Nunzio's own language — he came to every one of these the hard way, and he still says capisci. Italian's seven tidy vowels meet an English system of about twelve, most of the new work landing in the short, relaxed range Italian never needed.
The th pair is new too: Italian t and d are made just behind the teeth, one small slide away from where English wants the tongue.
Italian has no θ, and t is its nearest neighbour — think becomes tink. Let the tongue slide out between the teeth and keep the air moving instead of stopping it.
Hear the pair side by side →Same slide, with the voice on: this is not dis. The tongue rests between the teeth and buzzes.
Hear the pair side by side →Italian i is one vowel; English ship and sheep are two. The short 'ih' is quicker, lower, and more relaxed than Italian i ever gets.
Hear the pair side by side →Apple's vowel sits between Italian a and è, with the jaw wider than either.
Hear the pair side by side →Cup's vowel is short and central — not the long open a of casa. Small, quick, with a little punch.
Hear the pair side by side →The vowel of bird doesn't exist in Italian: long, central, lips loose — and resist the urge to roll the r after it.
Hear the pair side by side →Book and moon split what Italian u covers alone; book's version is shorter and looser.
Hear the pair side by side →English day starts at e and travels toward ee. Italian e holds its ground — the travel is what separates late from let.
Hear the pair side by side →Which of these are actually yours? That is the part no list can know.
Nunzio records you reading a sentence and scores every sound in it on your phone — nothing is uploaded — then names the one worth your next ten minutes. No list, no guessing: your recording. Nunzio — Accent Coach is coming to the App Store and Google Play.