Speech Sibilants and the ‘s’/’es’ suffixes - SS2 English Lesson Note
Speech Sibilants
Sibilants are a type of consonant sound that is produced by forcing air through a narrow opening in the mouth. This creates a hissing or buzzing sound. The most common sibilants in English are /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, and /ʒ/.
- /s/ is the sound made by hissing like a snake. It is the most common sibilant in English.
- /z/ is the sound made by buzzing like a bee. It is similar to /s/, but it is voiced, which means that the vocal cords vibrate when it is produced.
- /ʃ/ is the sound made by making a hissing sound with the tongue curled back. It is often spelled "sh" in English.
- /ʒ/ is the sound made by making a buzzing sound with the tongue curled back. It is often spelled "zh" in English.
The ‘s’/’es’ Suffixes
The ‘s’ and ‘es’ suffixes are used to form the plural of nouns and the third person singular of verbs in English. When these suffixes are added to words that end in a sibilant, the pronunciation of the sibilant changes slightly.
- If the sibilant is /s/ or /z/, the suffix is pronounced as /iz/. For example, the plural of "box" is "boxes" and the third person singular of "buzz" is "buzzes."
- If the sibilant is /ʃ/ or /ʒ/, the suffix is pronounced as /ʃiz/ or /ʒiz/. For example, the plural of "bush" is "bushes" and the third person singular of "judge" is "judges."
It is important to pronounce these suffixes correctly in order to be understood clearly. If you are not sure how to pronounce a sibilant suffix, it is always best to consult a dictionary or a pronunciation guide.
Here are some examples of words that end in sibilants and the changes in pronunciation that occur when the ‘s’/’es’ suffixes are added:
- Nouns:
- box → boxes (/s/ → /iz/)
- bush → bushes (/ʃ/ → /ʃiz/)
- judge → judges (/ʒ/ → /ʒiz/)
- buzz → buzzes (/z/ → /iz/)
- hiss → hisses (/s/ → /iz/)
- wish → wishes (/ʃ/ → /ʃiz/)