English pronunciation for Farsi speakers
For Farsi speakers the key fixes are /w/ (Farsi only has /v/, 'we' → 've'), the helper 'e' before initial s-clusters ('star' → 'estar'), the ship/sheep merger, and the strut vowel ('but' drifting towards 'bot').
- 6 sounds to fix, in order
- Every sound read aloud
- A listening game for each contrast
Your sounds, in order
- w
1
w as in we
no /w/ in Farsi: 'we' → 've', 'wine' → 'vine'
Fix: Round your lips into a tight circle, as if about to whistle.
- ɪ
2
i as in sit
/ɪ/ tenses to /iː/: 'bit' → 'beet', 'live' → 'leave'
Fix: Relax your lips and jaw, no smile.
- ʌ
3
u as in cup
/ʌ/ shifts towards /ɑ/ or /ɔ/: 'but' → 'bot', 'luck' → 'lock'
Fix: Relax your lips completely, no rounding, no spreading.
- ŋ
4
ng as in sing
/ŋ/ gains a hard g: 'singer' → 'sing-ger'
Fix: Raise the back of your tongue to the soft palate, the /k/ /ɡ/ position.
- θ
5
th as in think
/θ/ → /t/ or /s/; visible but secondary
Fix: Place the tip of your tongue lightly between your top and bottom teeth.
- ə
6
a as in about (schwa)
full vowels in unstressed syllables flatten the rhythm
Fix: Relax everything: lips, jaw, tongue in the neutral middle position.
Stress and rhythm
- Kill the prosthetic 'e': 'star', 'school', 'street' start on /s/; practise s-clusters in isolation.
- Farsi final-syllable stress transfers; learn English patterns for common words (TAble, STUdent, deVELop).
- Open the mouth more overall; narrow articulation reads as mumbling in English.
Start this week
- w-drill: tight round lips, no teeth: 'we went west' ten times daily.
- s-cluster onset practice: whisper 'sssstar', then shorten the s until natural.
- Record 'ship/sheep, live/leave' pairs weekly and listen for the short relaxed /ɪ/.