1. Adding /e/ in words starting with sc, sk, sp, sn, sl or st

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Why does it happen?

In Spanish, the "s" sound is usually pronounced with a slight aspiration or breathiness, especially at the beginning of a word or syllable. This is known as an "unvoiced" sound, as the vocal cords do not vibrate during its production. On the other hand, in English, the "s" sound is often pronounced without aspiration, and may also be pronounced with a "voiced" sound, which means that the vocal cords vibrate during its production.

When Spanish speakers encounter an English word that begins with an unvoiced "s" sound, they may add an "e" sound at the beginning of the word in an attempt to replicate the breathiness that is characteristic of the Spanish "s" sound. This can result in words like "eschool" instead of "school", or "esport" instead of "sport".

It's important to note that this is not a universal phenomenon among Spanish speakers, and that many Spanish speakers are able to accurately produce the "s" sound in English without adding an "e" sound. Additionally, this is just one example of how differences in the sound systems of different languages can impact pronunciation when learning a new language.

EXERCISES 

1. Sssssss!

Think of a snake, can you hear it hissing? Try to recreate that sound, ssssss, sssss. Now, pronounce this words while emphasizing the /s/ sound at the beggining.

  • scream
  • strict
  • snow
  • scratch
  • spring
  • stripe
  • ski
  • sports
  • slow
  • strong

2. Tongue twisterssss!

Write down all the words you can think of that start with sc, sk, sp, sl or st (not the ones above, that's cheating!). Now, try to create a tongue twister using as many of those words as you can. When you're done with the tongue twister, try to say it as fast as you can. 

Example:

Spencer speaks Spanish with his friend, Spike, at the sporting event in Spain. 

Comments

  1. Linda PinedaApril 12, 2023 at 7:16 PM

    Hi guys, your blog is very good and I liked that you used the mistakes that are the most common in Spanish-speakers learning the target language English also, the exercises are very practical and helpful, in addition I'd suggest you to use more colors, especially where you want to emphasize so that the reader can pay more attention to it as well as underlining and highlighting but everything looks wonderful, good job! Linda Celeste Pineda Trejo..............

    ReplyDelete

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