Learn to pronounce the fricatives
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| This is theㅅ (s) sound, this is the ㅆ (ss) sound, and this is the ㅎ (h) 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. |
| The first is ㅅ(s). This is the ㅅ(s) sound in 사람 (sa-ram) "person," 시장 (si-jang) "market," and other words. |
| ㅆ (ss) is the ㅆ (ss) sound in 싸다 (ssa-da) "to be cheap," 쓰다 (sseu-da) "to write," "to use," and other words. |
| ㅎ (h) is the ㅎ (h) sound in 한국 (Han-guk) "Korea," 학교 (hak-gyo) "school," and other words. |
| These three consonants are called fricatives. |
| To make the ㅅ(s) sound: place the tip of your tongue close to the ridge behind your upper front teeth, and let the air pass through the narrow space, creating a soft s sound. It should sound like s in "sun." |
| ㅅ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅅ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅅ |
| To make the ㅆ (ss) sound: place the tip of your tongue close to the alveolar ridge just like with ㅅ, but tense your vocal cords and produce a sharper, stronger s sound. It should be crisp and more forceful than ㅅ. |
| ㅆ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅆ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅆ |
| To make the ㅎ (h) sound: open your vocal cords slightly and let the air flow through them freely, producing a soft, breathy h sound. It should sound like h in "hat." |
| ㅎ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅎ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅎ |
| The difference between these sounds lies in the tension of the tongue and vocal cords, the amount of airflow, and the sharpness of the sound produced. |
| ㅅ is soft and unvoiced. |
| ㅆ sounds crisper and more forceful. |
| ㅎ is pronounced by opening the vocal cords for a breathy h sound. |
| Listen carefully and repeat after me. |
| ㅅ ㅆ ㅎ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅅ ㅆ ㅎ(enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅅ ㅆ ㅎ |
| Notice how the sounds change from unaspirated to tensed and to glottal. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| 설다 (seol-da)/썰다 (sseol-da)/헐다 (heol-da) |
| "to be undercooked"/"to cut"/"to tear down" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 설다 (seol-da)/썰다 (sseol-da)/헐다 (heol-da) |
| "to be undercooked"/"to cut"/"to tear down" |
| 사다 (sa-da)/싸다 (ssa-da)/하다 (ha-da) |
| "to buy"/"to be cheap"/"to do" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 사다 (sa-da)/싸다 (ssa-da)/하다 (ha-da) |
| "to buy"/"to be cheap"/"to do" |
| 산 (san)/싼 (ssan)/한 (han) |
| "mountain"/"cheap"/"one" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 산 (san)/싼 (ssan)/한 (han) |
| "mountain"/"cheap"/"one" |
| 속 (sok)/쏙 (ssok)/혹 (hok) |
| "inside"/"completely"/"lump" (as in tumor) |
| (space for repetition) |
| 속 (sok)/쏙 (ssok)/혹 (hok) |
| "inside"/"completely"/"lump" (as in tumor) |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focussing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound pronounced by creating a soft s sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅅ |
| (1) |
| ㅅ |
| Do you remember the sound pronounced by creating a sharp and strong s sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅆ |
| (1) |
| ㅆ |
| And the sound pronounced by opening the vocal cords to create a soft, breathy h sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅎ |
| (1) |
| ㅎ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these three words. |
| 설다 (seol-da)/썰다 (sseol-da)/헐다 (heol-da) |
| "to be undercooked"/"to cut"/"to tear down" |
| (1) |
| 설다 (seol-da)/썰다 (sseol-da)/헐다 (heol-da) |
| "to be undercooked"/"to cut"/"to tear down" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| 사다 (sa-da)/싸다 (ssa-da)/하다 (ha-da) |
| "to buy"/"to be cheap"/"to do" |
| (1) |
| 사다 (sa-da)/싸다 (ssa-da)/하다 (ha-da) |
| "to buy"/"to be cheap"/"to do" |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| 밥이 설어요. |
| (Bab-i seor-eo-yo.) |
| "The rice is undercooked." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 채소를 얇게 썰어요. |
| (Chae-so-reul yal-ge sseor-eo-yo.) |
| "I slice the vegetables thinly." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 내일 오래된 건물을 헐어요. |
| (Nae-il o-rae-doen geon-mur-eul heor-eo-yo.) |
| "They will tear down the old building tomorrow." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 설다, 썰다, 헐다 |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| 책을 사요. (Chaek-eul sa-yo.) |
| "I buy a book." |
| 이 가방은 싸요. (I ga-bang-eun ssa-yo.) |
| "This bag is cheap." |
| 숙제를 꼭 하세요. (Suk-je-reul kkok ha-se-yo.) |
| "Make sure to do your homework." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 사다, 싸다, 하다 |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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