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  • The two TH consonant sounds. These sounds are paired together because they take the

  • same mouth position. Th is unvoiced, meaning, only air passes through the mouth, and th

  • is voiced, meaning you make a sound with the vocal cords. To make this sound, the very

  • tip of the tongue comes through the teeth, th, th, thanks, th, th, this. The rest of

  • the mouth remains relaxed. For the THR consonant cluster, the lips will begin to move into

  • position for the R while the TH is being made. Three, three. In some cases, these sounds

  • will be replaced with a similar sound, when the tongue does not quite come through the

  • teeth. Instead it presses against the closed teeth. This will happen in an unstressed word

  • only, when there isn't enough time given to the word for teeth to part and the tongue

  • to come through. For example, 'What's in the car?' What's in the car? The tongue isn't

  • coming all the way through the teeth. Here we see the TH sound on the right compared

  • with the mouth at rest on the left. And with parts of the mouth drawn in. The soft palate

  • is raised for this sound. You can see the tongue through the teeth, just the tip comes

  • through. The TH consonant sounds. Sample words: thin/this, thief/these, birthday/worthy. Sample

  • sentence: I thought of using these Lily of the Valleys rather than those thorny roses.

  • Now you will see this sentence up close and in slow motion, both straight on and from

  • an angle, so you can really study how the mouth moves when making these sounds. I, with

  • the 'ai' as in 'buy' diphthong. Thought, tongue tip through the teeth, TH, thought. 'Aw' as in 'law',

  • tongue up to make the T which is a D here, thought of. Using, the 'ew' as in 'few' diphthong.

  • These, tongue tip through the teeth. Lily of the Valleys, tongue up in the L position,

  • comes down, 'ih' as in 'sit', back up for the second L, lily, of, bottom lip up for

  • the V sound, and again for the V sound of Valleys. Tongue up for the L, that was an

  • L, not a TH. Rather, lips take the R consonant shape, and the tongue comes through the teeth

  • again for the TH, one more time quickly for than. Those, 'oh' as in 'no' diphthong, and

  • again for thorny, thorny roses, R consonant shape, 'oh' as in 'no' diphthong. Teeth together

  • for the Z sound, then part slightly for the schwa, and together again for the final

  • Z sound. And now from an angle. I thought, tongue tip through the teeth, tongue up to

  • make the D sound, bottom lip up for the V. Using, with the 'ew' as in 'few' diphthong.

  • These, tongue tip through the teeth.

  • Teeth together for the Z sound and tongue up to make the L. Lily, up again for the second

  • L. Lily of, bottom lip up for the V. And you don't even seen the tongue for the TH there

  • because it's so quick. Of the Valley, Valleys. Rather, mouth takes the R consonant shape

  • and the tongue tip comes through for the TH. Rather. The tongue tip comes through quickly to

  • make than and those, than is very short there. 'Oh' as in 'no', teeth together for the Z

  • sound. Thorny, tongue through the teeth for the TH, tongue up to make the N, roses. R

  • consonant shape, teeth together for the Z sound, part for the schwa, and together again

  • for the Z sound. That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.

The two TH consonant sounds. These sounds are paired together because they take the

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