Nasal Bootcamp Introduction
As you learned in the Nasal Vowel section of the Primer, Portuguese has a set of five nasal vowels. We create nasal vowels when we allow air to flow unobstructed through BOTH the nose AND the mouth.
Because the creation of a nasal vowel comes from RELAXATION, it should not be a difficult sound for you to produce. What is challenging is developing both an awareness and control of the muscle involved in alternating between nasal and oral vowels (the velum).
In this Bootcamp, you will perform a series of drills for developing your nasal awareness and control. Many of these drills will seem strange to you, but you must trust the fact that they are extremely useful.
If you dedicate the short amount of time needed to master the physical articulation of nasal vowels, you will save yourself a lot of trouble later on. The vast majority of Portuguese learners neglect this aspect of Portuguese and forever struggle with hearing and speaking Portuguese sounds.
Since the nasal-oral distinction is the one phonetic concept that does NOT exist in English, mastering the nasal vowels is THE most important step of mastering Portuguese flow.
Because the creation of a nasal vowel comes from RELAXATION, it should not be a difficult sound for you to produce. What is challenging is developing both an awareness and control of the muscle involved in alternating between nasal and oral vowels (the velum).
In this Bootcamp, you will perform a series of drills for developing your nasal awareness and control. Many of these drills will seem strange to you, but you must trust the fact that they are extremely useful.
If you dedicate the short amount of time needed to master the physical articulation of nasal vowels, you will save yourself a lot of trouble later on. The vast majority of Portuguese learners neglect this aspect of Portuguese and forever struggle with hearing and speaking Portuguese sounds.
Since the nasal-oral distinction is the one phonetic concept that does NOT exist in English, mastering the nasal vowels is THE most important step of mastering Portuguese flow.
First, you will develop an awareness of the muscles and movement involved in nasalization, aka Nasal Awareness.