Learn the IPA: Difference Between [i] and [ɪ]

Find me here: My school: Facebook: Verb Tense Ebook: VIP WhatsApp Group: Beginner’s English (Spanish Speakers): --------------------------- I don’t get it! They both look like I’s. Sarah get back here right now and help me with this video! Fine, I’m back. Are you done? Are you done? Hey everybody, what’s up? It’s Kristina and welcome back to my channel. Isn’t it our channel now? No, because I don’t know if I’m going to keep you in these videos yet. You irritate me. Whatever. Anyway, Sarah and I are going to explain the difference between 2 different IPA - or International Phonetic Alphabet - symbols today. The long /e/ and the short /i/ or “ih” sound. This video was highly requested on my Facebook page where I frequently do short pronunciation videos, you can check out that link in the description box below. And, of course, if there are any other IPA symbols then leave it for us in the comments below so that we can make a video about them. In the meantime, let’s begin today’s lesson. Okay so do you understand now? Even though one looks like a lower case I and the other looks like a capital I, neither of them actually makes an “ai” sound. Fine, I get it now. I swear, the IPA is so confusing. Good luck explaining that to your English students. For the last time, you can’t say “IPA”. It’s the I-P-A. You have to use the letters, it stands for “International Phonetic Alphabet”. Okay, the I-P-A. The alphabet with international sounds and stuff. Yes, you can use it to understand how a word should sound in any language without actually having to hear someone pronounce it. But still, it’s like learning another language. That’s why we’re making this video, Sarah. Got it! Alright, first, let’s talk about the /e/ sound. Even though it looks like an “i”? Good luck! Yes, it does look like an “i”, but it’s pronounced as /e/. You can hear this sound in words like “easy”, “cheat”, “teacher”, “here”. Like if we say, “It’s easy to cheat when the teacher isn’t here.” Really? Are you serious right now? Now you’re actually going to be smart? What can I say? I have my moments. Your tongue should also be tense, high, and far forward, almost touching the roof of your mouth. /E/ eee. Eee. You see? It’s easy. Sure, now tell them about the other IPA symbol that looks like an “i”. I-P-A, Sarah. I-P-A. The other IPA symbol is the short i or “ih” sound. Which also looks like an “I” by the way. Yes, but it looks like a capital I, so it’s easy to distinguish between the two symbols. If you say so. As I was saying, this sound can be found in words like “still”, “sick”, and “quit”. Like, “This IPA stuff makes me feel sick, so maybe I should quit.” Actually, I was thinking that YOU still make me sick, so maybe YOU should quit. Can’t, I re-signed the contract, remember? What, now you learn the word? A week after I try to teach you? Really? Oh my God, is this video over yet? Help me with these word pairs first if you don’t want me to kill you. Alright, what have we got? I’ll read the long /e/ word first, you read the short /i/ word after me, okay? They both look like i’s. Okay, Sarah, read the word with the capital “I” symbol, okay? Here are a few words to help you differentiate between these two sounds. Leave. Live. “Ih”, “ih”, “ih”, live. I wish I could do that all the time. So, notice the difference in the shape of Sarah’s mouth here. For the long /e/, in my mouth, you can see that my lips are pulled back into almost a smile and they’re also very tense, whereas in Sarah’s mouth for the short /i/ in “live”, you can see that her lips are much more relaxed. What just happened? Don’t worry about it. Ready? Uh, sure. Feel. Fill. Beat. Bit. Okay, can I go now? They have lipstick on sale at the mall and I really don’t want to miss it. Please do! Okay, great, bye! And feel free to quit anytime! Alright, everyone I hope you enjoyed learning about the differences between the “eee” and “ih” sounds, and yes, Sarah is right that both of these symbols look like an “I”. Wait, wait, I was right? And you’re actually recording this? Oh, my God! Remember to let me know in the comments below if there are any other IPA symbols that you find challenging, and if you haven’t already subscribed to the channel, you can do that by clicking this button right here and make sure you also check the links in the description box, we’ve got ebooks, we’ve got VIP groups, we’ve got courses, you name it. I hope you all have a beautiful day, I love you all so much and I will talk to you all my next video. --------------------------- learn American English pronunciation International Phonetic Alphabet تعلم اللغة الإنجليزية الأمريكية الأبجدية الصوتية الدولية