INTR 616: Phonology

Isaac Stough
Writing Pronunciation Materials for /b/ and /v/ Confusion

Stough 2!
Introduction
The following is a series of 10 pronunciation exercises. All of which revolve around the
confusion of the consonants /b/ and /v/. Each exercises has been personally developed by me or
influenced by an outside source. The sources that I have used can be found in the bibliography section.
Context:
The context for these pronunciation exercises is for first-generation immigrants that come from
Mexico, Latin American or Spain. Many have been living in the United States for 10-20 years and have
never taken a substantial amount of English language learning. Most have learned English through their
work and speak a hybrid of Spanish and English. Even though they can all understand English almost
perfectly, many have never truly sharpened their English skills to a sustainable, conversational level.
The Confusion of the Consonants /b/ and /v/:
Spanish speakers consistently confused /b/ and /v/. The sound /b/ is a voiced, bilabial stop. The
sound /v/ is a voiced, labiodental fricative. Both are very closely related in how they are produced: they
both are voiced and labial. It is because they are so closely related that they are regularly confused in
Spanish.
Officially, the sound /v/ does not exist in Spanish. In Teaching American English Pronunciation
by Peter Avery and Susan Ehlrich, the authors explain how Spanish speakers might confuse their /b/s and
/v/s:
Although the letter v is used in Spanish spelling, the sound /v/ does not exist. In initial position,
Spanish speakers may pronounce the English /v/ sound as /b/. In other positions, they may
pronounce it as a bilabial fricative, a sound that does not exist in English. To the English ear, this
bilabial fricative may sound like a /w/ (Avery and Ehlrich, p.149).
Because the Spanish speaker cannot hear the difference between these two consonants, the sound they
produce is most like the sound /w/. It is therefore important for the English teacher to work with Spanish
students on the sound /b/ and /v/ in order that they might hear the difference and produce it effectively.

Stough 3!
Exercises:
***Note: As explained in Avery and Ehlrich, in all exercises exaggerate the difference in articulation
between /b/ and /v/, show[ing] the closure of the lips for /b/ and the upper teeth on the
lower lip for /v/ (Avery and Ehlrich, p.149).***
Listening #1: Which Word?: A Spelling Exercise
Using the following minimal pairs, each student should take out a piece of paper and number it
#1-8. Then write which word they hear the teacher say.
boat
buy
rebel
robe

vote
vie
revel
rove

*Rational: I like this exercise because it is simple and easily reveals where there is difficulty with
pronunciation. If the student hears a /v/ and a /b/ was said, then it will come out in the spelling. More
difficult exercises are to come, but this is a good one to begin with.
Listening #2: How Many Bs and Vs?
After individually listening to the below sentences, the student should tally how many
/b/s and /v/s they hear.
/b/:
Easier #1: The baboon bought the blue balloon from Boston.
Harder #2: The rebels wore ruby robes to the cable tube.
/v/:
Easier #1: The veterinarian visited the violet violin.
Harder #2: Live lavishly and drive lively.
/b/ and /v/:
Hardest: The baboon bought the violet ballon from the veterinarian.
*Rational: Depending if the student can distinguish the /v/s and /b/s, it will be revealed in their tallies. It
is versatile and a little more complicated than the first.
Listening #3: Differentiation
After listening to the following words spoken by the teacher, students should write either a D
for Different or an S for same after they hear the minimal pairs.
bail- bail (S)
vail-bail (D)
boat-vote (D)
boat-boat (S)
rebel-revel (D)
robe-rove (D)
bow-vow (D)

bow-bow (S)
banish-vanish (D)
banish-banish (S)
bet-vet (D)
vet-vet (S)
best-vest (D)
best-vest (D)

Stough 4!
*Rational: This exercise asks students to differentiated between what they hear as the same or different
between /b/ and /v/ words. This is an exercise I would use because it simply draws out how well the
student can distinguish the two sounds while not asking them to do another language task (i.e. spelling).
Production #1: Mimic as Individuals
Using the following minimal pairs, each student should repeat each word after the teacher
exaggeratedly says them out loud. This can be done in unison with the entire class, or it can be done one
student at a time.
bail-vail
boat-vote
rebel-revel
robe-rove
bow-vow
banish-vanish
vet-bet
vest-best
*Rational: This is a good exercise as a beginning exercise because it gets the students producing a /b/
and /v/: getting acquainted with the sounds. This is not a very difficult exercise but it is a good place to
start.
Production #2: Justin Bieber
Using the following phrase, the teacher will say the phrase, then clap on the major beats while
saying the phrase. The teacher might then raise their head on the main beats and encourage the students to
do the same. Again, the point of this exercise is to produce clear /b/s and /v/s and to distinguish between
the two. This exercise can be modified to single or multiple words to isolate the sounds.

Justin Bieber had a fever.

*Rational: This is a good exercise because on two of the main beats of the sentence, there is a
/b/ and a /v/. When hitting the sound of these words, the student will be clapping and moving their head
which encourages rhythm and clear pronunciation.
Production #3: Substitution
box.

After reading the situation below, students will mix and match sentences with the options in the

Situation #1: Bobby was sliding down the banister when he heard a loud, CRACK!
Answer: Bobby broke the banister.
Situation #2: Robert was jumping on his bed when he heard a loud, CREEK!
Answer: Robert broke the bunkbed.
Situation #3: Violet was driving her car when she was violently thrown to one side.
Answer: Violet unavoidably broke the van.

Stough 5!
Situation #4: Valerie was watching the stars when, all of a sudden, the telescope go and it fell to the
ground.
Answer: Valeria unavoidably broke the observatory.

Bobby

van

Valerie

(unavoidably) broke the

banister

Robert

bunkbed

Violet

observatory

*Rational: I like this exercise because it requires higher level thinking skills as well as challenges the
students to think about their pronunciation.
Production #4: Reading/Completion
Choose an item from the list to complete each sentence.
bait
bundle
vane
bankrupt
vain
visible
Bravo!
breakeven

1. Vern loved to fish, but could never ________ his hook.

2. When it is cold, Ben loves to ___________ in lots of clothes.
3. Valerie is a weather freak. She is constantly looking at the weather ___________.
4. Brady spends too much money on blinders. Hes going to go ___________.
5. Vinesa loves to look at herself in the mirror. She is very ___________.
6. Bailey loves to wear bright clothing. She is very _________.
7. _________ Barb! You did it!
8. Baxter just wants to ____________. At the end of the day, he wants to be at 0.

*Rational: This exercise is read out loud which can distract the student from focusing on saying the /b/s
and /v/s correctly. This reveals if the student can produce these sounds in the flow of a regular sentence.
Production #5: Transformation
Change each sentence into a positive or a negative from the original.
Vern broke the bed. -> Vern did not break the bed.
Robert is invisible. > Robert is not invisible.
Baxter is not vain. -> Baxter is vain.
Violet wore a vest. > Violet did not wear a vest.
*Rational: Even though this exercise requires verb tense changing, I think that at higher levels, when the
conjugation of verbs is not so difficult, this can be a valuable exercise. It gets the student speaking while
requiring a relatively easy exercise to be completed.
Production #6: Sentence Construction
For each, item, construct a sentence using the words provided. Supply additional words as need.
There are many possible answers to these exercises. Say each sentence out loud.

Stough 6!

1. Bobby/Vern/movies
2. gloves/brown
3. library/close/11:00
4. beets/wonderful vegetable
5. movie/begins/7
*Rational: This exercise gives a lot of freedom to the learner to create sentences while requiring students
to say sentences potent with /b/s and /v/s.
Production #7: Sequencing Sentences
Put the sentences in the correct order. (These sentences will be mixed up in the real exercise.)
He drives to the dealership.
The dealer is not available.
He behaves well as he waits.
He buys the vehicle.
He believes he got the best available vehicle.
He dives it back home.
*Rational: I like this exercise because each sentence has the potential of confusing the /b/ and /v/. It is not
a long exercise but should be challenging enough to help the student learn where they are having trouble
producing a proper /b/ and /v/ sound.

Bibliography:
Avery, Peter, and Susan Ehrlich. Teaching American English Pronunciation. Oxford [England: Oxford
University Press, 1992. Print.
Dickerson, Lonna. INTR 616 Class Notes: English Phonology for ESL/EFL Teachers. 2015. Pages 169,
171, 173, 175, 176.
Ung, Kevin. Supplemental Materials for Intermediate EFL Spanish Speaking High School. INTR: 616
Phonology Project. 2013. Page 2.