“Things always come in threes”. 3rd and last part of "El Inglés de los güesos"

As stated in the title, this is the third post on “El ingles de los güesos”  [el iŋˈɡleh ðe lox ɣwesoh]. The focus, this time, is on two allophones of Rioplatense Spanish sounds: [ð], the allophonic variant of /d/, and [ŋ], the allophonic variant of /n/.  These sounds are phonemes in BBC English, which are very frequently used. The acquisition of these sounds in Spanish should not pose much difficulty for Rioplatense Spanish speakers since they are used to producing them in everyday speech. Nevertheless, Rioplatense Spanish speakers do not find the use of these sounds so easy. Why is this the case? I will try to explain possible causes.

Let’s start analyzing the /ð/ voiced dental fricative, which is a phoneme in English and the allophonic variant of /d̪/ in Spanish, mainly used in intervocalic position. At the same time, we notice the difference between the English /d/, which is an alveolar plosive and the /d̪/, which is a dental plosive. Proximity of these three sounds influences Spanish speakers to use the Spanish phoneme /d̪/ in initial position instead of the English /ð/, e.g.: [d̪æt] instead of [ðæt]; and the Spanish allophone (and English phoneme) [ð] instead of /d/ in intervocalic position, e.g.:  [wɪnðəʊ] instead of [wɪndəʊ].  Students tend to use the nearest rendering of their mother tongue sounds instead of the corresponding English ones. In order to put this right, we need to prepare phrases in which both sounds alternate so that students get used to producinɡ the already conceptualised sounds in the new corresponding contexts. E.g.: [duː ðɪs ʌndə ðæt wʊdn əʊld ruːf]

When we analyse the voiced velar nasal /ŋ/, we perceive that it is a phoneme in English and the allophonic variant of the voiced alveolar nasal /n/ in Spanish. The allophone is used as an instance of regressive assimilation of the /n/ when it occurs before the voiced and voiceless velar plosives /g/ and /k/, e.g.: [taŋke], [koŋɡo]. In order to help students to become aware of how they pronounce this sound in context, we can ask them to syllabify words such as tan-go [taŋ . ɡo], yun-que [ʃuŋ . ke] and stop when they finish producing the first syllable to get the feeling of the back of the tongue touching the velum. Once they realize what they produce, it will be easier for students to use this /ŋ/ in final position and before consonants. It will take longer and more focal practice to help them to produce this sound before a vowel.

We could go on discussing some more sounds, but this is the last of three posts on “El ingles de los “güesos”.

Hope you enjoy it!