I saw this recently in a reading Facebook group I'm in. Let me know if this sounds familiar...
"How do you teach the different 'a' sounds like /a/ in mat vs man? Is it something they have to realize when they're blending that the a sound differs slightly in some words?"
Have you ever asked this question?
First of all, I want to clarify there are only 3 sounds of a: /ă/ (short a), /ā/ (long a), and /ä/ (broad a). The sound in question (the sound a spells in both mat and man) are both short a.
So what gives? Because there IS a difference. It's very slight, but it's definitely there.
This phemonenon is caused by "vowel nasalization." Nasalized vowels are vowels that are under the influence of neighboring nasal sounds.
There are 3 nasal sounds in English that have the power to nasalize the vowel before it: /m/, /n/, and /ng/.
So the n in man is nasalized and the t in mat is not.
When a vowel is followed by a nasal consonant, the vowel automatically becomes nasalized too.
This is commonly referrred to as "whiny a" because a is spelling its nasalized sound, which sounds more whiny.
So what's the best way to teach "whiny a" to your reader?
Make it multisensory, of course!
1) Plug your nose and say "man."
2) When a is articulated, you can feel the vibrary in your nose.
3) Now plug your nose and say "mat." You feel nothing
Giving your kids lots of opportunities to hear and feel vowel nasalization is the best way to teach it.
Need a visual? Watch this 90 second video from Daydreaming about Data on Facebook by clicking here. She is an Orton-Gillingham and LETRS trained teacher with the mission of kicking illiteracy's ass one structured literacy lesson at a time.
Questions? DM me on Instagram by clicking here (@thereadersdropinn) or send me an e-mail at aoife@thereadersdropinn.com, and together we can build a world where ALL kids can read.