Here is a list of /n/ and /ŋ/ minimal pairs for you to practise. Use a recording tool such as Audioboo or Cinch to record your list, and embed it in the comments below.
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Thank you for coming up with the list – minimal pairs /n/ and /ŋ/. I believe most learners of English want (or are seeking for) assistance on how to differentiate these two phonemes. I hope the club members will make use of the list along with the brief manner of articulation you’ve given to their advantage.
By the way, I would humbly suggest that the list contains two pairs of homophones in place of minimal pairs : “been – bean” and “plain – plane” (I know for sure that was an oversight!)
Here’s my submission, minus the homophones.
Have a pleasant day, Tara!
P.S. Hi Mayumi..! How are you...? It's really nice to see you here. :-)
How can we show our appreciation for all your effort in this group Mr. Gab! How I wish that there is a "hall of fame" in EC and I will surely vote for you for your genuine intention to help us learner..
Thanks to you Mr. Gab..my question whether plane and plain do sound the same is now answered.
I just have another questions..:) Is there a possibility that in British pronunciation been and bean sound the same? and in American pronunciation..been sounds the same as bin?
That’s very sweet of you; I’m simply speechless. Thank you very much!
Actually, I’ve thrown myself wholeheartedly into this because I’ve an unstoppable passion for ESS - English Sound System. If you are curious to know why - listen to this: MOST of the “speech sounds” in English are the same or almostsimilar to those in Tamil. You are surprised, aren’t you…?
Ok! Here are the answers to your questions.
1. been – bean
Both words are pronounced exactly the same whether it’s British or American English.
2. been – bin
“been” has the long vowel sound /i:/ as in “seat”
“bin” has the short vowel sound /ɪ/as in “sit”
"been - bin" : There’s now difference in pronunciation between British and American English.
Pls be patient with my speech..(really shy) I'm still not good in speaking. :) Really struggling to express myself in speaking...I still consider myself a beginner to this English skill..I hope you'll have a patience in listening to me.
I’m so glad that now you could distinguish between shortvowel sound and longvowel sound. For your information, ten out of the twelve pure vowel sounds (monophthongs) come in pairs - short and long. /i:/ and /ɪ/ are one such pair.
The following are the remaining four pairs:
short - long
/æ/ and /ɑ:/
/ɒ/ and /ɔ:/
/ʊ/ and /u:/
/ʌ/ and /ɜ:/
I’m very pleased that you wish to learn the English Sounds. Actually, MyEC has an interactive phonemic chart for you to listen and practise all the forty-fourspeech sounds (the technical term is phonemes) used in English. You may find these phonemes sound strange when they are pronounced in isolation. Nevertheless, just learn them as they form the basis for proper pronunciation.
Yes, your examples have the long vowel sound /i:/ as in “been”:
keep and eat
Compare the following two words with your examples:
kip and it
These two words have the short vowel sound /ɪ/ in contrast to /i:/
Replies
Dear Tara!
Thank you for coming up with the list – minimal pairs /n/ and /ŋ/. I believe most learners of English want (or are seeking for) assistance on how to differentiate these two phonemes. I hope the club members will make use of the list along with the brief manner of articulation you’ve given to their advantage.
By the way, I would humbly suggest that the list contains two pairs of homophones in place of minimal pairs : “been – bean” and “plain – plane” (I know for sure that was an oversight!)
Here’s my submission, minus the homophones.
Have a pleasant day, Tara!
P.S. Hi Mayumi..! How are you...? It's really nice to see you here. :-)
I'm great Mr. Gab, thanks for asking..:)
How can we show our appreciation for all your effort in this group Mr. Gab! How I wish that there is a "hall of fame" in EC and I will surely vote for you for your genuine intention to help us learner..
Thanks to you Mr. Gab..my question whether plane and plain do sound the same is now answered.
I just have another questions..:) Is there a possibility that in British pronunciation been and bean sound the same? and in American pronunciation..been sounds the same as bin?
Your curious student,
mayumee
Ooh, Mayumi…!
That’s very sweet of you; I’m simply speechless. Thank you very much!
Actually, I’ve thrown myself wholeheartedly into this because I’ve an unstoppable passion for ESS - English Sound System. If you are curious to know why - listen to this: MOST of the “speech sounds” in English are the same or almost similar to those in Tamil. You are surprised, aren’t you…?
Ok! Here are the answers to your questions.
1. been – bean
Both words are pronounced exactly the same whether it’s British or American English.
2. been – bin
“been” has the long vowel sound /i:/ as in “seat”
“bin” has the short vowel sound /ɪ/as in “sit”
"been - bin" : There’s now difference in pronunciation between British and American English.
Regards,
~ GS ~
Hello Mr. Gab!
Pls be patient with my speech..(really shy) I'm still not good in speaking. :) Really struggling to express myself in speaking...I still consider myself a beginner to this English skill..I hope you'll have a patience in listening to me.
Thank you!
Hello Mayumi!
I’m so glad that now you could distinguish between short vowel sound and long vowel sound. For your information, ten out of the twelve pure vowel sounds (monophthongs) come in pairs - short and long. /i:/ and /ɪ/ are one such pair.
The following are the remaining four pairs:
short - long
/æ/ and /ɑ:/
/ɒ/ and /ɔ:/
/ʊ/ and /u:/
/ʌ/ and /ɜ:/
I’m very pleased that you wish to learn the English Sounds. Actually, MyEC has an interactive phonemic chart for you to listen and practise all the forty-four speech sounds (the technical term is phonemes) used in English. You may find these phonemes sound strange when they are pronounced in isolation. Nevertheless, just learn them as they form the basis for proper pronunciation.
Yes, your examples have the long vowel sound /i:/ as in “been”:
keep and eat
Compare the following two words with your examples:
kip and it
These two words have the short vowel sound /ɪ/ in contrast to /i:/
kip - keep
it - eat
Happy learning, Mayumi!
Hello Ms. T!
Do plain and planes sound the same?
Thank you.