MiniPod: W vs J Pronunciation Practice

W vs J Pronunciation with Janice Petersen

Source: SBS

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Join Janice Petersen and practise the difference between the sounds J /ʤ/ and W /w/. These minipods are a fun and simple way to improve your pronunciation.

Key Points

Learning Objectives: can pronounce /ʤ/ and /w/ sounds
L1 Influence: /ʤ/ can be difficult to pronounce for Arabic, Vietnamese, Swedish, and German speakers while /w/ can be difficult to pronounce for Mandarin, Swedish and German speakers
Text: Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag "You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”. Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda "You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me" And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag "You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".
Minimal Pairs : /w/ war weep wet - /ʤ/ jaw jeep jet

SBS Learn English

will help you speak, understand and connect in Australia.

This lesson suits all learners at all levels.

Transcript:

(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)

A famous Australian song called Waltzing Matilda is a traditional Australian song.

The words were written by a famous Australian poet called ‘Banjo Paterson’ and for a short time it was even Australia’s national song.

This is a great song to practice pronunciation with. Today we’re going to focus on two sounds that many learners find tricky.

The /w/ in ‘waltzing’ and the /ʤ/ in ‘jumbuck’.

A waltz is a type of dance, and in the song the phrase ‘waltzing Matilda’ means walking around with everything you own on your back.

The word ‘jumbuck’ is an old slang word for sheep.

Let’s start with some word pairs to see if you can hear the difference between the /w/ and /ʤ/ sounds:

war and jaw
weep and jeep
wet and jet

They may sound similar, but we make these sounds in very different ways.

You make the /w/ sound by moving your lips together as if you are going to whistle.

Your tongue should be in the centre of your mouth and your teeth shouldn’t touch.

Try practising this sound by repeating these words after me:

war
wet
weep
waltzing

The /ʤ/ in ‘jumbuck’ is made in a different way.

You need to move your tongue so that the front tip touches the roof of your mouth, just behind the hard ridge.

Your teeth should only be slightly apart and the corners of your lips are in, but not closed.

You then build up air and release your tongue to let the sound out.

This sound is voiced so you can feel the vibration in your throat.

Try holding the sound for a long period to get the tongue position and the mouth shape right.

Now if you’re ready, try it with me by repeating these words:

jar
jet
jeep
jumbuck

How about we give it a try with some song lyrics?

Let’s start with the part of the song that talks about the jumbuck. Listen for the /ʤ/ sound in ‘jumbuck’, ‘up’ and ‘jumped’. You’re welcome to repeat after me:

Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong

Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee

And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Here’s the part of the song that has the /w/ sound. You can say it with me if you like:

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"

And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Let’s hear how some other learners are doing, who is with us today?

SBS Producers

Hi Janice!