Compare unrounded vs rounded vowels: ㅡ vs ㅗ and front vs back vowels: ㅣ, ㅐ vs ㅓ
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| This is the ㅡ (eu) sound, this is the ㅣ(i) sound, this is the ㅗ (o) sound, this is theㅓ(eo) sound, and this is the ㅐ(ae) 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 Hyewon, and this is Korean Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is ㅡ (eu). This is the sound in 늦다 (neut-da) "to be late" and other words. |
| ㅣ(i) is the sound in 이름 (i-reum) "name" and other words. |
| ㅗ (o) is the sound in 오늘 (o-neul) "today" and other words. |
| ㅓ(eo) is the sound in 먹다 (meok-da) "to eat" and other words. |
| ㅐ(ae) is the sound in 내일 (nae-il) "tomorrow," and other words. |
| Let's review these sounds. |
| To make the ㅡ (eu) sound: make your lips as flat as this character, then try pronouncing the /u/ sound, as in "boot." But remember to keep the shape of your mouth flat. |
| ㅡ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅡ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅡ |
| ㅡ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅡ (enunciated) |
| ㅡ [3 sec pause] |
| To make theㅣ(i) sound: open your mouth as if you are trying to show your teeth, and say the letter E. Say it like the ee in "meet," but shorter. |
| To make the ㅗ (o) sound: round your lips slightly and raise the back of your tongue. The lips should be rounded but not as tightly, and the sound should be produced towards the back of your mouth. It sounds like o in "go." |
| To make theㅓ(eo) sound: this sound is similar to u in the English word "but." However, the English /ʌ/ is a central vowel, whereas Koreanㅓ is pronounced further back than English /ʌ/, and the mouth is less open. |
| To make theㅐ(ae) sound: open your mouth wider than forㅣ(i), and position your tongue lower in your mouth. The sound is produced with the tongue towards the front of the mouth, but lower thanㅣ(i). |
| The difference between these sounds lies in the fact thatㅣ(i) andㅐ(ae) are front vowels, and ㅡ (eu), ㅗ (o) andㅓ(eo) are back vowels. |
| ㅡ (eu) is pronounced with the mouth nearly closed, the tongue flat, and the lips unrounded. |
| ㅣ(i) is pronounced with the mouth open and the teeth shown. |
| ㅗ (o) is pronounced with the lips slightly rounded and the back of the tongue slightly less raised. |
| ㅓ (eo) is pronounced with the mouth slightly less open and the tongue pulled back. |
| ㅐ(ae) is pronounced with the mouth open but wider than forㅣ(i) and the tongue lower in the mouth. |
| Listen carefully and repeat after me. |
| ㅡㅣㅗㅓㅐ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅡㅣㅗㅓㅐ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅡㅣㅗㅓㅐ |
| ㅡㅣㅗㅓㅐ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅡㅣㅗㅓㅐ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅡㅣㅗㅓㅐ |
| The difference between these sounds lies in the fact thatㅣandㅐ are front vowels, and ㅡ, ㅗ andㅓare back vowels. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| 그 (geu)/기 (gi) "that"/"energy" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 그 (geu)/기 (gi) "that"/"energy" |
| 금 (geum)/곰 (gom) "gold"/"bear" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 금 (geum)/곰 (gom) "gold"/"bear" |
| 밀다 (mil-da)/멀다 (meol-da) "to push"/"to be far" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 밀다 (mil-da)/멀다 (meol-da) "to push"/"to be far" |
| 개미 (gae-mi)/거미 (geo-mi) "ant"/"spider" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 개미 (gae-mi)/거미 (geo-mi) "ant"/"spider" |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focussing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound pronounced with the mouth nearly closed, the tongue flat? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅡ |
| (1) |
| ㅡ |
| Do you remember the sound pronounced with the mouth opened as if you're trying to show your teeth? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅣ |
| (1) |
| ㅣ |
| Do you remember the sound pronounced with the lips rounded but not as tightly as the sound produced towards the back of your mouth? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅗ |
| (1) |
| ㅗ |
| Do you remember the sound pronounced with the tongue positioned lower towards the front of the mouth? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅐ |
| (1) |
| ㅐ |
| And the sound pronounced with the mouth slightly less open and the tongue pulled back? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅓ |
| (1) |
| ㅓ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| 마을 (ma-eul)/마일 (ma-il) "village"/"mile" |
| (1) |
| 마을 (ma-eul)/마일 (ma-il) "village"/"mile" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| 금 (geum)/곰 (gom) "gold"/"bear" |
| (1) |
| 금 (geum)/곰 (gom) "gold"/"bear" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| 밀다 (mil-da)/멀다 (meol-da) "to push"/"to be far" |
| (1) |
| 밀다 (mil-da)/멀다 (meol-da) "to push"/"to be far" |
| (1) |
| And lastly, |
| 개미 (gae-mi)/거미 (geo-mi) "ant"/"spider" |
| (1) |
| 개미 (gae-mi)/거미 (geo-mi) "ant"/"spider" |
| (1) |
| Now listen to the following sentences. |
| 마을까지 3마일 남았어요. |
| (Ma-eul-kka-ji sam ma-il nam-ass-eo-yo.) |
| "There are 3 miles left to the village." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 마을, 마일 |
| 금으로 만든 곰이 있어요. |
| (Geum-eu-ro man-deun gom-i iss-eo-yo.) |
| "There is a bear made of gold." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 금, 곰 |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focussing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| 개미가 거미줄 근처에 있어요. |
| (Gae-mi-ga geo-mi-jul geun-cheo-e iss-eo-yo.) |
| "The ant is near the spider web." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 개미, 거미 |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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