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Linking with the B /b/ Consonant

 

(Video Transcript)

 

Hi, I’m Julie with San Diego Voice and Accent, and in this video you’ll learn how to link words together using the B consonant.



B /b/ consonant: Stop consonant

The B consonant is a stop consonant. This means that the airflow is stopped somewhere along the vocal tract - somewhere between the vocal cords and the lips. For the B consonant, the airflow is stopped at the lips. 

 

/b/ 

 

Released B /b/: Words

You probably learned to pronounce the B sound like this:

 

/b/, /b/, /b/

 

Notice how my lips open at the end of the sound, and there is also a small amount of air that comes out as I say the sound. 

 

/b/ /b/ /b/

 

This type of B consonant is called a released B consonant. Released means the lips open and a small amount of air is released as you say the sound. This is what a released B sounds like in the word cab.

 

Cab

 

 /b/, /b/, /b/

 

Unreleased B /b/: Words

However, the B consonant is not always fully released, especially when it comes at the end of a word and the next word begins with a consonant, and even more especially when it’s a stop consonant. 

 

In this case, what usually happens is the B consonant is unreleased, meaning the lips come together to make the B consonant, and then the lips stay closed. There isn’t a full release of air at the end. 

 

Here’s what an unreleased B sounds like in the word cab.

 

cab

 

cab

 

Notice how my lips stay closed at the end of the B consonant.

 

cab

 

Linking with B /b/: Consonant to consonant

Now, let’s look at the B consonant in a phrase like cab driver.

 

I’ll say it slowly. Watch my lips as I pronounce the B consonant. Is it released or unreleased?

 

cab driver

 

I pronounced this with an unreleased B consonant. Listen again: 

 

cab driver

 

 It’s not, cab driver, with a released B consonant. It’s cab driver, with an unreleased B. 

 

I’ll demonstrate an unreleased B consonant and a fully released B consonant. Listen closely to the B sound and see if you can hear the difference.

 

cab driver

 

cab driver

 

The unreleased B is more acceptable for linking. The fully released B has too much of a release, and it disrupts the fluency of the phrase.



Linking with B /b/: Consonant to vowel

I’ve discussed how to link with the B consonant when the next word or syllable begins with a consonant...but what if the next word begins with a vowel? Luckily, this type of linking is a little bit easier to imitate. 

 

When one word ends in a B consonant, and the next word begins with a vowel, like in the sentence “The cab is here”, native speakers usually take the B consonant and put it onto the beginning of the next word.

 

So the phrase cab is here is really said like “ca - bis here”.

 

“ca - bis here” 

 

“ca - bis here” 

 

It’s not, cab is with a released B, it’s “ca - bis”, with the B sound placed at the beginning of the word is.

 

Linking with B /b/: Practice

Let’s practice linking words together using the B consonant, and in these examples, the next word will begin with either a consonant or a vowel. Remember that if the next word begins with a consonant, the B sound will be unreleased. If the next word begins with a vowel, the B sound will be moved to the beginning of the next word.

 

I’ll say each phrase three times, and I want you to repeat in the pauses. 



Hubspot

 

Grab a chair 

 

Lab coat

 

Dab of glue

 

Tube riding



I hope you enjoyed this video from San Diego Voice and Accent. Thanks for watching, and enjoy your day!

 

And I'd love to hear from you - contact me to learn how we can work together to perfect your American English pronunciation!

Julie Cunningham | San Diego Voice and Accent Julie Cunningham | San Diego Voice and Accent Julie Cunningham | San Diego Voice and Accent

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