Hello!  And welcome to Chat ENG – a podcast where people chat about how they learn and use English.  My name is Sam, I’m a CELTA teacher and a performer, and I have a particular interest in pronunciation and expression.   

In each episode, non-native and native speakers will chat about their experiences with English, share their advice and, at the end, I’ll give some pronunciation tips for you to take away and practice.  

So – ready?  Let’s get Chat ENG!

This episode, I’m chatting with Lars.  Lars is originally from Australia – he’s a Business English coach and a Porsche enthusiast – watch out for his YouTube videos!  We met online and had a few glitches – I think it was either the weather or some building work…not sure – but nothing that got in the way of the chat too much! 

 We chatted about ‘Nativizing’ your English, switching your brain on, and strategic chit-chat, but I started by asking Lars to tell me a little bit about himself…

 INTERVIEW 

Top tips from Lars = Turn the subtitles off when watching TV and switch your brain and tongue on before speaking English.  Professional athletes warm up before an event, so why shouldn’t you warm up before speaking English?  TV, podcasts, chats with colleagues – these are all great ways to prepare!

So – this episode’s pronunciation tip is Lars’ tip when making the difference between the ‘s’ and ‘ʃ ' (sh) sounds, or – as Lars says, between a smile and a kiss!  As discussed in Episode 1, English sounds are produced in the front of your face and involve both your lips and your tongue a lot!  

 Let’s practice the / ʃ / sound first.  Tell some noisy people to “Shhh!”. Notice how your lips come forward, maybe in the shape for a big kiss!.  Now, move to tell the noisy people “Shhh! Silence!”  Notice – what do you lips do? What does your tongue do?  

 Your lips might not change from a kiss to a big smile, but they should move back to a more neutral position… while, the tip of your tongue should move to be behind your top front teeth for the ‘s’ sound.  To exaggerate this movement, make the ‘s’ longer = “Shhh! Sssssilence!”.    Now we have a feel for the 2 positions, I have 3 sentences for you to practice:

First = sure (meaning ‘certain’) and sore (meaning ‘painful’).  Both an / ɔː / sound.

Try this sentence:  Are you sure you’re not sore? 

Next = shock (a scare) and socks (covers for your feet!).  Both an / o / sound.

Try this sentence: It was a shock to see your socks!

 
Finally = Same (meaning ‘equivalent’) and shame (meaning ‘embarrassment’).  Both an /aI / sound. 

 Try this sentence:  We feel the same shame…

Final practice = how about a tongue twister!  

 Let’s start slowly:  “She sells sea shells on the sea shore”. We go from = ʃ– s – s –ʃ – on the – s - ʃ!

Tricky!! But you can do it!  Don’t make too much of a difference between your / ʃ / and your /s/ faces here.  They’re actually quite small movements.  Repeat the sentence a few times, trying each time to go a little bit faster….  “She sells sea shells on the sea shore”

Over to you to practice!

 So there we are!  The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s webpage, so take a look!  

 Join me next time for more pronunciation and grammar tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting!

 My thanks again to Lars and, for her music, a massive thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle.   Bye for now!