English Language Writing Skills

By Danso Kwasi Nti Samuel (DAS). Study the complete course source, examine every model and practise alongside Professor Jarvis.

Course printed page 30 PDF page 36 of 505

For tables, matching columns, IPA and original formatting, open the course PDF above.

Mansa: Nice examples! Now, let’s talk about nasals and affricates. Nasals are made by

blocking airflow in the mouth and letting it pass through the nose. For instance, /m/ is made

by closing both lips, as in "moon," "some," and "ham." For /n/, you block the airflow with

the tongue against the alveolar ridge, like in "net," "nine," and "pen." The /ŋ/ sound,

produced by blocking airflow with the back of the tongue against the velum, can be heard in

"song," "long," and "wing."

Esi: Exactly! And for affricates, /ʧ/ and /ʤ/, which start as plosives and release into

fricatives. For /ʧ/, the airflow is stopped at the alveolar ridge and then released into a

fricative sound. Examples include "cheese," "chip," and "watch." For /ʤ/, it’s the same

process but with vocal cord vibration, found in "judge," "juice," and "bridge."

Appiah: Great work! Let’s listen to these sounds in context. In "The green mangoes," the

/ŋ/ in "mangoes" and /m/ in "green" are nasals. Similarly, in "She enjoys chess," the /ʧ/ in

"chess" and the /ʤ/ in "enjoys" are affricates.

Ata: Perfect examples! Finally, let’s consider how these sounds blend in connected speech.

Nasals often blend smoothly, as in "Can anyone help?" where the /n/ in "can" blends into

the /a/ in "anyone." Affricates, like in "Watch the big match," keep their distinct sound but

influence the rhythm, with /ʧ/ in "watch" and /ʧ/ in "match" creating a rhythmic pattern.

Mansa: Exactly. This blending and rhythm are crucial for natural-sounding speech. It helps

us become more fluent and accurate in our pronunciation.

Esi: This was really informative. I think understanding these sounds better will definitely

improve our pronunciation.

Appiah: Agreed! Thanks for the great discussion. Let’s practice these concepts more to get

comfortable with them.

Ata: Definitely! Looking forward to our next study session. See you all soon!