English pronunciation practice for Finnish speakers

Finnish language backgrounds

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15 common English pronunciation problems

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1. /ɪ/ and /iː/

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Fix problem Relax the mouth and keep sound short.

English sound /ɪ/ — "sit"

Common error /iː/ — "seat"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ɪ/ or /iː/ practice

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2. /ʌ/ and /ɑː/

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Fix problem Tongue more central. Lips relaxed.

English sound /ʌ/ — "cut"

Common error /ɑː/ — "cart"

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3. /ɒ/ and related vowel contrasts

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Fix problem Keep mouth round (but lax) and tongue back.

English sound /ɒ/ — "not"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ɒ/ or /ɔː/ practice
Minimal Pairs /ɑː/ or /ɒ/ practice

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4. The neutral vowel /ə/

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Fix problem Weak endings: e.g. "London" "England"

English sound /ə/ — "the" (schwa)

Practice materials:
Practise the neutral vowel /ə/ using spoken dialogues

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5. /ɜː/ and /ɔː/

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Fix problem Fix tongue in central position. Long.

English sound /ɜː/ — "bird"

Common error /ɔː/ — "bored"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ɔː/ or /ɜː/ practice

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6. /b/ and /p/

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Fix problem Voiced. Use less air.

English sound /b/ — "bit"

Common error /p/ — "pit"

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7. /v/ and /b/

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Fix problem Voiced. Friction with top teeth & bottom lip.

English sound /v/ — "van"

Common error /b/ — "ban"

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8. /g/ and /k/

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Fix problem Voiced. Use less air.

English sound /g/ — "gone"

Common error /k/ — "con"

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9. /s/

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Fix problem Voiceless: tip of tongue behind top teeth. More friction & air.

English sound /s/ — "sin"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /s/ or /z/ practice
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /s/ practice

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10. /θ/ and /t/

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Fix problem Voiceless. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /θ/ — "thin"

Common error /t/ — "tin"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /t/ practice

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11. /ð/ and /d/

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Fix problem Voiced. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /ð/ — "they"

Common error /d/ — "day"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ð/ or /d/ practice

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12. /z/ and /s/ or /dʒ/

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Fix problem Voiced: tip of tongue behind top teeth. Friction.

English sound /z/ — "seas"

Common error /s/ or /dʒ/ — "cease or siege"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /s/ or /z/ practice

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13. /ʒ/ and /ʃ/

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Fix problem Voiced: Front of tongue to palate. Friction.

English sound /ʒ/ — "confusion"

Common error /ʃ/ — "Confucian"

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14. /ŋk/ and /ŋ/

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Fix problem Back of tongue to back roof. Nasal.

English sound /ŋk/ — "think"

Common error /ŋ/ — "thing"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ŋ/ or /ŋk/ practice

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15. /dʒ/ and /tʃ/

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Fix problem Voiced: Tip to alveolar. Front to palate.

English sound /dʒ/ — "gin"

Common error /tʃ/ — "chin"

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External links ```

Finnish pronunciations of English

Finglish

Finnish language

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