My book didn't do a good job of explaining how to pronounce double vowels. I've realized how important this is with words like 'grandmother' and 'aunt' which are basically the same except one has two of the same vowel. How do you pronounce words that use double vowels?
Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 12:15 am
She-Lich
My book didn't do a good job of explaining how to pronounce double vowels. I've realized how important this is with words like 'grandmother' and 'aunt' which are basically the same except one has two of the same vowel. How do you pronounce words that use double vowels?
grandmother = obaasan おばあさん aunt = obasan おばさん
With grandmother, you emphasize and lengthen the pronunciation with the double vowels. If it's just one vowel, you stop short.
Basically, if you want to say "aunt", say "obasan". If you want to say grandmother, say "obasan" with a longer "baa".