Guided Practice Script

Let’s practice saying the /g/ sound. This sound can be heard at the beginning of the word game. Let’s practice saying the word game together. [1] Well done!

When producing the /g/ sound, the base of your tongue moves to the back of your mouth and is raised to touch the roof of your mouth near the opening of your throat. This action causes a puff of air to be released as you create the sound. It’s almost like you are gurgling mouthwash. [2]

Let’s play a game! Let’s pretend that we are cheering on a race car driver in a race! Tell the driver to “go, go, go”! We have to make sure the driver hears us, so make sure to use your voice box to project the sound. You should feel your throat vibrate like the engine of a race car! [3]

Target Techniques and Considerations

Elicitation Techniques in the Script

1. Modeling
2. Phonetic Placement
3. Verbal instructions using a metaphor

Common /g/ Sound Errors

• The /d/ sound is commonly substituted for the /g/ sound.

• • Likely Cause: The /g/ sound is commonly replaced with the /d/ sound in most speech productions due to a process called velar fronting, in which alveolar sounds, which are produced at the front of the mouth, replace velar sounds, which are produced at the back of the mouth. An example of this would be a child saying “dot” instead of “got.”

Accent or Dialect Variation

• Individuals who speak the African American English may delete consonants, including the /g/ sound, at the end of their words. For example, the word /tæg/ might be pronounced as /tæ/.
• In some Persian dialects and in languages such as Farsi, the plosive /g/ sound can be produced as the affricate /dʒ/ sound, which is the sound that can be heard at the beginning of the word jump.

“Why Is the “G” Sound Sometimes Pronounced as a “J” in Certain Dialects?” Talkpal, 2025, talkpal.ai/culture/why-is-the-g-sound-sometimes-pronounced-as-a-j-in-certain-dialects/

Ellen Kester, Bio, R. F., Kester, E., Founder, P. &, Dr. Ellen Kester is the dynamic leader behind Bilinguistics, & Name. (2025, August 26). African American English articulation differences and language characteristics. Bilinguistics. https://bilinguistics.com/african-american-english-articulation-differences-and-language-characteristics/