Unit 17: Post-alveolar Fricatives

Post-alveolar fricatives with rounded lips and air friction.

Уроки

/ʃ/Sound /ʃ/Слов: 6 /ʒ/Sound /ʒ/Слов: 6 /ʃ/vs/ʒ/Pair /ʃ/ vs /ʒ/Слов: 12

Unit 17: Post-alveolar Fricatives /ʃ/ and /ʒ/

This unit covers the two post-alveolar fricatives of English: voiceless /ʃ/ as in shoe, fish, nation, and voiced /ʒ/ as in measure, vision, garage.

Place of articulation: The tongue tip is raised toward the area just behind the alveolar ridge (the bumpy part behind your upper teeth), creating a narrow channel through which air flows with audible friction.

Lip shape: Both sounds are produced with slightly rounded, slightly protruded lips — almost like a small kiss shape. This rounding deepens the resonance and gives the sounds their characteristic dark, hissing quality.

Key difference:

/ʃ/ — voiceless (vocal cords do not vibrate)
/ʒ/ — voiced (vocal cords vibrate)

Spellings to recognize:

/ʃ/: sh (shop), ti (nation), ci (special), ssi (mission), ch (machine), su (sure)
/ʒ/: s (measure), si (vision), ge (beige), zu (azure)

Note: /ʒ/ is the rarest consonant in English — it almost never starts native English words.