Guided Practice Script

Hey! I have a question for you. Have you been to the zoo? I have, too! Can you say “zoo” with me? [1] Good job!

You know how there are cages for the animals at the zoo? We’re gonna pretend our tongue is an animal and our teeth make a cage, okay? [2]

Put the sides of your tongue on the inside of your sweet, like this! And keep the tip of your tongue behind your teeth. Now put your teeth together, like a cage! [3]

Make air come out and turn on your voice, like an animal making a sound at the zoo! [2] Awesome! That is the /z/ sound, like in the word zoo!

Target Techniques and Considerations

Eliciting Techniques in Script

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

Common /z/ Sound Errors

• Error pattern: /d/ substituted for /z/

• • Likely cause: The phonological process of stopping, where non-stop consonants, like /z/ (a fricative), are made into stops, like /d/. Notice that both are voiced and have the same phonetic place.

Relevant Dialectical Considerations

• Indian English speakers will often substitute the /z/ sound with /dʒ/, an affricate; “treasure” /trɛʒɚ/ may be produced as /trɛdʒɚ/.