/ä/ - Open Central Unrounded Vowel
Notes:
Features:
- Tongue Position: Central
- Nasality: Oral
- Roundedness: Unrounded
Video Library:
This sound is slightly more OPEN (tongue lower in mouth) and FRONT (tongue closer to teeth) than the vowel sound in the American English words "not", "pot", "hot", and "tot".
There is a strong tendency to CLOSE this vowel (as explained in the next section). Be sure to exaggerate its openness by lowering your jaw as much as possible.
This audio first reviews this Spanish vowel sound and then compares the English and Spanish Pronunciation of the name "Ana." Mimic my pronunciation so that you can feel the difference.
mala [mä.lä], nada [n̪ä.d̪ä], mas [mäs], la [lä], hasta [ä.st̪ä], cama [kä.mä], está [e̞s.t̪ä], boca [bo̞.kä], alcol [äl.ko̞l], pato [pä.t̪o̞]