The way he pronounces short "o" sounds exactly correct to me. I know others short "o" sounds like "aw" to me and I guess this is called cot/caught merger. Where I'm from most people say short "o" like this guy. When I hear others who have the cot/caught merger it sounds funny to my ears. like it sounds like they have an "aw" instead of an "ah" Like vodka, condom,Knowledge,Mom,God,a lot, all sound to me like Vawdka, cawndom,Knawledge,Mawm, Gawd, a lawt. However I think that the cot/caught merger has influenced me subtly as I say some words like frog, and log with the "aw" sound and I'll hear others have more of an "ah" sound from where I'm from (Northern new York) For me frog,log,hog and dog do not rhyme with jog,bog, egg nog, or soggy for me it is Frawg,lawg,hawg, and dawg and jahg,bahg,egg nahg, sahggy.
Do merged people really gravitate to "aw"? In my experience, they seem to go toward "ah". Listen to this girl for example: watch?v=79_By_7Yxhk&feature=youtu.be&t=77 The words are stocking, stalking, cot, caught; but she's saying "stocking, stocking, cot, cot". It sounds like she might be pronouncing stocking and stalking _ever so slightly_ differently.
Native speaker here. But this is the 1st time I have ever really heard the difference between cot & caught. You do such a wonderfully awesome job of explaining how the sounds are formed!
kkkk I'm from the Great Lakes region, too! (Superior to the north and Michigan to the East). What is REALLY interesting is you can find SO many variations of these sounds in SO many areas of the US. There is no "right" way at the end of the day!!
I was raised in Western Canada so I pronounce cot and caught the same. My wife and I once met a couple from Chicago while hiking in Sedona, Arizona who told us about the "nice rocks" they had seen... except I heard it as "nice racks" and wondered which trail THEY'D been hiking on.
Jan Kat lol. Really funny story! I'm from Ontario and I pronounce caught/cot the same as well. This video seems to be for American pronunciation of words.
Thanks for explaining the cot/caught difference to this Canadian. They're both "aw" for me, except "father" which has an "ah" sound. I think many English people would hear "cot" while many Americans would hear "caught" when I say either one. As for "caht" (your "cot"), I've only heard it from Americans and in the media, where it usually means "caught"... It's like linguistic musical chairs! What a mess, haha.
The short O seems like so much work! I live in Vermont, so our accent doesn't distinguish between short and long O. Cot and caught are essentially indistinguishable.
I'm in Ontario, Canada, and I just learned about the cot-caught merger. I don't know if I ever used the short o in my speech ever, and it's eerie to think that there are many English speakers in America who are using a sound that I never even realized is part of our language!! edit: huh, but i see now that I definitely do pronounce father more 'a' like than any other on the list, and Todd and god somewhat more 'a'-like, certainly much more 'a' like and less deep than the long 'aw' words.
In UK English, cot and father have two different vowels. But yes, in American English they are the same. It's also useful to note that in parts of America, like the west coast, short o and aw are pronounced the same as well.
Yes, the short 'o' must be 'o', not 'a'. In British English, the short 'o' is 100% 'o' but in American English, it is blended between 'o' and 'a', it sound a half of 'o' and a half of 'a'
He’s from Wiscansin I think. I’m British and his “cot” sounds almost like my “cat” and his “caught” sounds exactly like my “cot” (maybe slightly more closed). I would write his “cot” as /kat/ and his “caught” as /kɔ̞t/.
Yes! In some parts of North America! But the standard American pronunciation according to Merriam Webster and Random House dictionaries...I didn't check others~ cot = /kɒt/ caught = /kɔt/ father = /ˈfɑðər/ The bigger debate is the difference between ɑ versus ɒ. Even linguistics have a hard time distinguishing those two!
I love the cot/caught merger, it's one less vowel sound to worry about, although I noticed I tend to pronounce words with either sound inconsistently. I usually say "body" with /ɑ/, since I'm used to it soundinɡ like an /a/ for me. But I say "law" with a very clear /ɔ/ sound. It must be the spellinɡ...
@@Macalafit a "merger" is when two different sounds in one dialect become the same in a different dialect, in specific contexts. "Cot" and "caught" are originally pronounced with different sounds: caught is /kɔt/ (the vowel is "aw", like in "law") and cot is /kɑt/ (the vowel is "ah", like in "father"). However, many people in the US and Canada say these two words with the same vowel, /ɑ/ ("ah"): it's as though the two vowels have "merged" into the same one, hence the name. But why "cot" and "caught"? These are just easier to compare. Think of these as categories of words. There are "cot" words, such as "pop", hot", "top" etc, and there are "caught" words, such as "bought", "walk", "dog"... This merger affects most, if not all of these words. Shane, for example, doesn't have this merger, as "cot" and "caught" don't rhyme for him. But for many other people they do, and I find this very fascinating. I hope this helps.
Woooww! @@roggeralves94 English phonetic is actually wide! Of course your input helped me a lot to "catch it" better. I'm a latin, self taught English learner, so I'm still struggling to tell and make the short sounds. You caught my attention whit the "sounds" and symbols framed in slashes; is that a phonetic method/technique? How do I search for it? I'm determinated to improve my english skills!
@@Macalafit sure, just look for IPA (the International Phonetic Alphabet) and also "English Phonology" on the Internet, you'll find plenty of resources. I'm not a self taught English learner, but I also natively speak a Romance language (Brazilian Portuguese), so that makes two of us. Greetings!
@roggeralves94 Muito interessante a sua observação. Em português temos a vogal /ɔ/ como em pó, voz, cipó, bola, tapioca, ótimo, etc. Pra mim é muito difícil ouvir a diferença entre /ɑ/ e /ɔ/, aos meus ouvidos esses sons são muito similares. Eu já conversei com uma americana que entende de fonética e fonologia e expliquei pra ela que como na minha língua materna só tem a vogal /ɔ/ é mais fácil pra mim usá-la em todas as minhas palavras em inlgês em vez de /ɑ/, e ela disse que como esses dois sons são muito similares não vai faze diferença, pois eu vou ser compreendido do mesmo jeito. O contexto na maioria das vezes vai ajudar. Tanto é que eu fiz uma experiência, pronunciei a palavra father como /'fɔ ðer/ em vez de /'fɑ ðer/e body /'bɔ di/ no lugar de /'bɑ di/ e ainda sim ela conseguiu me entender. Outra coisa interessante é que a vogal /ɑ/ realmente soa muito parecida com a vogal /a/ como em chá do português principalmente em algumas palavras dissílabas como FAther e BOdy por exemplo.
You are not alone! Many people in the northwestern part of the US pronounce them the same, too. But the "standard American" accent is very different. Here are IPA spellings: kɒt (cot) .... kɔt (caught). Good luck^^
At 4:17, you can hear his peculiar pronunciation of right. The diphthong is raised, exhibiting Canadian raising (of course, this isn’t strictly limited to Canadian speech).
First column: pronounce it with Explosion of consonant sound before "short u" sound. It looks like C-at, T-T_ach, ST-T_af. The main thing is explosion of first sounds before vowel: do not let your air comes out from your throat easily. Your lungs should make pressure of air, but air stops in the throat(like you under the water when you dive). Then release throat and sound K-Kat will jump from your mouth. Second column: I just change the tone of sound, make it high pitched sound and more longer. Also your mouth should be more wider. Your head is bending a little bit forward like something heavy lays on top of your head(on your crown) Third column: This sound seems very easy. The sound from your throat is going to top of your head. I hear this sound between my ears, in this area. Sound is long. Intonation same as in Estonia, Finland or Latvia(if somebody hears these people :-) )
Thank you. I actually found this video when I was trying to find out what the difference is between "cot" and "caught" for people who haven't been caught in the cot-caught merger, since I already have been. It seems we both say "caught" the same, but "cot" is really different. It sounds almost, but not quite, like you're saying "cat." It's hard to describe, really. Funnily enough, I thought it would be the other way around.
@@calincucuietu8220 Kind of all over due to my father being in the military. I'd probably go with Arizona, Alaska, or Texas as to where I would have started talking/reading.
Very interesting, it really illustrates the cot/caught merger for me. I have never heard anyone in my area pronounce 'cot' in that manner, though your pronunciation of 'father' and 'God' is more than recognizable from American movies.
If you all think this guy's short-o sound in cot makes it seem as if he were saying cat, you should hear what I - and other folks who grew up around the Great Lakes - sound like when we actually say cat.
I think his short o is the /a/ of the /ai/ (long I) diphthong. (More central than the aw sound). I haven’t read much on it, but I always assumed the short o and aw merger was between the British short o (open and all the way to the back) and the aw as in father sound. This is the first time I’ve seen someone take short the opposite direction, making it more forward.
This guy must be from the Great Lakes area, because his "cot" sounds almost like my "cat" and his "caught" sounds almost like my "cot." The "aw" in my "caught" is much more pronounced. BTW, I'm from Baltimore but I also grew up in Boston and Detroit.
As a native English speaker I can tell you that this guys pronunciation of the "o" sound is weird as can be. It sounds like "cat" to me. Like it doesn't sound like how we do the "o" in English. The way he pronounces the "aw" sound is the "o" sound. This video would be very confusing for a non-English speaker I think.
+Raymond Whatley He's actually saying it correctly. There's currently a shift in the english language right now that is merging the short o and the au sounds together. Making the word "cot" and "caught" sound exactly the same. Look it up, it's called the "Cot-Caught Merger". Older generations tend to say it the correct way... well maybe calling it correct is wrong, linguistics is weird.
Yes, that merger is happening, but his short o sound is nonetheless too close to a short a sound. He was overaccentuating the difference which made it just sound weird.
The way he pronounces short "o" sounds exactly correct to me. I know others short "o" sounds like "aw" and this is called cot/caught merger. Where I'm from most people say short "o" like this guy.
I was raised in PA. That pronunciation of cot sounds horrible to my ears. It's like you're from Boston and you started to say car, but decided halfway through you really wanted to say cat.
That's the way the vowel sounds from Western New York state clear through to Wisconsin. Including the cities of Rochester, NY; Buffalo; Cleveland; Detroit; Chicago; and Milwaukee. If anything, the speaker is underplaying the sound.
Thank you very much, coach! These sounds and a difference between them (especially between cut and cot) are the hardest part of my pornuciation adventure so far. I'd like to note also, that the same sound from different (native) speakers sounds differently, and it doesn't make things easier :) BTW, is the offer of a recording review still valid?
I specifically looked this up in order to hear somebody pronounce "cot" and "caught" as distinct vowel sounds. It sounds incredibly strange to my ears. The dialects of North America are fascinating.
me ha encantado tu video, gracias, eres muy didactico, es la metodologia que a mi me permite asimilar la clave de la pronunciacion, gracias por compartir tu tiempo y conocimiento. I likeeeee, thank you
In the US there's such a thing as the "cut-caught" merger, so you are not alone!! But for people who do distinguish (most Americans), it can be confusing!
Could you please explain the "Low back merger" (where /ɔ/ and maybe /ɒ/ become /ɑ/) and the "Weak vowel merger" (where unstressed /ɪ/ and maybe /ʊ/ become /ə/)? I'm learning to pronounce words in American English (in general), so I focus on the most standard/common pronunciations, but it's very difficult to know what they are, various dictionaries differ from each other and I think the main conflicts are based on these two mergers, the rest is usually consistent. So far my understanding is that in General American English (or Standard American English) people pronounce /ɑ/ instead of /ɔ/ (and they use /ɔ/ only in /ɔɪ/ and /ɔɹ/), and that /ɪ/ and /ʊ/ in unstressed syllables should be pronounced as /ə/, but I really don't know.
Wordreference uses the British pronunciation. If you check the audio of the two words clicking on "UK" you may notice that the vowels are completely different.
Thanks for great lesson! But why in "god" and "dog" the "o" character pronounced differently? Is there some special rule, or this is an exclusion from rules?
Thank you Coach Shane! I can't pronounce short-u & o sound. I'm still practicing for years. I'm not your any members could I send you a video? THANK YOU AGAIN!
As an American (from the Great Lakes region), "cot" sounded very strange to me the first time he said it, since I pronounce them both as "caught." It was actually kind of difficult to even make that sound.
I've found out that...It depends, IN the beginning there were 3 ways, one for father one for caught and one for cot. Depending where you are from, today you can speak father as the same as in cot, or even cot as the same as in caught etc. Anyway, Both are right, it just depends where you from, as I'm from BRAZIL...I have no american accent, I have a WEIRD accent, So I'll probably sound weird anyway HAHAHA. Thanks for helping me with that!!Happy new year!!
hi thanks for the video, can i pronounce "vol" in volcano and volume the same as "all" as an example of the cot caught merger? also can i pronounce dawn the same as don(name)? thank you
@@coachshanesesl thank you so much. and on collins dictionary the phonetics for all is "ɔl", yet phenetics for "vol" in volume and volcano is "vɑl". can I think of "ɑ" and "ɔ" as the same sound in these words due to the cot caught merger even though dictionaries use different symbols "ɑ" and "ɔ" ? thank you so much
This is why I ALWAYS tell my members to NEVER use the IPA spelling. It's a MESS. Even for the word TALK you will find SO MANY different symbols. The IPA was great BEFORE the internet. Now, with the internet, I highly recommend you NOT use that archaic system.
@@coachshanesesl I totally agree with you which is why I prefer the google dictionary. (if you put any word+define in google there is a built in dictionary). However on that dictionary the phonetics for "vol" in "volcano" and "volume" is "väl", yet for "all" is "ôl", can I just think of "ä" and "ô" meaning the same sound in this case due to the cot caught merger even though the symbols look different? thank you for your patience with my questions.
I'll say it again!! IPA is an "ancient" system with many flaws. It was good BEFORE the internet. But the internet has KILLED IPA! I really hope you STOP trying to spell "pronunciation". Just listen to native speakers!!
This is not the cot caught merger. A pre "cot caught" merger would pronounce the "cot" like "for". This version of cot and the rest of the "short o" are being pronounced by this teacher with the same sound as apple. This is generally not how English speakers or the dictionary pronounce these words. Most Canadians and at least half of the American population, by recent studies incorporate the "cot caught" merger which would make all the sample words in the middle and right rows (short o / aw) sound the same. English is confusing.
How he says Todd sounds like tad to me, "I would like a tad of mustard on my hotdog." How does he differentiate cat and cot, or tad and Todd? He should acknowledge that for HIS region, these are how words are pronounced to his ESL students. I'm from Ontario with a mother from France. I am fully bilingual having gone to school in Ontario my entire childhood in English but spending my summers in France since the age of two. So I tutor French to children and I find that many anglophones want me to teach their child "European" French since they believe this is my accent, as opposed to Quebec French that they teach in most French immersion schools here. I always inform them that my accent is unique and that one cannot call one accent more 'proper' over another. My accent changes according to who I've been around most lately in either language. So I let them know I try to teach the closest to "standard" French that one will find when listening to the news for example in either France or Quebec and that we should enjoy the many types of accents from North Africa to La Martinique, to Montreal, to Nouveau Brunswick to Marseille.
As Norwegian native speaker and certified tram driver, I'd say: Excellent point! In the end, it's all down to dialects and sociolects as there are no such thing as a globally "correct" way of saying Todd. I find it quite odd/awdd that the uploader does not make a point about it. Differentiating between "cot" and "cat" can be a pain in the neck, but a good rule of thumb is: if it slips away and says "meow", don't put your child to sleep on it.
I must say these videos are for people (like me) who are learning from scratch and with all those bad comments I get really confused , since none of you have a channel explaining how to do it right , let the teacher do his job. You people don’t waste your time making fun of the way he explains it, instead, if you all know how to say it. Haters are gonna hate.
IKR? That's why English is so hard to learn. Not only is there American English, Canadian English, British English, Australian English and many other varieties, but there's a lot of little differences even among native speakers of one variety depending on the region they grew up in. Not only that but every native speaker tends to think of their accent as 'accentless' and so when they teach English to foreigners, they might unconsciously teach what they believe is the standard (but which might actually not be the case). I'd say that Coach Shane's accent is very typical of the Great Lakes and East Coast regions of the US, but honestly pronouncing both cot and caught the same (kawt) is more common imo.
I'm confused. When he says "cot" it sounds like he is saying "cut" to me. I can't hear any difference in the way he says "cut" and "cot". I pronounce cot land caught exactly the same.
Typical northern inland accent. No cot caught merger and the short o sounds very extreme compared to other American dialects. Great Lake regions have this unique dialect. Can't be found in other parts of North America
I'm genuinely confused.. I pronounce cot and caught the same I don't use any of the short o sounds and I never have most vowels are like the aw oh well😂
The way he pronounces short "o" sounds exactly correct to me. I know others short "o" sounds like "aw" to me and I guess this is called cot/caught merger. Where I'm from most people say short "o" like this guy.
When I hear others who have the cot/caught merger it sounds funny to my ears. like it sounds like they have an "aw" instead of an "ah"
Like vodka, condom,Knowledge,Mom,God,a lot, all sound to me like Vawdka, cawndom,Knawledge,Mawm, Gawd, a lawt.
However I think that the cot/caught merger has influenced me subtly as I say some words like frog, and log with the "aw" sound and I'll hear others have more of an "ah" sound from where I'm from (Northern new York)
For me frog,log,hog and dog do not rhyme with jog,bog, egg nog, or soggy
for me it is Frawg,lawg,hawg, and dawg and jahg,bahg,egg nahg, sahggy.
Great feedback! I'll go through your list:
AW: frog, log, hog, dog, BOG,
AH: jog, egg nog, soggy
However, I can see myself saying "soggy" both ways!
i changed my dialect in the merger because i want my kids to know
Your tips will help me, thank you for sharing. 😊
Do merged people really gravitate to "aw"? In my experience, they seem to go toward "ah". Listen to this girl for example: watch?v=79_By_7Yxhk&feature=youtu.be&t=77 The words are stocking, stalking, cot, caught; but she's saying "stocking, stocking, cot, cot". It sounds like she might be pronouncing stocking and stalking _ever so slightly_ differently.
Native speaker here. But this is the 1st time I have ever really heard the difference between cot & caught. You do such a wonderfully awesome job of explaining how the sounds are formed!
kkkk
I'm from the Great Lakes region, too! (Superior to the north and Michigan to the East). What is REALLY interesting is you can find SO many variations of these sounds in SO many areas of the US. There is no "right" way at the end of the day!!
As a Californian exhibiting the cot/caught vowel merger, this video makes my head feel like it's going to explode.
I was raised in Western Canada so I pronounce cot and caught the same. My wife and I once met a couple from Chicago while hiking in Sedona, Arizona who told us about the "nice rocks" they had seen... except I heard it as "nice racks" and wondered which trail THEY'D been hiking on.
Jan Kat lol. Really funny story! I'm from Ontario and I pronounce caught/cot the same as well. This video seems to be for American pronunciation of words.
Sam Puch I have the same question, did you know now which way they pronounce it?
Thanks for explaining the cot/caught difference to this Canadian. They're both "aw" for me, except "father" which has an "ah" sound. I think many English people would hear "cot" while many Americans would hear "caught" when I say either one. As for "caht" (your "cot"), I've only heard it from Americans and in the media, where it usually means "caught"... It's like linguistic musical chairs! What a mess, haha.
I live in.southeastern Massachusetts and the cot-caught merger is prevalent here. Cot and caught sound identical here.
The short O seems like so much work! I live in Vermont, so our accent doesn't distinguish between short and long O. Cot and caught are essentially indistinguishable.
Born, raised and living in California and I totally agree with you. Who pronounces the short 'o' the way he does in this video?
David Lamb It's because of the cot-caught merger.
Teruki Ito It's really common in the Midwest, really rare in the South.
The best teacher ever. Thanks in a million sir. I've learned a lot from you
I'm in Ontario, Canada, and I just learned about the cot-caught merger. I don't know if I ever used the short o in my speech ever, and it's eerie to think that there are many English speakers in America who are using a sound that I never even realized is part of our language!!
edit: huh, but i see now that I definitely do pronounce father more 'a' like than any other on the list, and Todd and god somewhat more 'a'-like, certainly much more 'a' like and less deep than the long 'aw' words.
wait till you learn that us Brits have 1 more than that!
1) father / palm / khan
2) bother / cot / don
3) raw / thought / caught / dawn
Great question and an even better explanation. The constrast between ´cot´ and ´cut´ is nonexistant in Brazilian (Portuguese) language. Thank you.
In UK English, cot and father have two different vowels. But yes, in American English they are the same. It's also useful to note that in parts of America, like the west coast, short o and aw are pronounced the same as well.
I would have to do some serious work to say "cot" the way he does. It sounds like saying "cat" while choking. I wonder where he is from
yeah! it sounds like cat hehe
You said exactly what I was going to say.
he makes the short 'o' sounds like 'ah',,,,i dont think that is correct though,,
Yes, the short 'o' must be 'o', not 'a'. In British English, the short 'o' is 100% 'o' but in American English, it is blended between 'o' and 'a', it sound a half of 'o' and a half of 'a'
He’s from Wiscansin I think. I’m British and his “cot” sounds almost like my “cat” and his “caught” sounds exactly like my “cot” (maybe slightly more closed). I would write his “cot” as /kat/ and his “caught” as /kɔ̞t/.
Yes! In some parts of North America! But the standard American pronunciation according to Merriam Webster and Random House dictionaries...I didn't check others~
cot = /kɒt/
caught = /kɔt/
father = /ˈfɑðər/
The bigger debate is the difference between ɑ versus ɒ. Even linguistics have a hard time distinguishing those two!
Best practical explanation ever!
Thank you!!!
I love the cot/caught merger, it's one less vowel sound to worry about, although I noticed I tend to pronounce words with either sound inconsistently. I usually say "body" with /ɑ/, since I'm used to it soundinɡ like an /a/ for me. But I say "law" with a very clear /ɔ/ sound. It must be the spellinɡ...
Hi! What is the cot/cought merger everybody talks about?
@@Macalafit a "merger" is when two different sounds in one dialect become the same in a different dialect, in specific contexts. "Cot" and "caught" are originally pronounced with different sounds: caught is /kɔt/ (the vowel is "aw", like in "law") and cot is /kɑt/ (the vowel is "ah", like in "father").
However, many people in the US and Canada say these two words with the same vowel, /ɑ/ ("ah"): it's as though the two vowels have "merged" into the same one, hence the name.
But why "cot" and "caught"? These are just easier to compare. Think of these as categories of words. There are "cot" words, such as "pop", hot", "top" etc, and there are "caught" words, such as "bought", "walk", "dog"... This merger affects most, if not all of these words.
Shane, for example, doesn't have this merger, as "cot" and "caught" don't rhyme for him. But for many other people they do, and I find this very fascinating.
I hope this helps.
Woooww! @@roggeralves94 English phonetic is actually wide! Of course your input helped me a lot to "catch it" better. I'm a latin, self taught English learner, so I'm still struggling to tell and make the short sounds. You caught my attention whit the "sounds" and symbols framed in slashes; is that a phonetic method/technique? How do I search for it? I'm determinated to improve my english skills!
@@Macalafit sure, just look for IPA (the International Phonetic Alphabet) and also "English Phonology" on the Internet, you'll find plenty of resources. I'm not a self taught English learner, but I also natively speak a Romance language (Brazilian Portuguese), so that makes two of us. Greetings!
@roggeralves94 Muito interessante a sua observação. Em português temos a vogal /ɔ/ como em pó, voz, cipó, bola, tapioca, ótimo, etc. Pra mim é muito difícil ouvir a diferença entre /ɑ/ e /ɔ/, aos meus ouvidos esses sons são muito similares. Eu já conversei com uma americana que entende de fonética e fonologia e expliquei pra ela que como na minha língua materna só tem a vogal /ɔ/ é mais fácil pra mim usá-la em todas as minhas palavras em inlgês em vez de /ɑ/, e ela disse que como esses dois sons são muito similares não vai faze diferença, pois eu vou ser compreendido do mesmo jeito. O contexto na maioria das vezes vai ajudar. Tanto é que eu fiz uma experiência, pronunciei a palavra father como /'fɔ ðer/ em vez de /'fɑ ðer/e body /'bɔ di/ no lugar de /'bɑ di/ e ainda sim ela conseguiu me entender.
Outra coisa interessante é que a vogal
/ɑ/ realmente soa muito parecida com a vogal /a/ como em chá do português principalmente em algumas palavras dissílabas como FAther e BOdy por exemplo.
Thank you Shane, I really appreciate your help.
You are not alone! Many people in the northwestern part of the US pronounce them the same, too. But the "standard American" accent is very different. Here are IPA spellings: kɒt (cot) .... kɔt (caught). Good luck^^
Love the cot/caught distinction - this is very useful for my linguistics class!
At 4:17, you can hear his peculiar pronunciation of right. The diphthong is raised, exhibiting Canadian raising (of course, this isn’t strictly limited to Canadian speech).
First column:
pronounce it with Explosion of consonant sound before "short u" sound. It looks like C-at, T-T_ach, ST-T_af. The main thing is explosion of first sounds before vowel: do not let your air comes out from your throat easily. Your lungs should make pressure of air, but air stops in the throat(like you under the water when you dive). Then release throat and sound K-Kat will jump from your mouth.
Second column:
I just change the tone of sound, make it high pitched sound and more longer. Also your mouth should be more wider. Your head is bending a little bit forward like something heavy lays on top of your head(on your crown)
Third column:
This sound seems very easy. The sound from your throat is going to top of your head. I hear this sound between my ears, in this area. Sound is long. Intonation same as in Estonia, Finland or Latvia(if somebody hears these people :-) )
Wtf?
Thank you. I actually found this video when I was trying to find out what the difference is between "cot" and "caught" for people who haven't been caught in the cot-caught merger, since I already have been.
It seems we both say "caught" the same, but "cot" is really different. It sounds almost, but not quite, like you're saying "cat." It's hard to describe, really.
Funnily enough, I thought it would be the other way around.
***** I watched this video for the same reason.
TheCanadiangirl4 same
@@KoyasuNoBara, where is your accent from?
@@calincucuietu8220 Kind of all over due to my father being in the military. I'd probably go with Arizona, Alaska, or Texas as to where I would have started talking/reading.
Dude, you're funny, but yes this is very helpful. Thank you!
Very interesting, it really illustrates the cot/caught merger for me.
I have never heard anyone in my area pronounce 'cot' in that manner, though your pronunciation of 'father' and 'God' is more than recognizable from American movies.
If you all think this guy's short-o sound in cot makes it seem as if he were saying cat, you should hear what I - and other folks who grew up around the Great Lakes - sound like when we actually say cat.
How?
I think his short o is the /a/ of the /ai/ (long I) diphthong. (More central than the aw sound).
I haven’t read much on it, but I always assumed the short o and aw merger was between the British short o (open and all the way to the back) and the aw as in father sound. This is the first time I’ve seen someone take short the opposite direction, making it more forward.
Really helpful thanks ! I have been practicing and I have improved and now I also can hear the difference among the vowel sounds !
This guy must be from the Great Lakes area, because his "cot" sounds almost like my "cat" and his "caught" sounds almost like my "cot." The "aw" in my "caught" is much more pronounced.
BTW, I'm from Baltimore but I also grew up in Boston and Detroit.
Thank you very much for helping pronunciation
Thank you for sharing your knowledge ! 💙
Btw, I wish you can explain how to use " to eat or just eating "
I like to eat pizza. I like eating pizza. SAME, David! "ing" gives a more "active" feeling, so if you really like it, I'd recommend "ing"!
@@coachshanesesl Thank you very much.
Greetings from Mexico City 🇲🇽
You are very good techer👏👏👏👏
Cut - Cot - Caught; and what about inserting Cat? More complicated for sure!
Great!! It's on my list!!
As a native English speaker I can tell you that this guys pronunciation of the "o" sound is weird as can be. It sounds like "cat" to me. Like it doesn't sound like how we do the "o" in English. The way he pronounces the "aw" sound is the "o" sound. This video would be very confusing for a non-English speaker I think.
+Raymond Whatley His "aw" sound was correct to me. The "o" sound did seem a bit off.
This can be pretty perfect how to properly pronounce Em out. That's correct
+Raymond Whatley He's actually saying it correctly. There's currently a shift in the english language right now that is merging the short o and the au sounds together. Making the word "cot" and "caught" sound exactly the same. Look it up, it's called the "Cot-Caught Merger". Older generations tend to say it the correct way... well maybe calling it correct is wrong, linguistics is weird.
Yes, that merger is happening, but his short o sound is nonetheless too close to a short a sound. He was overaccentuating the difference which made it just sound weird.
The way he pronounces short "o" sounds exactly correct to me. I know others short "o" sounds like "aw" and this is called cot/caught merger. Where I'm from most people say short "o" like this guy.
I was raised in PA. That pronunciation of cot sounds horrible to my ears. It's like you're from Boston and you started to say car, but decided halfway through you really wanted to say cat.
That's the way the vowel sounds from Western New York state clear through to Wisconsin. Including the cities of Rochester, NY; Buffalo; Cleveland; Detroit; Chicago; and Milwaukee.
If anything, the speaker is underplaying the sound.
It's also like how Bostonians say "cart."
Loved this video... Really helpful!
Thank you very much, coach!
These sounds and a difference between them (especially between cut and cot) are the hardest part of my pornuciation adventure so far.
I'd like to note also, that the same sound from different (native) speakers sounds differently, and it doesn't make things easier :)
BTW, is the offer of a recording review still valid?
I specifically looked this up in order to hear somebody pronounce "cot" and "caught" as distinct vowel sounds. It sounds incredibly strange to my ears. The dialects of North America are fascinating.
me ha encantado tu video, gracias, eres muy didactico, es la metodologia que a mi me permite asimilar la clave de la pronunciacion, gracias por compartir tu tiempo y conocimiento. I likeeeee, thank you
For me, the short 'o' and 'aw' sounds are exactly the same. I pronounce all of the words on the right 2/3 the exact same.
In the US there's such a thing as the "cut-caught" merger, so you are not alone!! But for people who do distinguish (most Americans), it can be confusing!
Very good video, thank you sir
Short o and aw are pronounced the same by me, Massachusetts native here. And of course closer to the aw then the o.
u r always my perfect teacher, keep at it.
Yes they are!! There are so many, too!!
Thank you very much, that was very useful!. But what about cat and cot? Do they sound the same?. Thank you!
Then there are people who pronounce the vowels in cot and caught the same but only pronounce the "t" in cot.
they stop the "t" most people do it, i would say everyone
Could you please explain the "Low back merger" (where /ɔ/ and maybe /ɒ/ become /ɑ/) and the "Weak vowel merger" (where unstressed /ɪ/ and maybe /ʊ/ become /ə/)?
I'm learning to pronounce words in American English (in general), so I focus on the most standard/common pronunciations, but it's very difficult to know what they are, various dictionaries differ from each other and I think the main conflicts are based on these two mergers, the rest is usually consistent.
So far my understanding is that in General American English (or Standard American English) people pronounce /ɑ/ instead of /ɔ/ (and they use /ɔ/ only in /ɔɪ/ and /ɔɹ/), and that /ɪ/ and /ʊ/ in unstressed syllables should be pronounced as /ə/, but I really don't know.
This is so hard to explain to my Chinese co-workers and students...
Wordreference uses the British pronunciation. If you check the audio of the two words clicking on "UK" you may notice that the vowels are completely different.
I don't know it sounds sometimes like an e as in her - rush for example. Not as obvious as in HER but something close.
Thanks for great lesson! But why in "god" and "dog" the "o" character pronounced differently? Is there some special rule, or this is an exclusion from rules?
GOD has a Germanic origin whereas DOG has an English origin. That is the KEY problem!!! The O VOWEL has over TEN possible pronunciations~
Great job
please could you explain the difference between cut and cat? They sound exactly the same for me
Where are you from?
@@calincucuietu8220 r
This was a comment from 10y ago. Now I have learned English and know the difference
Thank you Coach Shane! I can't pronounce short-u & o sound. I'm still practicing for years. I'm not your any members could I send you a video? THANK YOU AGAIN!
As an American (from the Great Lakes region), "cot" sounded very strange to me the first time he said it, since I pronounce them both as "caught." It was actually kind of difficult to even make that sound.
u are the best
In Hollywood English, cot = caught [kɑ:t]
Thank you coach
Tthanks so much for your video!
but i have difficulties relaxing my tounge when i say the 'ah' and 'o' sound as in 'caught'.Can you help me?
I've found out that...It depends, IN the beginning there were 3 ways, one for father one for caught and one for cot. Depending where you are from, today you can speak father as the same as in cot, or even cot as the same as in caught etc. Anyway, Both are right, it just depends where you from, as I'm from BRAZIL...I have no american accent, I have a WEIRD accent, So I'll probably sound weird anyway HAHAHA. Thanks for helping me with that!!Happy new year!!
The cot sounds like you're getting flu...
thnx
The people in the comments who dont understand the caught-cot merger are hilarious
Hahaha the automatic speech to text translator of RUclips only writes cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut
Great^^
Why hot - short u, god - short o, dog - long aw?
These are rules of pronunciation. Just remember it. Our russian language is more difficult to learn)
Why is your mouth different?
YOU'RE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and cat? 🐱
I can't
I can't send my voice recorded.
How can I do???
hi thanks for the video, can i pronounce "vol" in volcano and volume the same as "all" as an example of the cot caught merger? also can i pronounce dawn the same as don(name)? thank you
Yes you can! Especially if you live in Boston!!
@@coachshanesesl thank you so much. and on collins dictionary the phonetics for all is "ɔl", yet phenetics for "vol" in volume and volcano is "vɑl". can I think of "ɑ" and "ɔ" as the same sound in these words due to the cot caught merger even though dictionaries use different symbols "ɑ" and "ɔ" ? thank you so much
This is why I ALWAYS tell my members to NEVER use the IPA spelling. It's a MESS. Even for the word TALK you will find SO MANY different symbols. The IPA was great BEFORE the internet. Now, with the internet, I highly recommend you NOT use that archaic system.
@@coachshanesesl I totally agree with you which is why I prefer the google dictionary. (if you put any word+define in google there is a built in dictionary). However on that dictionary the phonetics for "vol" in "volcano" and "volume" is "väl", yet for "all" is "ôl", can I just think of "ä" and "ô" meaning the same sound in this case due to the cot caught merger even though the symbols look different? thank you for your patience with my questions.
I'll say it again!! IPA is an "ancient" system with many flaws. It was good BEFORE the internet. But the internet has KILLED IPA! I really hope you STOP trying to spell "pronunciation". Just listen to native speakers!!
Thumbnail brought me here
Seriously you think that the "A" in Father is the same as in the "O" in Cot? I checked two dictionaries and they say it is different.
I wonder what kind of ponuntation the word cat has.Can you tell me plz
Very helpful, than you very much
This is not the cot caught merger. A pre "cot caught" merger would pronounce the "cot" like "for". This version of cot and the rest of the "short o" are being pronounced by this teacher with the same sound as apple. This is generally not how English speakers or the dictionary pronounce these words. Most Canadians and at least half of the American population, by recent studies incorporate the "cot caught" merger which would make all the sample words in the middle and right rows (short o / aw) sound the same. English is confusing.
Thanks a lot
Hallo works only on smart phone, and unfortunately there is no PC version.
They ARE the same. Look it up in OED.
Only video that's been able to explain to a PNW'er the cot-caught merger.
My friend Doug owns a dog that likes to eat dough. How to pronounce this?
Where are you from?
Hello sir
aaaaawesome
Hi, could please you expand and add “cat”?
Exactly!
How he says Todd sounds like tad to me, "I would like a tad of mustard on my hotdog." How does he differentiate cat and cot, or tad and Todd? He should acknowledge that for HIS region, these are how words are pronounced to his ESL students. I'm from Ontario with a mother from France. I am fully bilingual having gone to school in Ontario my entire childhood in English but spending my summers in France since the age of two. So I tutor French to children and I find that many anglophones want me to teach their child "European" French since they believe this is my accent, as opposed to Quebec French that they teach in most French immersion schools here. I always inform them that my accent is unique and that one cannot call one accent more 'proper' over another. My accent changes according to who I've been around most lately in either language. So I let them know I try to teach the closest to "standard" French that one will find when listening to the news for example in either France or Quebec and that we should enjoy the many types of accents from North Africa to La Martinique, to Montreal, to Nouveau Brunswick to Marseille.
As Norwegian native speaker and certified tram driver, I'd say: Excellent point! In the end, it's all down to dialects and sociolects as there are no such thing as a globally "correct" way of saying Todd. I find it quite odd/awdd that the uploader does not make a point about it. Differentiating between "cot" and "cat" can be a pain in the neck, but a good rule of thumb is: if it slips away and says "meow", don't put your child to sleep on it.
Geeze, good riddance to the old "cot" sound. Just sounds nasal and annoying.
ZylonBane yeah, might as well be saying "cat".
"cot", so hard to say, I've just heard "cat", can you teach futher between cat and cot
Ti Ti It depends on where you're from. A lot of people say cot like caught.
I heard cat too, and I'm a native speaker xD
@@crappyaccount where are you from ?
@@filippoprimavera8356 louisiana, usa
@@crappyaccount ok 😃 , Yes it's similar to cat .
Is this British pronunciation? Can you clarify whether this is British or American?
good
I must say these videos are for people (like me) who are learning from scratch and with all those bad comments I get really confused , since none of you have a channel explaining how to do it right , let the teacher do his job.
You people don’t waste your time making fun of the way he explains it, instead, if you all know how to say it.
Haters are gonna hate.
IKR? That's why English is so hard to learn. Not only is there American English, Canadian English, British English, Australian English and many other varieties, but there's a lot of little differences even among native speakers of one variety depending on the region they grew up in. Not only that but every native speaker tends to think of their accent as 'accentless' and so when they teach English to foreigners, they might unconsciously teach what they believe is the standard (but which might actually not be the case). I'd say that Coach Shane's accent is very typical of the Great Lakes and East Coast regions of the US, but honestly pronouncing both cot and caught the same (kawt) is more common imo.
when we prononuce a like i ?and i like a ?
I never make the short o sound
Faah-Ther.... Faah- ther... Not Fo-ther , lol, rhymes with bother :P
I'm confused. When he says "cot" it sounds like he is saying "cut" to me. I can't hear any difference in the way he says "cut" and "cot". I pronounce cot land caught exactly the same.
Typical northern inland accent. No cot caught merger and the short o sounds very extreme compared to other American dialects. Great Lake regions have this unique dialect. Can't be found in other parts of North America
I'm genuinely confused.. I pronounce cot and caught the same I don't use any of the short o sounds and I never have most vowels are like the aw oh well😂
Really? I'm learning English and for me it's tricky
which sound do you pronounce?
American!!
LOL!!! Maybe sometimes, but no generalizations, please!
A mi me confunde estas palabras Born And burn it's hard form me