IV. Exercises for the Soft Palate

1. (a) Take a mirror, turn your back to the light, open the mouth

(c)

wide, keep the tongue as low as possible and say "Ah", as if the doctor wanted

to examine your throat. Mind that the soft palate is raised closing the nasal cavity. The air stream goes through the mouth.

(b)Keeping the mouth in this position breathe in and out through the mouth.

Alternate the air effort while breathing out now making it strong now very slight.

2. (a) The mouth is wide open.

(b) Now push the air through the nose. You will see and feel a contact between the tongue and the soft palate which is low­ered now and closes the mouth cavity. The air goes through the nose.

(c)Go on breathing in and out through the nose with your mouth open.

3. (a) Press the lips together and push the air through the nose. The soft palate now is lowered letting the air into the nasal cavity.

2. Breathe in and out through the nose with your lips pressed.

2. Now pronounce the sound [м], keeping the lips pressed together.

Part III laboratory works

LABORATORY WORK №1

Stops

1. Listen how the speaker on the tape pronounces stops in word initial position.

• Imitate the reading.

• Mind that a complete obstruction should be released with a strong explosion.

• Make , , aspirated.

pen Ben ten dean came give

pack back tart dot court goal

2. Practise reading the words above at normal conversational speed.

• Be sure to pronounce stops in word initial position correctly.

2. Now read the word-contrasts. Concentrate on the difference between an initial voiceless stop and its voiced counterpart.

pig — big tea — D curl — girl

port — bought ton — done card — guard

2. Listen how the speaker on the tape pronounces stops in the word medial position.

• Imitate the reading.

• Mind that a com­plete obstruction should be released with an explosion.

• Observe the positional length of the vowels preceding the voice­less / voiced consonants.

happy shabby metal faded sacking degree

capable cable writer rider bicker bigger

2. Practise reading the words above at normal conversational speed.

• Be sure to pronounce stops in word medial position correctly.

2. Now read the words.

• Concentrate on the difference between a medial voiceless stop and its voiced counterpart.

caper — caber hearten — harden bicker — bigger

poppy — bobby putting — pudding locking — logging

2. Listen how the speaker on the tape pronounces stops in word final position.