To make the TH sound correctly, you need to stick out your tongue like a snake. It’s like a baby who can’t say ‘S’; that baby says ‘TH’:
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Moving on: did you know that there’s actually 2 different forms of the TH-sound? One is ‘blown’, the other is ‘buzzed’. First let’s see what the difference is. Put your hands on the glands under your jaw, as in the picture shown:
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WITH/BOTH/PATH/SOMETHING/EVERYTHING/NOTHING
If you did it right, then you should feel no vibrations in the glands under your jawline. These words are all ‘blown’ – all the action happens in your mouth, with your tongue between your teeth. Now try these words, again stretching the TH-sound for as long as you can:
THESE/THOSE/EITHER/BROTHER/MOTHER
If you did it correctly, you should have felt some vibration in that area. That’s why these words are called ‘buzzed’. Now you’re going to ask me how you can tell the difference when you see a word with TH in it – blown or buzzed? There are no set rules for this, unfortunately, but by listening carefully to how native speakers say it (or using the audio fragment on dictionary.com), you should be able to master it soon. Practice every day – I know many people who have a list of TH-words hanging in their bathroom, and practice before/after brushing their teeth (no joke – it works!).
Now, for our Grand Finale, say this a thousand times fast: ‘Thank you for thinking that Thursday was my birthday, I certainly thought I was thirty!’ Rocking Your English means having a great tongue and using it well. Your listeners will love you more, and your lovers will too!'
Genoeg huiswerk dus. Buffi is ook aanwezig op de Muzikantendag, zaterdag 16 april in het Conservatorium van Utrecht (op de Mariaplaats). Ik kom ook, om 14u en 15u.
1 opmerking:
Om pedant te zijn, "with" komt in verschillende dialecten voor met een stemloze "th" (/wɪθ/) zowel als met een stemhebbende (/wɪð/). In het laatste geval hoort het woord dus even goed thuis in het tweede rijtje.
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