Practice diphthongs
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| This is the ㅟ (weou) sound, and this is the ㅢ (wei) 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 ㅟ (weou). This is the ㅟ (weou) sound in 귀 (gwi) "ear," 위험 (wi-heom) "danger," and other words. |
| ㅢ (wei) is the sound in 의외 (ui-oe) "unexpected," 의사 (ui-sa) "doctor," and other words. |
| Look closely, and you'll see that it's actually two separate vowels. |
| Because of this, they are called double-vowels. |
| To make the ㅟ (weou) sound: start by rounding your lips as if you were about to say ㅜ (oo as in "moon"), then glide into the ㅣ sound (ee as in "see") by raising your tongue towards the roof of your mouth while keeping your lips rounded. The sound should be a smooth transition between these two positions, resulting in a sound like wee in "week." |
| ㅟ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅟ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅟ |
| To make the ㅢ (wei) sound: start with your tongue flat in the mouth and your lips unrounded, as if pronouncing ㅡ (eu). Then, glide into the ㅣ sound (ee) by raising your tongue towards the roof of your mouth. The sound begins more centrally in the mouth and transitions towards the front, making a sound that is a mix of eu and ee. |
| ㅢ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅢ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅢ |
| The difference between these sounds lies in the shape of the lips and the tongue position. |
| Your lips are rounded for ㅟ and unrounded for ㅢ. |
| ㅟ is pronounced with the tongue moving from a back to a front position. |
| ㅢ is pronounced with unrounded lips and the tongue starting in a central position and moving towards the front of the mouth. |
| Listen carefully and repeat after me. |
| ㅟ ㅢ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅟ ㅢ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ㅟ ㅢ |
| Notice the difference in the lips and movement of the tongue as you speak. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| 휘다 (hwi-da)/희다 (hui-da) |
| "to bend"/"to be white" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 휘다 (hwi-da)/희다 (hui-da) |
| "to bend"/"to be white" |
| 위도 (wi-do)/의도 (ui-do) |
| "latitude"/"intention" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 위도 (wi-do)/의도 (ui-do) |
| "latitude"/"intention" |
| 위안 (wi-an)/의안 (ui-an) |
| "consolation"/"a bill" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 위안 (wi-an)/의안 (ui-an) |
| "consolation"/"a bill" |
| 위치 (wi-chi)/의치 (ui-chi) |
| "location"/"denture (in a medical context)" |
| (space for repetition) |
| 위치 (wi-chi)/의치 (ui-chi) |
| "location"/"denture (in a medical context)" |
| 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 rounded throughout and the tongue moving from a back to a front position? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅟ |
| (1) |
| ㅟ |
| Do you remember the sound pronounced with the lips unrounded and the tongue moving from a central position and toward the front of the mouth? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ㅢ |
| (1) |
| ㅢ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| 위도 (wi-do)/의도 (ui-do) |
| "latitude"/"intention" |
| (1) |
| 위도 (wi-do)/의도 (ui-do) |
| "latitude"/"intention" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| 위안 (wi-an)/의안 (ui-an) |
| "consolation"/"a bill" |
| (1) |
| 위안 (wi-an)/의안 (ui-an) |
| "consolation"/"a bill" |
| (1) |
| Now listen to the following sentences. |
| 서울의 위도는 북위 37도예요. |
| (Seo-ul-ui wi-do-neun buk-wi sam-sib-chil-do-ye-yo.) |
| "The latitude of Seoul is 37 degrees north." |
| (1) |
| 그 사람의 의도가 뭔지 궁금해요. |
| (Geu-sa-ram-ui ui-do-ga mwon-ji gung-geum-hae-yo.) |
| "I'm curious about his intention." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 위도, 의도 |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focussing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| 친구의 말이 큰 위안이 되었어요. |
| (Chin-gu-ui mal-i keun wi-an-i doe-eoss-eo-yo.) |
| "My friend's words gave me great consolation." |
| (1) |
| 국회에서 새로운 의안을 통과시켰어요. |
| (Guk-hoe-e-seo sae-ro-un ui-an-eul tong-gwa-si-kyeoss-eo-yo.) |
| "The new bill passed in the National Assembly." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 위안, 의안 |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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