University of Jyväskylä
Language Centre
Sounds: ABC, vowels, consonants, minimal pairs, words
Links
Links
Basics/General
- Easton English Pronunciation: The Easton page is a real treasury of pronunciation - you can find information on sounds, phrases (greetings etc.), reduction and stress, just to name a few topics.
- American Accent Training: This page contains only text, but it is very informative. You will learn about intonation (new information, contrast and meaning), word connection and general pronunciation.
- Peter Ladefoged's Books: Vowels and Consonants section contains audio samples of topics ranging from the IPA symbols to talking computers and putting vowels and consonants together. You can also find some video clips, e.g. on how to make English vowels. A Course in Phonetics contains samples of sounds on the IPA chart, British and American vowels etc. You can also read more about phonetics.
Minimal Pairs
- Interlink Online Lessons: The Interlink page contains minimal pair exercises on b/v, r/l, b/p and -ed ending sounds.
- Okanagan University College: Here you can find exercises that focus on th, l/r, i/I, s/sh/ch and v/w sounds. You can listen, repeat, try tongue twisters and do various dictation exercises.
- American English Pronunciation Practice: The site contains 24 minimal pair lessons and quizzes, as well as songs, poems and tongue twisters.
Identifying Problematic Sounds
- Speech Accent Archive: You can listen to samples of English that have been read by speakers from different language backgrounds, and examine the most common problems. You can compare various native speakers to the speakers of your own language, and highlight the problematic parts of the sample.
- Common Errors for Speakers of Other Languages: This page contains only text and tables, but can be useful when you are trying to locate the areas that need developing.
More Links
- ESL
Web Guide: An alphabetical link list with rated links
and short descriptions.
- ESL Language Learning Links: A collection of links that, in addition to pronunciation, cover listening, reading, writing, English for academic purposes, and cultural and practical information.
- English as Second Language: Here you can find lots of links grouped by level and topic, such as listening, sounds and IPA, intonation, minimal pairs etc.