Tamayo
先輩
- 15 Jan 2013
- 379
- 54
I did a quick search to see if this topic has been visited before, and it was, but I don't think the thread had enough answers, at least for my specific issue.
I've been using Pimsluer's Japanese to learn spoken Japanese, and so far, I feel like it's going really well. At the moment, the only thing I've been having a real issue with is the pronunciation of the "g" sound. The Pimsleur program has you listening to two voice actors most of the time, one man, and one woman, and their pronunciation differences can be incredibly helpful at times because you can get a feel for somewhat of a middle ground between the two. However, the huge difference in the way that the two voice actors pronounce their "g' sounds can be really confusing.
The man usually pronounces "g" sounds in the same way we would in America, or the "hard g". The woman, on the other hand, pronounces her "g" sounds in a very nasally way. When the word calls for が, she'll usually pronounce it "ngah", like a grunt.
There are times when one or both of the voice actors will pronounce the sounds differently than they normally would, but there isn't much of a way for me to choose which one is "correct", or rather, which one is safer to use as a beginner. I understand that there will be contexts where one or both of the pronunciations of the sound will be acceptable, but as a beginner in the language, I'd like some direction as to how I should choose which pronunciation is safer.
Are there rules and/or exceptions to the pronunciations, or does it have to do with accent and/or dialect? Generally, I've been sticking to the "hard g" pronunciation since it's one I'm most familiar with, and it seems simpler most of the time. The issue is that there are times when I feel that my words come out sounding incorrect and I can't help but think that it has to do with my confusion on the topic.
TL;DR -- I need help choosing between "が" (gah) and "んが" (-ngah)
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I've been using Pimsluer's Japanese to learn spoken Japanese, and so far, I feel like it's going really well. At the moment, the only thing I've been having a real issue with is the pronunciation of the "g" sound. The Pimsleur program has you listening to two voice actors most of the time, one man, and one woman, and their pronunciation differences can be incredibly helpful at times because you can get a feel for somewhat of a middle ground between the two. However, the huge difference in the way that the two voice actors pronounce their "g' sounds can be really confusing.
The man usually pronounces "g" sounds in the same way we would in America, or the "hard g". The woman, on the other hand, pronounces her "g" sounds in a very nasally way. When the word calls for が, she'll usually pronounce it "ngah", like a grunt.
There are times when one or both of the voice actors will pronounce the sounds differently than they normally would, but there isn't much of a way for me to choose which one is "correct", or rather, which one is safer to use as a beginner. I understand that there will be contexts where one or both of the pronunciations of the sound will be acceptable, but as a beginner in the language, I'd like some direction as to how I should choose which pronunciation is safer.
Are there rules and/or exceptions to the pronunciations, or does it have to do with accent and/or dialect? Generally, I've been sticking to the "hard g" pronunciation since it's one I'm most familiar with, and it seems simpler most of the time. The issue is that there are times when I feel that my words come out sounding incorrect and I can't help but think that it has to do with my confusion on the topic.
TL;DR -- I need help choosing between "が" (gah) and "んが" (-ngah)
Any help would be greatly appreciated!