Strange Question Related To Pronunciation

[Chromedomus]

When you pronounce the j/q/x sounds, and also some other sounds like chi/zhi/shi, do your top front teeth touch your bottom front teeth? For me to pronounce these sounds, it's easier/more natural for them to touch, but I'm afraid that I'll chip my teeth or something, lol. The more I focus on my pronunciation when I speak, the more my teeth bump together.

[Hofmann]

They get really close when pronouncing zh, ch, sh. They're nowhere near with j, q, x.

[Shi Tong]

I agree with Hoffman.. though you can pronounce j/q/x sounds with your teeth touching, I would say it's almost more difficult to do so.

Zh/Ch/Sh's do have the teeth coming closer together though, you're right

[Chromedomus]

OK, thanks.

[Chromedomus]

Another related question - when you pronounce any word starting with j, x or q, is the tip of your tongue always touching the back of your lower front teeth?

[Shi Tong]

I'd say no to that.. my tongue is at the bottom of my mouth and slightly flipped up at the end.

j/q/x are all pronounced using sounds which we also have in English.. to a degree.. like the J in J is like the J in "Jesus", the Q like the Ch in "Cheese" and the X like the Sh in "She".

Of course, these are approximates, and they also have a different accent to contend with. But you get the drift.

Hoffman (the font of all academic knowledge) should be able to tell you exactly what these sounds are and a Wiki link-- he will say something like "they're all Aclovial Accresitives" or something like that and refer you to the IPA.. oops.. did it myself.

But above is the way I would describe how those sounds are made.

[renzhe]

j/q/x are all pronounced using sounds which we also have in English.. to a degree.. like the J in J is like the J in "Jesus", the Q like the Ch in "Cheese" and the X like the Sh in "She".

I'll have to disagree with you again.

I know you were approximating and not saying this is how you should pronounce them, but the examples you mentions map pretty closely to Chinese zh, ch and sh.

j, q and x are pronounced quite differently. I don't know of a single European language that has them. The Montenegrin Đ, Ć and Ś come close, but the tongue is touching the palate with these.

Personally, I touch my bottom teeth with the tip of my tongue when pronouncing j/q/x.

[skylee]

j/q/x are all pronounced using sounds which we also have in English.. to a degree.. like the J in J is like the J in "Jesus", the Q like the Ch in "Cheese" and the X like the Sh in "She".

Really???? I find this description very strange.

[Hofmann]

Hoffman (the font of all academic knowledge) should be able to tell you exactly what these sounds are and a Wiki link-- he will say something like "they're all Aclovial Accresitives" or something like that and refer you to the IPA.

Or I can just say...

Read. Read.

[Shi Tong]

You could indeed!!!!

I've attached a pronunciation of all the sounds I mentioned above (j/q/x, zh/ch/sh and J in Jesus, Ch in Cheese and Sh in She), while I agree that it's an appoximation, I think the English versions I provided are miles closer to the sounds j/q/x than anything else, and I always refer to those English approximations when I'm trying to describe.

I suppose the Chinese versions of these sounds (j/q/x, zh/ch/sh), I would consider as "sharp and blunt" versions of similar sounds.. a bit like the comparison I make for the sounds c and t- sharp and blunted versions of our in between "T" sound.