Pronouncing Italian Vowels and Consonants – Part 2.
This is a continuation of the article: Learning Italian Vowels and Consonants – Part 1
P sounds as it does in English, but without the aspiration, which sometimes happens in English.
Qu sounds as it does in English like in the word quest.
R is very different from the English; it is pronounced with one flip of the tongue against the gums of the upper teeth. This will make the trill sound of the r.
S before vowels and unvoiced consonants such as c, f, p, q, s, t is pronounced like the s in the English word rose.
T is pretty much like the T in English, but with no escaping of breath to go along with it in the Italian.
Z can be voiced, like ds in beds, or it can be voiceless, like ts in bets.
All Italian consonants have a corresponding double consonant, whose pronunciation is similar to, but not exactly like the single consonant. The mispronunciation of the double consonants can result in miscommunication.
Italian is known as a musical language because every sound is clear and distinct but stays soft rather than hard. The consonants will never lose their sound value even when linked together with syllables and words.
When they say Italian is a phonetic language, they mean it is spoken the way it is written. Italian and English share the Latin alphabet, but the pronunciation of each letter differs between the two languages.
Don’t you wonder how all of these languages that share the same alphabet became so different in countries that are so close together?
Scott Wells suggests Learning Italian Today!
Tags: how to read italian, how to speak italian, italian consonants, italian vowels