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Lesson Transcript

Laura: "Buongiorno a tutti!" "Hello, everyone!"
Marco: Marco here! Italian Pronunciation Series Lesson 2 - Italian Vowels
Marco: Hello, and welcome to the Pronunciation Series at ItalianPod101.com, where we study modern Italian in a fun, educational format!
Laura: So, brush up on the Italian that you started learning long ago, or start learning today.
Marco: Thanks for being here with us for this lesson. Today, our focus will be the pronunciation of Italian vowels.
Laura: "-a," "-e," "-i," "-o," and "-u."
Marco: Sounds very Italian.
Laura: The sound of style.
Marco: Absolutely.
Laura: Now, some vowels are difficult to pronounce.
Marco: Okay, let's have all of you guys out there master your Italian vowels.
Laura: We will help you pronounce sounds properly in Italian.
Marco: Yes, because a single vowel can modify the meaning of a word.
Laura: For example, “"pasta”" and “"pesto.”"
Marco: I hope you guys heard the difference.
Laura: One word has the vowel "-a" and the other the sound "-e."
Marco: Now the first word means...well, "pasta," and the second refers to a "pasta sauce."
Laura: Completely different words. Even if they get on very well together!
Marco: Oh yes. Like the yummy "pasta al pesto" I cooked the other day.
Marco: Now, today we will not work on ALL the sounds in Italian. Only vowels. Tricky and less tricky ones.
Laura: Oh, by the way! In this lesson, we are going to refer to sounds as vowels. So whenever we say "vowel," think "sound," don't think "letter."
Marco: Now let's go.
Laura: “"Andiamo!”" First of all, pronouncing Italian is only hard if you refuse to open your mouth.
Marco: Yes, this is something you might want to keep in mind.
Laura: It really makes it easier for you if you make your mouth work.
Marco: Don't hesitate to open your mouth.
Laura: Like this…[AAAAAAAAAAAAAA].
Marco: Now you might be in the line at the bakery or driving your convertible right now. But we don't care. Repeat after Laura…
Laura: [AAAAAA], [EEEEEEE] (open), [EEEEEEE] (closed), [IIIIIIII], [OOOOOO] (open), [OOOOO] (closed), [UUUUUU]. These should be easy to pronounce. And now that your mouth is stretched...
Marco: By the way, how many vowels are there in Italian?
Laura: Seven. Now, most of them are easily accessible to pretty much everyone.
Marco: Today, we will look at each of them separately.
Laura: Yes.
Marco: Are there a lot of similarities between English and Italian vowels?
Laura: Well, in English, there's no difference between open and closed vowels. In Italian [EEEE] (open) is open and [EEEE] (closed) is closed, for example. Can you tell the difference?
Marco: The last one sounds like a combination of "-a" and "-o" to me.
Laura: For example, the “"-e”" in “"pesto”" is closed, and in “"presto,”" meaning
"quick," it is “"open.”" “"Testa,”" as in "head," and “"rete,”" as in "net."
Marco: I could detect a slight difference, in fact.
Laura: [OOOOO] (open). Was that closed or open, can you tell?
Marco: Open?
Laura: Right. As in "porta," meaning "door." How about this…"solo," meaning "lonely."
Marco: Closed?
Laura: Yep. Can you tell the difference, or are you just guessing?
Marco: It's difficult to hear the difference at first when you are not familiar with the language yet, but it will be easier and easier as it goes.
Laura: Any tips to master those sounds, since you've studied them at some point, Marco?
Marco: Yes. A little mouth gymnastics will do it.
Laura: Okay, get ready out there!
Marco: First, keep your mouth open and say [EEEEEEE] (open) with your lips stretched just as if you were smiling.
Laura: Now your tongue should be close to your palate, and say [EEEEE] (closed).
Marco: [EEEEEEE] (closed).
Laura: Now try the same with the "-o." First, your mouth should be shaped like a circle. Keep your tongue near the bottom of your mouth, and go!
Marco: [OOOOOOOOO] (open).
Laura: Excellent! Isn't that fun? How do you make the closed "-o?"
Marco: Just make the mouth circle smaller, and go [OOOOO] (closed). Now let's try out some words.
Laura: Okay, everyone, I'm going to say a series of words, and I will leave a silence between each word.
Marco: Now your job is to repeat each word after Laura.
Laura: Ready? Go! “"Testa”" (silence)
Marco: Which is "head."
Laura: “"Sera”" (silence)
Marco: which is "evening."
Laura: “"Nove”" (silence)
Marco: Which is "nine."
Laura: And “"ponte”" (silence)
Marco: Which is "bridge." Okay. Now shall we try the easy ones? "-a," "-i," "-u."
Laura: Mouth open, everyone, for the "-a." And, with me, [AAAAAAAAA].
Marco: [AAAAA]...
Laura: Now repeat again after me. “"Pasta”" (silence).
Marco: “"Pasta.”" One of the most popular Italian words abroad.
Laura: Absolutely. Let's move on to the "-i." [IIII]...
Marco: [IIII]…
Laura: Here's another rather popular word with this vowel. Repeat after me…“"Italia”" (silence)
Marco: “"Italia.”" Two "-i" and two "-a" in this word.
Laura: Well spotted! Now let's see our last vowel for today. [UUU].
Marco: [UUUU].
Laura: Okay. Again, you all, repeat after me, I'll leave a silence after each word. Let's go. “"Lupo”" (silence)
Marco: Which is "wolf." Which also goes...[UUUUUUU]...
Laura: That was a really good impression of a wolf. Sounded quite Italian.
Marco: That was in fact a “"ululato.”"
Laura: “"Ululato”" is a "howl." Well done, Marco. This vowel-packed word is certainly not for beginners.
Marco: Now, what happens if there are one or more vowels in a row? How do we pronounce those?
Laura: Don't worry about those yet. We'll have a closer look at diphthongs in one of the next lessons. But here's one you can start to practice your vowels with…“"buona notte.”"
Marco: That means "good night." Sounds good to me. We'll have enough to practice for today anyway.
Laura: Yes, by the end of this lesson, you will have in your bank seven vowels to practice.
Marco: Okay, but to wrap up with our vowels of the day, we will just recap all the sounds we saw today. Laura?
Laura: Okay. Here you go..."-a," "-e" (open), "-e" (closed), "-i," "-o" (open), "-o" (closed), and "-u"...
Marco: "-a."
Laura: As in “"bara,”" meaning "coffin."
Marco: You're getting scary.
Laura: You started with the wolf thing. Now, open "-e." “"Bello.”"
Marco: Meaning "beautiful." Now it's getting less scary.
Laura: Closed "-e." “"Strega.”"
Marco: "Witch?" What's with the creature thing today?
Laura: Must be all the horror movies I watched last night while you were probably eating your "pasta al pesto."
Marco: Oh no...
Laura: Open "-o." “"Gobbo.”"
Marco: A "hunchback?" Was that in your horror movie?
Laura: It's actually good luck if you touch a hunchback's back in Italy. “"La gobba del gobbo.”" Both open.
Marco: It may be a bit rude to ask if you met one in the street...
Laura: Oh, dDefinitely. Now, closed "-o." “"Pozzo.”"
Marco: Meaning a "water well" There we go again.
Laura: "-u." “"Puzza.”"
Marco: "Stench?" We started nicely with "pasta al pesto" and look where we are now.
Laura: I thought you loved horror movies. Especially the Italian ones.
Marco: Oh, I love Dario Argento. I get scared and go [AAAAA]...[IIIII]...[OOOO] all the time.
Laura: Here's a good tip…watch a good old spaghetti horror movie and practice your vowels out loud.
Marco: That just about does it for today.

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