Vajra load

[Sharon Bowman]

'Moose'

Problem with this is that it isn't pronounced "oo" but rather "y" (well, in the phonetic doohickey).

Round your lips to "O" and say "ee."

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

Round your lips to "O" and say "ee."

OK, I've tried this at home by myself, but now I want to see the whole class try it together.

 

[MLipton]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

'Moose'

Problem with this is that it isn't pronounced "oo" but rather "y" (well, in the phonetic doohickey).

Round your lips to "O" and say "ee."

...or just say [

 

[Sharon Bowman]

Ah, yet as I hear it, is in French (like buf or ufs) (equiv to German sterreich). Or as I once read, for Anglophones, a British "girl." (Guuuuuhhhhl.)

 

[Claude Kolm]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
Ah, yet as I hear it, is in French (like buf or ufs) (equiv to German sterreich).

When I began studying German, it improved my French accent immensely. (OTOH, I always smile when I hear French people speaking German -- the accent, while charming, just doesn't go with the language (but that's because of the consonant-related sounds).)

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
a British "girl." (Guuuuuhhhhl.)

 

[Ian Fitzsimmons]

Deft.

 

[MLipton]

originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
Ah, yet as I hear it, is in French (like buf or ufs) (equiv to German sterreich). Or as I once read, for Anglophones, a British "girl." (Guuuuuhhhhl.)

Now we're getting into fine differences, winegrrrl. Yes, I hear the resemblance between and u, but I also advise those Merkins who are attempting to speak the German language (as opposed to the relatively simple task of reading it) to approximate the as a long e spoken through rounded lips. It works well in my experience, though it won't fool a native. It's also true, though, that changes its sound as one proceeds from Norddeutschland down to quasi-Romantic Bayern (and then into sterreich and Schweiz, even moreso). That goes double for the sound of "ch" BTW.

All of this brings me back to your original point: if "ee" with an "O" mouth doesn't produce the same sound as u (and, by extension, ) what does it sound like? Is it closer to (which also has its regional variation)? I'm now thoroughly cornfuzzled.

Mark Lipton

 

[Sharon Bowman]

Hm, I don't think our / sounds alike.... I wouldn't make a long "e" sound to produce it, but I can't quite say what that sound is as it comes out. It's [] (which, I have just learned, is not the same as []; difference between "uf" [] and "sur" [sʁ]).

The French "u" [y] is closer to the German .