Hello there!
This is the "Sounds American" channel.
In this video, we're going to talk about the American R-colored vowel /ɪr/,
as in the word "hero."
You can also hear this sound in words like
"here" - "clear" - "deer" or "zero."
We'll be using special phonetic symbols — /ɪr/ — for this sound.
Let's recap what we've learned in the R-Colored Vowels Overview video:
The /ɪr/ is one of the seven American R-colored vowel sounds.
The /ɪr/ is an R-colored diphthong
and it's made by merging the /ɪ/ and the /r/ sounds.
As with all R-colored vowel sounds,
the /ɪr/ is often distorted by non-native English speakers.
The spelling for /ɪr/ could be confusing
as this sound is represented by several different combinations of letters.
Now, let's find out how to pronounce this R-colored vowel.
To make the /ɪr/ sound correctly,
focus on pronouncing two sounds
and making a smooth connection between them.
This is how you do that.
Start with making the /ɪ/ sound.
Slightly open your mouth,
spread your lips
and relax them.
By the way,
there are some variations in how the vowel in the /ɪr/ sound could be pronounced.
It's ok to tense your lips
and make a sound that falls somewhere in between the tense /i/ and the relaxed /ɪ/ vowels.
For the rest of this video
we'll stick with the relaxed /ɪ/ for the sake of simplicity.
Now, let's place your tongue in the correct position for the /ɪ/.
Raise your tongue high in your mouth
and push it to the front.
The tip of your tongue can be lowered just behind your bottom front teeth.
Next, connect the /ɪ/ to the /r/ sound with a long gliding movement.
Slightly round your lips.
Curl back the tip of your tongue.
Now, slightly lower the center of your tongue
and raise its back.
Your tongue should be tensed.
Now, let's color the /ɪ/ with the /r/ by blending the two sounds together:
Let's talk about the most typical mistakes that people make
when pronouncing the /ɪr/ sound.
Number one.
Many non-native English speakers reduce the /r/ sound in the /ɪr/ vowel.
This would be fine in British English,
but an American accent requires the /r/ to be pronounced.
So, if you reduce the /r/,
your American /ɪr/ sound will be distorted
and it may lead to misunderstandings.
Compare:
Number two.
Some non-native speakers pronounce the /r/ in the /ɪr/,
but they trill it.
Remember, Americans never trill their /r/ or R-colored vowel sounds.
Compare:
How do you avoid trilling?
The tip of your tongue should never touch the alveolar ridge
when you pronounce the R-colored sounds.
Remember,
both sounds in R-colored vowels are equally important,
don't reduce the /r/
and avoid trilling it.
Now, let's practice the /ɪr/ sound in some words.
This is how we'll do that.
You'll see a word on the screen and hear its pronunciation.
Like this:
You'll have a few seconds to pronounce the word.
♪
Don't skip this part,
and try to go through as many words as possible.
This is how you learn to speak with an American accent.
Let's begin!
You're done!
Congratulations!
BTW,
did you know that the /ɪr/ sound
is represented by at least six combinations of letters?
Take a look:
'er' as in "here," or "zero,"
'ear' as in "dear" or "fear,"
'eer' as in "beer" or "deer."
There are a few words with the 'ier' combination,
as in "pier" or "cashier",
'ir' as in "spirit"
and 'irr', as in "mirror."
While these combinations of letters represent the /ɪr/ sound in some words,
they may also represent other R-colored vowels in other words.
As we've said before,
English spelling is never easy.
And with that terrible disappointment,
it's time to wrap up this lesson.
Hope you found it useful.
Click Like if you liked this video.
BTW, did we say that we like your comments?
Like this one:
Damn Son asked us to make a video about the /ɪr/ diphthong
as he couldn't find other videos that would explain this sound.
So, here you go, Son!
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