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Can native English speakers tell the differences between [ɣ] voiced velar fricative and [g] voiced velar stop?

English Language & Usage Asked by Zo Doj on August 6, 2021

We don’t have [g] in Vietnamese so I use [ɣ] instead. I wonder if it is acceptable since I can’t tell the difference between them. And it seems like that native speakers can’t distinguish the voiceless pair, because I saw people use [k] voiceless velar stop for [x]voiceless velar fricative when pronouncing foreign words.

2 Answers

  • First rule of English is that nobody in their right mind care about phonetics.

  • Second is that mistakes are a part of life, and overly clear, especially well articulated and grammar immaculate sentences are used by NNEs - as strange as that may sound.

So, if you can pass that however you pronounce it, and don't get really bad stares, it's all good. Carry on.

Correct answer by Sakatox on August 6, 2021

A fair amount of English speakers would be able to hear the difference, but many would understand you if you replaced velar stops with velar fricatives.

Answered by Joshua Snider on August 6, 2021

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