BATH
lail
0
DVD
108
Make the sound
Vowel grid reference: 9
This vowel is long.
1 Open your mouth quite wide.
2 Relax your tongue and allow the tip to rest just behind your bottom front teeth.
3 Your tongue will feel a little lower than the NURSE sound (see page 56).
When do I use this sound?
Spelling	Examples
a +1h, f, s, n	path, staff, photograph, class, dance
ar	start, market
ear	heart, hearth
au	laughter, auntie
al	balm
Section B: The sounds of English
Work on your Accent BATH
Now try it!
Q
Say each of these words and sentences aloud. Then compare your pronunciation with the model on tracks 109-111.
A    last      car       after       path       palm       can't dancer rather
109—iI1
past    bai     start     part      aunt      calm       heart casting B    1   She started laughing at her aunt's party dancing.
2 The large palm trees swayed in the afternoon breeze.
3 The bar was very smart looking and a charming place for a glass of wine after a hard day's work.
c Giraffes
The giraffe is a native of the grasslands and savannah between Chad, Somalia and South Africa, but there are now many in captivity. They are an animal that can inspire laughter due to their rather bizarre appearance, namely their long neck and black and tan patterned body. They aren't the fastest of animals and they can't swim, yet adult giraffes aren't targeted by many predators - only the calves are at risk.
Am I doing something wrong?
X   Making the same vowel sound in the words BATH and CAP (page 64).
if The /a:/ vowel sound in BATH is the most open sound in RP.To find the position, look in a mirror and imagine you are an opera singer trying to hit a high note. The jaw is dropped low, the tongue is flat and low and the lips are in a long oval.
The /ae/ vowel in CAP is shorter, and the tongue is lifting slightly. Compare them on the Vowel positioning diagram on page 53.
Watch the DVD to see and hear the difference between the two sounds. Try the exercise below:
The following sentence contains both /a:/ vowel sounds (in CAPITALS) and /ae/ vowel sounds (in italics). Say the sentence, and compare the two.
Matt lacked imagination, so it was mad of CAN to Ask him to stArt an adult drAma clAss.
Learning to hear the difference between the two sounds will help you to correct the problem.
Q
112
69