19 Teaching the /z/ Sound with “Bee Buzz” and “Snake Hiss”
Kylie Younger
Guided Practice Script
Let’s pretend we are bees and make the buzzing sound! Listen to me first “zzzzz”. Your turn! Say “zzzz”. [1]
Put your teeth together to make a little cage for your tongue. (smile) Now put your tongue right behind your teeth but don’t let it break out of the cage! [2] Place your hand on your throat to feel your buzzing voice! Now turn on your buzzing voice and say “zzzz”! Do you feel your buzzing voice? [2]
Now try to say “ssss” like a sneaky snake. Good job! Now turn your buzzing voice on and say “zzzz” Try these words now: “zoo” “zip” “buzz”. Awesome buzzing! [3] Remember to not let your tongue out of the cage! [2]
Target Techniques and Considerations
Elicitated Techniques in the Script
- Modeling
- Verbal instruction using metaphor and phonetic placement
- Sound Approximation
Common /z/ Sound Errors
- /s/ is often substituted for /z/, likely due to difficulty turning voice on (voicing error). For example, “sip” for “zip,” “bus” for “buzz”
Accent or Dialect Variation
- In Spanish, the voiced /z/ sound does not occur at the beginning or end of words. As a result, speakers often substitute it with the voiceless /s/. For example, “zoo” may be pronounced as “soo.”
- In Northern British English dialect in casual speech the final /z/ may be devoiced to /s/. For example, “buzz” may be pronounced as “bus”.
