Aspirating consonants vs. Nonaspirating consonants

[phoenixroo7239]

I just finished listening to the 2nd audio lesson on the Pronunciation series, and I'm having a hard time with aspirating vs. nonaspirating. I can hear the difference in the stressed consonants and even make something close to a stressed sound; however, I can barely hear any difference for the aspirating vs. nonaspirating and can't seem to voice it. I've tried the trick with the paper, and it seems I can never make the paper move. I am a native English speaker and when I tried making these sounds in English, I couldn't make the paper move even though I have the paper as close to my mouth as possible. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Is it unusual for an English speaker to have a problem making aspirated sounds? I would think that surely I use aspirated sounds in English all the time. I tried holding the paper with one hand also just in case I was holding it too tightly, so I'm not sure what the problem is.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

[trutherous]

Hi and welcome to koreanclass101 -- phoenixroo -- living in Phoenix AZ by any chance?

Sorry you have been kept waiting for a reply. I had hoped a native speaker would reply by now, but as you can see these forums are pretty much 'unmanned.' I am a fellow student here, by no means a native speaker but somewhat fluent depending on mood and the time of day, you can call me George or Younghoon -I go by both names.

I haven't listened to the lessons you are referring to so I cannot answer in specifics to aspirating and non-aspirating consonants, however, if your goal is to speak and read Korean, I will give you a few tips in general:

1. Scrap complex explanations and endless grammatical mumbo jumbo - by the time you learn "aspirating" and "non- aspirating" and "consonants" and "blowing on paper" you haven't learned ONE word of Korean and you have used up 3/4 of your energy and practice time.

2. Listen to and imitate the native pronunciation as closely as possible

3. Learn Hangul, read along in Hangul -- do not use romanized pronunciation -- if you find this site lacking in basic Hangul instruction I would highly recommend seeking out a native speaker in your community to obtain one-on-one instruction. If there is a Korean church in your area they probably have a Korean class -- most likely you will be welcomed to join when you express your interest in learning Korean. I recommend learning Hangul using resource material designed to teach second generation Korean children, not material designed for foreigners -- some of these are good but most are trash.

4. Practice what you know - what you don't get now you will get later - don't waste all day chopping away at a knot when there is a cord of wood to be split.

Keep up the good work!

[phoenixroo7239]

Thanks so much, George! I found your suggestions quite helpful. You may call me Rachel; I don't have a Korean name yet.

Don't worry about taking a couple days to post - I didn't expect an answer right away, and no, I don't live in AZ. I just happen to like the mythological creature.

Thanks again for your great advice