2. Replacing /th/ with /s/, /f/, /t/ or /d/

 

Why does it happen?

It's important to note that not all Spanish speakers necessarily mispronounce the "th" sound in English words. However, for those who do struggle with this sound, it is often due to the fact that the "th" sound is not present in the Spanish language, and therefore may not be familiar or easy to produce for native Spanish speakers.

In Spanish, the closest sound to the English "th" sound is the "s" sound, which is produced by placing the tongue against the alveolar ridge (the bony ridge behind the upper teeth) and pushing air through the narrow opening between the tongue and the ridge. This sound is used in words such as "siete" (seven) and "salsa" (sauce).

On the other hand, the English "th" sound is produced by placing the tongue between the teeth and pushing air through the narrow opening. This sound is used in words such as "think" and "this". For Spanish speakers who are not accustomed to making this sound, it can be challenging to produce correctly.

EXERCISES

1. Tongue Twisters!

Try saying these tongue twisters, slowly at first, and once you feel more confident, as fast as you can. 

• Elizabeth's birthday is on the third Thursday of this month. 

• I'm thinking of three thousand, three hundred, thirty-three things. 

• There those thousand thinkers were thinking how did the other three thieves go through?

• Father, mother, sister, brother - hand in hand with one another. They threw three thick things together. 

• There is an earthworm thinking on the path. Here comes another so you do the math. 

• The thirty thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday. 

• Three thin thieves thought a thousand thoughts. Now if three thin thieves thought a thousand thoughts how many thoughts did each thief think?

• I thought a thought. But the thought I thought wasn't the thought I thought I thought. If the thought I thought I thought, had been the thought I thought, I wouldn't have thought so much. 

• Thirty-three thousand thoughtless boys thought they would make a thundering noise. So the thirty-thousand-three thumbs on the thirty-three thousand tree drums. 

• A skunk sat on the thick stump. The thick stump thought that the skunk stunk. The skunk thought that the thick stump stunk. So what stunk, the skunk or the thick stump

2. Voiced and Voiceless th. 

Voiceless th: Place your tongue between your upper and lower teeth, blow air through teeth. The vocal cords do not vibrate. 

Voiced th: Place your tongue behind your upper, blow air. The vocal cords vibrate.

Look at the following words and say them out loud. Do they have a voiced or voiceless th? Sort them out in the two categories. 

thing                             eleventh

thin                               thief

though                          theater

moth                             together

then                              brother

these                             healthy

bath                              leather

mother                          bathe

thick                             breathe

them                             toothbrush

bother                           thumb

mouth                           other

weather                         teeth