The Sounds of Speech
Like Duolingo, but for The Sounds of Speech. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
54 levels across 4 sections, about 108 minutes end to end, roughly 22 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Mastering Your Mouth's Map, Controlling the Airflow, The Power of the Vocal Chords, and Global Sound Patterns. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Sounds of Speech
- The lips block air for 'p' sounds
- The tongue tip blocks air against the teeth or ridge for 't' sounds
- Tiny shifts in tongue placement create distinct phonemes
- The 'th' sound requires the tongue to touch the teeth
- How the lips and tongue tip create different types of air blockages
- The relationship between tongue position and specific English sounds
- Precision in the front of the mouth is vital for English clarity
- Lips must fully seal to stop the air
- Small movements change how air vibrates or escapes
- The sound is created by the sudden burst of released air
- The sequence of air release for a 'p' sound
- English and Castilian Spanish use the 'th' sound extensively
- Japanese relies less on the 'th' tongue-between-teeth position
- The impact of millimeter-scale movements on sound clarity
- Identifying languages that rely heavily on front-of-mouth sounds
- The ridge provides a firm surface for sharp air friction
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Sounds of Speech the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
When you transition from a 'p' to a 't' sound, where does the air blockage move?
Get it right to open this lesson and 53 more in the app.
Where The Sounds of Speech takes you
Go beyond the alphabet to discover how the human mouth creates a world of sound. Learn to identify, produce, and compare the unique building blocks of languages from every continent.
- 1
Mastering Your Mouth's Map
- The Geography of the Tongue and Lips
- Using Your Teeth and Roof of the Mouth
- Deep Throat Sounds: The Back of the Airway
- Finding the Sweet Spot Between Two Sounds
- 2
Controlling the Airflow
- Sudden Bursts and Total Blockages
- Creating Friction: The Hiss and the Buzz
- The Middle Ground: Starting Closed and Ending Open
- Flowing Through the Nose
- Liquids and Glides: The Smoothest Transitions
- The Quick Tap: Rapid Tongue Movements
- 3
The Power of the Vocal Chords
- Feeling the Vibration: Voiced vs. Voiceless
- The Breath Factor: Adding a Puff of Air
- Whispered and Creaky Voice Textures
- 4
Global Sound Patterns
- Why Some Languages Sound 'Heavy' or 'Light'
- Rare Sounds: Clicks and Throat Pops
- Vowel Shapes: Rounding and Height
- How Languages Choose Their Signature Sounds
- Predicting Sound Changes Over Time
4 sections · 18 units · 54 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
The Sounds of Speech is taught in the The Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Sounds of Speech today.
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