Section 9: Combined consonants 2
In this section, we look at some combined consonants that often cause trouble for non-native speakers.
They are NH, NG/NGH, KH, and TH
1/ NH
Pronunciation:
To produce this sound, you need to:
- Step 1: Flatten your tongue and spread it inside your mouth
- Step 2: Put the tip of the tongue so that it touches the area just before the teeth
- Now, the NH sound can appear in two places in a word:
- If the NH sound is at the start of the word: Open your mouth and release the air by lowering the tongue from its original position.
- If the NH sound is at the end of the word: Return the tongue to the position in step 2. You must not release the air in this case.
Examples:
- Nhà, Nhỏ, Nhìn, Nhưng
- Kinh, Bánh, Lạnh, Nhanh
2/ NG/NGH
Spelling and writing:
NG and NGH are two variations of the same sound. The difference between them is in terms of writing:
- NGH is used before the 3 letters – I, E, and Ê. It can only stand at the beginning of the word.
- NG is used before all the other letters. It can also appear at the end of a word.
Pronunciation:
While the NG sound exists in English, it only stands at the end of a word. However, in Vietnamese, it stands at the beginning of the word as well, and this is where it causes problems for non-native speakers.
To produce the NG sound, you need to:
- Step 1: Open your mouth a little.
- Step 2: Raise the back of your tongue so that it covers as much of the throat as possible.
- Now, depending on the position of the NG sound in a word, the next step differs:
- If the NG sound is at the start of the word: Gradually lower the back of the tongue and let the air flow out.
- If the NG sound is at the end of the word: Return the tongue to the position in step 2. You must not release the air in this case.
Examples:
- Nghe – Nghề – Nghĩ
- Nga – Ngủ – Người
- Mong – Mắng – Mừng
- Ngang – Nghiêng – Ngóng
3/ KH
KH is a difficult sound, as it does not have an equivalent in English. KH only appears at the beginning of a word.
Pronunciation:
Think of the “snoring” sound you often hear. To produce this sound, you need to:
- Use the back and sides of your tongues to block most of your throat, leaving only a very narrow passage for the air to escape.
- Do not use explosive force. Release the air slowly only, or you may be producing the C/K sound.
Examples:
- Không, Khá, Khí, Khế
- Khổ, Khách, Khinh, Khao
4/ TH
Pronunciation:
The TH sound in Vietnamese is a mix between the TH and the T sound in English. To produce it, you need to:
- Put the tip of your tongue right behind the upper teeth. Do not stick it out between your teeth.
- Lower the tongue as you open your mouth and let the air flow out slowly.
- Do not use explosive force, or you will be making a T sound.
Examples:
- Thỏ, Thu, Thôi, Thế
- Thư, Thành, Thích, Thầy
Let’s have some practice :
LUYỆN TẬP 1:
LUYỆN TẬP 2: