ENGLISH SPEECH SOUNDS - THE SOUND MASTER SONG

[Intro — spoken]
Okay, English sounds!
Vowels, consonants, diphthongs too!
Stress, syllables, intonation—
Let's learn them all through music!

[Verse 1 — VOWELS]

Vowels are sounds with an open way,
Air flows freely when we say.
No complete blockage, no friction strong,
That's the basic place where vowels belong.

Pure vowels stay steady, one sound all through,
Monophthongs—that's their name, remember too.
Short vowels and long vowels, learn them well,
Length can change the sound we tell.

Short vowel sounds, listen and say:
/ɪ/ in ship, /e/ in bed today,
/æ/ in cat, /ʌ/ in cup,
/ɒ/ in hot, /ʊ/ in book,
And /ə/ is schwa, weak and light,
It often appears in an unstressed syllable.

Long vowels take a little more time:
/iː/ in sheep, /ɑː/ in car,
/ɔː/ in thought, /uː/ in food,
/ɜː/ in bird—that sound is good!

[CHORUS]

Sounds, sounds, English sounds!
Listen carefully, don't get confused!
Vowels, consonants, diphthongs too,
IPA helps us know what's true.

Open mouth for vowels,
Block or narrow for consonants,
Glide from one vowel sound to another—
That's a diphthong, understand it!

Sounds, sounds, English sounds!
JAMB and WAEC, we're ready now!
Hear it, say it, learn it, know it,
When the question comes, you'll show it!

[VERSE 2 — DIPHTHONGS]

A diphthong starts with one vowel sound,
Then glides to another as it goes around.

/eɪ/ like face, /aɪ/ like time,
/ɔɪ/ like boy—the sounds can rhyme.
/əʊ/ like go, /aʊ/ like now,
Six common glides—remember how!

/ɪə/ like near, /eə/ like hair,
/ʊə/ like tour—some accents vary there.
The important thing is movement and glide:
Two vowel qualities in one syllable ride.

[PRE-CHORUS]

One steady sound? Monophthong!
Two vowel qualities? Diphthong!
Three vowel qualities gliding through?
Triphthong—now you know what to do!

[VERSE 3 — TRIPHTHONGS]

Triphthongs have three vowel qualities,
Gliding smoothly in one syllable's journey.
They may sound like three vowels together,
But they're pronounced as one syllable altogether.

Words like fire, hour and player may show
Gliding vowel movements as the sounds flow.
English accents can make them sound different,
So listen carefully—that's important!

[CHORUS]

Sounds, sounds, English sounds!
Listen carefully, don't get confused!
Vowels, consonants, diphthongs too,
IPA helps us know what's true.

Open mouth for vowels,
Block or narrow for consonants,
Glide from one vowel sound to another—
That's a diphthong, understand it!

[VERSE 4 — CONSONANTS]

Consonants are made when airflow is blocked,
Or narrowed down, or stopped and unlocked.
Different places, different ways,
That's how consonant sounds are made.

Stops or plosives: /p/ /b/ /t/ /d/,
/k/ and /g/—say them with me!
Fricatives make friction in the air:
/f/ /v/ /θ/ /ð/ /s/ /z/ are there.
/ʃ/ in ship, /ʒ/ in measure,
/h/ in house—learn them at your leisure.

Affricates begin with a stop,
Then friction follows—don't let it drop!
/tʃ/ in chair, /dʒ/ in judge,
Remember those sounds—they won't budge.

Nasals let air pass through the nose:
/m/ /n/ /ŋ/—there the nasal group goes.

Approximants make a smoother flow:
/l/ /r/ /j/ /w/—now you know!

[VERSE 5 — VOICED AND VOICELESS]

Put your fingers on your throat,
Feel the vibration as you note.

Voiced sounds make the vocal cords vibrate,
Voiceless sounds don't—remember that trait.

/p/ and /b/ are a pair,
/t/ and /d/ compare.
/k/ and /g/ stand side by side,
/f/ and /v/ have voiced on one side.

/θ/ and /ð/—think of them too,
/s/ and /z/—a voiceless and voiced duo.
/ʃ/ and /ʒ/ make another pair,
/tʃ/ and /dʒ/ are also there!

[REPEAT — RAP STYLE]

P-B!
T-D!
K-G!
F-V!
TH—voiceless, TH—voiced!
S-Z!
SH-ZH!
CH-J!
Hear the difference, make the choice!

[VERSE 6 — PLACES OF ARTICULATION]

Where is the sound made?
That's the place to know.

Bilabial means both lips:
/p/ /b/ /m/—that's the trip!

Labiodental uses lip and teeth:
/f/ /v/—say it underneath.

Dental means the tongue meets the teeth:
/θ/ /ð/—feel them beneath.

Alveolar: tongue near the alveolar ridge:
/t/ /d/ /s/ /z/—that's where they reside.
/n/ and /l/ join the group,
And /r/ can vary by accent too.

Post-alveolar comes just behind:
/ʃ/ /ʒ/ /tʃ/ /dʒ/ you will find.

Velar sounds use the back of the tongue:
/k/ /g/ /ŋ/—now we've begun!

Glottal sounds come from the glottis:
/h/ is the one to notice.

[CHORUS — SHORT]

Place tells WHERE,
Manner tells HOW,
Voicing tells WHAT—
We're learning now!

WHERE, HOW, VIBRATE!
Three things to investigate!

[VERSE 7 — MANNER OF ARTICULATION]

Plosives stop the air, then release,
Fricatives make friction—piece by piece.

Affricates stop, then friction comes,
Nasals send air through the nose.

Approximants narrow without much friction,
Laterals let air flow around the tongue's position.

Remember the question:
"How is this sound made?"
Think of the manner—
Then the answer is displayed!