There are some American English vowel sounds that are particularly difficult for Koreans to pronounce.
These include the /ɪ/ sound and the /ae/ sound.
Koreans often pronounce the /ɪ/ vowel sound in the words sit, slip, & grin more like an /iy/ vowel sound. That makes sit, slip, & grin sound like seat, sleep & green to American listeners.
Keep in mind that the /ɪ/ sound is a lax or relaxed sound. You don’t need to pull back your lips to say this sound.
Another vowel sound that is problematic for Koreans is /ae/ as in the words cat, laugh & sat. Koreans often pronounce the /ae/ like an /ɛ/ so that cat, laugh & sat sound like cet, lef & set. To make the /ae/ sound make sure that your tongue is very low in your mouth. The /ae/ is also a lax vowel sound.
Also, keep in mind that you must lengthen the sounds of vowels that come before voiced consonants.
Tags: American English Pronunciation, american english vowels, Korean Speakers, voiced consonant sounds
