/ʒ/

LISTEN

/ʒ/…/ʒ/…/ʒ/…/ʒ/

measure…usually…vision…conclusion

WHAT IS IT?

Pronunciation:
The sound /ʒ/ is a voiced, alveo-palatal, fricative consonant.

  • Lightly press the middle of your tongue between your alveolar ridge and your soft palate. The sides of your tongue should lightly touch your back upper teeth.
  • Breathe out and allow air to flow past your tongue.
  • Your vocal cords should vibrate

Spelling:

  • “s”/”si” – usually, vision
  • “g”/”ge” – rouge, genre

Grammar Tip:
The sound /ʒ/ is most common in the suffix “-sion.” This suffix transforms some verbs into nouns. If the verb ends in -ude/-ide/-ode/-ade, -ise, -use, or -vert, the final sound often becomes /ʒən/.

  • -ude/-ide/-ode/-ade: 
    • conclude -> conclusion;
    • invade -> invasion
  • -rt: 
    • convert -> conversion
  • -use: 
    • confuse -> confusion
  • -ise: 
    • revise -> revision

COMPARE

Compare /ʒ/ and /ʃ/:

/ʒ/…/ʃ/…/ʒ/…/ʃ/…/ʒ/…/ʃ/

These are both alveo-palatal fricative consonants. However, /ʒ/ is voiced and /ʃ/ is voiceless.

Practice hearing the difference between /ʒ/ and /ʃ/ by taking the quiz here (external link).

Now, compare /ʒ/ and /dʒ/:

/ʒ/…/dʒ/…/ʒ/…/dʒ/…/ʒ/…/dʒ/

These are both voiced, alveo-palatal consonants. However, /ʒ/ is a fricative and /dʒ/ is an affricate. For /dʒ/, the air in your mouth should stop before being released.

Practice hearing the difference between ​/ʒ/ and /dʒ/ by taking the quiz here (external link).

PRACTICE

Listen and repeat these words:

1. genre
2. beige
3. massage
4. prestige
5. camouflage
6. casual
7. Asia
8. treasure
9. confusion
10. version

11. conversion
12. decision
13. enclosure
14. usually
15. inclusion
16. measurement
17. television
18. erosion
19. invasion
20. casualty

​Now, practice /ʒ/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.

1. usually – television
I usually don’t watch much television.
2. casually – occasion
Should I dress casually for this occasion?
3. collision – explosion
The collision of the two airplanes caused an explosion.
4. measure – erosion
It’s difficult to measure how much erosion has occurred.
5. pleasure – Asia
It was a pleasure to visit my friends in Asia.
​6. decision – confusion
​The president’s decision caused some confusion

To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:

Male – US Midwest (St. Louis)

Male – US Midwest (Iowa)

Male – US Midwest

Female – US Northeast

Female – US Southeast

USE IT

Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.

Prepare:
What do you do on a normal day? Look at the list below. Do you do each activity always, usually, or occasionally.

  • Dress casually
  • Eat a big breakfast
  • Brush your teeth in the morning
  • Ride the bus
  • Have leisure time
  • ​Talk to your family
  • Watch television
  • Spend time with friends
  • Exercise
  • Read for pleasure

Record:
In your recording, describe 2 things you usually do and 2 things you occasionally do. Explain what makes these things more frequent or less frequent.

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©2024, Christine Wingate

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