Pull a spoken word apart—and put it back together
Objective: Segment a one-syllable word into ordered speech sounds and blend an ordered sound sequence into a word.
I can hear three sounds in map, keep them in order, and blend /m/ /æ/ /p/ without adding extra vowels.
Build the idea
A spoken word can be analyzed into phonemes, the smallest sound contrasts that can distinguish meaning. Map has three ordered phonemes: /m/ /æ/ /p/. The letters are visible later; begin by proving that your ear can preserve the sound sequence.
Segmentation moves from a whole word to its sounds. Blending moves from ordered sounds back to the whole word. Do not name the letters while doing the listening task, and do not add “uh” after consonants, because /muh/ /æ/ /puh/ creates extra material that blocks a clean blend.
The exact vowel quality may vary by accent, but the three positions still have separate jobs: beginning consonant, vowel center, final consonant. If a listener recovers a different word, compare the first position where your sequences differ.
Language model
- Coach Say the word sun.
- Learner /s/ /ʌ/ /n/.
- Coach Now blend /n/ /ʌ/ /t/.
- Learner Nut.
Notice
- Count sounds, not letters.
- Keep the sequence from left to right.
- A clean consonant does not carry an added vowel.