Talk/walk/health/self

Question

When you say these words (talk / walk / health / youself), does the tip your tongue touch the area behind your upper teeth?
(I can infer from m-w.com's pronouciation that my tongue's tip has to touch the hard bump behind my upper teeth, but difficult.)

Thanks.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

.
No-- except for the /th/ in health.
.

Liveinjapan · Answer

Thanks, Mr M.

How about /l/ in these words? Are those /l/ except /health/ slient words?

Tip's touching some area behind your upper teeth makes the /l/ sound, but in these words except health, before /k/ /th/ /f/, is your tongue' tip not pressed anywhere?

Avangi · Answer

The "L" in "talk" and in "walk" is silent. The "L" in "health" and "yourself" is not. I don't know whether or not MrM was responding to your statement in parentheses when he said "no."
My parents and teachers would never have allowed me to not pronounce the "L" in "health" and "yourself." However, I do hear that version in some communities: "yo'seuf."

Liveinjapan · Answer

How can I ever thank you, Avangi.

Just one thing, silent means the tip of your tongue doesn't need to touch behind your upper teeth, right?

Sorry for asking too much.

Avangi · Answer

You give me too much credit. I'm loosing all my arguments today.

When we say a letter is silent, we're not talking about the way we pronounce that particular letter. We mean we must pronounce the word as if that letter were not there at all.

How do you pronounce the "k" in "knee"?

How do you pronounce the "p" in "pneumonia"?

If you believe that the only thing essential to producing a proper "L" is that the tip of the tongue touch the front teeth at the gum line, then, yes, a silent "L" means that you don't have to do that.

But in more general terms, however many things one must do to produce a given letter, NONE of them need(s) to be done when that letter is silent.

Kooyeen believes that he can produce a non-silent, noisy, audible, proper, acceptable "L" without touching his tongue to any part of his mouth. On this we agree to disagree. I really haven't spent any time visiting over there in the audible arts department, so I no doubt have a lot to learn.

Best regards, - A.

Liveinjapan · Answer

Really great answer!
Thanks a million, Avangi!

My tongue is now relaxed!

CalifJim · Answer

L is silent in the endings alk, alm, and alf, and in the rare olk, and olm.

In AmE, walk = wauk; talk = wauk; chalk = chauk, etc. (There is no L, so don't try to pronounce one.)
For some speakers, walk = wock; talk = tock; chalk = chock; etc.

aulk acts the same way, e.g., caulk, Faulkner. (No Ls).

calm = caum; palm = paum; etc. (There is no L here either; however, some speakers put one in anyway.)

half = haff; calf = caff (Again no L, and note the vowel sound. It's not the same sound as in walk or calm.)

Note also: halve = hav (= have); calve = cav; salve = sav

yolk = yoke; folk = foke; holm = home.

As you probably already know, L is also silent in would, could, and should, and in salmon (=sammen)

CJ

Liveinjapan · Answer

Thanks so much, CJ.
I think I can speak English a bit faster!

Avangi · Answer

CalifJim aulk acts the same way, e.g., caulk, Faulkner. (No Ls).

I never knew about Faulkner. (I even double checked it - no offense) How embarrassing! Thanks, CJ

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