English Speech Sounds

This section will expose you to articulation of speech sounds, techniques of information retrieval and interpretation, and the discussion of a specific usage of grammar – nouns.

The section will further improve your perspective in the study and use of English Language. It will also boost the confidence in your use of language in everyday discourse in speech and in writing. The interactive use of 21st century skills and development of moral values are geared towards enhancing your utmost participation.

As we speak, we produce sounds. The sounds we produce when we speak are called speech sounds. Speech sounds are an important part of speech development. This lesson aims to help you understand the twelve (12) pure vowel sounds in the English Language and how to use them. It is particularly important that you identify these vowel sounds and articulate them properly in speech and communication. Your inability to produce these sounds accurately can make your speech unclear to others, and that will not be helpful. This lesson will also expose you to the vowel chart, along with other activities that will help you understand and use these sounds appropriately.

At the end of this section, you should be able to:

• Use pure vowel sounds (short and long vowels) in connected speech.

Key Ideas

• English Speech Sounds are phonetically distinct units of speech in the English language.

• Speech Sounds refer to the smallest units of sound in spoken language that distinguish one word from the other.

• Speech sounds are produced by the movement of the articulatory organs such as lips, teeth, tongue and vocal cords

• Vowel sounds are phonetic symbols that represent speech sounds where air leaves the mouth without any blockage by the tongue, lips, or throat.

• Pure vowel sounds are vowel sounds that have a single vowel sound produced briefly with a less intensity and short duration..

• Short vowel sounds are vowel sounds with only one vowel sound quality.

• Long vowel sounds are vowel sounds produced with increased duration and tension.

Speech is produced by several parts of the body working together to shape the sounds of the voice. Voice is produced by airflow from the lungs. When the air from the lungs blows through the vocal cords, also known as the vocal folds, at a high speed, the vocal cords vibrate. The vibrations lead to sounds we call voice. Sound refers to something that can be heard because of vibrations traversing through a medium. For instance, if someone is listening to the radio, the radio is the medium through which sound waves move, thus creating that which they hear. These sounds we hear when produced by an individual in the speech process are distinct from the letters of the alphabet. A word might have a consonant letter that may be realised as a vowel sound when produced.

An example is the word 'play' in which the consonant 'y' is realised as the vowel /ɪ/ when transcribed. There are a lot of letters in English that are realised differently when transcribed. Examples of such in words are baby; transcribed as /beɪbi/, by; transcribed as /baɪ/, die; transcribed as /daɪ/.

Did you know that there are forty-four or more speech sounds in the English language?

These speech sounds are represented on the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Chart. The International Phonetic Alphabet Chart is a set of symbols that represent individual sounds in languages. Each symbol corresponds to a single sound or what linguistics call a phoneme.

The speech sounds are grouped into vowels and consonants.

Vowels are produced with the free flow of air from the lungs; thus, in the production of vowel sounds, there is no obstruction to the flow of air coming from the lungs.

Activity 1.1

1. Write down some vowels you already know.

2. Practise the production of the vowel sounds.

3. Write down your observations on airflow as you produce them. Did you notice a free or continuous flow of air during the productions?

Pure Vowel Sounds (Short And Long)

Study this vowel chart:

Fig. 1.1 A vowel chart

Activity 1.2

1. After studying the vowel chart above, identify all the

a. front vowels

b. back vowels

c. central vowels

d. open vowels

e. Closed vowels

2. Discuss with two of your classmates, how the vowel sounds identified in question(1a. to 1e.) above are produced.

During the production of vowel sounds, the tongue body may have a relatively stable position throughout. Vowels produced with this relative stability of the tongue body are referred to as Pure Vowels or Monophthongs.

The production of others may be characterised by tongue movement. The tongue body usually moves from one vowel area to another. These vowels are called Diphthongs or Glides.

Click on the link below to read more on the Pure Vowel Chart https://icspeech.com/vowel-sounds.html Pure Vowels (Monophthongs) Pure vowels are further put into two main groups: Short vowels and Long vowels.

Short vowels are so called because they are pronounced in a short form. There are seven (7) short vowel sounds in the English Language. These are listed below with examples of words that contain those sounds.

Fig 1.2 Letter sound correspondence

Table 1.1. The seven short vowel sounds in the English Language Short vowel sound Some words that contain the sound

1. /ɪ/ if, rich, sit, miss, pit, sit, fill

2. /e/ bed, net, peck, set, bet, let

3. /æ/ bad, sad, pat, man, can, bag

4. /ɒ/ on, pot, lot, was, dog, cough

5. /ʊ/ full, put, good, book, pull, bush

6. /^/ up, cut, fun, cup, blood, hut, son

7. /ə/ about, affect, teacher, matter Your teacher will help you with the model production of these short vowel sounds, after which you will practise them on your own but before that, click here to watch this video:

https://youtu.be/DIWkl9HcGy4?si=yX6z0FvLmcXvYQ9c Have fun practising!

Activity 1.3

Read out the following and identify the short vowel sounds in them.

1. The cat is on the mat.

2. Ben runs to the bus.

3. Bring the red bag.

4. The tub has six ducks.

Activity 1.4

Practise with a friend: Listen to your friend pronounce these pairs of words and identify the words with the short vowel sounds.

1. ship / sheep

2. cat/ cart

3. cot/ court

4. pull/ pool

5. fill/ feel

6. sit/ seat

7. fool/ full

8. hill/ heal

9. grid/ greed

10. fit/ feet

Activity 1.5

Invite your friend to sit with you and work together on this activity:

1. Ask your friend a question using words that contain short vowels so that your friend can respond appropriately using words that also contain short vowels.

2. Select one of the short vowel sounds and use that in every word of the sentence you will form.

For example:

• His lip is pink.

• Ken sent Ben.

3. Now, look around you and call three friends to join in practising this activity.

Note: Short vowel sounds are found not only in mono-syllabic words but also in polysyllabic words.

Activity 1.6

Study the following polysyllabic words and underline the short vowel sounds in them.

1. simplicity

2. seminar

3. accurate

4. again

5. absurd

6. aggregate

7. hullabaloo

8. cucumber

9. pedagogical

10. important Long Vowel Sounds Long vowel sounds are are vowel sounds produced with increased or prolonged duration, distinguishing them from short vowel sounds.

The long vowel sounds we have in English are five. They are:

1. /a:/ as in farm, car, dart, cart, far.

2. /u:/ as in do, pull, bull, food, shoe.

3. /i:/ as in feed, heal, seal, kneel, fee.

4./ɛ:/ as in girl, curl, hurl. bell.

5. /ɔ:/ as in court, law, bored.

S/N Vowel sound Words that contain the sound identified

1. /i:/ Feel, seal, heal, meal, kneel, bee, sea, see, mean, beep.

2. /u:/ Food, pull, do, shoe, soup, cool, cook, hook, nook.

3. /a:/ Far, dart, mart, cart, harm, barn, balm, calm, palm, farm.

4. /ɛ:/ Girl, curl, hurl, bell, hell.

5. /ɔ:/ Court, law, bawd, boll, board, bored, hall, hoard.

Activity 1.7

Create a 10 line conversation from this scenario with a friend and act it out for your peers to critique:

A customer and a shopkeeper discussing prices( e.g. 'How much is the hat?' 'It’s ten cedis).

NOTE: Use words that contain long and short vowel sounds.

Activity 1.8

With three of your classmates or friends, plan a birthday party making use of words that contain long and short vowel sounds (e.g. 'Let’s be seated and make a hit list of songs').

Obstruction an obstacle or something that impedes Blockage something which makes movement or flow difficult or impossible Comprehension understanding Culture the way of life of a people, e.g. how they dress, the food they eat, and so on Traditions systems that are commonly held or established by a people, such as their celebrations.

Techniques methods or ways of carrying out an activity or something.

Word class part of speech or grammatical forms.

Non-physical ideas, emotions and other intangible things that exist only in one’s mind; not having physical presence.

Classify to group or arrange according to shared characteristics or qualities.

Alternatively otherwise, also Philosophy the study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, etc. (Source; Britannica Dictionary) Projector a device used to project rays of light, especially an apparatus with a system of lenses for projecting slides or film onto a screen. Insert a picture of a projector (Source: Oxford Dictionary) Fig 1.5 A projector

1. Write two examples, each corresponding to the following sounds:

▪ /ɪ/

▪ /ʊ/

▪ /æ/,

▪ /ɒ/

▪ /ǝ/

▪ /е/,

▪ /^/.

2. Use the table below to group the following words under the short vowel sounds.

Family, pot, pick, about, dog, push, difficult, socks, good, pat, flat, system, cut, result, neck, hut, complete.

/ɪ/ /ʌ/ /æ/ /ɒ/ /ǝ/ /е/ /ʊ/

3. Use the following words in sentences:

A. result B. neck C. hut D. complete E. socks 1.2 READING Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Teacher Amu never lost the opportunity to give pep talks to his students. “Variety is the spice of life”, he often began. Then he would tell them how life has opposites, like good and bad. He would talk about the variety of birds, the different kinds of fish and species of trees. His students could always tell when teacher Amu’s sermons were about to end. He would raise his voice and look up as he made his point: “God made them all, and He said, ‘It is good’”.

These words had a lasting effect on the students. When class was over, they would reel with laughter as they recited these words. Soon, it was not surprising that they began to call Teacher Amu ‘God made them all’ whenever his back was turned.

However, one of them, Kofi Abre, did not consider Teacher Amu’s pep talks funny at all. He was not amused that his classmates joked with his teacher’s words. Teacher Amu had said that the world was made up of different things, different people and different habits. So why did they bother when he, Abre, acted differently?

The other day, he shouted down a schoolmate who called him lazy. He almost bloodied a friend’s nose, too, when that friend scolded him for not doing his homework. Teacher Amu warned that he would punish Abre. It was an act of indiscipline. Kofi Abre shook his head. It was his friend who offended him, yet Teacher Amu would punish him for being violent and different.

1. The expression, ‘Variety is the spice of life’ means life…………… A. has its ups and downs B. is like a tasty food.

C. should be taken seriously.

D. is full of different and interesting things.

2. The students called Teacher Amu ‘God made them all’ because A. it was his favourite saying.

B. he always looked up.

C. his pep talks were funny.

D. he liked preaching

3. Kofi Abre did not like the jokes because he A. hated his classmates.

B. was afraid of his teacher.

C. approved of his teacher’s words.

D. was lazy

4. The word scolded in the passage means A. reminded.

B. annoyed.

C. rebuked.

D. questioned.

5. Teacher Amu punished Kofi Abre because he A. did not do his homework.

B. did not behave well.

C. did not like pep talks.

D. shook his head 1.3 GRAMMAR

1. Classify the following nouns under ‘concrete’, ‘abstract’, ‘proper’ and ‘common’ nouns:

Brilliance, Ocean, Currency, Beach, Sir Charles Beach, Festival, Charity, Forest, Flag, Education, Dreams, Communication, Atlantic Ocean, Map, Achimota Forest, Ghana map, Saturday, Country, Continent, Computer.

2. Read the paragraph below. Identify all the nouns and group them under ‘Concrete’, ‘Abstract’, ‘Proper’ and ‘Common’ nouns Yesterday, President Nana Adufo-Addo visited the vibrant city of Kumasi to commemorate Ghana’s 65th Independence Day. The ceremony took place at the historic Manhyia Palace, surrounded by beautiful Adinkra designs. The President’s speech emphasised the importance of unity, freedom, and economic growth. Afterwards, guests enjoyed delicious fufu with light soup and watched a thrilling performance by the renowned Ghana Dance Ensemble.

3. Choose any five (5) of the nouns you have identified, at least one from each type, to form sentences.

Additional Reading Materials

₁. Old Newspapers, etc.

2. Phonetic number (Online phonetic memory games) References

• Murphy, R. (2019). English Grammar in Use (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

• Carter, R., & McCarthy, M. (2020). Cambridge Grammar of English: A Comprehensive Guide (2nd ed.)Cambridge University Press.

• Azar, B. S., & Hagen, S. A. (2021). Understanding and Using English Grammar (5th ed.). Pearson Education.

• Roach, P. (2009). English phonetics and phonology: A practical course (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

• Wiredu. F. J, (1992). Organised English Structure, with A Self-Study and Practice Book for students of Training colleges, the Polytechnics and the Universities: Academic Publications Accra.

Acknowledgements List of Contributors

Name Institution

Beatrice Antwiwaa Boateng Oti Boateng SHS, Koforidua

Jennifer Afua Kyei-Baffour Sakafia Islamic SHS, Kumasi

Isabella Sika Keh Achimota School

N-yalamba Jerry Njomoun Tatale E.P. Agric SHS

This section which covers the areas of Oral language, Reading and Grammar will help you to learn how to describe the place and manner of articulation of plosive and fricative sounds and use them accurately in conversation. It will also teach you information retrieval and interpretation of texts and the use of formal and informal language in context. The use of 21st-century skills will make the lesson interactive, and this will, in turn, help build your confidence, critical thinking skills, collaboration, leadership and many others. Core values like honesty, tolerance, and respect will also be inculcated in you.

By the end of this section, you be able to:

• Use consonant sounds in connected speech (Plosives, fricatives).

• Retrieve specific information and interpret a variety of simple texts.

• Use appropriate vocabulary in specific contexts. (Formal and informal situations)

Key Ideas

1. Voicing: refers to the presence or absence of vibration of the vocal cords when producing a speech sound.: Voiced (+ v) or Voiceless (-v).

2. Manner of Articulation: This refers to how the sound is produced.

3. Place of Articulation: This refers to the points of the mouth at which a sound is made.

It also refers to the speech organs involved in the production of the sound.

4. Retrieving information in the context of the English language is the act of finding or extracting a message or information from a given text.

5. Interpreting a text on the other hand is explaining or telling the meaning of the information extracted from the text.

6. Formal Language: They are expressions that are non-personal and used mainly for professional and academic purposes.

7. Informal Language: They are expressions used in everyday conversations.

In our previous lesson, we learnt or read about conversation in formal and informal narratives. We learnt the types of communication. You also practised how to communicate among your peers in an informal way using the appropriate registers and how to communicate with your people using the formal registers. In our lesson today, we are going to learn about consonant sounds, paying much attention to the place of articulation, manner of articulation and voicing.

Consonant Sounds: These are speech sounds produced by blocking the pulmonary stream air from the lungs. Consonant sounds are produced using their place of articulation, manner of articulation and voicing.

Place of articulation refers to the points of the mouth at which the sound was made.

It refers to the speech organs involved in the production of the sound.

Manner of articulation refers to how a sound is made or produced.

Voicing refers to the presence or absence of vibration of the vocal cords when producing a speech sound. Voicing can also refer to the heaviness of the sound. A sound is voiced (+v) when there is the presence of vibration of the vocal cords when that sound is produced, and it is voiceless (-v) when there’s no vibration of the vocal cord when that sound is produced.

Plosives A consonant is produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it. Plosives are also known as Stops.

Plosives with some examples:

/p/ pet /pet/ paper /ˈpeɪ.pə/ top /tɒp/ /b/ bet /bet/ trouble /ˈtrʌ.bəl/ rub /rʌb/ /t/ team /ti:m better /ˈbe.tə/ hot /hɒt/ /d/ dim /dɪm/ order /ˈɔːdə/ bad /bæd/ /k/ came /keɪm/ talking /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/ back /bæk/ /g/ game /geɪm/ bigger /bɪ.gə/ bag /bæg/ Fricatives Fricatives are speech sounds that are made by directing air through a narrow channel, causing friction and producing a hissing or buzzing sound. These are sounds, in the production of which the air passes through a narrow constriction that causes the air to flow turbulently and thus create a noisy sound.

Examples of Fricatives

/f/ fine /faɪn/ offer /ˈɒf.ə/ off /ɒf/ /v/ vine /vaɪn/ saving /ˈseɪ.vɪŋ/ of /ɒv/ /s/ seal /si:l/ missing /ˈmɪ.sɪŋ/ face /feɪs/ /z/ zeal /zi:l/ crazy /ˈkreɪ.zi/ phase /feɪz/ /ʃ/ show /ʃǝʊ/ pushing /ˈpʊ.ʃɪŋ/ rush /rʌʃ/ /ʒ/ measure /ˈme.ʒə/ vision /ˈvɪ.ʒən/ asia /ˈeɪ.ʒə/ /ʧ/ choke /ʧǝʊk/ watching /wɒ.tʃɪŋ/ catch /kætʃ/ /ʤ/ joke /ʤǝʊk/ damage /ˈdæ.mɪdʒ/ large /lɑːdʒ/

Activity 7.1

1. Click on the link below and in groups listen and watch the video on tongue twisters and identify the following plosives in spoken texts, https://youtu.be/ W1mwreT0Jq0?si=ydDo9F6duPMtGzxK

2. Identify and produce three plosives from the video you watched above.

Activity 7.2

Identify four fricative sounds. Compare your answer with a friend.

Activity 7.3

Use 3 plosives and fricatives 3 accurately in words and connected speech in simple conversation.

NB: Try this activity with two friends or peers.

Activity 7.4

Practise this conversation which has made use of plosives and fricatives on your own. You can also try it with a friend.

Kofi: “Akua, have you finished your physics homework? I’m struggling to fix the formula for friction.”

Akua: “Not yet, Kofi! But I’ve been thinking about our trip to the Cape Coast Castle. What a fantastic experience!”

Kofi: “Totally! I loved learning about the history of the slave trade. And the tour guide’s stories were so gripping!”

Akua: “Yes! And the castle’s architecture was amazing. I took some fantastic photos for our project.”

Kofi: “Great! I’m planning to write a poem about the experience. Maybe we can perform it at the school’s cultural festival.”

Akua: “Sounds like a plan! Let’s share some ideas over a cold glass of Fanta at the food court.”

Kofi: “Perfect! And afterwards, we can play some football and practice our kicking skills.”

Akua: “I’m in! But don’t forget to bring your Mathematics book so we can work on those tricky probability questions.”

Activity 7.5

Create one short dialogue and one short monologue using your own words.

1. Define the term voicing in consonant sounds.

2. Explain the term Manner of articulation.

3. Use at least three words with each of these fricative sounds (f,s,z) in sentences.

READING Read the passage below carefully and answer the questions that follow.

I live in a house near the mountains. I have two brothers and one sister, and I was born last. My father teaches mathematics, and my mother is a nurse at a big hospital. My brothers are very smart and work hard in school. My sister is a nervous girl, but she is very kind. My grandmother also lives with us. She came from Tamale when I was two years old. She has grown old, but she is still very strong. She cooks the best food!

My family is very important to me. We do lots of things together. My brothers and I like to go on long walks in the mountains. My sister likes to cook with my grandmother.

On the weekends, we all play board games together. We laugh and always have a good time. I love my family very much.

1. My mother is a...

a. Doctor

b. Nurse

c. Writer

d. Waitress

2. How old was I when my grandmother came?

a. Three years old

b. Just born

c. Ten years old

d. Two years old

3. My house is near the...

a. City

b. River

c. Mountains

d. Tamale

4. My sister is kind, but also...

a. Mean

b. Quiet

c. Nervous

d. Strong GRAMMAR

1. Give two examples of words used when seeking permission in class to visit the washroom.

2. Construct four sentences each for formal and informal language and highlight their differences.

GLOSSARY _(Diction) this is the choice and use of words, especially with regards to effective communication.

Style The way and manner a writer presents a text.

Acknowledgements List of Contributors

Name Institution

Beatrice Antwiwaa Boateng Oti Boateng SHS, Koforidua

Jennifer Afua Kyei-Baffour Sakafia Islamic SHS, Kumasi

Isabella Sika Keh Achimota School

N-yalamba Jerry Njomoun Tatale E.P. Agric SHS

In our last lesson in Oral Language, we learned about Plosives and how to use them effectively both in informal and formal ways in conversation. We defined Plosives as a consonantal sound produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it. We also looked at how to apply reading techniques in our daily reading to enable us to understand any given text read. You have also been introduced to the concept of tense and aspect and how they synthesise/ come together to form the various forms of verbs.

This section, we will explore two important tenses that will help you to talk about your routines and to describe what is happening in your life right now. These two tenses are the simple present and the present continuous. You will also going to learn more on other consonant sounds Fricatives and Affricates.

In addition, we are going to be looking at using some other text comprehension strategies to analyse fiction and non-fiction texts. This tells us that apart from employing reading techniques for text comprehension, there are also other text comprehension strategies one can use to analyse given texts, whether fiction or non-fiction. These features or strategies would help us to be able to predict what happens in a text under discussion. These features include text titles, illustrations, bold print, italics, heading, sub-headings and others.

By the end of this section, you should be able to use

• consonant sounds in connected speech (fricatives)

• a variety of text comprehension strategies to predict and analyse fiction/non- fiction texts

• forms of verbs in everyday activities

Key Ideas

• Fricatives are a type of consonantal sound in speech that are produced by directing air through a narrow channel causing friction and turbulence. They thus create a distinctive, ‘noisy’ sound.

• Fiction is a literary work that is created for the aim of involving the reader’s imagination.

It is not necessarily based on facts or on what really happened.

• Non-fiction is a narrative that is based on facts or what actually transpired. This aims to give true accounts of real things or events.

• Simple Present Tense: It is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths and fixed arrangements.

• Present Continuous Tense: It is used to express an action that is still on-going.

• Stative verbs are verbs used to refer to states rather than actions. They are not used in the continuous form.

FRICATIVES Fricatives are consonantal sounds which are produced by narrowing the vocal tract, typically between the tongue, teeth or lips. The air that is supposed to come out of the mouth is directed through a narrow channel, creating friction and turbulence, producing a high frequency and amplitude. They are classified according to the place and manner of articulation.

1. Place of articulation:

i. Labiodental (upper teeth and lower lip): /f/, /v/

ii. Dental (tongue and upper teeth): /θ/, /ꝺ/

iii. Alveolar (tongue and alveolar ridge): /s/, /z/

iv. Palatal (tongue and hard palate): /ʃ/, /ʒ/

2. Manner of Articulation

i. Voiceless: /f/, /s/, /θ/, /ʃ/.

ii. Voiced: /v/, /z/, /ꝺ/, /ʒ/.

Fricatives with some examples

a. /f/- fine /faɪn/ offer /ˈɒf.ə/ off /ɒf/ of /ɒv/

b. /s/- seal /si:l/ missing /ˈmɪ.sɪŋ/ face /feɪs/

c. /z/- zeal /zi:l/ crazy /ˈkreɪ.zi/ phase /feɪz/

d. /ʃ/- show /ʃǝʊ/ pushing /ˈpʊ.ʃɪŋ/ rush /rʌʃ/

e. /ʒ/ measure /ˈme.ʒə/ vision /ˈvɪ.ʒən/ pleasure /plɛʒə/

f. /θ/ thigh /θaɪ/ thin /θɪn/ through /θru/ things /θɪŋs/

g. /ð/ they /ðeɪ/ them /ðɛm/ then /ðɛn/ these /ði:z/ Some Key Features of Fricatives ₁. Obstruent: Fricatives are a type of obstruent (a speech sound restricting the airway) which indicates that they obstruct the airflow, producing a turbulent noise.

2. Continuous: When Fricatives are said to be continuous sounds, it means that they can be sustained for a long period.

3. High –frequency noise: Fricatives produce high- frequency noise, which can be perceived as hissing or buzzing.

ACTIVITY 9.1

Watch the tongue twisters in the video in the link below and identify the fricative sounds.

Click here: https://youtu.be/-E400637oKk?si=qukOYosR3a9mWUEU

ACTIVITY 9.2

Listen to and identify some examples of words with fricative sounds from the video in the link below.

Click here: https://youtu.be/eNfGINhN-LE?si=RNL7daFP_6izW9aQ

ACTIVITY 9.3

Do this activity with a friend or a classmate!

Form words with these fricative sounds (/f/ /v/ /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/ /θ/, /ꝺ/) and use the words accurately in connected speech with a friend.

1. What are fricatives?

2. State four examples of fricatives.

3. Write four words which contain the sounds you have identified in question (2) above.

4. Differentiate between fictional and non-fictional texts.

5. Identify some text features that can help you predict what will happen in a text.

6. Write an imaginary/creative story on any plot or topic of your choice.

Choose the correct form of the simple present tense to complete the sentence below:

7. Amina ………. (is/are/was) here now.

8. Kofi and his mother …… (walk/walks/walking) to the market every day.

9. I ……… (have/has/had) a pen in my bag.

10.Use the following verbs to form a sentence each: wash, dance, sweep, writes and plays.

11.Write down three sentences from a football game in the present continuous tense.

In one of our previous sections, we looked at reading techniques such as skimming, scanning, and close reading and how they are applied in our reading. In Oral language we have learned about Plosives, Fricatives, voiced and voiceless sounds, manner of articulation and place of articulation as far as the English Consonant Speech Sounds are concerned.

We have looked at how to form the present perfect and present perfect continuous tense and use them correctly to reflect intended meaning.

In this section we are going to focus on nasal consonant speech sounds and simple past tense.

In Ghana, we love to tell stories. Some of the most cherished moments are the times when the elderly would gather children or grandchildren and tell them stories. These stories are told in the past tense to teach the present generation some vital moral lessons. The simple past tense, therefore, is essential in the description of past events.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to

• use nasal consonant sounds in connected speech.

• apply reading techniques effectively in reading a variety of texts for leisure

• use forms of verbs in everyday activities.

Key Ideas

• Nasal consonant sounds: Nasal Consonant Sounds are made by blocking air in the mouth and releasing sound through the nose. /m/ /n/ /ŋ/.

• Nasal Occlusive: They refer to a type of speech sound that is produced by blocking the airflow in the nasal cavity.

• Reading techniques are the different approaches to reading that can be used to help you become a better, more efficient, and more successful reader.

• Skimming: This refers to the process of reading the main ideas within a passage to get an overall impression of the content.

• Scanning: This refers to looking for ideas very quickly in a text to find specific details such as searching for a telephone number in a directory.

• Close Reading: This refers to the method of reading that focuses on the specific details of a passage or text in order to discern meaning.

• Light Reading: This is the reading that is not considered too demanding.

• The Simple Past Tense: It is used to talk about a completed activity in the past.

NASAL Consonant SOUNDS

Nearly all nasal consonants are nasal occlusive, in which air escapes through the nose but not through the mouth, as it is blocked (occluded) by the lips or tongue. The oral cavity still acts as a resonance chamber for the sound. Rarely, non-occlusive consonants may be nasalized. Most nasals are voiced, and in fact, the nasal sounds {n} and {m} are among the most common sounds cross-linguistically. In phonetics, nasal occlusive are a class of consonantal sounds that are made by:

1. Directing the air through the nose

2. Blocking the airflow with the tongue or lips

3. Releasing the blockage, allowing air to escape through the nose Examples of nasal occlusive sounds include:

1. /m/ (as in ‘mom’)

2. /n/ (as in ‘numb’)

3. /ꬼ/ (as in ‘sing)

4. /N/ (a sound found in some languages, like Hindi) Characteristics of nasal occlusive

1. They are consonantal sound

2. They are made by obstructing the airflow in the nasal cavity

3. They are typically voiced (meaning the vocal cords vibrate)

4. They can be bilabial (made with both lips), alveolar (made with the tongue and upper teeth), or velar (made with the tongue and soft palate)

5. Nasal occlusives play a crucial role in many languages, and their accurate pronunciation is essential for clear communication.

ACTIVITY 11.1

1. Listen and watch the Tongue Twisters on Nasals from the link below:

https://youtu.be/GjOwcTKSxoQ?si=kKbzKOHmx0PlYiQT

2. Practise with your friends how the nasal sounds are pronounced accurately.

ACTIVITY 11.2

Use the nasal sounds /m/n/ꬼ/ in forming words on your own and use them in simple sentences.

ACTIVITY 11.3

Use the following nasal occlusive sounds in sentences such that every word in the sentences contain a nasal sound.

1. /m/as in ( “My mom made me move my mask.”)

2. /n/ as in (“numb”)

3. /ꬼ/ as in (“sing”)

1. Examine five words containing nasal sounds and use them to form sentences (mouth, summer, moon, comb, mine) Read the text below and answer the questions that follow.

Agriculture plays a significant role in the economic development of this country.

The ruling government’s efforts to develop the sector is a step in the right direction.

However, there are certain setbacks inhibiting the growth of this important sector of the economy. The roads linking the various parts of the rural areas are in a bad state. Many farmers find it difficult to convey their farm produce to urban centres for sale. As a result, most of their produce gets rotten in the farms.

Also, the persistent rise and fall of the prices of agricultural produce both in domestic and world markets is a contributory factor. This instability affects not only the incomes of farmers but also the foreign exchange derived by the government for its developmental projects.

It is therefore imperative for the government to take a second look at some of these teething problems and find fundamental solutions to them in order to make the sector an engine of growth of the economy.

2. Identify the main ideas in each of the paragraphs.

3. Summarise the text.

4. State the reading approach/technique that is used when one is reading for leisure.

Choose the correct form of the simple past tense to complete the sentences below:

5. Amina ………. (were /are /was) here.

6. Kofi and his mother … (walked/ walks/ walking ) to the market this morning.

7. I ……… (have/ has/ had) a pen in my bag but can’t find it again.

8. The people … (question/ questions / questioned) the behaviour of their leader.

9. She ……… (refused/refuse/refuses) to be interrogated by the police.

10.Use the following verbs to form a sentence each: jumped, ate, wrote, sang and prayed 11.Write a short story on either of these:

A. A terrible dream you have ever had.

B. My first day experience in school.

Acknowledgements List of Contributors

Name Institution

Beatrice Antwiwaa Boateng Oti Boateng SHS, Koforidua

Jennifer Afua Kyei-Baffour Sakafia Islamic SHS, Kumasi

Isabella Sika Keh Achimota School

N-yalamba Jerry Njomoun Tatale E.P. Agric SHS