GHOTI=FISH? Pronunciation in English is crazy!

So how in the world could GHOTI be pronounced FISH in English?

Well let's take a look at GH.  In English this sound used to be represented as X, coming from Gaelic.  For example, in all these words, the GH sound is an F sound:

laugh

cough

rough

tough

The second sound, O, in English, is at times pronounced as an I.  This is the only example I can think of in English where an O is  pronounced as an I.  

women

Now let's take a look at TI. This sound is like SH in English, and there are many examples of this because English has a ton of words ending in TION:

transportation

cautious

occupation

So to summarize:

GH (F) O (I) TI (SH)

Now we can see that English is NOT a phonetic language (a language in which letters represent the same sounds every time.)

10 CH- words (pronounced SH) that come from French.

Portuguese speakers have trouble pronouncing the CH phoneme as in "chair".  A Portuguese speaker will usually pronounce it "SHair."  Now, there DO exist words with the CH phoneme that are actually pronounced SH.  These words came to English through French.

To all my Portuguese speakers, feel free to say "SH" with this list of words!

1. chef  (cook)
2. chauffeur (driver)
3. chalet (big ski cabin)
4. chandelier (ornate lighting fixture)
5. chic (cool)
6. cliché (trite or banal saying)
7. crochet (similar to knitting)
8. charlatan (somebody who is a fake)
9. champagne (We all know what champagne is, right?)
10. machine (We all know this one too...)

There are many more words that entered the English language via French when William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England gained control of the British Isles. 

What's the DIFFERENCE between HIS and HE'S?

This question has two elements: Pronunciation and grammar.

PRONUNCIATION: HIS vs. HE'S

The difference between the sounds i: (he's) and I (his) is the most difficult sound for all students regardless of their native tongue.  To read more about the difference between these sounds, to practice pronunciation pairs and to understand the pronunciation element in depth, read The Most Commonly Mispronounced VOWEL Sounds.

GRAMMAR: HIS vs. HE'S

The difference between HIS and HE'S is fairly simple, but students get confused because of the pronunciation.  The grammar is straight forward and easy to understand when explained.

HIS is the possessive adjective for HE, of course:

I--my

You--your

He--his

She--her

It--its

We--our

They--their

Ex.  Don't work on his computer because he's still finishing his reports. 

HE'S=HE+IS.  It's that simple!  He's is a contraction for the verb TO BE:

I'm=I am

You're=you are

He's=he is

She's=she is

It's=it is

We're=we are

They're=they are

Ex. He's working on his thesis right now, so please don't disturb him!

I hope this helps....if not, leave a question below.  Have a great weekend :)

Take the PRONUNCIATION CHALLENGE: Terpsichore, sward, ague, Melponmene, victual and MORE!

So, maybe you think you know how to pronounce all the words in the English language correctly...Well, most likely you cannot.  (Just as I cannot!)

This link is great for native speakers and advanced learners of English.  Do you know how to say Terpsichore, sward, ague, Melponmene, victual, plait and fifer? 

Click here to test your pronunciation...and to learn the pronunciation of the words above.

Good Luck!  You will need it.... ;)

THOUGH/THOUGHT/TOUGH/THROUGH/THRU*/THROUGHOUT/THOROUGH...What's the difference?

One of the most challenging aspects of English is spelling.  Let's take a look at the following words, one at a time, according to pronunciation and meaning/grammar along with some examples.

In terms of pronunciation, I will NOT be using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) because many readers are not familiar with it.  Instead I will be using audio links to Cambridge Dictionary online, where both American and British English pronunciations are demonstrated.

THOUGH--THOUGHT--TOUGH--THROUGH--THRU*--THROUGHOUT--THOROUGH

1. THOUGH (conjunction)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/though

Meaning/Grammar: Though is synonymous with but and although.  

Ex. Though I really like hot weather, 40 degrees Celsius is way too hot for me! 

2.  THOUGHT (verb)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/thought

Meaning/Grammar: Thought is the past tense of think. 

Ex. I thought about your proposal, but I can't accept it. 

3.  TOUGH (adjective)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/tough

Meaning/Grammar: Tough is synonymous with hard, difficult, firm or strict.  

Ex. My English test was tough. 

Ex. My grandfather is tough...he is 90 years old and still works in the field 8 hours a day!

4.  THROUGH (preposition)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/through

Meaning/Grammar:  From one end or side to the other; from beginning to end; because of someone or something; from one time until another. 

Ex.  First go through the tunnel, and then turn right.  

Ex.  I worked through the night to finish the translation.  

Ex. I got my job through my father-in-law.  

Ex. The bank is open from Monday through Saturday.

5.  THRU (preposition) *This is NOT Standard English...do not use!

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/thru

Meaning/Grammar: Again, this is NOT Standard English.  It is a poor and easy spelling of the word through, as seen above.  The only proper use of this word is in the word "drive-thru".  

Ex. Whenever we eat at McDonald's, we use the drive-thru. 

6.  THROUGHOUT (preposition)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/throughout

Meaning/Grammar: In every part or place; during an entire period of time.  

Ex. The disease spread throughout the population with two short weeks.  

Ex. We listened to the lecture throughout the afternoon. 

7.  THOROUGH (adjective)

Pronunciation: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/thorough

Meaning/Grammar: Thorough is synonymous with careful, complete, meticulous, detailed, organized. Ex. Translation work requires a person to be thorough and detailed.  

I hope this helps!  Thanks for reading :)

Pronunciation Challenges by Language: A Sampling from Portuguese to Japanese

This is just a brief shortlist and introduction to the most common pronunciation challenges associated with the following languages including a few helpful hints:

Brazilian Portuguese: t vs. ch (Ex. to--chew)

• In Brazilian Portuguese the 't' is sometimes pronounced as an American 'ch' sound. In English, the 't' sound is pronounced with the tongue closer to the teeth on the roof of the mouth, whereas the 'ch' sound is made further back on the ridge of the mouth.

Italian: h vs. a (Ex. hungry--angry)

• Italians must remember that the American 'h' sound is what linguists call an aspirated sound, which means that the speaker must exhale when pronouncing words that begin with 'h' instead of swallowing it.

Japanese: r vs. l (Ex. rock--lock)

• Japanese has one sound for both of these distinct sounds found in English, so students have an especially difficult time with this because no matter what they say it is incorrect, as they are using a sound in Japanese that exists "between" the 'r' and 'l'.  I always tell my students that the tongue is flat with the 'l' and curved back a bit with the 'r'.

Korean: p vs. f (Ex. coffee--copy)

• Remember that making the 'f' sound involves the top teeth and bottom lip, while the 'p' sound involves both lips.

Portuguese: sh vs. ch (Ex. share--chair)

• Portuguese speakers usually pronounce the 'ch' sound in English as 'sh'. 'Ch' is quick as in a sneeze... Achoo!...and 'sh' is soft and long as in Shhhh, the baby is sleeping.

Spanish: inserting an 'e' in front of words beginning with 's' (Ex. eSpain, esleep, esafe and esound)

• Spanish-speaking students need practice beginning the 's' sound without the help of words before or after that normally help the flow and connection of sounnds.

Turkish: v vs. w (Ex. wine--vine)

• The 'v' sound includes the use of the teeth and the bottom lip, while the 'w' sound is formed with both lips as if giving a kiss.

Pronunciation: SH vs. CH *This post is great for PORTUGUESE speakers*

The Differences between SH (ʃ) and CH (tʃ)

These two sounds are easily confused, and as you can see above, the phonetic symbols share the same sound (ʃ) except CH has an additional 't' sound (tʃ).  Here are the differences simplified:

SH (ʃ)

• Long, continuous sound
• Tongue barely touches the roof of mouth
• Mouth is slightly closed
• Think: "Shhhh...the baby is sleeping."

CH (tʃ)

• Short, burst of air
• Tongue touches roof of mouth
• Mouth opens quickly
• Think: "Achooo!"..."Bless you." 

Pronunciation Pairs: The following words have the exact same pronunciation except for the SH (ʃ) and CH (tʃ) sounds. 

1. cash--catch
2. chin--shin
3. share--chair
4. She's--cheese
5. sheep--cheap
6. shin--chin
7. ship--chip
8. shock--chalk
9. shoe--chew
10. shopping--chopping
11. washing--watching
12. wish--which

Other Pronunciations of CH:

The English language absorbed words from French that have a ch spelling but are pronounced as SH (ʃ)  Here is some examples:

• brochure
• chagrin
• chalet
• champagne
• chauffeur
• chauvinist
• chef
• Chicago
• machine
• Michigan
• mustache

Click here for a new blog post with even more words and their meanings. 

There are also words in English with a ch spelling that are pronounced like a (k), such as the following:

• character
• charisma
• chaos
• chemical
• chemistry
• chlorine
• Christ
• Christmas

The Most Commonly Mispronounced VOWEL Sound

There are 5 vowels in the English language, yet there are 14 vowel sounds, 13 of which can be found in American English. Without a doubt, the most commonly mispronounced vowel sound is 'ɪ' (as in ship), and students usually replace it with 'i:' (as in sheep), which results in miscommunication such as the following:

• Where do you live?
• I leave next weekend.
• No, WHERE do you LIVE...?
• Oh!  I live in a student apartment downtown.

In order to avoid exchanges like this, check out my tips below for pronouncing the tricky 'ɪ' sound.  Remember that the pronunciation learning process is not just speaking--it is also listening.  Being able to hear and recognize each distinct sound is the first step.  Once your ear can distinguish 'ɪ' from 'i:', then you can learn how to articulate each sound properly by imitating or mimicking the sound. 


PRONUNCIATION TIPS: 'ɪ' vs. 'i:'

i: (as in sheep)

• This is a LONG sound. 
• This sound is articulated in the FRONT of the mouth.
• The mouth is ALMOST CLOSED.
• The tongue touches the top of the mouth.

ɪ (as in ship)

• This is a SHORT sound.
• The sound is articulated in the MIDDLE of the mouth.
• The mouth is SLIGHTLY OPEN.
• The tongue pushes downward slightly.

Okay, enough of the descriptions!  Try these pronunciation pairs for practice:

eat/it
he's/his
seat/sit
leap/lip
feet/fit
feel/fill
heel/hill
leave/live
wheel/will
steal/still