Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
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The M consonant. This sound is simply made
by pressing the lips together lightly, mm,
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mm, while making a sound with the vocal cords,
mm, mm. In speech, the teeth may begin to
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part a little in preparation for the vowel
in the word, mm, mm, Mom, map. Pulling the
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lips a bit. Here we see the M consonant sound
on the right compared with the mouth at rest.
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You can see the lips press slightly together.
Here, parts of the mouth are drawn in. The
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M consonant sound is one of the few sounds
in American English where the soft palate
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remains down like the mouth at rest. This
allows air to pass up over the soft palate,
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which results in the sound feeling somewhat
in the nose, which is why it is categorized
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as a nasal consonant along with N and NG.
Sample words: map, hammer, bottom. Sample
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sentence: My mom might come tomorrow morning.
Now you will see this sentence up close and
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in slow motion, both straight on and from
an angle, so you can really see how the mouth
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moves making this sound. Lips press lightly
together for the M in my, open into the 'ai'
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as in 'buy' diphthong. Down again for the
first M in mom, and for the second M in mom.
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01:41
Might, with the 'ai' as in 'buy' diphthong.
Back of the tongue makes the K sound, come.
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Lips together for the M in come. Tomorrow,
teeth closed for the T and the lips together
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for the M. 'Oh' as in 'no' diphthong and together
again for the M in morning. Tongue up to make
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the N, and then the back of the tongue raises
for the NG sound. Lips press lightly together
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for the M in my. 'Ai' as in 'buy' diphthong,
together again for the first M in mom and
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for the second M in mom. Might with the 'ai'
as in 'buy' diphthong. Back of the tongue
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making the kk sound, come. Lips together for
the M in come. Tomorrow. T sound, lips together
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for the M. R consonant sound and the 'oh'
as in 'no' diphthong. together again for the
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M. Morning. Tongue up in the front for the
N and then up further back for the NG. That's
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it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's
English.
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