Filipino Languages

Study the whole book, but also pay special attention to the topics outlined below which are the common trouble areas for Filipino speakers of English.

Consonants

Confusing /p/ and /f/

People from the Philippines substitute a /p/ for an /f/ sound. This type of mistake is parallel to the also common /v/ and /b/ confusion, and it requires you to focus on using either two lips or just the lower lip. Be particularly careful with words that contain both a p and an f or when these two sounds are close together as in: perfect, perform, puffy, helpful, full page, and cup of coffee.

The /th/ Sound

Review Chapters Three and Four to learn the correct pronunciation of this sound. A common mistake for native Tagalog speakers is to substitute a /t/ or a /d/ for the th.

Confusing /b/ and /v/

Practice the exercises in Chapter Four. Remember, the /b/ sound requires the lips to be completely closed, with no air coming out, whereas the /v/ sound only involves the lower lip, which touches the upper teeth and creates a vibrating air flow. Be particularly careful with words that contain both a b and v or when these sounds are close together as in: Beverly, November, vibrate, available, I’ve been and very big.

Confusing /s/ and /z/

The s in many English words is frequently pronounced as a /z/ sound. Learn the rules for this pronunciation and refer to the list in Chapter Four, common /z/-sound words. Words pronounced with a /z/ sound include: husband, design, observe, always, and chose.

Words Pairs for Practice

Make sure you say these pairs of words differently:

Confusing sh and ch

Make sure you can pronounce chose and shoes differently. If you feel you need more practice, review these sounds in detail in Chapter Four.

Consonant Clusters

When a word contains two consonants next to each other, make sure that you pronounce both consonants. Review the last section of Chapter Four for further practice.

Words for Practice

Practice the following words with consonant clusters:

1. just
2. act
3. lost
4. hand
5. paint
6. project
7. mixed
8. paint
9. sense
10. desks

Vowels

It is recommended that you study all of the American vowel sounds in detail. (See Chapters One and Two.) However, pay special attention to the vowel sounds highlighted below which are the most problematic ones for Filipino speakers of English.

Words Spelled with o

English words spelled with o are particularly difficult since o is usually pronounced as /ɑ/ as in stop and hot, but it can also be pronounced as /ɘ/ as in love and Monday or even as /ou/ as in so and only.

The /I/ Sound

Pay attention to this tricky short vowel. Make sure you pronounce the words in each pair below differently:

The /ɘ/ Sound

Practice pronouncing the following words differently:

The /Ʊ/ Sound

The /ʊ/ sound, as in good, can also pose problems for you. Make sure you pronounce the words in each pair below differently:

Word Stress

Filipino speakers stress the adjective more than the noun in their native language. In English, the noun is stressed more than the adjective.

Similarly, Filipinos tend to stress the first content word of a phrase or a sentence, whereas in English the last content word gets the most stress.

Other common word stress errors:

Study all of the other rules of word stress in Chapters Five through Eight and practice the exercises over and over.