Listening transcript · Episode 53

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Welcome back to The Sound Lab.

I'm Martin.

And I'm Julia.

Today we are working on the engine of English energy.

The J sound.

Martin, why is this sound so essential?

Because without it you cannot tell a joke.

You tell a yoke.

And you cannot just say just.

You say hust or yust.

This episode is going to advance your level of English by fixing one of the most stubborn sounds in the language.

You will start pronouncing more

fluently.

You will sound proper.

And you will gain confidence because you are going to realize that this sound is everywhere.

It does not matter what your native language is.

Our drills are designed for every English student around the world.

But if you speak Spanish, French or Italian.

If you speak Swedish, German or Russian.

Or any European language.

Or even Japanese, Arabic or Farsi.

You are going to feel that this episode was designed specifically for you.

let's step in and enjoy.

Julia, why do I call this the engine sound?

Because it requires ignition.

It is explosive.

To make this sound your tongue must act like a wall.

Listeners, try this.

Put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

Just behind your top teeth.

Press it hard.

Block the air completely.

Now build up pressure behind your tongue.

And finally, release it with a vibration in your throat.

You.

It's like a

jump.

You stop and then you spring forward.

Listening.

Challenge one.

Now relax your mouth.

We are going to test your ears.

I will tell a very short story about a man named Jerry.

Close your eyes.

Count how many explosive J sounds you hear.

Ready?

Jerry just jumped over a giant jar of jam.

He joked that the jam was joyfully juicy, but the judge didn't enjoy the joke.

How many did you hear?

Jerry just jumped.

Giant.

Jar.

Jam.

Joked.

Joyfully juicy.

Judge.

Enjoy.

Joke.

That was 12 explosions in one sentence.

Part two.

The global diagnosis.

Why is this so hard?

Because your native language probably trick us you.

Let's look at the map.

If you are Spanish or Latin American, your brain wants to breathe out.

You turn the J into an Y.

You say just instead of just.

Solution.

Don't breathe.

Block the air.

If you are German, Scandinavian, or Eastern European, your brain wants

to slide.

You say job instead of job.

Solution.

Toughen up.

Make it hard.

If you are French, Portuguese, or Brazilian, you make the sound too elegant.

You say zines like measure instead of jeans.

Solution.

You are missing the D sound at the start.

And for our listeners in China and Japan, you often confuse this with the unvoiced CH or Z.

You might say choke or zoke instead of joke.

Solution.

Touch your throat.

If it's not vibrating,

it's not a J.

Listening.

Challenge two.

Time for another listening test.

This one is tricky.

I am going to speak with a lazy J.

Peter will mimic the common mistake where the J becomes a Y.

Try to translate what I am saying into correct English in your head.

Yesterday, I ate a yellow yelly with a young gentleman.

Did you catch it?

He meant I ate a yellow jelly with a young gentleman.

The Y sound makes you

sound unsure.

The J sound makes you sound confident.

Part three.

The code.

Spelling rules.

Now, before we practice, how do you spot this sound?

It hides in three main disguises.

Disguise number one.

The letter J.

Jump, Job, July.

This is usually at the start of words.

Disguise number two.

The letter G.

But be careful.

This only happens when G is followed by E, I, or Y.

We call this the soft G.

Lichen, General, Giant, or Gym.

Disguise number three.

The letters D, G, E.

You find this at the end of words.

Lichen, Bridge, Judge, Edge.

The D protects the short vowel, but the sound is pure J.

Listening challenge three.

Let's test your spelling detection.

Peter will say a sentence.

It focuses on the soft G disguise.

Listen carefully.

Every J sound here is actually spelled with a G, or D, G, E.

The general crossed the bridge to find the giant ginger cat.

Did

you hear it?

General, G.

Bridge, D, G, E.

Giant, G.

Ginger, G.

No letter J in that sentence, but the sound was everywhere.

Part four.

The pattern practice.

Collocations.

Let's go to the gym.

We will practice ten natural collocations and micro sentences.

We will say each one three times.

Martin starts, I follow, Martin finishes.

We will leave a 1.5 second gap.

Use it to explode the sound.

Just a joke.

Job

interview.

Job interview.

Enjoy the journey.

General manager.

Giant region.

Gym logic.

Knowledge and judgment.

Huge budget.

Major subject.

Schedule the education.

Listening challenge.

Four.

Good workout.

Now relax your jaw.

Here is a riddle.

The answer contains a double

J sound.

Listen.

I am a person who decides who goes to jail.

I wear a robe and hold a hammer.

Who am I?

Think about it.

It starts with J and ends with DGE.

The answer is a judge.

Part five.

The Trap.

Minimal pairs with definitions.

Now we refine your ear and your vocabulary.

We will go through the pairs again, but slowly.

We will define the words so you can connect the sound to the meaning.

will say the pair.

Peter will define them.

I will say the pair again.

Focus on the difference.

Group one.

J versus Y.

Yam.

Jam is sweet fruit on toast.

A yam is a vegetable like a potato.

Jam.

Yam.

Jet.

Yet.

A jet is a fast plane.

Yet means not until now.

Jet.

Joke.

Yoke.

A joke is a funny story.

Yoke is the yellow part of an egg.

Joke.

Yoke.

Jeep.

Yeep.

A Jeep is a type of

car.

Yeep is just a noise, not a real word.

Jeep.

Yeep.

Use.

Juice is a liquid you drink.

Use means to employ something.

Juice.

Use.

Jello.

Yellow.

Jello is a gelatin dessert.

Yellow is a color.

Jello.

Yellow.

Major.

Major is a military rank.

Mayor is the leader of a city.

Major.

Mayor.

Group two.

J versus C.

Joke.

Joke is for laughing.

Joke is when you cannot breathe.

Joke.

Jeep.

Cheep.

Jeep is a car.

Cheep means it costs very little money.

Jeep.

Cheep.

Jug.

Chug.

A jug is a container for water.

Chug means to drink very fast.

Jug.

Chug.

Jill.

Chill.

Jill is a woman's name.

Chill means to relax or be cold.

Jill.

Chill.

Gin.

Gin is alcohol.

Chin is the bottom part of your face.

Gin.

Chin.

Ridge.

Ridge is the top of a mountain.

Ridge means having lots of money.

Ridge.

Large.

Large means big.

Large

is a type of tree.

Large.

Group 3.

J vs. Z or H.

Job.

Job is your work.

Job is not a word in English.

Job.

Raid.

Rage.

Raid is an attack.

Rage is extreme anger.

Raid.

Rage.

Bad.

Badge.

Bad is the opposite of good.

Badge is a pin you wear, like a police officer.

Bad.

Badge.

Sue.

Jew.

Sue is a legal action or a name.

Jew is a person of Jewish faith.

Sue.

Jew.

Pays.

Page.

Pays is when you give money.

Page is a sheet of paper.

Pays.

Page.

Listening challenge 5.

Final challenge.

The trap story.

I am going to tell a story that uses J, Y, and CH.

Your brain will try to mix them up.

Separate them.

Charlie the Chimp ate yellow jam in a cheap Jeep.

That was mean, Martin.

I know.

Let's do it again slowly.

Charlie.

Chimp.

Yellow.

Jam.

Cheap.

Jeep.

That was a workout.

If your tongue isn't tired, you were being too polite.

Remember, English articulation is muscular.

Let's recap with 5 new words.

Try to identify the spelling rule as you say them.

One.

Passenger.

Soft G.

Two.

Adjust.

Silent D.

Three.

Soldier.

The D becomes a J.

Four.

Vegetable.

Soft G in the middle.

Five.

Procedure.

The D U becomes a J.

Excellent work today.

You are not just learning sounds, you are building a

new identity in English.

One that is louder, clearer, and more confident.

If you enjoyed this workout, please write a small comment before you go.

Your comments tell the algorithm that our community is real, active, and growing.

This support is crucial for us to continue creating new episodes every week.

Tell us, is your J sound more of a Y, an H, or a CH?

We want to know where you are starting from.

Your voice and comments will

show us the right path.

Thank you for listening.

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