09. [l]

/l/ as in LAMP /læmp/, YELLOW /ˈyɛloʊ/, and POOL /pul/ 

PRONOUNCING /l/

TONGUE TIP: is pressed against gum ridge behind upper front teeth.

AIRSTREAM: is continuous and passes over both sides of the tongue.

VOCAL CORDS: are vibrating.

The sound /l/ in English is similar to the sound of the Spanish letter «l«. 

SPANISH KEY WORDS WITH /l/

Spanish words with this sound are spelled with "l".   

KEY WORDS: linda    lana    calma    falso    malo 

POSSIBLE PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS FOR THE SPANISH SPEAKER

This is a familiar Spanish sound and shouldn't present any difficulty for you in English. LEARN your LESSONS WELL; You WILL say a perfect /l/ ! 

EXERCISE A

The following words should be pronounced with /l/. Pronounce them carefully. Remember «ll» in English is pronounced like l in Linda.

 /l/ At the Beginning  

let /lɛt/ 

leg /lɛɡ/     

live /lɪv/ 

late /leɪt/

last /læst/ 

long /lɔŋ/   

light /laɪt/   

leave /liv/  

learn /lɚn/ 

little /ˈlɪtəl/   

/l/ In the Middle

only /ˈoʊnli/

alone /əˈloʊn/

alive /əˈlaɪv/

hello /hɛˈloʊ/ 

salad /ˈsæləd/

asleep /əˈslip/ 

family /ˈfæməli/

yellow /ˈyɛloʊ/

balloon /bəˈlun/ 

believe /bəˈliv/

EXERCISE B

When l is the last sound in a word, the back of the tongue should be raised higher than for l at the beginning or in the middle of words. In Spanish, "l" is pronounced the same regardless of whether it begins or ends a word. Pronounce them carefully. Be sure to raise the back of your tongue higher in the mouth toward the soft palate.

/l/ At the End

all /ɔl/ 

tell /tɛl/

fill /fɪl/ 

call /kɔl/ 

fool /ful/ 

able /ˈeɪbəl/ 

apple /ˈæpəl/ 

table /ˈteɪbəl/

people /ˈpipəl/ 

trouble /ˈtrʌbəl/

NOTE ABOUT "SYLLABIC /l/": When an unstressed syllable begins with /t/ or /d/ and ends with /l/, the /l/ is frequently pronounced as "syllabic /l/." It is formed by keeping the tongue tip on the upper gum ridge without moving it from the position of the preceding /t/ or /d/.

EXAMPLES: 

paddle 

/ˈpædl/

little 

/ˈlɪtl/ 

bottle 

/ˈbɑtl/ 

saddle 

/ˈsædl/  

idle 

/aɪdl/

noodle 

/ˈnudl/

EXERCISE C

The boldface words in the following phrases and sentences should be pronounced with /l/. Pronounce them carefully. 

telephone call

ˈtɛləˌfoʊn  kɔl

Leave me alone.

liv  mi  əˈloʊn.

lots of luck

lɑts  ʌv  lʌk

Light the candle.

laɪt  ðə  ˈkændəl.

Please believe me.

pliz  bəˈliv  mi.

Learn your lesson.

lɚn  yɔr  ˈlɛsən.

Will you mail the letter?

wɪl  yu  meɪl  ðə  ˈlɛtɚ?

The little girl fell asleep.

ðə  ˈlɪtəl  ɡɚl  fɛl  əˈslip. 

Lucy lost her locket.

ˈlusi  lɔst  hɚ  ˈlɑkɪt

He who laughs last, laughs best!

hi  hu  læfs  læst, læfs  bɛst!