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  • In this American English Pronunciation video,

  • we're going to learn how to make the NG consonant sound.

  • To make this sound, the jaw drops a little bit.

  • Ng-- The lips part and the back part of the tongue

  • stretches all the way up to the soft palate.

  • The tongue tip is forward.

  • Because the soft palate is lowered, air comes up through the nasal passages.

  • This makes it a nasal consonant.

  • You can feel the vibration in your nose.

  • Ng--

  • There are only 3 nasal sounds in American English.

  • Nn-- Ng-- Mm--

  • Let's study it up close and in slow motion.

  • A relaxed, lowered jaw.

  • Since this sound is made at the back of the mouth,

  • it's hard to get a clear picture of it.

  • The tongue lifts in the back while the tip stays down and forward.

  • The word 'ring'.

  • The tongue lifts in the back, while the tip stays down and forward.

  • Lips are relaxed.

  • The word 'along'.

  • Since the tongue is low for the vowel before, it's easier to see the tongue lift in the back.

  • And now, it's lifted in the back with relaxed lips.

  • The word 'finger'.

  • Again, the tongue lifts in the back while the tip stays down and forward.

  • This sound can occur in the middle or at the end of a word in American English,

  • but not at the beginning.

  • The NG consonant.

  • Ring.

  • Along.

  • Finger.

  • Example words.

  • Repeat with me.

  • Anger.

  • Ng-- Anger.

  • Song.

  • Ng-- Song.

  • Wing.

  • Ng-- Wing.

  • English.

  • Ng-- English. Single.

  • Ng-- Single.

  • Beginning.

  • Ng-- Beginning.

  • This video is one of 36 in a new series, The Sounds of American English.

  • Videos in this set will be released here on YouTube twice a month,

  • first and third Thursdays, in 2016 and 2017.

  • But the whole set can be all yours right now.

  • The real value of these videos is watching them as a set, as a whole,

  • to give your mind the time to take it all in and get the bigger picture.

  • Most of the materials you'll find elsewhere just teach the sounds on their own in isolation.

  • It's a mistake to learn them this way.

  • We learn the sounds to speak words and sentences, not just sounds.

  • Move closer to fluency in spoken English.

  • Buy the video set today!

  • Visit rachelsenglish.com/sounds

  • Available as a DVD or digital download.

In this American English Pronunciation video,

Subtitles and vocabulary

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