Pronounce English Accurately

Video Text

Like /p/ and /b/, /m/ is bilabial – it involves both the lips [mmmm].

It is voiced – properly voiced throughout the consonant – [mmmm] – put your hands over your ears and feel the vibes!

And it's nasal: the lips are totally closed so no air can escape between them; the air comes out of the nose.

Try saying [mmmm] while you are holding your nose.

You can't – your nasal cavity will fill up with air in a most unpleasant way and may try, unsuccessfully, to escape from your ears!

The /m/ sound is present in almost all the world's languages so it shouldn't be a problem to make the sound.

/m/ is always written with an 'm' and it's transcribed with an /m/, so spelling isn't a problem.

Some words with /m/ in initial position:

'mint' /mɪnt/

'mean' /miːn/

'meant' /ment/

'mum' /mʌm/

'moon' /muːn/

And in medial position:

'amidst' /əˈmɪdst/

'amend' /əˈmend/

'among' /əˈmʌŋ/

'bemoan' /bəˈməʊn/

'remind' /rɪˈmaɪnd/

/m/ is a voiced consonant, so a preceding vowel is lengthened:

'home' /həʊm/

'rhyme' /raɪm/

'seem' /siːm/

'dome' /dəʊm/

The spelling 'mb' at the end of a word is pronounced /m/; the 'b' is silent:

'tomb' /tuːm/ - rhymes with 'doom'

'womb' /wuːm/ - rhymes with 'tomb'

'comb' /kəʊm/ - rhymes with 'home'

'climb' /klaɪm/ - rhymes with 'time'

'climber' /ˈklaɪmə/ - rhymes with 'timer'

'thumb' /θʌm/ - rhymes with 'Mum'

'crumb' /krʌm/ - rhymes with 'thumb'

'lamb' /læm/ – rhymes with 'ham'.

Can you think of any more? Post them in the comments if you can.

I have: 'limb' /lɪm/, 'bomb' /bɒm/, 'dumb' /dʌm/, 'numb' /nʌm/, 'plumb' /plʌm/, 'plumber' /ˈplʌmə/, 'catacomb' /ˈkætəkuːm/

and also 'combe' /kuːm/, which occurs in many place names ending in 'combe' or '-comb', meaning 'valley', such as 'Winchcombe' and is then shortened to /kəm/.

Also silent is the letter 'n' in words ending in '-mn', like 'autumn'.

So 'column' and 'autumn' end in an /m/ sound, but if the 'mn' is not at the end of a word then the 'n' is pronounced, as it's part of the following syllable: 'autumnal'

Similar are 'solemn' but 'solemnity', 'condemn' but 'condemnation, condemnable', 'hymn' but 'hymnal' and 'damn' but 'damnation, damnable'.

The 'l' in '-lm' is silent in words ending in '-alm':

'calm',

'balm' and 'balmy' – sounds exactly the same as 'barmy'

'embalm',

'palm',

'psalm',

'qualm', more usually in the phrase 'have no qualms' about doing something,

'almond'

'salmon'.

But the 'lm' is fully pronounced in 'elm', 'realm', 'helm', 'film', and 'overwhelm'.

Some sentences with lots of /m/ sounds in them:

My oh my, mother makes such moist, yet mouldy, mooncakes!

'Mabel's methods are a mite macabre', mouthed Marco mysteriously.

The merest aroma of Marmite makes me miss those moments of madness.