WHAT ARE THE 44 SOUNDS OF ENGLISH?
Despite there being just 26 letters in the English language New Zealand English has 44 speech sounds, also known as phonemes. The 44 sounds help distinguish one word or meaning from another. Various letters and letter combinations known as graphemes are used to represent the sounds.
- A consonant sound (phoneme) is produced when the lips, teeth and tongue partly or completely restrict the airflow. The voice is either turned on (voiced) or off (voiceless). Continuant sounds can be stretched out – you can hold onto them, like /mmmmm/; Stop sounds can’t be stretched out, like /p/. It’s important to say individual sounds clearly, without adding ‘uh’ after them: say “mmm” not “muh”, and “t” not “tuh”.
- Vowel sounds (phonemes) have free airflow – they are shaped by the tongue and lips and different levels of mouth opening. All vowels are voiced and stretchy.Thank you to Emma Nahna for creating this document and download for the deb community
Emma Nahna, Literacy Coach, PLD Facilitator, Speech Language Therapist saying the Speech Sounds of New Zealand.
Thank You
The deb would like to thank Emma Nahna, Literacy Coach, PLD Facilitator, Speech Language Therapist for creating this document on Oral Language for the members of the deb. The full document can be downloaded below.