Shadowing Practice: Learn How to Read the IPA | Phonetic Alphabet - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi, everyone. Do you know what the IPA is? It's the International Phonetic Alphabet.
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These are the symbols that represent the sounds we say. Can you read this sentence?
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I speak English.
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Do you have to know the IPA to become fluent in English? No. Do you have to know the IPA to have good pronunciation? No. Not necessarily. But if you know the IPA, it's a tool that can help you. Being familiar with the IPA will make more information accessible to you, like the pronunciation listed in a dictionary. You'll also have greater awareness of individual sounds, and this will help you both hear and produce clearer contrasts between similar sounds.
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I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer, and using the IPA, I'd like to take you through the consonant and vowel sounds in American English. Please note there are variations of the IPA, but having familiarity with one system will make it easier to understand another. I often refer to the Longman Dictionary of American English, and I have a number of pronunciation textbooks in my personal library. One I've always liked is Accurate English by Rebecca Dauer.
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Let's start with the consonant sounds. It's easy to recognize B, P, D, and T. Look. When we see the letter B, we say /b/. Can you read this word?
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Baby. Note the use of the stress symbol to show that the first syllable is stressed: baby. P is /p/. How about this word? It's something we all desire: peace. The letter D makes the sound /d/. If you understood how to read "peace," you can figure out this word: deep. A true T sounds like /t/. Do you remember this word? Baby. So now try to read this word: date. Good.
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Now in American English the letter T can have different pronunciations.
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In a word like "little," we use a flap T. It looks like this. Here's how we write "little." So can you figure out this word? Battle.
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American English speakers may use a glottal stop in a word like "fountain." There are different symbols for a glottal stop. One of them looks like this. We often use a glottal stop when T comes before a pause or another consonant sound. Read these words with me, and we'll use a glottal stop.
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At. It. What.
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The symbols for G and K are easy to recognize. The letter G sounds like /g/.
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What word is this? Pig. The letter K sounds like /k/. Read these words: pick, key. Good.
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Let's look at four more symbols that are easy to read. They represent V, F, Z, and S. V is /v/. Read these words: give, live. F is /f/. Can you read these words?
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If. Fit. Z is /z/. Where might you see a monkey if you live in a big city? At a zoo. S is /s/. If this is "zoo," then what girl's name is this? Sue. Right.
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Excellent. Next, we have two symbols for "th." If TH is voiced, we use this symbol, as in: though, those. If TH is unvoiced, we use this symbol, as in: thin, thought.
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The "j" sound can have different spellings, but the phonetic symbol is this. A short version of my name is "Jen." Can you recognize who this person is? Judge.
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This symbol represents /tʃ/, which can be written with a CH or a TCH.
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What part of the face is this? Chin. And some people still wear a watch.
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How do we tell people to be quiet? Shh. Read these words with me. She. Sheep. Sheet.
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This symbol represents present /ʒ/ as in: treasure, measure. The phonetic symbols for H, L, M, and N are thankfully easier to read. H sounds like /h/ as in "head." L makes the /l/ sound. Read these words with me. Led. Let. List.
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M is /m/ as in: met, mist. N is /n/ as in "net: and the number "ten." Have you ever seen this symbol? It kind of looks like "n," right? It represents the "ng" sound. Can you read these words?
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Ring. Sing.
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R as a consonant sounds like /r/. You just read "ring," so what's this word? Wrong.
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The W and Y sounds are also easy to recognize. W sounds like /w/. Can you read these words?
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Wing. Wet. Y sounds like /y/. I'm confident you can read these words: yes, yet. Good job.
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For more detailed information about how the consonant sounds are made, you can watch my video on the 24 consonant sounds in American English.
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Now it's time to go through the vowel sounds. Ready? There are 15 vowel sounds in American English. Again, there are different systems, so other resources may not match the list I'm sharing with you, but it does correspond to my playlist on Vowel Sounds in American English.
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First, read the front vowels with me. /i, ɪ, eɪ, ɛ, æ/ Now see if you can match words to their phonetic transcriptions.
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Here are two more vowel sounds. First, "uh" as in "fun." But if this sound is unstressed, you'll see the schwa symbol. It looks like an upside down "e." This is the same sound basically, but it's unstressed. Which syllable is stressed in the word "confident"? Confident. The first one is stressed, right? This means the other two vowel sounds are unstressed. Take a look at the phonetic transcription. Confident. See how the "e" becomes a schwa? In fact, some dictionaries show "confident" like this, with two schwa symbols. Confident. The truth is that the difference between a short i and a schwa in an unstressed syllable in fast speech can be really hard to hear hard to hear with confidence. Confident. Confidence. Confidently.
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Look at the stressed syllable in "confident" again, and you'll see this symbol. Confident. /ɑ/ as in "confident" and as in "father." Now say these back vowel sounds with me. /u, ʊ, oʊ, ɔ/ For Some American English speakers, including me, there isn't always a big difference between /ɔ/ in "jaw" and /ɑ/ as in "father" or "confident." In fact, I have to really think about it to produce a clear difference. Can you match these words to their phonetic transcriptions?
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Now we'll look at three diphthongs. They each use two symbols because they represent a gliding from one vowel sound to another. Repeat after me. /aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ/ Can you read the words?
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like how toy kite around moist tonight shout join Great. Finally we have this symbol to represent /ɚ/.
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I know the /ɚ/ sound is a tricky sound for many learners to pronounce. If you need a more detailed explanation, you can go to my playlist on vowel sounds in American English. Read with me.
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sir shirt flirt learn work term Now see if you can read these words that use other vowel sounds in combination with /ɚ/.
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ear fair heart more higher power How about a final challenge to review everything? Again, the goal here is increased familiarity with the IPA. I don't expect you to have all the symbols memorized at this point, especially if you've never seen the symbols before. We're going to read slowly. Okay?
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But if you really want to challenge yourself, you can pause the video. Read aloud. Then play the video. Listen and check to see if you read the symbols correctly.
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Pronunciation is important, but that doesn't mean you have to lose your accent. Look back at "pronunciation." You'll see two stress marks. That's because there's primary stress and secondary stress. This is common in longer words. Look at "important." I just said that carefully and with a true T. With faster, more relaxed pronunciation, I'd probably use a glottal stop: important. Also, the sound /ɔr/ can be written a couple different ways. Some dictionaries will show it like this. Others may show it like that.
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I prefer the /ɚ/ sound because then it reminds me that we're really combining two vowel sounds.
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/ɔɚ/ Important or important. Finally you'll see some reduction here. "To" is reduced because it's not stressed. So I say /tə/. Also, "your" is reduced. Tt's not stressed, so I say /yɚ/. Your. Your accent.
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You don't have to sound exactly like a native speaker. Note how I flap the T in "native." Even native speakers have accents.
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The main goal should be to speak clearly and accurately.
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Note that the word "clearly" can also be transcribed this way. And some dictionaries may list accurately with a second schwa sound because that syllable is unstressed.
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Accent training is about accent reduction, and you work towards having smooth, clear speech.
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So continue your pronunciation practice, but have realistic goals and have faith that your training will pay off.
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Here's the full text, and I'll read at a natural pace.
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Pronunciation is important, but that doesn't mean you have to lose your accent. You don't have to sound exactly like a native speaker. Even native speakers have accents. The main goal should be to speak clearly and accurately. Accent training is about accent reduction, and you work towards having smooth, clear speech. So continue your pronunciation practice, but have realistic goals, and have faith that your training will pay off.
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We'll end here. Please remember to like and share the video if you found the lesson useful. As always, always thanks for watching and happy studies!
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I'd like to say a special thank you to a Kind-Hearted Patron Yummy Bian pledged $2 a month. Thank you.
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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección
Esta lección de conversación de nivel B1 se basa en el vídeo “Learn How to Read the IPA”. Las palabras que más se repiten: sound, word, symbol, English, vowel. Este vídeo tiene 50 frases y 1584 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 19:27. El hablante habla despacio, unas 81 palabras por minuto, así que hay tiempo para imitar cada sonido. Solo el 78 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés, por lo que el vocabulario es exigente. 28 de sus 50 frases son preguntas, así que sirve para practicar la entonación de las preguntas y las respuestas cortas.
Vocabulario clave de este vídeo
Las 15 palabras más avanzadas del vídeo, con su pronunciación y significado:
| Palabra | Pronunciación | Significado |
|---|---|---|
| symbol sustantivo | /ˈsɪmbəl/ | símbolo |
| vowel sustantivo | /ˈvaʊ.əl/ | vocal |
| pronunciation sustantivo | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | pronunciación |
| accent sustantivo | /ækˈsɛnt/ | acento léxico |
| consonant sustantivo | /ˈkɑn.sə.nənt/ | consonante |
| phonetic adjetivo | /fəˈnɛt.ɪk/ | fonético |
| glottal adjetivo | /ˈɡlɑ.təl/ | glótico |
| syllable sustantivo | /ˈsɪl.ə.bəl/ | sílaba |
| unstressed adjetivo | /ʌnˈstɹɛst/ | átono, inacentuado |
| litter sustantivo | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | cama, lecho |
| dictionary sustantivo | /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/ | diccionario, tumbaburros |
| distress sustantivo | /dɪˈstɹɛs/ | distrés, distress |
| accurately adverbio | /ˈæk.jə.ɹɪt.li/ | acertadamente, acuradamente |
| familiarity sustantivo | /fəmɪliˈæɹɪti/ | intimidad |
| flap sustantivo | /flæp/ | solapa, solape |
Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar
| Palabra | Significado |
|---|---|
| figure out verbo | averiguar, captar |
| pay off verbo | valer la pena, salir a cuenta |
| go through verbo | atravesar |
Frases que vale la pena repetir
Frases cortas y completas del vídeo que puedes reutilizar en la conversación diaria:
- Can you read this sentence?
- Can you read this word?
- Do you remember this word?
- Can you read these words?
- You just read "ring," so what's this word?
Gramática en este vídeo
Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:
| Estructura | En el vídeo |
|---|---|
| Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hace | is stressed · is voiced · can be written |
| Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahora | I've always liked · you've never seen |
| Posibilidad con “might / may” might/may + verbo — algo posible pero no seguro | may use · may not match · may show |
| Consejo con “should” should + verbo — decir qué es buena idea | should be |
Pronunciación a tener en cuenta
El hablante usa 26 contracciones y formas reducidas, como you'll, don't, I'd. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.
- Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, schwa /ʃwɑ/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/, transcription /tɹænˈskɹɪpʃən/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
- Palabras largas — cuida el acento: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/, accurately /ˈæk.jə.ɹɪt.li/, familiarity /fəmɪliˈæɹɪti/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:
- /v/ — no es /b/: los dientes tocan el labio inferior: vowel /ˈvaʊ.əl/, unvoiced /ˌʌnˈvɔɪst/, variation /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/
- /z/ — sonora, no /s/: pause /pɔːz/, memorize /ˈmɛm.əˌɹaɪ̯z/
Cómo practicar con este vídeo
- Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
- Haz shadowing frase por frase a velocidad normal, repitiendo cada una hasta que tu ritmo coincida con el del hablante.
- Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como symbol, vowel, pronunciation.
¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?
Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.