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Mastering The "TH" Consonant Digraph in English: Sound Notes

The document discusses the "TH" consonant sound in English. It notes that there are two versions of the /th/ sound - a voiced version and an unvoiced version. The voiced version uses vocal cord vibration, like in "this", while the unvoiced relies only on air through the mouth, like in "theater". It provides tips for practicing the sounds, including saying them slowly, using mirrors to check mouth position, feeling for puffs of air, and incorporating games to make practice fun.

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91 views

Mastering The "TH" Consonant Digraph in English: Sound Notes

The document discusses the "TH" consonant sound in English. It notes that there are two versions of the /th/ sound - a voiced version and an unvoiced version. The voiced version uses vocal cord vibration, like in "this", while the unvoiced relies only on air through the mouth, like in "theater". It provides tips for practicing the sounds, including saying them slowly, using mirrors to check mouth position, feeling for puffs of air, and incorporating games to make practice fun.

Uploaded by

Kate
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Mastering the “TH” Consonant

Digraph in English
Sound Notes


If you listen closely, the /th/ sound in the English language is


really used in two distinct ways, creating two separate sounds.
Even though both versions of the /th/ sound are produced with
the same mouth position, the voiced /th/ uses the vocal cords to
amplify the sound, such as in “this”, “then”,and “though”. The
unvoiced /th/ sound relies only on the air passing through the
mouth and the teeth, resulting in softer /th/ sound in words like
“theater”, “thought”, and “thank”.

To make either sound, place the very tip of your tongue lightly
between your teeth and blow air through. This naturally makes
the unvoiced /th/ sound. Add your voice, the vibration of your
vocal cords, to create the voiced /th/ sound. The /th/ sound is one
of the trickiest sounds to learn, especially the voiced version.

Practicing speech sounds on your own, at home can be a fun and


rewarding activity that helps to stimulate articulation, improve
speech, and target trouble spots in your pronunciation. Here are
some tried-and-true tips from English speech experts to help your
child at home and in conjunction with professional guidance:

▪ Verbal Cues
Begin practicing a single sound by saying it slowly and clearly a
few times.This helps you understand what sound to focus on.
Practice the sound by itself until you are able to master it. There
are some great youtube channels that focus on the TH sound. Feel
free to listen to these native speakers saying the sound. Then,
gradually add vowels to form simple syllables: “the, the, the”, “tho,
tho, tho”, “thu, thu, thu”. Try changing the position of the sound
as well, such as in “eeth, eeth, eeth” or “ath, ath, ath”,to see where
in a word you will be most comfortable with the sound and where
they have more trouble using it. Sometimes recording yourself
during this exercise and listening to your efforts yields excellent
results!

▪ Visual Cues
The way we position our mouths to make the /th/ sound is
completely visible, which really helps people to understand what
is happening to produce the sound. Without making the sound,
place the tip of your tongue between your teeth. A mirror is great
for this activity, so you can check your reflection to make sure you
look like the native speaker example. The screen shot keyboard
shortcut is a great way to freeze helpful videos and try to match
your own face to the native speakers’.

▪ Tactile Cues
When the air is pushed through the mouth to make the /th/
sound, a little puff of air results right in front of the lips. In
addition to checking the mirror for the accuracy of your mouth
position, also put your hand slightly in front of your lips to feel
this small blast of air to make sure you are doing it right. To
transition from the unvoiced /th/ sound to the voiced/th/ sound,
feel your throat as you make the voiced /th/ sound. Feeling the
vibration of the vocal cords is a distinct tactile marker for us to
know if you are correctly producing the voiced sound, and to tell
the voiced from the unvoiced. Have a loved one feel your throat
during this exercise to see if they can feel the vibration.

▪ Awesome /th/ Activity


To make practice fun and relevant for yourself, incorporate games
and rewards into the experience. For example, while driving by
yourself in the car, you can practice asking yourself aloud: “What
do you think this thing / that thing is?” Reply to your own
question:“I think this thing is…” and fill in the blank in English.
This sentence, full of /th/ sounds, helps you practice by repeating
the TH sound several times in a row. Use your imagination!

For more information visit:



https://www.chicagospeechtherapy.com/how-to-teach-the-th-
sound-by-chicago-speech-therapy/

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