Speak American English with the Proper Pronunciation of the “G” Sound

Knowing English or a Foreign Language
When we think of learning English or learning a foreign language, invariably we are inferring the ability to speak the language first and foremost. Indeed, if someone says “I know Spanish”, for example, we almost automatically think that the person means they can speak Spanish. Later, if the need arises, we may improve our skills in reading and writing in English or the foreign language we are learning, but first we must speak and pronounce it with some degree of skill and fluency.

Pronouncing the “G” Sound
In pronouncing the hard "G" sound as in go, get, girl, give, gate and gut - the sound is produced by releasing a full glottal stop at the beginning of the sound. This example shows a learner with her thumb and forefinger at the throat / jaw junction external to the glottal area. The back of the tongue is pressed against the upper rear palate. Sound is produced by suddenly releasing air from the lungs through this region. In phonetics, this is referred to as a full glottal stop.

“G” Sound Pronunciation Word Lists
The following short lists of words have the hard “G” sound using a full glottal stop in the initial word segment, then in the medial segment of the word and finally at the terminal segment of the word.

Go, good, goal, gain, gale, gab, get, guild, guilt, gold, and gone

Magma, muggy, bigger, beggar, boggy, foggy, figgy, baggy and jiggy

Mug, mig, big, beg, bog, fog, fig, jig, jug, hug, bug, bag and hag

Watch the Video Example
This “G” sound pronunciation video gives an example of speech aspects in American English pronunciation. Watch and listen as I direct this EFL learner through a “G” sounds pronunciation list. Then try the pronunciation for yourself if you’d like. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=pvBYL4D1NdQ


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 80 countries. Get your FREE E-books,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.