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Learn how to pronounce the vowel sound /ʌ/ used in words like “but,“ “come,“ or “does.” Practice pronunciation of the /ʌ/ vowel sound in most common words. Learn the essential spelling rules for the /ʌ/ vowel. Improve your American accent with exercises recorded by a professional speech therapist. Check out a bonus track at the end of the video! :) By the way, we have a website: Quick links: • Vowel sound /ʌ/, as in “us:“ 00:00 • How to make the /ʌ/ sound: 00:57 • Pronunciation exercise: 02:04 • Most common spelling for the sound /ʌ/: 04:18 Related videos: #AmericanPronunciation #VowelSounds #CentralVowels ► Interactive Vowel Sounds Chart: American English Pronunciation ► Vowel sound /ə/, as in “ago“: ► Vowel sound /ɑ/, as in “got“: ► Contrasting sounds /ʌ vs /ɑ/, as in “bus“ or “boss“: [THIS VIDEO HAS ENGLISH, SPANISH, JAPANESE, CHINESE, VIETNAMESE, KOREAN, PORTUGUESE, AND RUSSIAN SUBTITLES] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSCRIPT Hello there! This is the “Sounds American” channel. In this video, we’re going to talk about the American vowel sound /ʌ/, as in the word “us.” You can also hear this sound in words like “but,” “come,” “young,” or “flood.” Please, note, that we’ll be using a special phonetic symbol — /ʌ/ — for this sound. The vowel /ʌ/ exists in only 5% of the world’s languages. It’s no wonder that non-native English speakers often distort it or replace it with more familiar sounds. This video will help get you acquainted with the /ʌ/ and help you make it the right way. Let’s find out how to make this sound. OK, to make the /ʌ/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your lips and tongue. Open your mouth a little, relax your lips, and put them in a neutral position. Place your tongue in the middle of your mouth, not too high or too low. Note that the /ʌ/ vowel sound is used in stressed syllables, but your lips and tongue should not be tense. Your tongue should be in the center of your mouth. Let’s try saying it: /ʌ/, /ʌ/, /ʌ/. [Pronunciation exercise] Now, let’s practice this sound in some words. You’ll see a word on the screen and hear its pronunciation. Like this. You’ll have a few seconds to pronounce the word if you want to. Let’s begin. • blood • blush • brush • bubble • buckle • bud • bug • bulb • bulk • bum • bump • bun • bunch • bundle • bungle • bus • but • butt • button • buzz • club • come • couple • crumb • crumble • crush • crust • cub • cuddle • cup You’re done! Congratulations! By the way, the letter 'u' stands for the /ʌ/ sound in 78% of cases. More on the spelling: Most often, the /ʌ/ sound is written as the letter 'u,' as in the word “but,“ then as the letter 'o,' as in the word “come.“ Less often it’s represented by the combination of the letters 'ou,' as in the word “young,“ and 'oo,' as in the word “flood.“ Thanks for watching! Hope you find it useful. Stay tuned on our Sounds American channel!
