2 tricky vowel sounds in British and American English - AH and UH

Hi everyone, I’m Vicki and I’m British.

야들아 안뇽. 난 비키야 난 영국 할매다.

And I’m Jay and I’m American and this video is long overdue.

난 재이다. 난 미국 할배다.비디오 좀 기한이 오래 됨.

Why is it overdue?

왜 기한이 오래 됐죠??

I’ve been slow.

내가 좀 느려.

A year ago, we made a video about how we both pronounce 'can' and 'can’t' in English.

일년전에 CAN 그리고 CAN'T 동영상 만들었는데 여어발음 말야.

It was nearly two years ago.

아따 벌써 2년이나 됐네..ㅋㅋ

We say the negative word 'can’t' differently.

우린 부정정인 단어인 CAN'T 다르게 말해.

She means can’t.

Can’t.

Can’t.

Sometimes when Jay says it, I don’t understand him.

가끔씩 이 영감탱구가 말할때 나 못 알아 먹어.

I don’t want you to see.

아이고 못 봐 주겠네.

I can’t see.

Oh well let me try again.

다시 해보자.

Why?

왜?

I can’t see?

안 보이는디?

Do you mean you can or you can’t see.

보인다는 뜻이유 안 보인다는 뜻이유?

I can’t see.

안보여 이 할마탕구야.

That video was very popular.

이 동영상 엄청 인기야..

But in the comments a lot of you said you had a problem.

댓글엔 당신한테 문제 많데.

Yes, a lot of people didn’t want to say can’t the British way in case they say 'beep'.

영국 발음 지랄같애....그래 많은 사람들이 말하지.허허...삐이입

Oh, I said a rude word.

아이고 쌍스런 말이여.

Lots of people are worried about that.

많은 사람이 그런거에 걱정을 해.

They don’t want to sound rude Some of you told us you say 'cannot' instead.

음 캔낫 이라고 해라.

That’s clear, but it sounds strange.

맞네.맞네...근데 좀 이상혀.

Cannot is more frequent in written English.

CANNOT 을 더 자주 쓴다.글에선

We don’t say it much when we’re speaking.

말할땐 별로 안써...욕 같이 들리거든ㅋㅋㅋㅋ.컨트? 보??

It sounds stilted.

소리가 좀 찌그러 졌어.

You don’t want to sound formal and strange.

So what we need to do is work on the vowel sound – the AH sound.

자 모음 소리 들어보자. AH

That way you can say it confidently.

자신있게 말해 닌 할수 있다이.

And make sure you don’t get it mixed up with UH.

UH 이랑 안 헷깔리게

This is going to be useful for pronouncing lots of words, and good for your listening too.

이거 발음 잘 하면 너 잘써먹을 수 있지롱. 듣기도 좋아.

So where should we start?

어디부터 시작할꺼나?

I think we should look at what’s causing the problem in the first place.

자 첫장으로 가서 뭐가 문젠지 봐야 될것 같은디.

Too many English vowels.

영어 자음 디게 많다.으아악.

We have five vowels in the English alphabet, but we pronounce them in different ways, so

모음 5개 있는디.발음이 다르당께..

we have lots of vowel sounds.

모음 소리 존나 많아.

When I was learning Japanese there were just five vowel sounds.

일본어 배울때 거기도 5개 모음 있더라.

It was pretty easy.

이거 좀 쉬워.

Spanish is another language that has five.

스페인어도 5개야.

If your language has fewer vowel sounds than English, of course it’s going to be difficult

니 모국어가 모음이 몇개 없으면.영어는 어려워. 글타고 쫄지마 .본래 영어는 지랄 같거든.

to hear and say the English ones.

자 영어 소리 들어보고 말해보자.

You have to train your ear and learn to move your mouth muscles differently.

귓구녕부터 뚫어야 되는거 알지? 입 뒀다 뭐할래?

We have twelve pure vowel sounds in English and we’re going to focus on two that are

12가지 모음 소리가 있지만 ... 두가지 소리에 집중할거다.

very similar.

존나 비슷하거.으메-

I thought it was eleven sounds.

이거 11가지 같은디..

Ah.

앗따.

No.

아니랑께

In American English there are eleven, but in British English we have twelve.

미국은 11개. 영국은 12개.영국 만세.

Really?

진짜유?

Yes, there’s one you don’t say.

할바탕구 모르는 소리가 하나 더 있지.

What’s that?

그게 뭐유?

o, like in the word lot.

오 비슷한 소리랑께.

We’ve made another video about that.

다른 동영상에 찍을거여.

But we’re focusing on two other vowel sounds today: AH and UH.

오늘은 AH.UH만 초점을 모아서 해보자이.

So you can say can’t and not 'beep'.

해보슈.CANT

Ah I did it again.

아따 다시 했네.

So let’s look at these sounds.

자자 봅시다.

AH…

아

This is the sound I make when Vicki gives me a foot rub.

할마탕구가 내 발 문지를때 이 소리 냈어.

AH.

아

You wish.

아이구 주책이여.원하슈

And what about UH?

UH 소리는 어떳슈?

That’s when I’ve made a mistake. UH!

실수 했을때 그라는구만.UH

AH.

AH

UH.

UH

AH.

AH

UH.

UH

AH.

AH

UH.

UH

AH.

AH 입 놔뒀다 뭐할래?

UH.

UH..

AH is a longer sound.

AH는 길일게에에

AH.

AH

And with AH there’s a little more jaw drop.

AH는 뚝주가리를 좀더 벌려.

AH.

AH

And you press your tongue down a bit at the back.

혓바닥 내리고 좀 뒤로 .

So when your jaw goes down your tongue goes down too.

턱주가리도 내리고 혓바닥도 내려봐.

And there’s a little tension in your tongue.

혀를 살짝 탱겨봐.

Now the other sound, UH.

UH 소리 해본당께.

This is a shorter sound.

이건 짧은 소리여.

Your tongue is completely relaxed.

혀 풀어라.

UH.

UH

And your jaw is a little higher.

턱 주가리 좀 들고

Say the sounds with us.

자 따라해라잉.입 닥치고 있지말고

AH.

AH

UH.

UH

AH.

AH

UH.

UH

Now we need some words to practice.

연습이 필요하구먼

This is where it gets tricky because sometimes we use these sounds in different words.

이거 살짝 기술이 있는디. 우리 딴 소리로 낸다잉.

It’s an American and British English difference.

미쿡이랑 영국이랑 다르당께.

So let’s start with a different vowel sound.

딴 소리 해보자.아이구 배고파.

Aaaa.

AAAAAA

Here are some words that we both say with Aaaa.

우리 둘다 AAAAAA.

Can, bag, sad, man, fat.

Can, bag, sad, man, fat.

So we both said the vowel sound Aaaa there.

AAAAAAA

But there are other words where Jay says Aaaa and I say AH.

우리 둘이 낸 소리 알아묵겠냐

Can’t, aunt, past, laugh, class, after.

Can’t, aunt, past, laugh, class, after.

Did you hear the difference?

다른거 귀구녕에 넣었어?

I said AH and Jay said Aaaa.

난 AH했고 영감탱구는 AAAAA

And then there are other words where we both say AH.

같은 아하 했는데 그런 단어들이 좀 있다이

Father, father, llama, llama, calm, calm, bra, bra.

I think your vowel sound was a little longer than mine.

아이구 당신 소리가 좀 더 긴거 같구려 나보다

Maybe.

아마도

We both said AH, but perhaps your AH was a little shorter than mine?

같은 소린데 당신 소리 내꺼보다 좀 짧아.

What do you think?

어떻게 생각하슈?

Let’s try some more.

더 해 봅시다.아이고 빠리 하고 밥 먹으러 갑시다.

Dark, dark, barn, barn, march, march, cart, cart.

Our vowel sounds were the same again but our R sounds were different.

모음은 같은데 알 소리는 달라.

Yeah.

아이구 그라요오.

I’m from just north of London in England, and we don’t pronounce our Rs in these words.

북런던 사람은 알 소리 안혀.

There are parts of the UK where people do, but most people don’t.

영국에서도 몇군데는 하는디.거의 모두는 안혀

We’ve made another video about that.

딴 동영상 찍는다이.그건

OK.

아따그래

Now there’s another group of words where you say AH, but I don’t.

다른 그룹 단어 보자. 근데 난 안 낸다 그런 소리

Doll, doll, fond, fond, lock, lock, hot, hot, gosh, gosh.

Did you hear the difference?

다른거 들었냐?

I said AH – gosh.

AH GOSH라구 말했잔슈

But you didn’t.

아닌디

No, I used the other extra vowel sound that we have in British English.

아이구 가는귀가 먹었나 나 딴 소리 냈다구요

The twelfth vowel sound.

이기 이기 12번째 그 소리구마.

It sounds so British!

아따 영국 시럽구마

It’s just what we say.

이기 이기 우리가 말하는 방식이랑께

But let’s recap so far.

다시 해보꾸마잉

There are some words where I say AH and Jay doesn’t, and some words where we both say

할바탕구가 안 내는 소리가 난 낸다잉.

it, and some where Jay says it and I don’t.

할바탕구는 내는디 난 안내

OK.

그러구마잉

But what about the other important sound.

근디 단거 중요한 소리 있나

We need to look at UH.

UH 봐야지이

Yes.

그려

UH is more straightforward because we both say this sound in much the same words.

UH 는 수월혀 .우리 소리도 똑같혀

Cup, cup, hut, hut, luck, luck, love, love, come, come, dull, dull.

So UH is a shorter sound and you need to keep your tongue relaxed.

혓바닥 긴장 풀고 짧게 혀봐

Let’s compare UH with AH now.

자자 UH AH 비교해 보꾸마

See if you can hear the difference.

보잉단가?

Cart cut, carp cup, dark duck, barn bun, calm come.

Hot hut, lock luck, cot cut, fond fund, doll dull.

If you find it hard, you’re not alone.

어렵지? 니만 그런거 아니지다잉

Yes, it’s tricky.

이것도 방법이 있다잉

It’s about small movements of the tongue and the jaw.

턱 주가리 조금 움직이더라고

It just takes practice, but you’ll get it. Now, do we have any sentences?

연습해야겠구마. 맞는 문장이 있을랑가?

Yes.

있구말구

I’ve got one for you to say and one for me to say and you can try saying them with

딱 맞는게 있당께. 같이 해볼자이 우더이랑

us.

우리랑

Your one has UH sounds.

UH 해보슈

OK.

알았슈

'Don’t be unhappy, love.

아이구 불행해 지지 마슈 .요 귀염둥이

Come to lunch with me and let’s have fun!'

점심이나 들러 갑시다요. 즐겁게

OK, my one has AH sounds.

AH 남았당게

'I can’t meet you after class because I’ll be in the bath.'

아따 담엔 담 수업엔 못 만나겠네. 나 목욕하러 갈꺼여

You mean the bath.

목욕 말이슈

And that’s it for today everyone.

오늘 여까지여.

If you’ve enjoyed this video please give it a like and share it with a friend.

재밌었는가 잉 좋아요 꼭 눌러누른다고 손꾸락 안 짤린당 글고 두루두루 돌려봐라잉

See you all next Friday.

금용일날 보좌잉

Bye Bye-bye.

우리 밥 묵으러 갈꺼여.아 배고파