Master the pronunciation of stop consonants: ㄷ vs ㅌ vs ㄸ
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| This is the ㄷ(d) sound, this is the ㅌ (t) sound, and this is the ㄸ (tt) sound. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Joyce, and this is Korean Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is ㄷ(d). This is the ㄷ(d) sound in 도서관 (do-seo-gwan) "library," 돈 (don) "money," and other words. |
| ㅌ (t) is the ㅌ (t) sound in 타다 (ta-da) "to ride," "토마토 (to-ma-to) "tomato, and other words. |
| ㄸ (tt) is the ㄸ (tt) sound in 똑똑하다 (ttok-ttok-ha-da) "to be smart," 때 (ttae) "time, and other words. |
| These three consonants are called alveolar stops. |
| To make the ㄷ(d) sound: place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your upper front teeth. Gently release the tongue to produce a soft, unaspirated sound, similar to the d in "dog" or "day." |
| ㄷ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㄷ(enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㄷ |
| To make the ㅌ (t) sound: press the tip of your tongue against the ridge behind your upper front teeth. When you release the tongue, allow a strong burst of air to accompany the sound. It should sound like the t in "top" or "tea," with a strong puff of air. |
| ㅌ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅌ(enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅌ |
| The ㄸ (tt) sound should be very crisp and strong, without the puff of air that you hear in ㅌ. It's a sound that is unique to languages like Korean and feels like a very strong, abrupt t. |
| The difference between these sounds lies in their aspiration and tension. |
| ㄷ is pronounced with a soft, unaspirated "t" sound. |
| ㅌ is pronounced with a noticeable aspiration. |
| ㄸ is pronounced like a tense, abrupt "t." |
| Listen carefully and repeat after me. |
| ㄷ ㅌ ㄸ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㄷ ㅌ ㄸ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㄷ ㅌ ㄸ |
| Notice how the sounds change from unaspirated to aspirated to tensed. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| 달 (dal)/탈 (tal)/딸 (ttal) |
| "moon"/"mask"/"daughter" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 달 (dal)/탈 (tal)/딸 (ttal) |
| "moon"/"mask"/"daughter" |
| 덜다 (deol-da)/털다 (teol-da)/떨다 (tteol-da) |
| "to deduct"/"to shake off"/"to tremble" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 덜다 (deol-da)/털다 (teol-da)/떨다 (tteol-da) |
| "to deduct"/"to shake off"/"to tremble" |
| 데우다 (de-u-da)/태우다 (tae-u-da)/때우다 (ttae-u-da) |
| "to heat up"/"to burn"/"to fill in (a gap)" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 데우다 (de-u-da)/태우다 (tae-u-da)/때우다 (ttae-u-da) |
| "to heat up"/"to burn"/"to fill in (a gap)" |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focussing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound that is unaspirated? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㄷ |
| (1) |
| ㄷ |
| Do you remember the sound that is produced with a strong puff of air? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅌ |
| (1) |
| ㅌ |
| And the sound pronounced without a puff of air? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㄸ |
| (1) |
| ㄸ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these three words. |
| 달 (dal)/탈 (tal)/딸 (ttal) |
| "moon"/"mask"/"daughter" |
| (1) |
| 달 (dal)/탈 (tal)/딸 (ttal) |
| "moon"/"mask"/"daughter" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| 덜다 (deol-da)/털다 (teol-da)/떨다 (tteol-da) |
| "to deduct"/"to shake off"/"to tremble" |
| (1) |
| 덜다 (deol-da)/털다 (teol-da)/떨다 (tteol-da) |
| "to deduct"/"to shake off"/"to tremble" |
| (1) |
| Now listen to the following sentences. |
| 달이 밝게 빛나요. |
| (Dar-i bal-ge bin-na-yo.) |
| "The moon is shining brightly." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 전통 탈을 썼어요. |
| (Jeon-tong tar-eul sseoss-eo-yo.) |
| "I wore a traditional mask." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 딸이 학교에 갔어요. |
| (Ttar-i hak-gyo-e gass-eo-yo.) |
| "My daughter went to school." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 달, 탈, 딸 |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focussing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| 밥을 덜어요. |
| (Bab-eul deor-eo-yo.) |
| "I deduct some rice (from my bowl)." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 먼지를 털어요. |
| (Meon-ji-reul teor-eo-yo.) |
| "I shake off the dust." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 추워서 몸을 떨어요. |
| (Chu-wo-seo mom-eul tteor-eo-yo.) |
| "I tremble because of the cold." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 덜, 털, 떨 |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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