words jazz with Catherine Zeta-Jones and jazz from Larisa Dolina:

If we look for analogies in the Russian language, then | ʤ | rather resembles a voiced one | h | in continuously pronounceable combinations: before whose _hero, ne whose _pancakes, le whose _yes_ to rest.

So, everything is clear with pronunciation, let’s move on to training in words.

Pronunciation of the sound |dʒ| in English: examples of words

procedure /prəˈsiːdʒə r /

jealous /ˈdʒeləs/

judge /dʒʌdʒ/

January /ˈdʒænjuəri/

Japan /dʒəˈpæn/

jeans /dʒiːnz/

jelly /ˈdʒeli/

jewelery /ˈdʒuːəlri/

jogging /ˈdʒɒɡɪŋ/

journey /ˈdʒɜːni/

Georgia /ˈdʒɔːdʒə/

bridge /brɪdʒ/

Tongue twisters for the sound |dʒ|

• J oyful j oggers j og j oyously. J ames, J ohn, J enny and J Ohnny are j oggers.
• The g enerous g ymnasts like oran g e j uice. The oran g e j uice makes the g ymnasts g enuinely happy.
• Can you ima g ine an ima g inary mena g erie mana g er ima g ining mana g ing an ima g inary mena g erie?

As a musical example (besides the already mentioned “All That Jazz”), Ray Charles’ song “Georgia On My Mind”.

Let's summarize: pronunciation of consonant sounds in English

1. English sounds | ʃ | – | ʒ | noisier, stronger and softer than their counterparts | w | – | f |. To pronounce them, you should raise the alveoli to the posterior slope Tip of the tongue, and not its front part, pronounce with more noise.
2. English sound | tʃ |, on the contrary, is harder than Russian | h |. Tip of the tongue again touches the posterior slope of the alveoli.
3. English | dʒ | has no analogue in Russian at all. This voiced pair of previous sound– | tʃ |. Under no circumstances should you pronounce it like the Russian combination | j |. To improve pronunciation, first train the previous unvoiced sound, and then simply make it voiced.
4. Don't forget that sonorous sound | ʒ | and | dʒ | are not stunned at the end of the word! They become a little weaker, but remain sonorous.

See you later, friend!

After that we were left with 19 English sounds. Therefore, today there are 19 left - 4 = 15. Next time, according to tradition, we will take several similar vowels.

Let's look at the key rules of reading and pronunciation with the opportunity to listen to each letter combination in examples. For brevity, the basic rules for reading letter combinations are given in the tables.

Reading letter combinations

Reading vowel combinations

The table below presents the main (frequently occurring) set of vowel combinations (see table No. 1), Russian and English transcriptions with examples of words and notes.

Reading letter combinations with consonants

Below (in table No. 2) are the main letter combinations of consonants.

Reading letter combinations of vowels and consonants

Finally, let's look at the last type of letter combinations in English (see table No. 3).

Knowing letter combinations in English, namely their use and pronunciation, you will learn to read correctly! Good luck to you, dear friend!