1. Pronunciation of consonant sounds: /ʃ/ /ʧ/ /Ʒ//dƷ/
A) The sounds /ʃ/ & /ʧ/
Listen to the teacher and notice the difference in the pronunciation of wash / watch:
a) She’s going to wash.
b) She’s going to watch.
Both sounds are voiceless
The sound /ʃ/ is voiceless. It is pronounced with the tip of the tongue drawn back toward the palate. The
tongue is grooved, the lips are pushed outward, and the teeth are close together.
The sound /ʧ/ is voiceless; its pronunciation is almost the same as for /ʃ/. However, in pronouncing the
first part of this sound, the tongue tip touches the tooth ridge, thus giving the impression that /ʧ/ begins as
a /t/ and ends as a /ʃ/.
Exercise:
Listen to the teacher and decide which one you hear:
mash match
leash leech
shoe chew
wish witch
shop chop
share chair
sheep cheap
B) the /Ʒ/ sound
The sound /Ʒ/ is voiced. It is pronounced with the tongue and lips in the same position as for /ʃ/.
This is the sound you find in the word leisure.
Other examples:
measure treasure pleasure / division television conclusion / casual
Underline the syllables with the sound /Ʒ/.
It is also common in words of French origin:
genre rouge prestige courgette
Exercise
Practice the following sentences. The sounds /ʃ/ and /Ʒ/ are both included. Take turns to read the
sentences aloud to a friend and check the pronunciation. Identify the syllables containing these sounds.
a) I go fishing occasionally.
b) It’s a pleasure to take a cold shower.

2. c) Did you measure the shelf?
d) He washes the dishes occasionally.
e) You should make a final decision.
f) I like leisure of social activities.
g) The boy was sharing his treasures.
h) They were measuring the fish
C) The sounds /Ʒ/&/dƷ/
Both sounds are voiced
Learning to hear and say the difference between /dʒ/ as in "virgin" and /ʒ/ as in "version", depending on
what your first language is, can be difficult. More specifically, if your first language is Spanish, French,
Korean, Chinese, Japanese or German, you may be confusing these two sounds.
How to Pronounce /dʒ/ as in "June" and "agent".
Tongue: Press the tip and the blade (front edge) of your tongue against the gum ridge (bump on the roof
of your mouth). Press firmly. (The sides of the tongue should be touching the side teeth.) Stop the air flow
completely until the pressure builds up and then release your tongue tip quickly as you vocalize..
lips: Protruded slightly. (Forward, pushed outward)
Exercise: Please listen and repeat /dʒ/:
/dʒ/... /dʒ/
The difference between /dʒ/ and /ʒ/
The main difference between these consonants is that for /dʒ/, we stop the air flow completely using our
tongue tip. Our tongue tip presses up against the gum ridge, stopping the air for a split second. /dʒ/ is a
"stop consonant." For /ʒ/ on the other hand, the air flows continuously over the tongue tip. It is a
"continunant consonant."
The words are exactly the same except that the first contains the consonant /dʒ/ and the second
contains the consonant /ʒ/.
Listen and repeat,paying careful attention to the differences in tongue postion and air flow.
/dʒ/ /ʒ/
ledger leisure
virgin version
legion lesion
pledger pleasure
Exercise: Listen and repeat the following sentences.
These sentences contain words which are very similar in pronunciation. Listen carefully for the
difference in the consonant sounds /dʒ/ and /ʒ/
Listen and repeat,paying careful attention to the differences in tongue postion and air flow.
agent ... Asian
My agent booked an Asian airline.
message... massage
I got your message about the massage.