The Pronunciation of /l/ ET’S TALK ABOUT The Pronunciation of /l/ Gerber Luca

Pronounce these words: Life Could Feel Black Helmet Palm Milk Golf Field Alone Miles Illiterate Calm Walk Spleen Wales Ugly Culture Long Influence Half Apply Albert Legitimate

Put them into groups Dark L Silent L Clear L Milk Field Golf Albert Culture Helmet Feel Miles Wales Calm Could Walk Palm Half Life Long Legitmate Black Ugly Spleen Influence Apply Illiterate Alone

/l/ Has Two Allophones An allophone is a phonetic variant of a phoneme in a particular language The sound is articulated when air passes over the back of the tongue instead of merely alongside the tip of the tongue. While the back of the tongue is high, the center of the tongue dips lower. The tip of the tongue may point upward, but does not necessarily touch the inside of the mouth. The tip of the tongue is placed against the middle of the tooth ridge. The sound is created when air travels alongside the tip of the tongue, between the front of the tongue and the side teeth.

The Hungarian pronunciation of /l/ Láb Száll Lesz Spiritualitás Lék Unalom Beszél Álom Pál Délben Clear L

Dark L l is pronounced with a velar gesture  dark l It sounds as if an [o]-like vowel was inserted before it milk / mɪoɫk / feel / fi:oɫ / [ɫ] may even disappear  l is replaced by a vowel  L-vocalization

Cockney - Homophones Salt Fault Paul’s Walter Sort Fought Pause Water

When is /l/ realised as clear? Life Long Legitmate Black Ugly Spleen Influence Apply Illiterate Alone Before a vowel

When is /l/ realised as dark? Milk Field Golf Albert Culture Helmet Feel Miles Wales Before a consonant End of the word

Does it really matter? Dictionaries do not show the difference between clear /l/ and dark /l/ Life / laɪf / Culture / ˈkʌlʧə / http://www.pronuncian.com/Lessons/Default.aspx?Lesson=144

Let’s practise You old fool, they’ll kill you if you always trouble them! Gerald walked alone till about half past twelve. People are awfully lazy in the middle of July.

ˈθæŋk juː fə jər əˈtɛnʃən