Listening: Basic Auditory Perception & Discrimination A2 - Lesson 1: Distinguishing Minimal Pairs (e.g., ship/sheep, pen/pan)

A2 Listening Discrimination: Distinguishing Minimal Pairs

Welcome to your first A2 level lesson! We will practice listening to minimal pairs¹. These are two words that sound very similar, with only one different sound. Understanding this small difference is key to improving your listening skills.

1. The 'i' /ɪ/ vs. 'ee' /iː/ Vowel Sound²

The 'ee' sound /iː/ is long, and your mouth should be wide, like you are smiling (eeeee). The 'i' sound /ɪ/ is short and your mouth is more relaxed (ih).

ship

Sentence: "I see a big ship on the water."

sheep

Sentence: "The sheep is white and fluffy."

live

Sentence: "I live in a small house in Siem Reap."

leave

Sentence: "What time does the bus leave?"

2. The 'e' /ɛ/ vs. 'a' /æ/ Vowel Sound

For the 'e' sound /ɛ/, our mouth is relaxed (like in 'egg'). For the 'a' sound /æ/, our jaw drops and our mouth opens wider (like in 'apple').

pen

Sentence: "Can I please borrow your pen³?"

pan

Sentence: "I will use a pan⁴ to cook the eggs."

man

Sentence: "There is one man waiting for the tuk-tuk."

men

Sentence: "There are three men waiting for the tuk-tuk."

Quiz: Which Word Did You Hear?

Listen to the sentence and choose the word you heard.

1. Sentence 1: (Listen to the audio)

   Did you hear: (a) ship     or     (b) sheep

2. Sentence 2: (Listen to the audio)

   Did you hear: (a) pen     or     (b) pan

3. Sentence 3: (Listen to the audio)

   Did you hear: (a) live     or     (b) leave

Click to Show Answers

Answers: 1-b, 2-b, 3-b

Homework Task

1. Mirror Practice: Stand in front of a mirror. Say "sheep" and watch your mouth make a wide smile. Now say "ship" and see how your mouth relaxes. Do the same for "pan" (wide mouth) and "pen" (relaxed mouth).

2. Record Yourself: Use your phone to record yourself saying the sentences from today's lesson. Listen back. Can you clearly hear the difference between the minimal pairs?

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Minimal Pair (noun phrase) - Khmer: គូពាក្យអប្បបរមា - Two words that are different by only one single sound (e.g., ship/sheep). ↩
2. Vowel Sound (noun) - Khmer: សំឡេងស្រៈ - An open sound made in the middle of a word, like a, e, i, o, u. ↩
3. Pen (noun) - Khmer: ប៊ិច - A tool used for writing with ink. ↩
4. Pan (noun) - Khmer: ខ្ទះ - A round metal container with a handle, used for cooking food. ↩