The word \"shirt\" may seem like a simple and easy word to pronounce, but it's actually more complex than you might think. In order to truly master pronouncing \"shirt,\" you need to have a solid understanding of the phonetics behind it.
The \"Sh\" Sound
The first sound in \"shirt\" is the \"sh\" sound, which is a voiceless palato-alveolar sibilant. This means that the sound is made by bringing together the roof of your mouth (the hard palate) and the ridge behind your upper teeth (the alveolar ridge), while keeping your vocal cords relaxed so that no sound is produced. The result is a hissing sound, similar to the sound of steam escaping from a kettle.
To practice making the \"sh\" sound, try placing the tip of your tongue just behind your upper front teeth, and slowly exhale while gently pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Make sure not to use your voice or vibrate your vocal cords as you do this.
The \"Er\" Sound
The second sound in \"shirt\" is the \"er\" sound, which is a voiced alveolar approximant. This means that the sound is made by bringing your tongue close to the alveolar ridge, but not actually touching it, while your vocal cords vibrate to produce a sound.
To practice making the \"er\" sound, start by relaxing your tongue and placing it flat in the bottom of your mouth. Then, slowly raise the front part of your tongue towards the alveolar ridge, without touching it. As you do this, start to produce a voiced sound by vibrating your vocal cords. You should feel your tongue vibrate slightly as well.
Putting it all Together
Now that you have mastered making the \"sh\" and \"er\" sounds separately, it's time to put them together to pronounce \"shirt\" correctly. Start by making the \"sh\" sound as described earlier: place the tip of your tongue just behind your upper front teeth, and exhale while pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Then, move your tongue backwards towards the alveolar ridge and start to produce the \"er\" sound by vibrating your vocal cords. The resulting sound should be a quick and sharp hissing sound, followed by a slightly longer voiced sound.
Practice pronouncing \"shirt\" slowly and carefully at first, making sure to focus on each sound separately. As you become more comfortable, you can start to speed up the pronunciation until it sounds natural and effortless. With time and practice, you will be able to pronounce \"shirt\" like a native speaker!