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LISTEN |
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/y/.../y/.../y/.../y/...
yes...young...yesterday...onion |
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WHAT IS IT? |
Pronunciation:
The sound /y/ is a voiced, palatal, glide consonant:
Note: In English, some words have a /y/ sound before /uw/. This sound is “invisible” – it’s not shown in spelling.
If the /uw/ is spelled “u,” “eu,” "eau," or “ew”, there is usually an invisible /y/, unless the syllable begins with “j”, “r”, or "ch."
The sound /y/ is a voiced, palatal, glide consonant:
- Raise your tongue to the top of your mouth so that the sides of your tongue touch your upper teeth. Your tongue should be tight.
- Sharply move your tongue downwards and drop your jaw while pushing air out of your mouth.
- Your vocal cords should vibrate.
Note: In English, some words have a /y/ sound before /uw/. This sound is “invisible” – it’s not shown in spelling.
If the /uw/ is spelled “u,” “eu,” "eau," or “ew”, there is usually an invisible /y/, unless the syllable begins with “j”, “r”, or "ch."
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For other words, there may be variation in whether speakers pronounce an invisible /y/ before /uw/. For example, invisible /y/ is usually pronounced after the "n" in "menu" but may or may not be pronounced after the /n/ in "newspaper" or "nutrition." This variation occurs when /uw/ is spelled "u," "eu," "eau," or "ew" and comes after "t," "d," "s," "x," "l," or "n."
Spelling:
- "y" - yes, beyond
- "i" - onion, interview
- Unspelled (invisible-y): few, menu
Note: The letter "y" often represents a vowel (like /iy/ or /aɪ/ instead of the consonant /y/. as in words like "only" or "try." Also, the letter "y" may appear between two vowels to signal a separation of syllables, rather than a /y/ consonant, as in "employee" or "beyond." However, some speakers may still pronounce a /y/ in these words.
Grammar Tip:
In informal questions with a "you" subject, the /y/ is often blended into the final sound of the previous word if the final sound is /t/ or /d/. This creates an affricate sound. (This blending is not required, but it is common in fast, conversational speech.)
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COMPARE |
Compare /y/ with /l/:
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/y/.../l/.../y/.../l/.../y/.../l/...
These are both voiced, palatal consonants. However, /y/ is a liquid consonant while /y/ is a glide consonant. When you pronounce /l/, your tongue should touch the roof of your mouth, but when you pronounce /y/, the sides of your tongue should touch your upper teeth. | ||
Listen to words with /y/ and /l/, and identify which word you hear. Choose A or B. You will hear the word twice, followed by the answer.
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1. A. yes, B. less
2. A. young, B. lung 3. A. yearn, B. learn 4. A. few, B. flu 5. A. use, B. lose | ||
Now, compare /y/ and /w/:
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/y/.../w/.../y/.../w/.../y/.../w/...
These are both voiced, glide consonants. However, /w/ is a bilabial glide and /y/ is a palatal glide. To pronounce /y/, your tongue should be high in your mouth and your lips should usually be spread. | ||
Listen to words with /y/ and /w/, and identify which word you hear. Choose A or B. You will hear the word twice, followed by the answer.
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1. A. yet, B. wet
2. A. you, B. woo 3. A. yonder, B. wander 4. A. yay, B. way 5. A. unyielded, B. unwielded | ||
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PRACTICE |
Listen and repeat these words: (A * marks words with an invisible /y/.)
| words_with_-y-.mp3 |
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1. yes
2. you 3. yard 4. young 5. yoga 6. yesterday 7. *use 8. *music 9. *view 10. yeah |
11. yawned
12. yogurt 13. *confuse 14. *beauty 15. onion 16. opinion 17. youthful 18. unyielding 19. yearly 20. *reunion |
Now, practice /y/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
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1. you - yellow - onions
Where did you put the yellow onions? 2. yearly - reunion My family has a yearly reunion. 3. yoga - yesterday I practiced yoga yesterday. 4. refused - yield - opinion He refused to yield to my opinion. 5. you - youngest - your Are you the youngest person in your class? 6. use - youthful - beautiful Many people use makeup to appear youthful and beautiful. | ||
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USE IT! |
Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.
Prepare:
Look at the list of activities. Decide if an old person or young person is more likely to do each one.
Prepare:
Look at the list of activities. Decide if an old person or young person is more likely to do each one.
Record:
In your recording, describe 2 things that young people are more likely to do and 2 things that old people are more likely to do. Explain your answer.
© 2018, Christine Wingate
In your recording, describe 2 things that young people are more likely to do and 2 things that old people are more likely to do. Explain your answer.
© 2018, Christine Wingate
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
