Practice distinguishing unrounded vs rounded vowels: ㅓ vs ㅗ
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| This is theㅓ(eo) sound, and this is the ㅗ (o) 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 ㅓ(eo). This is the sound in 거기 (geo-gi) "there," and other words. |
| ㅗ (o) is the sound in 오다 (o-da) "to come" and other words. |
| Let's review the sounds of these two vowels. |
| Theㅓ(eo) sound is similar to u in the English word "but." However, it is pronounced further back than English /ʌ/, and the mouth is less open. |
| ㅓ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅓ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅓ |
| The ㅗ (o) sound is similar to o in "go." |
| The lips should be rounded, and the sound should be produced towards the back of your mouth. |
| ㅗ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅗ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅗ |
| The difference between these two sounds is lip rounding. |
| ㅓ is unrounded, while ㅗ is rounded |
| ㅓ(eo) is pronounced with the mouth slightly less open and the tongue pulled back. |
| ㅗ (o) is pronounced with the lips slightly rounded and the back of the tongue slightly less raised. |
| Listen carefully and repeat after me. |
| ㅓㅗ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅓㅗ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅓㅗ |
| Your lips should remain relaxed and neutral, with no rounding or pursing for ㅓ (eo), |
| and should form a small, rounded shape for ㅗ (o). |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| 고리 (go-ri)/거리 (geo-ri) |
| "ring"/"distance, street" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 고리 (go-ri)/거리 (geo-ri) |
| "ring"/"distance, street" |
| 조금 (jo-geum)/저금 (jeo-geum) |
| "a little"/"savings" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 조금 (jo-geum)/저금 (jeo-geum) |
| "a little"/"savings" |
| 볼 (bol)/벌 (beol) |
| "ball"/"bee" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 볼 (bol)/벌 (beol) |
| "ball"/"bee" |
| 코피 (ko-pi)/커피 (keo-pi) |
| "nosebleed"/"coffee" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 코피 (ko-pi)/커피 (keo-pi) |
| "nosebleed"/"coffee" |
| 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 lips unrounded? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅓ |
| (1) |
| ㅓ |
| And the sound pronounced with the lips rounded? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅗ |
| (1) |
| ㅗ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| 손 (son)/선 (seon) |
| "hand"/"line" |
| (1) |
| 손 (son)/선 (seon) |
| "hand"/"line" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| 소 (so) / 서 (seo) |
| "cow"/"west" |
| (1) |
| 소 (so) / 서 (seo) |
| "cow"/"west" |
| (1) |
| Now listen to the following sentences. |
| 저금을 조금 해요. |
| (Jeo-geum-eul jo-geum hae-yo.) |
| "I save a little money." |
| 조금, 저금 |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 손으로 선을 그렸어요. |
| (Son-eu-ro seon-eul geu-ryeoss-eo-yo.) |
| "I drew a line with my hand." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 손, 선 |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focussing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| 코피가 나서 커피를 못 마셨어요. |
| (Ko-pi-ga na-seo keo-pi-reul mot ma-syeoss-eo-yo.) |
| "I had a nosebleed, so I couldn't drink coffee." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 코피, 커피 |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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