Don't Stop the Flow: Turn Voiced Stops into Fricatives
https://www.soyioblogging.com/blog/don-t-stop-the-flow-turn-voiced-stops-into-fricatives
Sometimes when we first learn a language, we tend to over-enunciate our words. We start to understand more overt pronunciation characteristics but are unaware of the subtler nuances between sounds. In Spanish, the first thing you probably learned was the alphabet. At first, it seems like every sound in Spanish is represented by a letter or combination of letters. However, that is not the case.
In Spanish and other languages, there are consonants that are pronounced differently depending on what sounds they are next to. In this case, we’re talking about how the Voiced Stops [b], [d] and [g] become Fricatives [β], [ð] and [ɣ]. This is a phonemic process known as Fricativization or Lenition, the weakening of a consonant. Those words may seem weird and scary, but it’s another important aspect of speaking Spanish that will help you sound more natural.
How and why does this happen? In casual speech, a fully pronounced [b], [d] or [g] between two vowels (or a consonant and a vowel) would disrupt the flow of an utterance because they are all Voiced Stops. Voiced Stops are Obstruents, sounds produced by obstructing airflow. To facilitate the transition from one sound to the next, the Stops must be weakened.
👄 Practice Lenition by reducing how you articulate [b], [d] and [g]. You can use these tips to turn your Stops into Fricatives:
[b] Voiced Bilabial Stop > [β] Voiced Bilabial Fricative: Reduce the amount of contact your lips make. Instead of letting the sound explode from your mouth, interrupt the airflow by only lightly putting your lips together before transitioning into the vowel. In other words, make a [b] sound that’s not a plosive.
[d] Voiced Dental Stop > [ð] Voiced Dental Fricative: In Spanish, d is dental rather than alveolar (pronounced on the back of your teeth instead of on the roof of your mouth). To weaken it, you have to move your tongue in-between your teeth. This will produce a sound similar to a lisp but continue to vibrate your vocal cords so that the consonant remains Voiced.
[g] Voiced Velar Stop > [ɣ] Voiced Velar Fricative: This one may prove to be more difficult than the others. [g] is a velar sound, meaning it is pronounced with the back of the tongue. I think it helps to imagine you're making the [h] sound, but deep in your throat.
Bonus: I found this neat video on YouTube by the channel Glossika Phonics titled "[ β ] voiced bilabial non-sibilant fricative"
