Pronunciation of consonants at the end of words Ex. 3

34 Questions Suggestions to help distinguish lenis from fortis consonants at the ends of words are: Suggestion 1 : Listen carefully to the vowel before the consonant. The vowel before a lenis consonant is longer than the vowel before a fortis consonant. Suggestion 2 : Listen to the long form of the word see 3.4.4 in order to help clarify whether the final consonant is lenis or fortis. Examples 1a. nab naba ‗gourd‘ b. nap napa ‗earth‘ 2a. tag tage ‗to come‘ b. tak take ‗to see‘ 3a. an ana ‗branch‘ b. an anni ‗I‘ Suggestion 3 : At the end of words, lenis sounds are made in a relaxed way and fortis sounds are made in a tense way. By watching the speaker ‘s mouth, you will get a clue to the identity of the final lenis or fortis consonant. For example, watch the speaker ‘s mouth as he says the word nab ‗gourd‘, and then as he says the word nap ‗earth‘. The b of nab is said with relaxed lips and they barely close at the end of the word. The p of nap is said with tense, tight lips which snap shut. Exercise 3 . Pronunciation of word-final consonants The teacher reads aloud at random one of the following words. Without looking at the book, the student sayswrites whether the final consonant is fortis or lenis. The lesson may be repeated with the student writing down the final letter of each word read by the teacher. Example Teacher: tub Student: lenisb 1. tub ‗ropethread‘ 2. tup ‗island‘ 3. nab ‗gourd‘ 4. nap ‗earth‘ 5. nag ‗foot‘ 6. nak ‗mouth of river‘ 7. mag ‗to paint‘ 8. mak ‗to sew‘ 9. tag ‗to come‘ 10. tak ‗to see‘

4.2.3 Pronunciation of labialized consonants Ex. 4 –7

There are seven labialized consonants: kw, gw, tw, dw, chw, zhw, and mw. These are not considered to be consonant clusters, but rather to constitute single sounds. Kw and gw are fairly frequent, the others are very rare. The labialized consonants only occur at the beginning of a syllable. There are equivalents for most of the labialized consonant sounds in both English and Spanish.

4.2.3.1 Pronunciation of labialized consonants for English speakers 1. kw is pronounced like qu in

‗quietquick‘.

2. gw is pronounced like gu in

‗language‘.

3. tw is pronounced like tw in

‗tweet‘.

4. dw is pronounced like dw in

‗dwarf‘.

5. chw is pronounced like tu in

‗actual‘.

6. zhw is pronounced like su in

‗casual‘.

7. mw does not occur in English, but there should be no difficulty in producing this sound.

4.2 Pronunciation 35 4.2.3.2 Pronunciation of labialized consonants for Spanish speakers In order to find an equivalent to the Kuna labialized consonants, the u in the following Spanish examples must be treated virtually as an onglide, rather than as a full vowel. The onglide sound may be achieved by pronouncing the Spanish examples fairly quickly:

1. kw is pronounced almost like cu in cuarto

‗room‘.

2. gw is pronounced almost like gu in agua

‗water‘.

3. tw is pronounced almost like tu in santuario

‗sanctuary‘.

4. dw is pronounced almost like du in Eduardo

‗Edward‘.

5. chw is pronounced almost like chu in tachuela

‗tack‘.

6. zhw does not occur in Spanish. 7. mw is pronounced almost like mu in muebles

‗furniture‘. Note : The difference between gwa and wa is often difficult for a Spanish speaker to control. For that reason, gwa and wa are drilled in the following exercises. Exercise 4 . gwa versus wa distinction drill The teacher says the list of words inserting either A: ibiwa or B: ibigwa in position 5. The student must say whether choice A or choice B was inserted. The drill should be repeated several times. 1. piawa ‗Where has it gone to?‘ A: ibiwa ‗for what reason?‘ 2. turwa ‗rubbish‘ B: ibigwa ‗how many days?‘ 3. purwa ‗wind‘ 4. tewa ‗perhaps‘ 5. A or B 6. owanma ‗to shivershake‘ Exercise 5 . gwa versus wa distinction drill The teacher says the list of words inserting either A: ibiwa or B: ibigwa in position 5. The student must say whether choice A or choice B was inserted. The drill should be repeated several times. 1. akwa ‗rockstone‘ A: ibiwa ‗for what reason?‘ 2. pukwa ‗to be sitting plural - see 13.4.3.2‘ B: ibigwa ‗how many days?‘ 3. purkwal ‗paralyzed‘ 4. kollogwad ‗yellow‘ 5. A or B 6. chibugwad ‗the white ones‘ Exercise 6 . gwa versus wa distinction drill The teacher dictates a random listing of the words in Exercises 4 and 5 and the student writes whether the word contains a gwa or a wa. Exercise 7 . wa pronunciation drill Practice reading aloud the following words, having the teacher check your performance. 1. wala ‗trunk‘ 2. waga ‗outsider‘ 3. wawadun ‗bananas‘ 4. wanagak ‗door‘ 5. walpa ‗three‘ 6. piawa ‗Where has it gone to?‘ 7. turwa ‗rubbishsweepings‘ 8. purwa ‗windclouds‘