Shadowing Practice: BRITISH ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION (RP accent) - /eə/ vowel sound (hair, parent, air) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello and welcome back to English with Lucy.
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Hello and welcome back to English with Lucy.
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Today is an exciting day because I'm starting a new mini-series with you guys all about British English pronunciation.
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Now arguably one of the most difficult parts of learning English is the pronunciation of the many many vowel sounds.
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So the first part of this series is going to be all about the different vowel sounds that we use
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in British English.
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Quickly, before we get started,
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make sure you connect with me on all of my social media.
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I've got my Instagram, my Facebook,
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my Weibo, and of course my YouTube channel.
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And as I've mentioned before,
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I have a Patreon site where you can sponsor me and earn some really nice rewards like Skype lessons and handwritten cards.
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Before we get started, I just want to make one thing clear.
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I am not trying to make you get rid of your accent.
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Accents make us unique.
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I just want to help you improve your pronunciation so that you can be better understood and can communicate more easily.
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So don't go crazy and think I must use my accent,
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I must use my accent because A,
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it's really difficult and B, why?
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Unless you want to be an actor for a specific job role, there's no need.
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A story that might surprise some of you is that throughout my childhood and some of my teenage years,
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I was really, really embarrassed of my accent.
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I have a relatively posh British accent and some people used to make fun of me at school.
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But now I've realised that accents don't matter.
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What does matter is bad pronunciation and this is where I come in to help you guys.
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Okay, so the vowel sound that we're going to use today is the phoneme air and it's written like this.
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I do think it's important for you guys to recognise things like these
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because when you want to learn how to pronounce a word,
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you can search on any dictionary and the phonetics will really,
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really help you understand how to pronounce each word.
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Now, I mostly teach Spanish students and they really,
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really struggle with this phoneme.
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So this phoneme is a diphthong.
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That means it is two vowel sounds combined in one syllable.
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So to make the air sound we combine the e and the uh air.
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But normally British English speakers will just say air and we'll change the pitch air air.
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So in the first part of the diphthong,
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we use the eh sound.
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So I've got my mouth wide and my tongue relaxed.
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In the second part it's the it's the schwa.
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My whole mouth is relaxed and it's just a little push of voice.
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So I'm going air.
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The last thing that you must do is propel a lot of air through your lungs as you say this vowel sound.
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So I don't want air, I want air.
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Breathy.
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The breathier you are, the more British you sound.
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So firstly we have the word air,
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this magic gas that's all around us.
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Now it's written A-I-R, but we do not pronounce the R at the end of the word.
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Americans, however do pronounce it so we say air
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and they would say air
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so after the air vowel sound we don't pronounce the R
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unless a vowel then comes after the R like in area
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area now I'm going to give you a couple of examples of words
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that end in the air sound that you might have been pronouncing incorrectly firstly Finally,
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we've got the words that end in A-I-R.
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Air, chair, hair, fair, and millionaire.
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Then we've got the words that end in A-R-E care,
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aware, share, square Then we've got the words that end in E-A-R So we've got bear,
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tear, pair, swear Then we've got air used in the middle of a word So we've got things with AR.
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Parent.
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The names.
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Mary.
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Sarah.
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Various.
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Then we've got words with AIR.
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Like hairy or dairy.
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Then we've got the British spelling for aeroplane. With AER.
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We've got aeroplane or aerobics.
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And finally we've got the EAR in words such as unbearable.
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Hopefully today's lesson has helped you in some way.
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Make sure you subscribe because there will be more videos of this type coming very very soon.
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I really do want to help you with your pronunciation
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and I think looking at it vowel by vowel is really going to be a good way of doing that.
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So that's it for today's class.
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Make sure you connect with me on all my social media and I will see you in the next episode.
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Bye bye.
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Then we have air used in the middle of the road.
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In the middle of the road?

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Context & Background

In the video titled "British English Pronunciation (RP accent) - /eə/ vowel sound (hair, parent, air)," Lucy discusses the complexities of British English pronunciation, particularly focusing on the vowel diphthong /eə/. Aimed primarily at Spanish speakers, she emphasizes the importance of understanding proper pronunciation to ensure clear communication, while also embracing the diversity of accents. Lucy shares her personal experiences with accent perception and highlights that the goal is not to erase accents but to enhance speech clarity. This session serves as an introduction to a mini-series that explores various vowel sounds, making it an essential resource for anyone engaging in english speaking practice.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • air - the invisible gas surrounding us; typically pronounced without the 'R' sound at the end.
  • hair - the threads growing from the skin on the head or body.
  • parent - refers to a mother or father.
  • care - to be concerned about someone or something.
  • pair - a set of two things designed to be used together.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To master the /eə/ vowel sound, it is beneficial to employ shadowing techniques. Here’s a step-by-step guide to improve your pronunciation using shadowspeech:

  1. Listen Closely: Start by watching the video and focusing on how Lucy forms the /eə/ sound. Pay attention to her mouth movements and the breathiness that characterizes the British accent.
  2. Pause and Imitate: Use a shadowing app or shadowspeaks functionalities to pause after each phrase. Repeat what you hear, ensuring you replicate the breathy quality she exemplifies.
  3. Emphasize Diphthong Sounds: Remember that the /eə/ sound combines two vowel sounds, 'eh' and 'uh'. Practice saying "air" with a wide mouth for the first part and a relaxed mouth for the second, focusing on a smooth transition.
  4. Record Yourself: After several repetitions, record your attempts. Then, compare your pronunciation to that of Lucy in the video to identify areas for improvement.
  5. Integrate into Daily Speech: Incorporate the learned phrases into your regular communication. Use them in sentences during your english speaking practice to solidify your experiences.

By consistently implementing these steps, you will enhance your pronunciation skills effectively. Remember, practice makes perfect, and utilizing a shadowing site can make this process much easier and more engaging.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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