/h/ as in HAT /hæt/ and BEHIND /bɪˈhaɪnd/
PRONOUNCING /h/
TONGUE: glides into position for whichever vowel follows /h/.
AIRSTREAM: is continuous.
VOCAL CORDS: are not vibrating.
The sound /h/ is similar to the sound of the Spanish letters g before e or i (as in gente or girar) and j (jota) in several dialects of American Spanish. The use of /h/ is most evident in the Spanish of Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia, and Venezuela.
SPANISH KEY WORDS WITH /h/
Spanish words with this sound are spelled with j, g, and sometimes x.
KEY WORDS: jugar mujer gente México
POSSIBLE PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS FOR
THE SPANISH SPEAKER
The Spanish letter h is silent. As a result, Spanish speakers may omit it in English.
EXAMPLES:
If you leave out /h/:
hat /hæt/ will sound like at /æt/
hand /hænd/ will sound like and /ænd/
Since /h/ might not exist in your dialect of Spanish, you might pronounce it with the harsh forceful quality that some Spanish speakers normally use when saying g or j.
This is a very easy sound to produce. Relax your throat and tongue; GENTLY let out a puff of air as if you were sighing! Work HARD and you’ll be HAPPY with /h/!
EXERCISE A
The following words should be pronounced with /h/.
Pronounce them carefully. Remember, let out a GENTLE puff of air as you say /h/.
/h/ At the Beginning
he /hi/
here /hɪr/
home /hoʊm/
how /haʊ/
heat /hit/
hello /ˈhɛloʊ/
who /hu/
have /hæv/
heart /hɑrt/
/h/ In the Middle
ahead /əˈhɛd/
behind /bɪˈhaɪnd/
behave /bɪˈheɪv/
inhale /ɪnˈheɪl/
anyhow /ˈɛniˌhaʊ/
unhappy /ʌnˈhæpi/
perhaps /pɚˈhæps/
inherit /ɪnˈhɛrɪt/
rehearse /rɪˈhɚs/
A less frequent spelling pattern for /h/ is wh.
EXAMPLES:
who
/hu/
whom
/hum/
whose
/huz/
whole /hoʊl/
HINTS:
1. The letter h is silent when it follows g, k, or r at the beginning of words.
EXAMPLES:
ghost
/ɡoʊst/
khaki
/ˈkæki/
rhubarb
/ˈrubɑrb/
2. The letter h is always silent in the words honest
/ˈɑnɪst/, heir /ɛr/, honor /ˈɑnɚ/, and hour /aʊɚ/.
hi /haɪ/
i
/
aɪ
/
EXERCISE C
Pronounce the following phrases and sentences aloud. The boldface words should be pronounced with /h/.
Hurry up!
ˈhɚi ʌp!