S, Z, Sh and Zh
The hissing and buzzing sounds. Why the s in is and was is really a z, and the zh in television.
/s/ සහ /z/ දෙකේම කට එක වගේ. වෙනස /z/ වලදී උගුර කම්පනය වෙන එක: මැස්සෙක් වගේ "ස්ස්ස්" බස් කරන්න. is, was, has, eyes වල අන්තිම අකුර ඇත්තටම /z/. /ʒ/ කියන්නේ ශ එක බස් කරනවා වගේ: television, usually.
Spelling is the problem here, not your mouth. The letter s is very often a /z/ sound: is, was, has, his, does, these, those, rise, music, easy. If you read the letter, you say /s/, and rise turns into rice.
The buzz test
Put your fingers on your throat and say a long sssss, like a snake. Nothing moves. Now say zzzzz, like a bee. Your throat shakes. That shake is the only difference.
S or Z?
- rice /raɪs/ · rise /raɪz//s/ or /z/
- price /praɪs/ · prize /praɪz//s/ or /z/
- ice /aɪs/ · eyes /aɪz//s/ or /z/
- bus /bʌs/ · busy /ˈbɪzi//s/ or /z/
- His daughter is good at music.
Sh and Zh
/ʃ/ is ශ, and you already know it. Look out for the spellings that hide it: sugar, sure, station, special, machine, ocean, chef.
/ʒ/ is the rare one: say ශ and let it buzz. It comes in words ending in -sion after a vowel and in -sure: television, vision, decision, measure, pleasure, usual, garage (one way of saying it).
Sh and Zh
- sure /ʃɔː/ · sugar /ˈʃʊɡə//ʃ/
- station /ˈsteɪʃn/ · special /ˈspeʃl//ʃ/
- television /ˈtelɪvɪʒn/ · decision /dɪˈsɪʒn//ʒ/
- I usually go by bus. /ˈjuːʒuəli/
Practise with a tongue twister
Sister Suzie's sewing socks for soldiers.
- /s/
- /z/
She sells seashells on the seashore.
- /ʃ/
- /s/
If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
- /ʃ/
- /z/
Quick check
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What is the last sound in was?
Prices always before Avurudu.
What is the first sound in sugar?
Which sound is in the middle of television?
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